KATA LOUKAN

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KATA LOUKAN

• Fr. Randy Soto, SThD
• Kenrick Seminary

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Who was Luke?

• He was obviously not a self-promoter! Luke/Acts
  was written first and foremost for a friend of
  his - Theophilus - who obviously didn't need to
  be introduced to him and he says little about
  his own role in Acts. (Even when he joins Paul on
  a missionary trip, he calls no attention to the
  fact we simply notice suddenly that the he' has
  changed into a we'.)
• In the rest of the New Testament, he is mentioned
  only three times in Col 414 (Dear Doctor Luke
  sends his greetings'), 2 Tim 411 (Only Luke is
  with me'), and Philemon 24 (Mark, Aristarchus,
  Demas and Luke, my fellow-workers, send their
  greetings').
• He wasn't Jewish Col 411 distinguishes Mark,
  Aristarchus and Jesus Justus as the only Jewish
  Christians among my co-workers'. This means he
  can't be the same Luke as the Lucius' mentioned
  in Romans 1611, who was a relative of Paul's.
• Luke was probably a Christian before meeting
  Paul. There's a tradition that he was a Jewish
  proselyte, but it's more likely that he wasn't.
  He seems to have joined Paul in Troas in AD 50
  (Acts 1610), then was with him until AD 59
  (except from Acts 17 until the beginning of Acts
  20).
• He may have been a preacher, and was certainly a
  warm person, much appreciated by others there's
  a tradition, mentioned by Origen, that he is the
  other brother' mentioned in 2 Cor 818 (We are
  also sending another brother with Titus. He is
  highly praised in all the churches as a preacher
  of the Good News.') Since Luke's passion was for
  the gospel, and the application of it to the
  whole world, this is just the kind of description
  of his teaching which we might expect.

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Did he write Acts too?

• Here are some of the reasons to believe that Luke
  wrote both books
• The style is unmistakably similar.
• Both books are dedicated to Theophilus.
• Acts mentions a former treatise' by the same
  author, covering the life of Jesus.
• The same concerns are in both books they portray
  the Christian church as the outcome of God's
  promised activity in history, centering on Jesus,
  witnessed and attested by the experience of real
  living people.
• Some of the phrases are distinctive and similar.
  Simon the Zealot' is described in this way only
  in Luke and in Acts. The Holy Spirit is described
  in both books as the promise of the Father'. The
  insistence upon the witness' of the apostles is
  there in both books, much more than in any of the
  other gospels.
• Luke's name is associated with the Gospel from
  the earliest lists (such as the Muratorian
  Fragment). He's claimed as an Evangelist by
  Ireneus, just a century later he also quotes
  parts of the Gospel and ascribes them to Luke.
  Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria also assume
  that the Gospel was written by Luke and there's
  no competing claim anywhere else.
• The Muratorian Fragment says The third Gospel
  book, that according to Luke. This physician Luke
  after Christ's ascension, since Paul had taken
  him with him as an expert in The Way, composed it
  in his own name according to his thinking. Yet
  neither did he himself see the Lord in the flesh
  and therefore, as he was able to discern it, so
  he begins to tell the story from the birth of
  John.

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Where was Luke written?

• Suggestions include Rome (because we think he
  spent a lot of time there with Paul)
• Achaia (because he was supposed to have ended his
  days there).
• Philippi because it has been argued that Luke
  says so many nice things about Philippi in Acts,
  that either he was a native of the place, or else
  he wrote Luke/Acts in Philippi for Philippian
  consumption. But on the other hand, maybe he just
  liked Philippi.

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General Aspects
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Synoptics
Synoptics Matthew Mark Luke
172 sections of text there are 114 and 22 appear nowhere else there are 84 and 5 appear nowhere else there are 127 and 48 appear nowhere else
Miracles 3 appear only here 2 appear only here 6 appear only here
Parables 10 appear only here 1 appears only here 18 appear only here
Verses 1068 674 1149
Verses found nowhere else 337 50 612
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Passages unique to Luke

• The whole birth and infancy story in chs 1-2
• The questions asked of John the Baptist by his
  audiences (310-14)
• The genealogy of Jesus (323-38)
• What happened in the synagogue at Nazareth
  (416-30)
• The miraculous catch of fish and the calling of
  the disciples (51-11)
• The denunciation of the rich (624-26)
• The raising of the widow's son at Naim (711-17)
• The anointing by a sinful woman, and Parable of
  the Two Debtors (736-50)
• The women who looked after the disciples (81-3)
• The rejection by a Samaritan village (951-56)
• The would-be follower who wanted to say goodbye
  to his family (961-62)
• The sending of the Seventy (101) - close links
  with the sending of the Twelve, Mt 10/Mk 6
• The story of the Good Samaritan (1028-42)
• The story of the Importunate Friend (115-8)
• The woman who called out a blessing on Jesus
  (1127-28)
• The greedy brother and the story of the Rich Fool
  (1213-21)
• The expansion of the parable of the unfaithful
  servant in 1247-50
• The murdered Galileans, barren fig tree and
  crippled woman (131-17)

• Jesus' message to Herod Antipas (1331-33)
• Healing of the man with swollen arms and legs
  (141-14)
• Story of the great feast (1415-24)
• Conditions of discipleship (1428-33)
• The story of the lost coin, and the prodigal son
  (158-32)
• The story of the unjust steward (161-12)
• An exchange with the Pharisees (1614-15)
• The story of the rich man and Lazarus (1619-31)
• The healing of the ten lepers (177-19)
• The illustration of Lot and his wife (1728, 29,
  32)
• The story of the unrighteous judge, and the
  Pharisee and publican (181-14)
• Zaccheus (191-10)
• The parable of the pounds (1911-27)
• The lament over Jerusalem (1939-44)
• Parts of the Last Supper story (2215, 27-32,
  35-38)
• Jesus sent to Herod (237-12)
• The daughters of Jerusalem (2327-31)
• The penitent thief (2339-43)
• The word from the Cross (2346)

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The style of Luke

• He uses a large number of words we find nowhere
  else in the New Testament. 261 appear in the
  Gospel only
• 471 others appear only in Luke/Acts
• Wherever he tells the same story as Mt and Mk, he
  changes words to use a better Greek.
• He uses a large number of medical terms, as you'd
  expect from a doctor. Internal insights of the
  characters
• He uses lots of terms we also find in Paul
• He likes using compound words he's fluent in
  Greek and confident in his use of it.
• There are telltale stylistic marks which make his
  writing distinctive, including his use of the
  optative mood (which not many New Testament
  writers use)
• Curiously, though, there are lots of Hebraisms
  too - places where Greek is used in an odd way,
  as a non-Greek might speak it. It has been
  suggested that this is because Luke knew the
  Septuagint very well indeed and so his whole
  style has become affected by it.
• On the other hand, it's also been pointed out
  that Luke is fluent enough in his use of Greek to
  mimic the styles of other people where he wants
  to. We hear the real speaking voice of different
  groups of people in the Gospel, and especially in
  Acts.

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Addressee

• Obviously the first and most important recipient
  of Luke's Gospel was Theophilus.
• Exactly who Theophilus was we do not know. From
  the title most excellent' which Luke bestows on
  him... it would appear that he was a person of
  some eminence.
• He may have been "a representative member of the
  intelligent middle-class public at Rome"
  interested in Christianity, most likely someone
  already a believer.

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Key topics in Luke

• Prayer. Jesus prays (321, 516, 612) Parables
  about prayer (115, 181-14). Prayer in Acts
  (Acts 431, 132). The Apostles also pray (Acts
  64).
• Jesus the Lord. There is no Messianic secret' in
  Luke in the same way that there is in Mark. Luke
  presents Jesus as the Lord' (o Ku,rioj) from
  the start, (2327ff., 2340ff., 2251, 2261).
• The Holy Spirit. Luke presents Jesus as carrying
  out his work full of the Holy Spirit'
  (41.14.18) The Acts of the Apostles, it has
  often been remarked, should really be called The
  Acts of the Holy Spirit'. That the Spirit
  occupies a central concern in Luke's theology is
  seen first of all by the numerous references to
  his activity. Luke refers to the Spirit seventeen
  times, compared with twelve times for Matthew and
  six times for Mark.'
• Joy. The words for joy' and rejoicing' occur
  more often in Luke than any other New Testament
  book. Luke gives us the exultant songs of Mary,
  Zechariah, and Simeon. People are often found
  rejoicing or giving glory to God or praising
  him... There can be no doubt that the
  Christianity Luke knew was a wonderfully joyful
  affair.'
• Evangelism and salvation. It has been pointed out
  that the word to evangelize' (euvangeli,zomai)
  is used by Luke about the Christmas message, the
  ministry of John the Baptist, the work of Jesus
  and the preaching of the early church. It's a
  very important word for Luke - as it was for Paul
  - but it isn't used by other Gospel writers much
  at all.
• Second Coming. Luke is keen to stress that the
  Second Coming is sure and certain, but won't
  necessarily take place tomorrow (1911). God is
  on the move, fulfilling a task, publishing a
  message, making our History a true History of
  Salvation. Two key concepts express this idea
  Dei and Kairo,j

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Jesus and prayer

• When Jesus cleansed the temple (1945f), he
  quoted Isaiah My house shall be a house of
  prayer.' Prayer was central in worship to Jesus.
• Jesus gave thanks to God at the beginning of
  meals. This prayer habit is mentioned three times
  by Luke.
• Jesus withdrew from public for long periods in
  order to devote himself to prayer. On one
  occasion (Luke 612) we're told that his prayer
  time went on all night.
• Luke underlines the intensity of Jesus' prayer -
  especially in the Garden of Gethsemane. Prayer
  was a costly exercise for Jesus.
• Jesus prayed constantly he was praying when the
  Spirit came upon him at the start of his
  ministry, and praying for his killers when he was
  crucified at the end of it. His last act before
  his ascension was a blessing.
• Sometimes he didn't pray. There is no case of
  healing or exorcism where Jesus prays first. It
  isn't that Luke believed prayer was irrelevant
  it's rather that Jesus had already won the
  victory by his extended and disciplined times of
  prayer beforehand.

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Jesus' teaching on prayer

• The Lord's Prayer (112-4)
• The story of the friend at midnight (115-8)
• Ask, seek, and knock (119-13)
• The importance of faith (175-6)
• The parables of the unjust judge and the Pharisee
  and Publican (181-14)
• Other isolated sayings about thanksgiving and
  praise as part of prayer and our responsibility
  to pray for God's Word to spread and his
  salvation to break into human situations

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Luke the PainterThere's a legend (quite
unfounded) that Luke was a painter. Here he
paints the Virgin Mary... who may have been the
source of some of his information on the prayer
habits of Jesus.
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Symbol The Ox

• 1. Traditionally the ox was part of the Jewish
  livestock (Lk 1315 145). It was used to pull
  the cart containing any harvested produce, or
  personal belongings on long journeys. Also it was
  used to pull the plow, with which they prepared
  the soil to be planted.
• 2. A gentle animal strong enough to do the job,
  and noble and friendly enough to his master, that
  made it indispensable in the family life of the
  Israelites.
• 3. Luke is always symbolized to the ox for his
  strength and sympathy to all, especially the
  needy. Many heard his powerful voice, and
  followed the trail marked by his footprint. His
  Gospel (tool) has assured a fertile soil for the
  seed (Gods Word) to grow. But also, the ox is a
  sacrificial animal used in the Temple to atone
  for sins on Yom Kippur (Expiation Day). Jesus is
  the fattened calf slaughtered to celebrate the
  return of the Prodigal Son (Lk 1523).

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Structure of Luke-Acts

• From Galilee (Nazareth) Lk 111-950
• B. To Jerusalem via Samaria and Judea Lk
  951-1940
• C. In Jerusalem Lk 1941 - 2449
• D. Ascension Lk 2450 Acts 14-11
• C.I n Jerusalem Acts 112- 81
• B. To Judea and Samaria Acts 81 1118
• To all the ends of the Earth Acts 1119 2831

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Christology

• 1. Luke dedicates a lot of time to the concept of
  preaching the Good News of the coming of Gods
  Kingdom (Is 611-2 Lk 416ff), especially to the
  needy and the poor.
• 2. Jesus, the bearer of the Good News is called
  by Luke (o Ku,rioj) The Lord (Lk
  132.33.35.43.47.69 322 43-941 Acts 315).
  The message is Gods Salvation to all mankind
  (147.69.71.77.78 230.32).
• 3. Nothing can stop his journey He takes on his
  mission by exiting from one place to another
  until he ascends to Heaven (Lk 931). In the same
  way, his work continues to be present in the
  Church (Lk 2447 Acts 84) and nothing can stop
  it, for the Spirit is with us (Acts 21ff).
• 4. The Spirit holds both of Lukes works
  together, he is present in every event taking
  place in the gospel (Lk 115.35.41.67 225-27
  322 41.14.48 1021 1113 1210.12 and 70
  times in Acts.

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Ecclesiology

• 1. Lukes Church is composed of different strata
  a) there are some who are rich like Joseph of
  Arimathea 2350 Zaccheus 192.8 Joan 83 b)
  there are poor like the shepherds 215ff Lazarus
  1620 the widow 213.
• 2. The Church has a defined structured based on
  the authority of the Twelve, with Peter as the
  head (Acts 214ff).
• 3. Mary plays an important role in Lukes
  conception of the Church. She was present and
  made possible the Birth of Jesus and the birth of
  the Church (Lk 126-39 and Acts 21ff). She is a
  model of faith, hope and love to all who wish to
  follow Jesus and be part of his family Lk 819.
  She is the (kecaritwme,nh) full of Grace,
  literally the Engraced One who was transformed
  in the past by the grace of God to bring forth
  Gods salvation to all mankind 128. She is the
  ever virgin, the Queen, mother of the King and
  Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God 126-38.

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Preferred Scene The Temple

• 1. Luke seems to prefer the Temple in his Gospel
  he is more attracted to liturgical settings than
  Mark and Matthew.
• 2. The Gospel begins in the Temple 18, and
  finishes in the Temple 2453. Acts begins in the
  Cenacle 113 and finished in Pauls dwelling in
  Rome 2830.
• 3. Jesus is in constant prayer making any spot
  the Temple of God. In Acts the Cenacle becomes
  the Temple in which the Holy Spirit is poured out
  21ff, and from there on in any place, but
  especially, houses in which the apostles prayed,
  the Spirit manifested himself Acts 10.

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Luke in Liturgy

• 1. Luke is used in the Weekday Reading Cycle
  between the 22nd. Week and the 34th Week in
  Ordinary Time.
• 2. In the Sunday Reading Cycle Luke corresponds
  to the C Cycle and it is repeated every three
  liturgical years.