Luke the Evangelist
Physician and companion of Paul, traditional author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. Identified by Irenaeus as 'a follower of Paul'.
Why Luke the Evangelist matters
Luke wrote a quarter of the New Testament — his Gospel and Acts together — and he's the only Gentile author in it. He was a physician who travelled with Paul, and Acts switches to first person ('we sailed') when he joined the journey. His Gospel is the one with the parables you remember: the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Rich Man and Lazarus. He's also the closest thing the early church had to a historian — careful with sources, names rulers, dates events. Acts is the only narrative we have of the first thirty years of the church. Without Luke the period from the resurrection to Paul's house arrest is dark.
Chain to Jesus
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Common questions
- Who was Luke the Evangelist?
- Luke the Evangelist (1–84) — Physician and companion of Paul, traditional author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. Identified by Irenaeus as 'a follower of Paul'.
- Who taught Luke the Evangelist?
- Paul of Tarsus.
Sources for biography
- Colossians 4:14 primary
- 2 Timothy 4:11 primary
- Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.1.1; 3.14.1 primary
documented connections(1)
- taught (incoming) Paul of TarsusLuke is named as Paul's companion in Colossians 4:14, Philemon 24, 2 Timothy 4:11; Irenaeus calls him 'a follower of Paul'.Colossians 4:14 · 2 Timothy 4:11 · Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.1.1