LUKE (Gospel Author and Date)

(a) Purpose of the book:
The third Gospel is addressed to a certain Theophilus, a Christian of probable Gentile origin. Luke states that it is based on the testimony of the apostles.

He wants to give Theophilus and other readers the teaching of an indisputable truth, based on deep research. His sources are, without a doubt, of any kind, earlier documents, together with the testimony of eyewitnesses.

(b) Gospel Plan and Analysis:

(A) Introduction (Luke 1:1-4).

(B) Births of John the Baptist and Jesus; childhood and adolescence of Christ (Lk. 1:5-2:52).

(C) Prelude to the ministry of Jesus:

(I) preaching of John the Baptist;

(II) baptism of Jesus; appendix: his genealogy;

(III) temptation (Lk. 3:1-4:13).

(D) Ministry of the Lord in Galilee (Lk. 4:14-9:50). Here the Gospel of Luke often arranges the material in the order of Mark, but not always. Like Matthew, Luke gives more room to the teachings of Jesus; However, regarding the same themes of Mark and Matthew, evidence is given of his independence from them.

Luke also has materials that do not appear in the other gospels and that comprise more than half of his text. The following analysis shows the progression of the story:

(I) Introduction to the Galilean ministry (Lk. 4:14, 15).

(II) Beginning of this ministry, first visit to Galilee, miracles in Capernaum, visit to Galilee, calling of four disciples, healing of a leper (Lk. 4:16-5:16).

(III) The opposition is already being felt: healing of the paralytic; Levi’s calling and the party with him; discourse on fasting; controversy about the Sabbath (Lk. 5:17-6:12).

(IV) Calling of the disciples and election of the twelve apostles; Jesus’ speech on the Christian vocation, and Sermon on the Mount (Lk. 6:13-49).

(V) Episodes of Jesus’ ministry of love, among others the healing of a centurion’s servant; resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain; question of John the Baptist and answer of
Jesus; testimony given about John, anointing of Jesus by the repentant woman (Luke 7:1-50).

(VI) Extension of the ministry of Jesus; travels in Galilee with a group of disciples: teaching through parables; intervention of the mother and brothers of Jesus; calming of the storm; healing of the demon-possessed man from Gadarene, of the woman with an issue of blood, resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, mission of the twelve; investigation of Herod, in consequence of which he retired to a desert place; multiplication of the loaves and fishes for five thousand men (Lk. 8:1-9:17).

(VII) Instructions to the disciples in anticipation of the end of the ministry in Galilee and the imminent death of Jesus; Peter’s confession; Jesus’ prediction of his death and resurrection; transfiguration; healing of a demon-possessed child; admonishment regarding pride (Lk. 9:18-50).

(E) Jesus’ travels to Jerusalem (Lk. 9:51-19:48). This section abounds in materials that the other evangelists do not present. It is likely that Luke does not give a rigorous chronological order, but groups his material in a thematic way; some of the incidents in this section could pertain to his ministry in Galilee (Lk. 9:57-60; 13:18-21; prob. 11:14-13:5).

This part describes above all Jesus’ travels to Jerusalem, his last ascent to this city, the speeches related to these circumstances. This section can be distributed as follows:

(I) Departure from Galilee; the disposition of the true disciple; Jesus is rejected in a Samaritan town; the Lord responds to three would-be disciples; the mission of the seventy; their return; the question of a doctor of the Law; the parable of the good Samaritan; Jesus in the house of Martha and Mary; instructions about prayer (Lk. 9:51-11:13).

(II) Jesus censures the Pharisees; he exhorts the disciples to confess him in public; denounces greed; urges vigilance, etc. (Lk. 11:14-13:5).

(III) Discourse about the true Israel (parable of the barren fig tree, deliverance of the sick woman, parable of the mustard seed, of leaven, exhortation not to maintain false illusions; lamentation over Jerusalem) and authentic service (healing of man dropsy, parable of the wedding guests, of the great banquet, of the lost sheep, of the lost drachma, of the prodigal son, of the unfaithful steward, of the importunate widow and the unjust judge); There are also anecdotes and instructions that deal with the theme of service (Lk. 13:6-18:30).

(IV) Definitive ascent to Jerusalem: renewed prediction of the death and resurrection of Jesus; healing of blind Bartimaeus, conversion of Zacchaeus, parable of the minas, triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Lk. 18:31-19:48).

(F) The last week in Jerusalem: last teachings in the Temple, last recommendations of Jesus to his disciples, his arrest, trials and sufferings, his crucifixion and burial (Lk. 20-23: 56).

(G) Appearances of Jesus after his resurrection, last instructions to the disciples for the preaching of the Gospel, ascension of Christ (Lk. 24).

Luke states that his presentation of the facts is “in order” (Luke 1:3). The use of this formula (Acts 11:4; 18:23, “in order”; Luke 8:1, “afterwards”) shows that it is not necessarily a strict chronological order.

Although it generally follows chronology, events are often grouped thematically. Following the same method as in Acts, Luke offers a precise and systematic record of the career of the Founder of Christianity.

Luke expressly states that he had not known Jesus personally, but rather he bases his work on the accounts of eyewitnesses (mainly the apostles), having investigated everything with the greatest care. Luke brings the spirit of a true historian to the writing of his Gospel.

His qualities in this regard appear clear from the way he talks about the origins of John the Baptist and Jesus: he gives the date of the beginning of the activity of John the Baptist with the chronology of secular history (Lk. 2:1 , 3; 3:1, 2).

In presenting the ministry of Jesus, he highlights the main religious ideas of the Master, his triumph over the opposition, and the historical foundation of Christianity (cf. the previous analysis).

This Gospel shows Luke’s predilection for teachings and actions that reveal the both human and divine nature of the Savior. According to Luke, the Gospel of Christ is intended:

to all nations (Lk. 2:32; 3:6; 4:24-27; 24:47, etc.);

to the lost souls;

to the humble (Lk. 7:36-50; 15; 19:1-9, etc.);

to the poor,

to the afflicted (Luke 6:20-26; 7:11-18; 12:32).
The writer shows the grace with which the character of Jesus was impregnated: his piety, mercy, charity, life of prayer, holiness, and the delicacy of his feelings. In relation to what the Lord says about riches, Luke uses harsher terms than the other evangelists (Luke 1:52, 53; 6:24, 25; 16:25, etc.).

It must be observed, therefore, that Christ does not stigmatize the privileged because of their wealth, but only if they place their trust in their possessions and are not rich toward God (Lk. 12:21). The allusions to the Samaritans are a premonition of the near disappearance of ethnic barriers (Lk. 10:33; 17:16).
The third Gospel presents Christ in his revelation of a God who wants to seek and save suffering and sinful men.

(c) Author.
The writer’s sometimes medical vocabulary seems to confirm that the author is Luke. For example: “the devil, striking him down…” (Lk. 4:35); “a great fever” (Lk. 4:38; cf. Mt. 8:14; Mr. 1:30); “a man full of leprosy” (Lk. 5:12; cf. Mt. 8:2; Mr. 1:40); The clinical case of the demoniac is described in Lk. 8:26-36 with non-existent details in Mr. 5:1-16 or in Mt. 8:28-34: this man was possessed by many demons, and had been for a long time; The unfortunate man did not wear clothes, nor did he live in a house; he exclaimed with a loud voice; He was bound with chains but he had so much strength that he broke them and was driven by the devil to the deserts; The testimonies relate how he was healed.

Furthermore, Luke speaks of doctors a little more leniently than Mark (Mark 5:26). Finally, he highlights that the good Samaritan bound up the wounded man’s wounds with oil and wine (Lk. 10:34; cf. Hobart: “Medical Language of St. Luke”).

(d) Date.

The date of writing of the third Gospel depends on that of Acts. It could be that 1 Ti. 5:18 quote Lk. 10:7, in which case the Gospel of Luke would be before the year 66. There is no reason to place the writing of the third Gospel at a date after the fall of Jerusalem; Luke only speaks of this event in the future tense, recounting Christ’s prediction in greater detail because it was written for Gentiles (Lk. 21:20-24; cf. Mt. 24:15; Mr. 13:14).

It is likely that Luke wrote the Gospel of Him between AD 57 and 59. in Palestine, during Paul’s imprisonment in Caesarea; It is also possible that during these two years he collected the materials for the work, which he could have later written in Rome.

Thus, the writing is located between the extreme dates of the year 58 and 65 AD. The author planned for this work to be followed by another on the origins of Christianity, since the preface mentions both the life of Christ and the work of the apostles (Lk. 1:1, 2).

The little place that Christ’s last instructions occupy in the last chapter of Luke is undoubtedly given by the fact that Luke was going to resume this theme as happens in chapter 1 of Acts. Second-century churches considered Luke’s Gospel to be authoritative; see GOSPELS.

Marcion, the Gnostic heretic (second quarter of the second century) mutilated the third Gospel, later using this mutilation by claiming that it was the only true gospel; By acting in this way, however, he demonstrated to what extent Luke’s authority was already recognized well before his time. Justin Martyr quotes Lk. 22:44 and 23:46.

The Muratori fragment (circa 170 AD) gives the name Luke to the third Gospel. Hegesippus, Tatian, the incredulous Celsus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian all refer to “Luke.” There is very little that dates from the 1st century, but the widespread use of the Gospel of Luke at the beginning of the 2nd century cannot be rationally doubted.