St. Luke icon (commons.wikimedia.org)
18th is the feat day of St. Luke. St. Luke the Evangelist is one of the four writers of the Gospels, and many of the early church fathers believed that he also wrote the book of Acts. Luke is understood to have been a physician, and it is also believed that he was a martyr for his faith in Jesus Christ. In the Acts of the Apostles, he wrote the word “we” when writing about the missions of St. Paul, leading us to suppose that he may have been there at those times.
In the Epistle to the Colossians, we can read the following passage:
“Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you received instructions: If he comes to you, receive him), and Jesus, who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision. They have been a comfort to me. Epaphras greets you. He is one of you, a servant of Christ, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand mature and complete in the entire will of God. I bear witness of him, that he has a great zeal for you, those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.” Colossians 4:10-14
From this, scholars have concluded that Luke may have been a gentile, and therefore the only writer of the New Testament who can be confirmed to be not Jewish. However, there are some scholars who believe that Luke was a Greek Jew who did not strictly follow the rituals and rules of Judaism, and was therefore not considered a “true” member of the Jewish faith.
In addition to his writings, there is also a tradition that Luke was the fist icon painter, and he is supposed to have painted many pictures of Mary and Jesus.
