Thepfulhouvi Solo
IFS Retd (RR-68) Retd Principal Secretary, Nagaland
Luke the Gospel Writer was not heard baptized anywhere, he was not heard a Member of any Church in Judea or elsewhere. The name recorded as Lucius among the first Christians at Antioch Syria in the Gospel of Acts 11:26, could not be the Gospel Writer because by then Luke was not seen in contact with any of the followers of Jesus. We heard him first only in Troas when Paul reached that City in his Second Missionary Journey Luke himself wrote in ACTS of the New Testament.
Scholars have remarked Luke more likely is a Macedonian of Philippi than his namesake Lucius from Cyrene in the ACTS. If so Luke is the only non-Jew and gentile Gospel Writer.
Luke more likely a Gentile was not reported or seen enter any Jewish Synagogues in any of the Cities Paul preached. We have not heard him enter the Temple at Jerusalem. However, the most important information that Luke a Gentile is found in Paul’s letter to the Colossians (4:11) in which Paul mentioned the names of the Circumcised who were with him in his last days, and in the list he did not include Luke; he included Luke in the list of the non-Jews. In his well-educated Writings, Luke more often used Greek term ‘Master’ for the Jewish ‘Rabi’. His independent quotations of Old Testament passages are fewer in number than that of Mathew who has 28; perhaps the most except that of Paul’s. This perhaps supports the view that Luke a Gentile had not much Old Testament background.
Luke wrote Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (Act. 15:38-40) and described Paul’s Tour Group in Pronouns of ‘We’, ‘Us’ and ‘Our’. Before that he used ‘They’, ‘Them’ and ‘Their’ for the Group. His Grammar indicates He accompanied Paul from Troas to Philippi and then to other Cities until Paul returned to Jerusalem from Philippi, and Luke stayed back at Philippi.
Luke was a Physician Doctor, says Scholars, because Luke in his writings used universal medical phrases like ‘thrown down to the Ground’ for Epileptic seizure. When quoting Jesus, describing the difficulty of Rich Men entering the Kingdom of God, Luke used the word ‘balone’, -Greek- for Needle- than ‘raphis’ the Tailor’s Needle, says Scholars. Luke instinctively used the Doctor’s term of Balone for Needle because he was a medical Doctor. Luke was an educated person too and those who know Greek say his Greek is good. When Paul was in Asia near the border of Macedonia, he saw a Vision of a Macedonian inviting him to Macedonia. Immediately, leaving Asia Minor, Paul crossed over to the Roman Colony of Philippi in Macedonia and to other Gentile Cities. All along, Luke was with Paul until Paul returned to Philippi and started for return Journey back to Jerusalem.
Sometime after his Second Journey, Paul made a 3rd Visit Journey apparently alone (Act 18: 23) to the West. At Philippi, (Act. 20: 6) Luke again joined him; possibly Luke is a native of Philippi (the Writer’s own view). From then on, Luke faithfully was with Paul up to Paul’s final farewell departure for Jerusalem.
At Jerusalem, Paul was promptly arrested near the Temple on allegation of defaming the Jewish Scripture and the Sacred Temple. The Jews plotted to kill Paul and Luke was with him; however, strict Law & Order abiding Roman Centurion plucked out Paul from the Mob and the Commander secretly at night sent him under strong Guard of 400 Soldiers and 70 Horseman to the Mediterranean Port of Roman Government Head Quarter City Caesarea 60 miles away. Paul remained there in detention for 2 years. In all these years, Luke faithfully stayed with Paul, then finally accompanied Paul to Rome, and stayed with him there until the last.
Why did an unknown Gentile stuck to the company of an unknown Jew preaching a strange new Creed call THE WAY?
Scholars say Luke must have written the ‘Gospel of Luke’ during his 2 years in Caesarea. From dates of Transfers and Postings of the Governors of Judea in the Records of the Roman Empire, we know Governor Festus of Judea handed over the Charge to Felix during 56-58, it is generally taken Luke could have written the Gospel of Luke from Caesarea during 56 – 58 AD.
Luke was not an Eyewitness of Jesus; he wanted to thoroughly know the life of Jesus who Paul preached the Son of God, the Savior of All Man; at Caesarea, Luke had great opportunities of meeting Christians from Jerusalem and Antioch Churches who had Eyewitness account of Jesus. He gathered his information of Jesus from other Eyewitnesses and contemporaries too. People talked about the wonderful story of ONE JESUS whom Paul vouched prepared to give his own life!
Luke gathered the information of not only from his Mentor Paul but also from the Apostles of Jesus, Peter, John, Jakob and even from the brothers of Jesus of Nazareth, Mary the mother of Jesus had stories of Jesus stored in her Heart, and very carefully so. Luke’s accounts are a meticulous compilation from the accounts from those who have been Eyewitness and contemporaries of Jesus. Mathew’s list of ancestors of Jesus surprisingly included Women like former prostitute Rahab and non-Jew Ruth. Mathew starts the list from Joseph and ends in Patriarch Abraham. However, Luke starts the list from Joseph and ends in Adam then God. Luke’s account of the Gospel of Christ is very exhaustive.
Luke’s Story of the life of Jesus changed an uncircumcised like he into a circumcised of Heart for Jesus and Luke wanted to tell the whole story to Theophilus.
Who is this Theophilus? Theophilus, as the name suggest must have been likely a high Gentile Roman Government Official. The Gospels records several Roman Officials become ‘Worshiper of God’ and followers of Jesus. To this Writer however, whom could the one Roman Official nearer to Luke be than the one at ACTS 16: 25– 34, very sincere in his duty, very compassionate at heart and humble, the Jailer of Prison at Philippi.
After the sudden Earthquake, the Jailer found Paul and Silas with the other Prisoners free of the Chains that bound them, inside Paul’s open door Cell with no intension of running away; the Jailer “fell trembling before Paul and Silas and asked Paul”:
“Sirs what shall I do to be saved”? Paul and Silas replied: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved –you and your household. Then they spoke the Word of the Lord to him and all the others in his house” To whom would Luke want to write to, as soon as possible, than to this Jailer who fell trembling before his Prisoners, washed them of their wounds, dressed them, take them to his own Residence and fed them at 12 O’clock at Night and recommend them to be released from the Jail? A decade or so after the incident, Luke longed now, to let the Jailer know the whole story of “the Lord in an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus”!
