AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF LUKE

The Gospel of Luke portrays Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews and also as the Savior of all mankind. Special emphasis is placed upon the kindness of Jesus toward women, the poor, the outcasts, the weak, and those who were suffering in different ways. In addition, the book is filled with expressions of praise and prayer. Luke's account had a universal appeal, especially to the Gentiles. Jesus is presented as the perfect Man who is truly interested in every person on earth, no matter what his or her station in life. Luke was aimed at the Greek mind and, therefore, had to be written in a comprehensive, logical, and orderly manner. There are portions of the book which approach the grandeur of Classical Greek literature. Luke has been called "the most beautiful book ever written."

There is little doubt that the author was Luke, the "beloved physician" (Col.4v14). From the context of this passage we learn that Luke was "not of the circumcision" and, consequently, he may have been the only Gentile writer of the New Testament. Paul refers to him as his "fellow-worker" in Phm.24. Several passages indicate that he was a close companion to the Apostle during the missionary journeys of the book of Acts. He was with Paul until the very end (2Tim.4v11). Judging from the style of his Greek, we can surmise that he was the most cultured of all the writers of the Gospel.

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