Reset Password
Reset Link Sent
| Blogs > Katididaustralia > Katididaustralia |
|
LUKE Place Written: Caesarea Writing Completed: c. 56-58 C.E. Time Covered: 3 B.C.E. - 33 C.E. The Gospel of Luke was written by a man with a keen mind and a kind heart and this fine blend of qualities, with the guidance of God's spirit, has resulted in an account that is both accurate and full of warmth and feeling. In the opening verses, he says, "I resolved also, because I have traced all things from the start with accuracy, to write them in logical order to you." His detailed, meticulous presentation fully bears out this claim. Luke 1:3 Although Luke is nowhere named in the account, ancient authorities are agreed that he was the writer. The Gospel is attributed to Luke in the Muratorian Fragment (c. 170 C.E.) and was accepted by such second-century writers as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. Internal evidence also points strongly to Luke. Paul speaks of him at Colossians 4:14 as "Luke the beloved physician," and his work is of the scholarly order one would expect from a well-educated man, such as a doctor. His fine choice of language and his extensive vocabulary, larger than that of the other three Gospel writers combined, make possible a most careful and comprehensive treatment of his vital subject. His account of the prodigal is regarded by some as the best short story ever written. Luke uses more than 300 medical terms or words to which he gives a medical meaning that are not used in the same way (if they are used at all) by the other writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures.* For example, when speaking of leprosy, Luke does not always use the same term as the other. To them leprosy is leprosy, but to the physician, there are different stages of leprosy, as when Luke speaks of "a man full of leprosy." Lazarus, he says, was "full of ulcers." No other Gospel writer says that Peter's mother-in-law had "a high fever" (Luke 5:12; 16:20; 4:38) Although the other three tell us of Peter's cutting off the ear of the slave of the high priest, only Luke mentions that Jesus healed him. (Luke 22:51) It is like a doctor to say of a woman that she had "a spirit of weakness for eighteen years, and she was bent double and was unable to raise herself up at all." And who but "Luke the beloved physician" would have recorded in such detail the first aid rendered to a man by the Samaritan who "bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine upon them: ? (Luke 13:11; 10:34) *The Medical Language of Luke, 1954, W.K.Hobart, pages xi-xxviii. When did Luke write his Gospel? Acts1:1 indicates that the writer of Acts (who was also Luke) had earlier composed "the first account," the Gospel. Acts was most probably completed about 61 C.E. while Luke was in Rome with Paul, who was awaiting his appeal to Caesar. So the Gospel account was probably written by Luke in Caesarea about 56-58 C.E., after he returned with Paul from Philippi at the end of Paul's third missionary journey and while Paul was waiting two years in prison at Caesarea before being taken to Rome for his appeal. Since Luke was there in Palestine, during this time he was well situated to 'trace all things from the start with accuracy' concerning the life and ministry of Jesus. Thus, Luke's account appears to have preceded Mark's Gospel. Luke was not, of course, an eyewitness of all the events he records in his Gospel, not being one of the 12 and probably not even a believer until after Jesus' death. However, he was very closely associated with Paul in the missionary field. (2Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24) So, as might be expected, his writings shows evidence of Paul's influence, as can be seen by comparing their two account of the Lord's Evening Meal. (Luke 22:19+20 and 1 Cor. 11:23-25) As a further source of material, Luke could have referred to Matthew's Gospel. In 'tracing all things with accuracy,' he would be able personally to interview many eyewitnesses of the events of Jesus' life, such as the surviving disciples and possibly Jesus' mother. We can be sure that he left no stone unturned in assembling the reliable details. It becomes clear on examining the four Gospel accounts that the writers do not simply repeat one another's narratives, nor do they write solely to record. Luke's account is most individualistic in its treatment. In all. 59 percent of his Gospel is unique with him. He records at least six specific miracles and more that twice that number of illustrations that are not mentioned in the other Gospel accounts, devoting one third of his Gospel to narrative and two thirds to the spoken word; his Gospel is the longest of the four. Matthew wrote primarily for the Jews, and Mark for non-Jewish readers, especially the Romans. Luke's Gospel was addressed to the "most excellent Theophilus" and through him to other persons, both Jews and non-Jews. He particularly notes the prophetic words of Simeon that Jesus would be the means of "removing the veil from the nations," and tells that "all flesh will see the saving means of God." (Luke 3:38; 2:29-32; 3:6) Throughout his writing, Luke proves to be an outstanding narrator, his accounts being well arranged and accurate. These qualities of accuracy and fidelity in Luke's writings are strong proof of their authenticity. A legal writer once observed: "While romances, legends and false testimony are careful to place events related in some distant place and some indefinite time, thereby violating the first rules we lawyers learn of good pleading, that 'the delaration must give time and place,' the Bible narratives give us the date and place of the things related with the utmost precision."+ In proof he cited Luke 3:1+2: "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was district ruler of Galilee, but Philip his brother was district ruler of the country of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was district ruler of Abilene, in the days of chief priest Annas and of Caiaphas, God's declaration came to John the of Zechariah in the wilderness." There is no indefiniteness here as to time or place, but Luke names no less than seven public officials so that we can establish the time of the beginning of John's ministry and that of Jesus. + A Lawyer Examines The Bible. 1943, I.H. Linton, page 38. Luke also gives us two pointers for fixing the time of Jesus' birth when he says, at Luke 2:1+2,: "Now in those days a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus for all the inhabited earth to be registered; (this first registration took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria)," This was when Joseph and Mary went up to Bethlehem to be registered, and Jesus was born while they were there". We cannot but agree with the commentator who says: "It is one of the most searching tests of Luke's historical sense that he always manages to achieve perfect accuracy."^ We must acknowledge as valid Luke's claim to have 'traced all things from the start with accuracy.' ^Modern Discovery and the Bible, 1955, A. Rendle Short, page 211. Luke also points out how the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures were accurately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He quotes Jesus' inspired testimony on this (Luke 24:27, 44) Further, he accurately records Jesus' own prophecies concerning future events, and many of these have already had remarkable fulfillments in all their foretold detail. For example, Jerusalem was surrounded by siegeworks of pointed stakes and perished in a frightful holocaust in 70 C.E., just as Jesus foretold. (Luke 19:43+44; 21:20-24; Matt. 24:2) The secular historian Flavius Josephus, who was an eyewitness with the Roman army, testifies that the countryside was denuded of trees to a distance of about ten miles to provide stakes, that the siege was four and a half miles long, that many women and died from famine, and that more than 1,000,000 Jews lost their lives and 97,000 were taken captive. To this day, the Arch of Titus in Rome portrays the Roman victory procession with spoils of war from Jerusalem's temple.# We can be sure that other inspired prophecies recorded by Luke will be just as accurately fulfilled. #The Jewish War, V, 491-515 (xii, 1-4); VI, 420 (ix, 3) I sure hope you've enjoyed this wonderful background story on one of our most beloved of Brothers. Yours, Katidid. |
|
