1. Early References to Him
The name appears three times in
the New Testament as that of a man who belongs
to the Pauline circle
(Col. iv. 14;
II Tim. iv. 11;
Philemon 24),
in the first case as that of " the beloved physician," in the last as a " fellow worker."
Col. iv. 11
characterizes certain fellow
workers as "of the circumcision" but
does not include Luke among them,
hence it may be concluded that Luke
was not of Jewish blood and also not a
Jewish proselyte. But it
dote not follow that he
was
personally known in
Colosse, although known
by reputation. It appears also that he was with
Paul during the first imprisonment, helped him in
his labors and perhaps as a physician was especially
valuable in Paul's activity. So it appears from
II Tim. that Luke was with the apostle in his eeoand imprisonment as his only companion, and conjecture sees in this a reference to Luke's medical
services, especially in view of the absence of
Crescens, Tychicus, and Titus
(II Tim. iv. 10).
This exhausts all that the New Testament expressly says
of Luke. The Lucius of
Rom. xvi. 21
(a Jew) and of
Acts xiii. 1
have nothing to do with the subject of
this article. Formerly the "brother" of
II Cor. viii. 18,
or of 22, was identified with Luke, but this
has not the foundation of tradition in its favor,
only of traditional exegesis from before the time of
Origen, sad
the identification is insecure. Testimony external to the New Testament derives Luke
from Antioch (Eusebius, Hist. eccl., III.,
iv. 7; A. Mai, Patrum nova
bt'bliotheca, Rome, 1844-71, iv.
270; F. A. W. Sputa, Brief den
Julius Africanus, Halle, 1877, pp. 69, 111). For this the singular
reading of codex D in
Acts xi. 28
(which describes the prophecy of Agabua as being delivered "while
we were gathered together ") can not be the basis,
though the tradition may embody the facts. But
many other traditions regarding the
region of Luke's labors and the place of his literary activity have
not in their favor the same degree of probability as
inheres in that relating to the place of his nativity.
Indeed, some of them palpably sties from misunderstanding of the New Testament, and others are
purely conjectural and without solid foundation
---e.g., that which connects Luke with the disciples
at Emmaus, and that which makes of him an artist
with the pencil as well as with the pen.
With the name of Luke three writings of the
New Testament have been connected, the third
Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistle to
the Hebrews, though Luke's connection
