Luke

by Paul Turner

Luke excelled in quantity and quality. As the writer also of Acts of the Apostles, he composed nearly a third of the New Testament. The most eloquent of all the evangelists, Luke includes in his Gospel the beautifully crafted stories of the Annunciation to Mary, the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. Without his work, we would have no knowledge of those stories.

The author’s identity is a mystery. The original work probably dates to 80–85 AD. But the Gospel itself never identifies the name of its author and the earliest editions assigned no author’s name to the Gospel’s title. Paul’s Letter to Philemon lists someone named Luke among his co-workers (24). At the end of the second century, Irenaeus of Lyon reported that Luke, the companion of Paul, wrote the third Gospel, and it has been called “Luke” ever since. Nevertheless, it cannot be proved that Paul’s companion is also the author of this Gospel.

Legends have grown up about Luke. The Letter to the Colossians calls him a beloved physician (4:14), causing a tradition that the evangelist was also a doctor. In the Middle Ages, physicians and painters belonged to the same guild so stories formed that Luke had also created works of art. 

Luke’s Gospel stresses several important themes: God’s necessary plan for salvation, prayer in the life of Jesus, the role of the Holy Spirit and the dignity of the poor. Among the evangelists, Luke is symbolized as an ox, a sacrificial animal that foreshadows the sacrifice of Christ.

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Paul Turner, pastor of St. Munchin Parish in Cameron, MO, holds a doctorate in sacramental theology from Sant' Anselmo University in Rome.