Biography+on+Luke

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=**Background of Luke **=

= = Luke was a physician by trade, but he also wrote the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts which are essentially one work that is broken into two books. [|[i]] In Acts, Luke sometimes used words like “we” or “us,” which indicates that he was traveling with Paul.[|[ii]] Robertson explains, “Luke was Paul’s physician as well as helper in the mission work. It is quite possible that Luke, called in as physician either at Antioch during Paul’s stay there, or in Galatia during a sudden malarial attack (Gal. 4:13), or at Troas, where we first note his presence with Paul, was converted by his patient to the service of Christ.”[|[iii]] Luke remained with Paul until the end. We know this because Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me”. Luke seemed to be a reserved fellow, who kept himself in the background when he wrote the two books of the Bible. As a result there is not that much knowledge one can find about who Luke was. Luke, a gentile was most likely a freedman and the brother of Titus. Luke’s birthplace is not known for certain, but could likely have been at Antioch in Syria, Antioch in Pisidia, or Philippi.[|[iv]] Robertson explains, “It is plain enough that the man who wrote the Gospel and the Acts was a man of genuine culture. As a physician he ‘belonged to the middle or higher plane of contemporary culture.”[|[v]] Luke got a good education and probably went to Tarsus to study at the university there. There is debate as to when Luke became a Christian; however no definite conclusion has been reached. What is important to know is that he was a follower of Jesus Christ who accompanied the apostle Paul in spreading the gospel.[|[vi]] Luke was an evangelist along with Paul, as is clearly portrayed in Acts. “Luke was left in charge at Philippi, when Paul and Silas departed, and he apparently remained there over six years until Paul comes back from Corinth on the third tour on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 20:5). Then he was with Paul to the close of Acts. So he is “Luke the Evangelist” because he preached as well as because he wrote the Third Gospel” according to Robertson.[|[vii]] Luke most likely took care of Paul during his latter years. According to Robertson, “Luke’s very soul was knit to Paul’s in loving affection. Paul was one of his heroes to the last.”[|[viii]] =**The Gospel of Luke **=

= = While there is some debate as to whether more than one person wrote Luke and Acts, there is good reason to believe that Luke was the sole author of both of these books. Although Luke was not an eyewitness of the events, he “has up to a certain point employed the plain, simple method of straightforward, unprejudiced investigation into the historical work which forms the subject of his study.”[|[ix]] Luke is one of the synoptic gospels along with Matthew and Mark, which are all very similar. 93% of John, on the other hand, is unique to the gospel of John.[|[x]] Luke wrote his gospel from Caesarea in 58-60 AD. Halstead explains that Luke is only mentioned by name 3 times in the New Testament. The theme of Luke is “Jesus Christ is the perfect or ideal son of man and Savior of the world.” [|[xi]] On the other hand, Flender states, “The mission to the Gentiles is the main theme of Luke.”<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xii]] The book of Luke can be ambiguous when it comes to describing who Jesus was, yet compared to any of the other synoptic gospels, Luke emphasizes prayer. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xiii]] Luke wrote Luke and Acts to the Greeks, but specifically to a man named Theophilus. Luke was not an eyewitness of Christ’s life as we find in Luke 1:2. In comparison to the other gospels, Luke is more literary and logical. Luke emphasizes Jesus’ discourses instead of His miracles. Halstead explains that, “Luke emphasizes the universality of the gospel for all men everywhere.” He feels that the key text is Luke 19:10 which states, “ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 200%;">For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xiv]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 200%;"> “Luke is able to assure his readers that salvation has been made available to human beings because he presents the one who offers this salvation as ultimately in control of events both in heaven and on earth.”<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xv]] Luke gives us Christ’s genealogy from Adam through Mary. “Luke depicts Jesus’ suffering and death in terms of the suffering of the righteous man who dies a martyr’s death, thus incurring the same fate as Stephen.”<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xvi]] Luke is known as “the Gospel of glad acceptance” and is much more biographical than the other gospels.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xvii]] =**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Luke the Author of Acts **=

= = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Luke was in or near Rome when he wrote the book of Acts in 63 A.D. Acts is unique in that it “Provides the only account of the beginning and early expansion of the Church.” Together with the book of Luke, these two books make up about ¼ of the entire New Testament. The theme of the book of Acts is “Building the church and the progress of the gospel center from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the world; from Judaism to Christianity; from Jew to Greek.” The purpose for the writing of the book of Acts is, “To continue the work of Christ’s ministry after His ascension through the Holy Spirit (Mt. 16).” Luke is not supposed to be theological, yet some crucial elements such as the death and resurrection of Christ as well as the work of the Holy Spirit are clearly seen in the book. Luke “Helps to clarify distinctions between the Messianic Kingdom which was postponed, and the church which is presently being formed by the Holy Spirit.”<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xviii]] Bock explains that, “…Luke is a historian in the ancient mold, whose historiography is rooted more in Jewish models than in Greco-Roman ones. Acts is, however not a full treatment of origins but quite a selective one, highlighting themes and parallels, Luke wants the reader to appreciate.”<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xix]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Luke wrote acts in Koine Greek, and as one commentator explains, “Luke has the largest vocabulary of any NT writer, but this may reflect the wide variety of settings presented in His work.”<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xx]] Acts begins with several short stories or speeches and then shifts to focus primarily around Paul and the stories typically are more detailed.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xxi]] John MacArthur explains how Luke wrote Acts, “In writing Acts, Luke drew on written sources (15:23-29;23:26-30), and he also, no doubt, interviewed key figures, such as Peter, John, and others in the Jerusalem Church. Paul’s two-year imprisonment at Caesarea (24:27) gave Luke ample opportunity to interview Philip and his daughters.” MacArthur asserts the fact that due to the use of “we” and “us”, Luke was an eyewitness to some of the events that he recorded. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xxii]]

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Bibiography on Luke: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Flender, Helmut. //St. Luke: Theologian of Redemptive History//. 1St Edition ed. publication place: Fortress, 1967. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">MacArthur, John. //Acts: The Spread of the Gospel (MacArthur Bible Studies)//. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2000.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Marshall, I. Howard. //Luke: Historian and Theologian//. 3rd ed. Exeter, England: Paternoster, 1988.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ramsay, William Mitchell. //Luke, the Physician//. publication place: General Books LLC, 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Richard, Earl, ed. //New Views on Luke and Acts (Michael Glazier Books)//. Collegeville, Minn.: Health Policy Advisory Center, 1990.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Robertson, A T. //Luke the historian, in the light research//. publication place: Baker Book House, 1977.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[i]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">William Mitchell Ramsay, //Luke, the Physician// (Minneapolis MN: General Books LLC, 2010), 4. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[ii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A T. Robertson, //Luke the historian, in the light research// (Grand Rapids, MI: Nabu Press, 2010), 7. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[iii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 13. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[iv]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 18-21. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[v]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A T. Robertson, //Luke the historian, in the light research// (Grand Rapids, MI: Nabu Press, 2010), 23. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[vi]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 26. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[vii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 27. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[viii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 28-29. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[viii] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">William Mitchell Ramsay, //Luke, the Physician// (Minneapolis MN: General Books LLC, 2010), 4. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[viii] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">A T. Robertson, //Luke the historian, in the light research// (Grand Rapids, MI: Nabu Press, 2010), 7. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[viii] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid.,13. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[viii] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 18-21. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[viii] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 23. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[viii] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 26. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[viii] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 27. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[viii] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 28-29. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[ix]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">William Mitchell Ramsay, //Luke, the Physician// (Minneapolis MN: General Books LLC, 2010), 5,9. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[x]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Tom Halstead, New Testament I, (course notes, The Master’s College, Santa Clarita, Ca, Fall 2010). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xi]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Ibid., <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Helmut Flender, //St. Luke, Theologian of Redemptive History / Translated by Reginald H. and Ilse Fuller//, 1St Edition ed. (publication place: London : S. P. C. K., 1967), 39. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xiii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Helmut Flender, //St. Luke, Theologian of Redemptive History / Translated by Reginald H. and Ilse Fuller//, 1St Edition ed. (publication place: London : S. P. C. K., 1967), 53. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xiv]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Tom Halstead, New Testament I, (course notes, The Master’s College, Santa Clarita, Ca, Fall 2010). <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xv]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 17px;">Earl Richard, ed., //New Views On Luke and Acts (michael Glazier Books)//, ed. Earl Richard (Collegeville, Minn.: Health Policy Advisory Center, 1990), 49. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xvi]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Helmut Flender, //St. Luke, Theologian of Redemptive History / Translated by Reginald H. and Ilse Fuller//, 1St Edition ed. (publication place: London : S. P. C. K., 1967), 54. <span style="font-family: 'Times','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xvii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Tom Halstead, New Testament I, (course notes, The Master’s College, Santa Clarita, Ca, Fall 2010). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xviii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Ibid., <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xix]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Darrell L. Bock, //Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)// (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 3. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xx]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 13. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xxi]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ibid., 13. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[xxii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">John MacArthur, //Acts: The Spread of the Gospel (MacArthur Bible Studies)// (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2000), 2.

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