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Who was Luke?
“Scriba mansuetudinis Christi” is how Dante Alighieri described the evangelist Luke: “Scribe of the meekness of Christ.” It is a concise and fitting phrase. The evangelist Luke is a skilled writer rooted in Hellenistic culture, and he has crafted a beautiful, clear story by drawing on the tradition that preceded him, capturing a core aspect of Jesus’ meekness, according to Dante Alighieri.
We can talk about God’s mercy. Luke is the evangelist of mercy. He presents Jesus’ human experience as the culmination of God’s revelation of mercy. But who is Luke?
I will begin with the author’s identity in these lectures, which are dedicated to the third Gospel. The name does not appear in the narrative, but tradition consistently presents him as Luke. We have some information about him from ancient church writings. His name appears in three passages of the Pauline letters, where he seems to have been a collaborator of Paul, who calls him “the dear physician.” He had a close, affectionate relationship with the apostle, and we learn that he was a physician. The New Testament documents offer little else. We can find some additional details from other ancient sources.
He was originally from Antioch, the important capital of Syria, a cosmopolitan city. He probably became a Christian after encountering the initial Christian preaching delivered by people expelled from Jerusalem during the persecution that arose at the time of Stephen. Barnabas was also sent from Jerusalem to Antioch to organize the new community of non-Jewish Christians. Then Barnabas went to find Paul, brought him to Antioch, and together they gathered many followers. The term ‘Christian’ was first used then to identify the new community. There was also a physician named Luke among these new Christians in Antioch.
Based on what we know from ancient church tradition, he died at 84, long after Paul’s death. Therefore, we can assume that in the 40s, when he became a Christian and met Barnabas and Paul, Luke was around 40, a middle-aged man with a distinguished career as a physician. He held a very respectable social position, and, given the standards of the time, his ability to study medicine suggests he came from a wealthy family with ample financial resources. This background allowed Luke, as a young man, to pursue medical studies and, naturally, to develop an excellent classical Greek literary culture.
Greek was spoken in Antioch, one of the capitals of the Hellenistic world. It is likely that Luke, this physician with broad knowledge, also saw the translation of the Bible into Greek, the so-called ‘Septuagint.’ He may also have read passages from the Hebrew Scriptures. He was probably interested in different cultures, given that Antioch was a city where people from across the ancient eastern region gathered. He was accustomed to meeting people of various cultures, languages, and religions. Among these, he also encountered some disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, and it was a pivotal moment in his life—an encounter that profoundly influenced the rest of his days.
He admired and was fascinated by Jesus’ character, and he wanted to meet him. He got baptized and became a Christian. He became friends with Paul, formed a strong bond with him, and accompanied him many times. He wrote not only the Gospel but also The Acts of the Apostles, and it is precisely from The Acts of the Apostles that we can gain some vital information about Luke’s presence following Paul.
Some passages in Acts are written in the first-person plural. This style allows the author to subtly suggest, “I was there too,” without explicitly stating it. For example, in chapter 16, when they arrive in Troas, Paul and his companions stop there for a few days; then the narration shifts: “We left Troas; we sailed towards Samothrace; we got to Neapolis, then we got to Philippi.” The use of the first-person plural indicates that the author was present and therefore accompanied Paul on the sea journey from Troas to Philippi. When Paul departs from Philippi, the story switches back to the third person.
We reconstruct that Luke most likely stopped in Philippi on that occasion. It was his adopted city. A native of Antioch, he arrived with Paul in the great city of Philippi, a Greco-Roman city in Macedonia, northeastern Greece, and stayed there as the leader of the Christian community formed in this new urban setting. He continued to develop and lead the community until, years later, Paul visited Philippi after returning from a trip. From that point on, Luke joined Paul and accompanied him on his last journeys without leaving his side.
As a medical expert, he likely noticed the apostle’s severe health issues and, as an assistant and a physician friend, was able to heal him. Together, they traveled to Jerusalem, arriving for Pentecost in the year 58. On that occasion, Paul was arrested and imprisoned for two years while awaiting trial. Luke was fortunate to remain in and around Jerusalem during those two years. It was a long journey through the Holy Land that gave him a rare opportunity to learn about the places and, more importantly, to meet the people—eyewitnesses, relatives of Jesus, and the apostles still present in Jerusalem—along with many others who had seen Jesus about thirty years earlier.
It may seem like a lot, but 30 years is a short span for a middle-aged person, and someone with a good memory can recall events from three decades ago. If these important facts have made an impression and sparked the imagination, the memory stays vivid. During those two years, Luke had the chance to travel from Jerusalem to Caesarea, meet many people, gather documents and written materials, and take part in the liturgies of the Christian-Jewish community.
He did not know Hebrew or Aramaic, but the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem knew Greek, the common language everyone used. Therefore, Luke had the opportunity to visit the places where Jesus’ ministry took place. He went to Jerusalem… he visited Bethlehem, probably also Nazareth. He gained a clear understanding of the events and learned many details from eyewitnesses. He stayed close to Paul for two years while Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea Maritima. When there was a change in leadership, it seemed the process would be resolved favorably, but Paul appealed to Caesar, and the prisoner was then sent to Rome by sea. Luke traveled with Paul to the empire’s capital. They were shipwrecked near Malta but survived. They spent the winter there, and the next spring they continued their journey until they reached Rome.
Paul remained in Rome, awaiting trial for another two years under house arrest, and his assistant, Luke, was fortunate to be in Rome with him this time. While Paul was in prison, under house arrest and in military custody, guarded by a soldier, Luke was free to move around and connect with the Roman community. At that time, in the early sixties in Rome, Peter was present, along with Barnabas and Silas, who had arrived there, as well as Timothy and Paul. Luke also met Mark, who, during those years, was gathering materials for his Gospel. In the early sixties, within the Roman community, Mark was compiling documents that had already circulated on Jesus’ teachings. Luke added this new knowledge to his own experience.
After two years of waiting for a trial, it turned out to be a false alarm. The accusers failed to appear. Paul was released because they did not show up, and Luke continued traveling with him for a few more years, from 63 to 67, until they returned to Rome. On that occasion, the apostle was arrested again; this time, he was sentenced to death. Under Nero, Paul was beheaded on the Via Ostiense and buried there.
Then Luke, no longer required to follow the apostle Paul, retired to a private life but did not shut himself off from the world. He moved to a city in Greece that is not well identified; he became the leader of a Christian community where he spent the last years of his life. When the apostle Paul died, Luke was about 60 years old; he was his contemporary, possibly a little older, and lived another twenty years. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, he had the opportunity to gather ideas, memories, and literary material he had compiled during that significant apostolic journey with Paul.
How does Luke compose his Gospel? He explains it at the beginning of the text. This is the only case in which an evangelist introduces a method in the prologue. This is typical of Hellenistic writers. Luke has a Hellenistic writing style and begins his book with a complex phrase that spans the first four verses, summarizing the stages of his work. Let’s read this passage because it helps us better understand his literary approach.
Since many have endeavored to compile a report of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I have also decided, after carefully investigating everything anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may be certain of the teachings you have received.
With these words, the Evangelist Luke outlines the events from Jesus’ life that led to the writing of his book. The Gospel is the first volume of his work, and the second volume is The Acts of the Apostles. First, there are “the events that have been fulfilled among us” concerning Jesus of Nazareth.
Not ideas or myths, but concrete historical facts, dated and situated in time, with eyewitnesses. Luke uses the same term that Greek historians use and speaks of ‘autoptai’ (αὐτόπται), meaning ‘those who see with their own eyes.’ We use the word ‘autopsy,’ which seems to relate only to corpses, but it is a technical term meaning ‘verifying in person’ regarding a fact. There are eyewitnesses who, from the beginning, became ministers of the word, servants of the ‘Logos.’
These are the apostles: they knew Jesus, lived with Him, knew Him well, became servants of His message, told others what they had seen and heard, and demonstrated theirdedication. Therefore, it is the first important step after the historical event of the word. Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God; eyewitnesses meet Him, experience Him, and tell others what they have seen and heard. Their experience is passed down not only verbally but also in writing. Luke says that many have tried to recount the events in order. I do not think this refers only to Mark, who had already written, and to Matthew, who perhaps had not even written yet and lived in a different environment from Luke.
The evangelist refers to many; therefore, in the early years, during the first decades after Christ’s Passover, many short texts likely circulated. These texts contained information such as the words spoken by Jesus and accounts of events in his life, especially the key episodes of his passion, death, and resurrection.
Luke met many eyewitnesses during his travels and likely collected numerous documents. Therefore, he decided to create a literary work based on careful research. In doing so, he also adopts a Greek technical term (ἀκριβῶς = akribos), which has entered our English vocabulary. However, it is used only in sophisticated and literary contexts (ἀκριβῶς = acribía: “exact, sure, scrupulous”). It refers to rigorous accuracy and precision, denoting meticulous, exact, careful, and punctual care.
As a precise and documented historian, Luke states that he has collected oral testimonies and written documents and has reworked them. This is an important editorial effort by Luke; he has drafted, cut, stitched, amalgamated, corrected, and adjusted all the material he received to create a literary text that aligns with his intentions.
This work is dedicated to the notable Theophilus, about whom we know nothing. The adjective ‘illustrious’ (κράτιστε, krátiste) in Greek was used by high officials of the Greco-Roman administration. This suggests a real person in the city where Luke lived, to whom the work was dedicated. Likely, this person was a sponsor or an influential individual who could support publication and help make the work available to the public. Some also interpret this as a symbolic name; ‘Theophilus’ (Θεόφιλε) means ‘friend of God.’
Beyond the simple historical fact of the dedication, this book is for you if you are a friend of God and interested in Christ’s story. This work was written for you so you can see how solid the teaching you have received truly is.
This Theophilus is not a beginner. He has already been catechized and is a Christian. He has received instruction. Luke’s work demonstrates that the Christian message is grounded in facts. The doctrine preached by the apostles of Jesus is not far-fetched. It has historical and literary strength. Luke, in turn, became a minister of the word and offered us a splendid text: the third Gospel, which we read as reliable documentation of this important event. The mercy of God has made itself known, and we can, thus, appreciate how good this scribe of Christ’s meekness was.