Step By Step Through the New Testament Rev. Christopher J. Respass Antioch Bible Institute Fall 2013 Lesson 12 Luke: Prolegomena

I.Authorship The Gospel of Luke is written anonymously, it is well settled that Luke, the beloved physician, is the author of the Gospel of Luke (and the Acts of the Apostles). Luke: Prolegomena

1.Book of Acts a) Both Acts and Luke have similar beginnings and style. Acts appears to be a continuation of an earlier volume that is also addressed to Theophilus. (see, Acts 1:1-2, Luke 1:1-4). b) It is reasonable to conclude that whoever wrote Acts also wrote Luke. Why Luke as the Author?

2.Luke was a close companion of the Apostle Paul. a) “We” Passages (Acts 16:10-17, Acts 20:5-15, Acts 21:1-18; Acts 27:1-28:16). b) Luke’s name is never mentioned in Acts, but Paul always describes Luke as being “with him” (e.g., 2 Tim 4:11, Philemon 21-25, Col. 4:14 (during Paul’s Roman Imprisonment). Why Luke as the Author?

3.The early church Fathers like Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Tertullian all affirmed Luke as the author. 4. Luke was not the best known of Paul’s companions, nor was Luke an Apostle, thus it is unlikely that anyone would have attributed the gospel to him. Luke: Prolegomena

II.Date (late 50s to early 60s) 1. Luke was not an apostle nor was he an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry. He used eyewitness accounts and those written sources to gather his information about Jesus and his ministry (see, Luke 1:1-3). 2. The Gospel of Luke had to be written after the Gospel of Mark since Mark’s work served as some basis for Luke’s gospel. Luke: Prolegomena

3. Acts was written after Paul had been imprisoned in Rome for 2 years (around 63AD). So, Luke, as part 1 of a two-part volume, had to be written prior to that. Thus, the Gospel of Luke must have been written sometime between the late 50s to early 60s. Luke: Prolegomena

III.Theme & Purpose The theme and purpose of Luke is clearly stated in the prologue of the gospel (Luke 1:1-3). Essentially, Luke wrote the gospel to set out an accurate account of the things concerning Jesus and to give a basis for faith and assurance in those things his friend had been taught. Luke: Prolegomena

IV.Views of Jesus Presented in Luke A. Jesus’ humanity and compassion for the social outcast. 1. Samaritans & Gentiles a) Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) b) Samaritan Leper (Luke 17:11-19) Luke: Prolegomena

2. Tax Collectors & Sinners a) “tax collectors” collected customs and duties on Rome’s behalf (e.g., Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10). b) “sinners” were those who flagrantly violated the cultural and religious norms of Judaism (e.g., Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) Luke: Prolegomena

3. Women a) Luke has far more women in this gospel than the others. b) Prophetess Anna (Luke 2:25-38) c) Mary praised for her devotion to Jesus’ teaching (Luke 10:38-42) Luke: Prolegomena

4. The Poor a) Jesus is shown to care for the marginalized and those who are sick, dispossessed and unable to help themselves or repay favors (Luke 14:7- 24). b) Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31). Luke: Prolegomena

B. Savior. “Savior” is the most distinctive title for Jesus in Luke. It appears 8 times in Luke, 9 times in Acts and no where in the other Synoptic Gospels. Surprisingly, the title “Lord” is more prominent in Acts than in Luke which may suggest that Luke was stressing different emphases in Jesus’ ministry before and after the resurrection. (Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels, 146). Luke: Prolegomena

C. Teacher of Parables. Twenty-eight of the forty passages commonly classified as parables appear in Luke. Fifteen of these passages only appear in Luke’s gospel. Most of Luke’s parables involve common, simple stories for Jewish peasant folk. Luke: Prolegomena