Saint Luke

An author addressing Theophilus

The third Gospel begins with a distinctive prologue. Its author explains that several accounts have already been composed and that he wishes to present Theophilus with an orderly account in order to confirm the teaching he has received. The opening lines express a desire to organize the traditions handed down about Jesus. They do not present themselves as the immediate transcription of a witness present at every scene described, but as a work based on the transmission of testimonies.

The Acts of the Apostles also begin with an address to Theophilus and refer back to the first book. This literary continuity explains why the two works are often studied together under the name “Luke-Acts.” The Gospel ends with the Resurrection and Ascension; Acts opens with the apostles’ mission and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.

The exact identity of Theophilus is unknown. He may have been a particular recipient or a figure more broadly evoking one who loves God. This name, like the author’s comments on his method, helps us understand the work’s ambition: to transmit the memory of Jesus and show how it becomes the foundation of a proclamation carried to new peoples.

Luke, Paul’s companion in tradition

Ancient tradition associates the evangelist with a man named Luke in certain letters of the New Testament. Colossians 4:14 mentions “Luke, the beloved physician,” while Philemon 24 lists a Luke among Paul’s fellow workers. The Second Letter to Timothy also alludes to his presence. These passages played a major role in identifying the Christian author.

In Acts, certain sections of the account of Paul’s journeys use the first-person plural, “we.” Ancient readers saw in this the recollection of a travel companion. Specialists, however, study the literary function of these passages and the circumstances in which the two books were written. It is therefore appropriate to distinguish the traditional attribution to Luke from the historical questions about the author that are still being examined.

Luke is not among the twelve apostles named in the Gospels. His title of evangelist designates his place in the written transmission of Jesus’ life. The name Saint Luke thus belongs to the world of the first Christian witnesses, while also referring to a literary work whose composition reveals a genuine literary culture.

The accounts of Jesus’ childhood and the place of Mary

Luke recounts the announcement made to Zechariah, followed by the one addressed to Mary by the angel Gabriel. His account of Jesus’ birth brings in Bethlehem, the shepherds, and the words spoken in the Temple. It gives Mary an important place, particularly through the Magnificat, a hymn of praise in which divine mercy is proclaimed toward the humble. These scenes have had an immense influence on Christian liturgy, song, and art.

The episode of the shepherds, who are the first to receive the announcement of the birth, shows particular attention to humble people. Luke also features Elizabeth, Anna the prophetess, and several other female figures. They take part in receiving God’s word and recognizing Christ. The account does not merely construct a family genealogy: it shows a community of figures who welcome and transmit a promise.

Tradition has associated Saint Luke with the Virgin Mary and attributed ancient portraits of the Mother of God to him. This is the origin of his patronage of painters and of the representation of the evangelist before a Marian icon. The personal relationship and the paintings attributed to Luke belong to later artistic traditions; they are not described in the New Testament.

The Good Samaritan, the lost son, and mercy

Several of Christianity’s most famous parables are found in the Gospel according to Luke. In chapter 10, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in response to a question about one’s neighbor. The wounded man by the roadside receives help from someone whose group was kept at a distance. The story thus shifts the focus: love of one’s neighbor is recognized through an act of assistance and responsibility.

In chapter 15, the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the welcoming father and his son develop a teaching on the joy of forgiveness. The scene of the son who returns after losing his inheritance has inspired many paintings and meditations. It is not merely a story of indulgence: the father, the younger son, and the elder son reveal different ways of living in relationship and understanding mercy.

Luke also emphasizes prayer, the danger of attachment to wealth, and the reversal of social circumstances. The accounts of Zacchaeus and the sinful woman welcomed by Jesus give these themes a narrative form. Mercy is not presented there as an abstract idea, but as a relationship that transforms decisions and behavior.

From Jerusalem to Rome in the Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles extends the narrative by describing the beginnings of the Christian communities. Chapter 2 presents Pentecost, when the disciples proclaim Christ to people from different regions. Peter occupies an important place in the first part, and the work then focuses more on Paul’s mission, his travels, and the encounters accompanying the spread of the message.

The accounts show a Church confronted with questions of identity, justice, and openness to the nations. Peter’s encounter with Cornelius, the Jerusalem meeting, and the missionary journeys highlight the changes brought about by welcoming non-Jewish believers. The book ends with Paul’s presence in Rome, where the proclamation of the Gospel continues despite his captivity.

The geographical dimension alone is not enough to account for the structure of Acts. The author wants to show how the Holy Spirit guides the community and makes proclamation possible beyond its initial borders. The continuity between Jesus and his witnesses is thus the true connecting thread of the two works.

The winged ox and artistic traditions

In Christian iconography, Saint Luke carries a book and is accompanied by a winged ox. The attribution of the four living creatures to the evangelists, arising from a reading of the vision of Ezekiel and the Apocalypse, became established in Western tradition. The ox refers in particular to the opening of his Gospel, with its priestly functions of Zechariah and its language of sacrifice.

The quill, lectern, and manuscript represent the evangelist’s work. In other paintings, Luke is shown painting Mary holding the Child Jesus. These works are especially interesting for the history of Christian art: they associate the author of a text with the tradition of Marian images, giving painters a patron saint of their own activity.

Iconographic symbols cannot reconstruct Luke’s historical appearance. They teach the viewer the place attributed to him in the transmission of the Gospel and in the memory of the Church.

The October 18 feast day and reading his works

Saint Luke is celebrated on October 18 in the Roman calendar. His memory is associated with evangelists, artists, and those who work in healthcare professions, in connection with Luke the physician mentioned in the Pauline tradition. These patronages extend the Christian reception of his name.

To discover this author, reading the opening chapters of the Gospel together with the beginning of Acts offers an enlightening journey. It shows how the announcements of Jesus’ birth continue into the account of the apostolic mission. The parables of the Good Samaritan and the lost son then make it possible to explore his writing on mercy.

Luke’s memory is thus twofold: that of a companion of the first communities according to traditional identification, and that of a narrator who gave the life of Jesus and the beginnings of the Church an enduring literary form.

The relationship between the account of Jesus and the history of the first communities can be explored further in the page devoted to the Bible and its transmission. It helps place the two works attributed to Luke within the whole body of writings received by the Churches.