The author, "sources," and characteristics of the third Gospel

A. The Identity of St. Luke.

B. The "Sources" of his Gospel.

C. The Language of his Gospel.

i. His Greek.
ii. His Aramaisms.

D. The Object and Scope of his Gospel.

E. Characteristics of his Gospel.

F. Analysis.

G. Its Integrity.

H. The Theological Teaching.

J. Bibliography.

THE third Gospel is that attributed by immemorial tradition to St. Luke. It proceeds on the same general lines as the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, though it has, as we shall see, certain striking divergences from them. It forms what may be termed the First Volume of Luke's writings, the Acts forming the second, see Luke's Prologue to Acts.

A. The Identity of St. Luke

The famous Codices of the Vulgate, Cavensis and Toletanus, have a Preface to this Gospel which runs as follows:

"Luke, a Syrian of Antioch, by profession a physician, a disciple of the Apostles, afterwards a follower of Paul. Up to the day of his martyrdom (confessionem) he served the Lord without fault, he had no wife, he begot no children. He died in Bithynia at the age of eighty-four, full of the Holy Spirit. Since the Gospels had already been written, by Matthew in Judaea, by Mark in Italy, Luke, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this Gospel in the district of Achaia. In his Prologue he points out that other Gospels had already been written, but that the grave duty lay upon him of setting out for the believing Greeks a full and diligent account of Christ who was to come in the flesh. And this he did lest they should concern themselves with Jewish fables, whereas they ought to be wholly occupied with the desire of the Law; lest, too, they should be seduced by heretical myths and foolish promises, and so fall away from the truth.

"Consequently he is led to begin straightway with the birth of John; for this is the beginning of the Gospel, since John was sent before our Lord Jesus Christ and was His fellow-worker in bringing the Jews to perfection. He it was who brought Christ to Baptism and who was His companion in suffering. Of this indeed Malachi, one of the Twelve Prophets, makes mention. Afterwards Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles. After him John wrote the Apocalypse in the island of Patmos, and later the Gospel in Asia."[1]

Much the same account is given by St. Jerome:

"Luke, a physician of Antioch, knew well the Greek language as his writings show. He was one of St. Paul's train, and, as the companion of all his journeyings, he wrote his Gospel; of him Paul says: 'We have sent also with him the brother whose praise is in the Gospel through all the churches' (2 Cor. 8:18); and to the Colossians he says: 'Luke, the most dear physician, saluteth you' (4:14); and to Timothy: 'Luke alone is with me' (2 Tim. 4:11). Luke also published another notable volume which bears the title Acts of Apostles; in this volume the history is carried down to the two years of St. Paul's sojourn at Rome, that is to the fourth year of Nero (Acts 28:30). This shows us that the book was composed at Rome. Consequently we count as apocryphal the Sections touching Paul and Thecla (now known as the Acts of Paul and Thecla), as well as the foolish story of the lion that was baptized. For how could Paul's close companion, one too who knew so much about him, have failed to know this? And as a matter of fact Tertullian, who lived not so long after, tells us that a certain priest in Asia, a devoted adherent of St. Paul, was accused by St. John of having composed this work, and he confessed that he had done so out of devotion to Paul; he was removed from his office (cf. Tertullian, De Baptismo, xvii.).

"Some think that whenever St. Paul in his Epistles says: 'According to my Gospel', he is referring to Luke's volume; also that Luke not only learnt his Gospel from the Apostle Paul who had not known the Lord in the Flesh, but from the other Apostles as well. Indeed Luke himself states this in the beginning of his book when he says: 'According as they have delivered them unto us who from the beginning were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word'. The Gospel Luke wrote according to what he had heard; but the Acts he composed according to what he himself had seen.

"Luke lies buried at Constantinople whither his bones, together with the relics of the Apostle Andrew, were translated in the twentieth year of Constantine."[2]

So too when commenting on Philemon 24, St. Jerome says:

"Luke the physician who, by leaving to the Churches his Gospel and his Acts of the Apostles, has shown us how the Apostles became, from fishers of fishes, fishers of men; for he himself became from a physician of the body a physician of the soul ... and as often as his Book is read in the Church so often does his medicine flow out."[3]

Various traditions touching Luke's identity have come down to us. Thus Origen suggests that his name was really Lucius;[4] Epiphanius[5] and Adamantius[6] that he was one of the Seventy-two disciples. That he was the "brother whose praise is in the Gospel," 2 Cor. 8:18, is repeatedly stated by St. Jerome[7] and also by Adamantius.[8] It has often been held that he was the unnamed disciple who went with Cleophas (Luke 24:18) to Emmaus, but this is tacitly denied by Origen who gives their names as Clopas and Simon,[9] and also by St. Ambrose who gives the name of the other as Amaon.[10]

The following passages from Eusebius are of interest; the first quotation shows us the extent of St. Jerome's indebtedness to him; the second is of value for the suggestion that Luke wrote his Acts at the close of St. Paul's second Roman captivity rather than at the close of the first, see s.v. Acts, Vol. III.:

"Luke, who was of Antiochian parentage, a physician by profession, especially intimate with Paul, and well acquainted with the rest of the Apostles, has left us in two inspired Books proofs of that spiritual healing art which he learnt from them. One of these Books is the Gospel which he testifies that he wrote according as those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and ministers of the word delivered unto him, all of whom, as he says, he followed accurately from the first. The other Book is the Acts of the Apostles which he composed, not from the accounts of others, but from what he himself had seen. And they say that Paul meant to refer to Luke's Gospel wherever, as speaking of some Gospel of his own, he used the words 'according to my Gospel'."[11]

"In his Second Epistle to Timothy St. Paul indicates that Luke was with him when he wrote, but that at the first defense not even he was with him. Hence it is probable that Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles at that time, continuing his history down to the period when he was with Paul."[12]

The Muratorian Fragment (see s.v. Canon, p. 88) speaks of Luke as follows:

"Tertio (tertium) Evangelii librum secundo (secundum) Lucan.
Lucas iste medicus post acensum (ascensum) XRI,
Cum eo (eum) Paulus quasi ut juris studiosum
Secundum adsumsisset, numeni (nomine) suo
Ex opinione concribset (conscripsit); dum tamen nee Ipse
dvidit (vidit) in carne, et ide(o) prout asequi (assequi) potuit;
ita et ad (ab) nativitate Johannis ex decipolis (discipulis) incipet (incepit) dicere."

St. Jerome states positively that Luke was a Syrian of Antioch,[13] Eusebius says the same,[14] and presumably Jerome derived his information from him. It is probable that Eusebius identified Luke with the Lucius[15] of Rom. 16:21. But this Lucius was a Jew, as is evident from St. Paul terming him "my kinsman," whereas it is certain that Luke was not a Jew since, in Col. 4:14, he is named apart from those who, in 4:11, are said to be "of the circumcision." St. Jerome refers to a tradition that "Luke, as being a proselyte, knew no Hebrew,"[16] but when he says of him that "he was not unacquainted with the Greek tongue"[17] he would seem to imply that he was a Hebrew. His intimate acquaintance with the Septuagint version may indicate that Luke was a proselyte though there is no reason why he should not have become familiar with the Greek Bible after his conversion. According to St. Jerome Luke wrote his Gospel in Bœotia and Achaia;[18] according to the Apostolic Constitutions, VII. xlvi. he consecrated Avilius the second Bishop of Alexandria. St. Gregory Nazianzen says he was martyred,[19] but the tradition preserved in the above-quoted ancient Preface to the Third Gospel says: "serviens Deo sine crimine, nunquam habens uxorem, LXXXIII annorum obiit in Bithynia, plenus Spiritu Sancto, sepultus in Constantinopoli. In Achaia, Græca lingua Evangelium scripsit."[20]

The whole of antiquity witnesses to the Lukan authorship of the Third Gospel;[21] indeed Marcion's acceptance of this Gospel was based on the fact that it emanated from St. Paul's faithful disciple. References to the Gospel by the Apostolic Fathers are fairly clear, thus cp. Barnabas 19 and Luke 6:30, also St. Polycarp, Phil. ii. and Luke 6:36-38, where the whole context points to the Third rather than the First Gospel as its source.

B. The "Sources" used by St. Luke

No one can read St. Luke's Gospel through without feeling that he is being afforded a literary treat. His narrative unfolds itself in a series of pen-pictures of undying beauty. As the characters appear on his canvas they are sketched in in broad yet delicate lines so that Mary, Elizabeth, Zachary, Simeon, the woman "that was a sinner, Zacheus, Mary and Martha, etc., all stand out from the canvas as living, moving, speaking figures. It is the same with the parables he gives in such profusion; the story of the Prodigal Son makes appeal almost as much by reason of the artistic touch which pervades it as because of its intrinsic beauty. Not less wonderful is Luke's versatility. He is a consummate writer of history as well as an artistic delineator of character. He tells us that he had a wealth of material at his disposal, and he shows how he molded this material into a narrative which while it reveals its sources to the student yet forms a whole. There is no patchwork about it. When we come to his Acts we shall see how out of a diary he has woven a narrative which charms as much by its detail as by its rhythm, as much by its skillful avoidance of side-issues as by the light it throws on the Evangelic history of a period covering thirty years packed with incidents of vital importance. That Luke was the disciple of St. Paul is the unswerving tradition of the Fathers, it is taken for granted by Tertullian when arguing against Marcion who preferred his form of the Gospel of Luke to the form generally current.[22] But in the case of Luke's Gospel as distinguished from Acts his indebtedness to St. Paul lies rather in the spirit which permeates his Gospel than in its form or material;[23] for Paul was no more an eyewitness of Christ's life than was Luke.[24] At the same time St. Paul may well have handed on to Luke the traditions which he himself had gathered.[25] Luke himself tells us how assiduously he garnered accounts from "those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word," (1:1-4). He also tells us in this same preface how scrupulously he has traced all things to their sources so as to present an orderly account of events, and this with a view to furnishing his readers with a sound basis for the teaching they have received. He nowhere tells us who these witnesses were, but the very special knowledge he betrays of events which could only have been known to a few privileged persons shows us that he had access to first-hand information. This is particularly the case with the story of the Sacred Infancy, chs. 1-2.[26] None save the Mother of God herself could have told him the details of the Annunciation, of the Visit to Elizabeth, of the Birth, the Finding in the Temple, etc. The Mother's touch is discernible in many portions of this narrative, 1:56, 80, 2:19, 35, 48, 51. Indeed it would be no exaggeration to say that we have in places her very words, e.g. 1:28-38, where if the pronouns are read in the first person instead of the third, we seem to have Mary's own first-hand account of events known to herself alone.[27] Another special "source" hinted at by St. Luke is some person in official position at Herod's court; only thus can we explain his account peculiar to himself of what took place at our Lord's trial; see, too, Acts 12:1-4, 19-23. Was Luke's informant "Manahen, Herod's foster-brother," Acts 13:1? Again, we note Luke's peculiar knowledge of Christ's work in Samaria and Peraea, 9:51-18:34. At the same time the limitations of his information are very marked. How often he speaks of "a certain place," e.g. 4:42, 5:12, 9:52, 10:38, 11:1, etc. He does not give the name because he did not know it; he mentions Nairn, 7:11, the "land of the Gerasenes," 8:26, Bethsaida, 9:10, because he knew them. We have a striking instance of these limitations of Luke's knowledge in 16:18 and 17:2; in the latter passage the "little ones" are introduced irrelevantly, in the former the words about divorce seem out of place. But a comparison with Matt. 19 and Mark 10 will show us that these two verses are but the conclusion of two discourses which our Lord held in Peraea; Luke had heard of these two declarations and he knew they were delivered in Penea, but apparently he did not know the circumstances under which they were spoken. It is surely better to say that we have here an instance of Luke's limited knowledge than to suppose that he deliberately clipped off the conclusions to two discourses and inserted them haphazard without their context.[28]

It is worthwhile noting the precise method of dating adopted in 3:1. For Luke synchronizes an Imperial ruler, Tiberius Cæsar, an Imperial Procurator, Pilate, three native princes, Herod, Philip and Lysanias, two ecclesiastical rulers, Annas and Caiphas. A second-century writer would never have dared thus to court disaster. He would have had to project his "history" into the past much in the same fashion as the reputed seventh century B.C. framer of Deuteronomy is thought by most modern critics to have projected his work into the fourteenth century B.C. This would have been a daring essay in literary inventiveness on the part of the seventh-century writer, but it pales before the daring demanded of a writer of the second century A.D. who would present us with a narrative clothed in the historical, ecclesiastical, imperial, and local historical framework of the first fifty years of the first century, A.D. For it would be difficult to imagine a history more complicated than that of Palestine during those fifty years. The supreme government, the local administration, the taxation, the language, the religion, the methods of calculating time, as well as a multitude of social usages, were all of them double, or in some instances treble, so that the social fabric was a medley of things Roman, Greek and Jewish. Thus, to take but one point, that of Government; within the space of some fifty years the Government of Palestine was (a) a monarchy under a native prince, Herod the Great, (b) a set of principalities under native rulers, (c) partly under native rulers, partly under Roman Governors, (d) a kingdom under a native ruler, Agrippa I., (e) directly under Roman rule, yet with a native prince directing ecclesiastical affairs.

On nearly every point where Luke has touched on these facts his statements have been called in question, yet on no one of them has he been proved in error, though confirmatory evidence for his statements has naturally not always been forthcoming. The point to be insisted on, however, is that until he has been found wanting, and proved to be so by absolutely conclusive evidence, Luke is, humanly speaking, as good an authority for his statements as are the profane writers, Tacitus, Suetonius, Strabo, etc., as well as the Jewish writer Josephus. Indeed he is a safer authority -- still humanly speaking -- than are the profane writers, since he is treating professedly of things Palestinian concerning which he had, as he tells us, labored to acquire exact information, whereas the profane writers only treat of these things by accident and, as it were, from without.[29] c. The Language of St. Luke. i. As a Greek, and as St. Paul's disciple, we shall expect Luke to have a Greek vocabulary which is (a) peculiarly his own, and (b) remarkably Pauline in tone. To take but a few examples:

ἐπαγγελία, Luke 24:49, occurs 8 times in Acts, 26 times in St. Paul's Epistles, in 2 Pet. 3:4, 9, in I John 1:5, and 14 times in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Thus it is a Lukan word, a Pauline word, and one especially characteristic of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Ὺπάρχω occurs 7 times in Luke, 27 in Acts, 11 in St. Paul, 1 in James 2:15, and 3 in 2 Peter; ἀποφθέγγομαι only in Acts 2:4, 14, 26:25; γνωστός in Luke 2:44, 23:49, 9 times in Acts, and else where only in John 18:15-16; ὑπολαμβάνω, twice in Luke and twice in Acts; μεθίστημι, once each in Luke and Acts, twice in St. Paul; καταργέω, a great Pauline word it occurs some 26 times in his Epistles only occurs elsewhere in Luke 13:7; καταγγέλλω, 10 times in Acts, 7 in St. Paul; ὑποστρέφω in Mark 14:40, 20 in Luke, 10 in Acts, twice in St. Paul; ὁρίζω in Luke 22:22, 5 in Acts, twice in St. Paul; ἀνίστημι, 6 in Matthew, 17 in Mark, 27 in Luke, 7 in John, 44 in Acts, 8 in St. Paul. As examples, too, of Lukan or Pauline words note ὑμοθυμαδόν, 10 in Acts, 1 in Paul; παραχρημα, 2 in Matthew, 10 in Luke, 7 in Acts; πλήθω, 10 in Luke, 2 in Matthew, 1 in John, 6 in Acts; πληθος, 2 in Mark, 8 in Luke, 2 in John, 17 in Acts, i each in Hebrews, Peter and James; κατάγω, 1 each in Luke and Paul, 8 in Acts; κατέρχομαι, 2 in Luke, 10 in Acts, 1 in James; συνέχω, 1 in Matthew, 6 in Luke, 3 in Acts, 2 in Paul; συμβάλλω, 2 in Luke, 4 in Acts; παρρησιάζω, 7 in Acts, 2 in Paul; διερμενέυω, 1 in Luke, 1 in Acts, 4 in Paul; συνευδοκέω, 1 in Luke, 1 in Acts, 3 in Paul; κατηχέω in Luke, 3 in Acts, 3 in Paul; συμβιβάζω, 2 in Acts, 4 in Paul; ἐξουθενέω, 2 in Luke, 1 in Acts, 8 in Paul; κολλάω, 2 in Luke, 5 in Acts, 3 in Paul; καταντάω, 9 in Acts, 4 in Paul; μἠ γένοιτο, 1 in Luke, 10 in Paul.[30]

ii. It has been generally held that St. Luke's Gospel contains many Aramaic expressions and turns of phrase. And it has been claimed that these are particularly noticeable in those passages where he is patently dependent on Hebrew-speaking informants, e.g. in chs. 1 and 2. Certainly his very frequent use of καὶ ἐγένετο, which is but a Greek form of the Hebrew ןַיְהִי, would seem to support this contention. But of late years the study of the Greek Papyri of the first three centuries A.D. has brought to light the fact that the Greek in common use in Apostolic times was very much that of the New Testament, though it is also true that the latter often derives a Hebrew tinge from the fact that the writers are (a) familiar with the Greek of the Septuagint which has preserved many purely Hebrew forms in a Greek dress; (b) that they are themselves, consciously or unconsciously, thinking in Aramaic. In the case of St. Luke we have perhaps a deliberate imitation of O.T. style, thus note such an expression as ἐν μιᾷ τɷν ἡμερɷν "on one of the days," 5:17, 8:22, 20:1.[31] The pendulum has swung so violently from "N.T. Greek -- a specific variety" to "N.T. Greek -- simply the popular parlance of the day," that a certain exaggeration is inevitable. The most instructive facts however are (a) the contrast between the polished Greek of Luke's prologue, 1:1-4, and the rest of his narrative, and (b) the stylistic Greek of the Epistle to the Hebrews combined with its expression of O.T. notions in truly Biblical phraseology. A sense of this adaptation and imitation will probably lead us to a just via media.

D. The Object and Scope of St. Luke's Gospel

Just as Mark's Gospel has its own peculiar features owing to its relation to St. Peter, so we shall expect Luke's Gospel to betray the influence of the Apostle of the Gentiles. But his object is not simply to repeat St. Paul's teaching. He tells us clearly what his object is: to set forth the sure basis of those things in which such converts as the Roman Theophilus have been instructed, 1:4. Thus Luke is not a biographer, he is the historian pure and simple. He has laboriously accumulated information regarding the Life and Teaching of Jesus of Nazareth Who claimed to be God, Who proved His claim by His teaching and His works, Who died for us as Man and so redeemed the whole world from sin.[32] In His doctrine such men as Theophilus have believed presumably owing to the catechetical instruction given them by some one of the Apostles or by one of the early Catechists. They now need more than catechism; they want history, a plain statement of the facts of that marvelous Life of which they have so far heard but the outlines.[33]

Consequently Luke's Gospel is essentially an historical document just as his second volume, the Acts, is an historical document. But there is a difference between the two documents. The former is the work of a collector of traditions, the latter is the work of one who had seen and heard what he narrates, at least in the main. The former is the history of an individual Person, the latter the history of the spread of His teaching after His death. The former is an expanded catechetical instruction, the latter is the history of a movement. In neither case are the facts given in their entirety. A selection has to be made. In the former case this selection is guided by the needs of the author's readers. They were converts to Christianity and were probably never Jews. They were not acquainted with Judaism nor with Judaea, but they needed to be convinced that the Jew Who died on the Cross died equally for all, whether Jew or Barbarian, whether bond or free. The author's theme is what Jesus of Nazareth "did and taught," Acts 1:1. Yet of many of His sayings and miracles Luke is ignorant; many, of which he was not ignorant, he omits as being beside the purpose he has in view. Of many circumstances, too, whether of time or place, he is perforce ignorant; yet it is the substance that matters, not the circumstances.

But Luke also says that he intends to "write in order" 1:3. Many have jumped to the conclusion that we must therefore possess in the Third Gospel an accurate and precise order of events so that when, for example, Luke places the visit to Nazareth at a point of time in the Public Life of Christ different from that assigned to it by Matthew and Mark we are obliged to say that Luke has the true order. They may be correct, Luke may, that is, have given us in this particular instance what is the true order of events. But the principle invoked is not sound. When Luke says "to write to thee in order, καθεξης, he only means "in orderly fashion," he cannot mean that his order of events is exact in every detail. For it must not be forgotten that the accuracy demanded of modern historians is a modern product and, unless governed by a due sense of proportion, is apt to lead to grotesque results. Now this "proportion" consists in the just adaptation of the means at hand to the end in view. Luke himself furnishes us with excellent examples of this in 1:56, 65-66, 80; 2:17-20, 3:19-20, where he anticipates the chronological order in order to round off his narrative. The same may be the case in 9:57-62 which would seem to be a compendious narrative of Galilean events inserted here because the Evangelist is about to transplant us into another sphere of Christ's active ministry. Indeed it might well be asked how Luke could have obtained such accurate knowledge as to enable him to present us with the true historical sequence of events. He came late on the scene, he was a gleaner of traditions- of which he himself had not been a witness. St. Jerome has some illuminative words on Luke's omissions:

"Luke omitted Paul's visit to Arabia because there the Apostle did no Apostolic work. For Luke is mainly concerned to give us a compendious account of those things which seemed to deal with the Gospel of Christ... What concern is it to me that Paul after Christ's manifestation to him went straight to Arabia? I am not told what he did there. Of what avail, then, to tell me of his going and coming?"[34]

Similarly on Luke's silence regarding the dispute between Peter and Paul at Antioch, Gal. 2:11-15:

"Small wonder that Luke should have omitted this since, with the freedom of a historian, he has passed over many things which Paul tells us he suffered. There is surely no contradiction if one writer finds that a certain fact deserves to be narrated whilst another writer passes it over amid a crowd of other things. Thus we know, for example, that Peter was first of all Bishop of the See of Antioch, yet Luke wholly omits to tell us this."[35]

E. Characteristics of St. Luke's Gospel

(a) The Universality of Salvation, a doctrine so dear to St. Paul, cf. Rom. 1:14, 2:9-10, Gal. 2:7, is insisted on by Luke though it is rather implicitly than explicitly stated. Thus note "the whole world" 2:1, the Genealogy taken right up to God and not stopping at Abraham as does that given by St. Matthew; "lumen ad revelationem Gentium" in Simeon's canticle; 2:32; the quotation from Isaias and the definite inclusion of the Gentile Widow of Sarepta and of Naaman the Syrian, 4:18-19, 25-27; the insistence on the moral goodness of the despised Samaritans, 10:30, 17:16. cp. 9:3, and Matthew 10:56; 21:17, and Matthew 24:9; note, too, the Mission of the Seventy-two, 10. At the same time it is instructive to note how Luke has omitted certain incidents which set forth this universality of salvation in the clearest light, e.g. the story of the Syro-Phœnician woman, Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30. It is conceivable that Luke omits this incident because of the words in Matthew 15:24, cp. Mark 7:27; but at the same time it should be noted that Luke omits the entire section, Mark. 6:45-8:26. (b) Tenderness towards the Jews, another feature of St. Paul's Epistles, cf. Rom. 9:3, and ch. 11, is remarkably shown in Luke's Gospel, e.g. in the Parable of the Barren Fig-tree, 13:6-9, cp. 19:41, 23:28, and note particularly the omission after 7:9 of the strong words given in Matthew 8:11-12 touching the rejection of Israel; cp., also, 8:13 with the omission of Matthew 13:14-15. Note, too, such passages as 19:41, and the significant omission after 20:18 of the words given by Matthew, 21:43. (c) Luke's Gospel has been justly termed the Gospel of women; to him we owe the pen-pictures of our Blessed Lady, of Elizabeth, Anna, Mary Magdalene, Martha, and of the widow of Nairn; also the story of the widow's mite, the parable of the importunate widow, the words to the "daughters of Jerusalem," to the infirm woman, 13:11-17, and the reference to the women who ministered to Christ, (d) It is also the Gospel of Prayer; on no less than nine occasions does Luke mention the fact that our Lord prayed, 3:21, 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 29, 11:1, 22:32, 23:34, 46; thus note also 22:40, as well as the Parables of the Importunate Friend, 11:5-10, of the Importunate Widow, 18:1-8, of the Pharisee and the Publican, 19:9-14. In connection with this we cannot fail to note the accent of joy and especially of gratitude which pervades the whole of St. Luke's narrative; the Canticles in chs. 1-2 are sufficient indication of it. (e) The Poor play an important part in this Gospel: note 4:18, 7:22 and 14:12-14, also the poverty of the Holy Family, 2:12, 24, as well as Christ's personal dependence upon others, 8:3. The same feature appears in such Parables as those of the Unjust Steward, 16:1-12, of the Prodigal, 15:11-32, of the Rich Fool, 12:16-21, and of Dives and Lazarus, 16:19-31. Note, too, 14:21, an addition to the account in Matthew 22. (f) Repentant sinners also figure largely: e.g. the woman that was a sinner in the city, 7:37, the Prodigal, the parable of the Two Sons, as also that of the Two Debtors, the contrast between the two thieves. Note, too, the frequent reference to the publicans and sinners, 4:27, 15:1, 18:10, 19:2, 23:39-43. This is the spirit of St. Paul, see, for example, Rom. 2:4, 5:8, 9:23, 10:21, 1 Tim. 1:12-15, etc. Indeed all the above traits find a marked place in St. Paul's Epistles, (g) A feature of St. Luke's Gospel which is too much neglected is the series of antithetical pictures he has left us, e.g. Mary and Zachary, Simon and the woman that was a sinner, Martha and Mary, the Pharisee and the Publican, the Good Samaritan and the Priest and the Levite, Dives and Lazarus, the Good Thief and the Bad. Much the same feature is to be found in the Fourth Gospel, q.v.

F. Analysis of the Gospel

I. CHS. 1-2. THE CONCEPTION, BIRTH AND INFANCY OF THE BAPTIST AND OF CHRIST

(a) The Preface, 1:1-4.

(b) The Angel Gabriel appears to Zachary; the conception of John the Baptist, 1:5-25.

(c) The Angel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary; the conception of Christ, 1:26-39.

(d) The Virgin Mary visits her cousin, Elizabeth; the Magnificat, 1:39-56.

(e) The birth of John the Baptist; Zachary sings the canticle Benedictus; the childhood of John, 1:57-80.

(f) The birth of our Lord, 2:1-20.

1. The enrollment, 2:1-5.
2. The birth, 2:6-7.
3. The angels sing the Gloria in excelsis; the shepherds visit the Infant Savior, 2:8-20.

(g) The circumcision of Christ, 2:21.

(h) He is presented in the temple; Simeon sings the Nunc dimittis; the Prophetess Anna praises God, 2:22-38.

(i) They return to Nazareth; the childhood of Christ, 2:39-40.

(j) At twelve years of age he goes to Jerusalem with His parents; they lose Him, but find Him after three days; they return to Nazareth; His growth, 2:41-52.

II. CHS. 3-4:13. THE PREPARATION FOR THE MINISTRY

(a) The ministry of John the Baptist, 3:1-20.

(b) Christ is baptized, 3:21-22.

(c) The Genealogy of Christ, 3:23-38.

(d) The Temptation of Christ, 4:1-13.

III. CHS. 4:14 - 6:11. THE EARLY GALILEAN MINISTRY TO THE CHOICE OF TWELVE APOSTLES

(a) He goes to Galilee and Nazareth; He is rejected, 4:14-30.

(b) He goes to Capharnaum where He teaches on the Sabbath days. He casts out an unclean spirit, 4:31-37.

(c) He heals Peter's wife's mother, 4:38-39.

(d) He then works many cures, 4:40-41.

(e) A missionary circuit in Galilee, 4:42-44.

(f) The miraculous draught of fish; the call of Simon and of James and John, 5:1-11.

(g) He heals a leper, 5:12-16.

(h) He heals one sick of the palsy; the Pharisees and Scribes oppose Him, 5:17-26.

(i) He calls Levi, 5:27-28.

(j) The feast in Levi's house; the murmuring of the Pharisees and Scribes; the question about fasting; He illustrates His answer by the parables of the patch on the old garment, of the new wine in old bottles, and of the superiority of old wine to new, 5:29-39.

(k) The Second first Sabbath; the disciples in the cornfield, 6:1-5.

(l) He heals a man with a withered hand, it was the Sabbath day and the Scribes and Pharisees were filled with madness, 6:6-11.

IV. CHS. 6:12 - 8:56. FROM THE CHOICE OF THE TWELVE TILL THEY ARE SENT OUT TO PREACH

(a) The Choice of the Twelve, 6:12-16.

(b) The Sermon on the Plain, 6:17-49.

1. The Introduction, 6:17-19.
2. Four Beatitudes, 6:18-23.
3. Four Woes, 6:24-26.
4. On love of our enemies, 6:27-38.
5. The similitudes of the blind leading the blind, the mote and the beam, and the good tree that alone brings forth good fruit, 6:40-45.
6. Be ye doers and not hearers merely; illustrated by the parable of the man who built his house on the rock, 6:46-49.

(c) In Capharnaum He cures at a distance the servant of the Centurion, 7:1-10.

(d) At Nairn He raises the widow's son to life, 7:11-17.

(e) The message of John the Baptist from his prison, 7:18-23.

(f) Christ's testimony to the Baptist; the opposition of the Pharisees and Lawyers; the similitude of the children in the marketplace, 7:24-35.

(g) He dines with Simon the Pharisee; a woman that was in the city, a sinner, anoints His feet and receives the forgiveness of her sins, 7:36-50.

(h) A missionary circuit in Galilee, 8:1-21.

1. The holy women who accompanied Him, 8:1-3.
2. The parable of the Sower, 8:4-8.
3. He explains it to His disciples, 8:9-15.
4. The similitude of the candle: Take care how you hear, 8:16-18.
5. His Mother and His brethren await Him, 8:19-21.

(i) They cross over to the East. The storm is stilled, 8:22-25.

(j) He frees a man who is possessed by a Legion of devils; the devils go into the swine. The Gerasens ask Him to depart, 8:26-39.

(k) They return to the West side. He heals a woman with an issue of blood and raises the daughter of Jairus to life, 8:40-56.

V. CH 9:1-50. FROM THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE TO THE CLOSE OF HIS PREACHING IN GALILEE

(a) His commission to the Twelve, 9:1-5.

(b) The effect of their preaching; Herod's fear, 9:6-9.

(c) He retires to Bethsaida and there multiplies the loaves for 5000 men, 9:16-17.

(d) The Confession of St. Peter, 9:18-21.

(e) The first prediction of the Sacred Passion, 9:22.

(f) The need of taking up our Cross, 9:23-27.

(g) The Transfiguration, 9:28-36.

(h) The cure of the lunatic boy, 9:37-43.

(i) The second prediction of the Passion, 9:43-45.

(j) The Apostles dispute as to which shall be the greater in the kingdom. He answers by setting a little child in their midst and teaching them humility, 9:46-48.

(k) In answer to John: he that is not against you is for you, 9:49-50.

VI. CHS. 9:51-19:28. THE SAMARITAN AND PEREAN MINISTRY

A. The First Stage, 9:51 - 13:21.

(a) He sends messengers into a city of the Samaritans; they do not receive Him because His face was as one going to Jerusalem; He rebukes James and John for asking that fire should come down from heaven upon them: You know not of what spirit ye are, 9:51-56.

(b) The aspirants who would follow Him, 9:37-62.

(c) His commission to the Seventy-two disciples, 10:1-16.

(d) The return of the Seventy-two; His warnings to them on the danger of self-elation. He thanks His Father that He has revealed Himself to little ones, 10:7-24.

(e) The Lawyer's question: Which is the greatest commandment? He answers by the parable of the Good Samaritan, 10:25-37.

(f) He visits Marv and Martha: Mary hath chosen the best part* 10:38-42.

(g) He teaches the Apostles how to pray: the Pater Noster; the parable of the Importunate friend at midnight, 11:1-13.

(h) He casts out a devil from a dumb man; some of the bystanders say that He does so by the power of Beelzebub, others ask for a sign, 11:14-35.

1. He does not cast out devils by the power of Beelzebub; the illustration taken from the man who, when once freed from a devil, taketh to himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, 11:14-26.
2. The woman who, as He said this, exclaimed Blessed is the womb that bore Thee...! 11:27-28.
3. No sign shall be given save that of Jonas; the Queen of Sheba; the Ninivites shall testify against the unbelieving Jews, for the former believed in Solomon and Jonas respectively, and behold more than Solomon and Jonas here, 11:29-32.
4. The similitude of the candle, 11:32-35.

(i) He is asked to dine with a Pharisee, 11:37-54.

1. At table He rebukes the Pharisees for their attachment to external ceremonial, 11:38-44.
2. He rebukes the Lawyers also for their injustice and hypocrisy, 11:45-52.
3. Their bitterness against him, 11:53-54.

(j) In the presence of the multitude He warns the disciples and His friends to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. On confidence in God; on courage in confessing the Son of Man; on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, 12:1-12.

(k) One asks Him: Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me. He bids them beware of all covetousness and proposes to them the parable of the foolish rich man, 12:13-21.

(l) Lessons on trust in Providence, 12:22-34.

(m) On the need of watchfulness, 12:35-40.

(n) In answer to Peter's question He sets forth the pictures of the faithful and the unfaithful servants; He dwells on sins of ignorance; of the divisions His word would bring about, 12:41-53.

(o) On the folly of not recognizing the signs of the times, 12:54-59.

(p) Of the Galileans whom Pilate slew, and of those on whom the tower fell in Siloe; on the consequent need of penance; the parable of the Barren fig-tree, 13:1-9.

(q) On the Sabbath day He cures a woman who had been infirm eighteen years; He rebukes the ruler of the synagogue for his ill timed anger, 13:10-17.

(r) He proposes the parables of the Mustard seed and of the Leaven, 13:18-22.

B. The Second Stage, 13:22 - 17:10.

(a) He continues to make His way to Jerusalem; to the question whether they are few that are saved, He replies: Strive to enter by the narrow gate, many shall seek to enter and shall not be able..., 13:23-30.

(b) The Pharisees warn Him that Herod hath a mind to kill Him; His warning to Herod and to Jerusalem, 13:31-35.

(c) He dines with one of the chief Pharisees:

1. There He heals a man with dropsy; the Pharisees attack Him, 14:1-6.
2. Noting their strife for the chief places He sets forth a parable on humility, 14:7-11.
3. He instructs His host as to whom he should invite to table, 14:12-15.
4. In answer to one that sat with Him He speaks the parable of the Great Supper, 14:15-24.

(d) To the multitudes who follow Him He dwells on the need of taking up their cross if they would really follow Him. He sets forth the three parables of the Man who would build a tower, of the king who would go to war, and of the salt without savor, 14:25-34.

(e) To the Pharisees who murmur that He received publicans and sinners He proposes three parables:

1. The shepherd who lost one out of his hundred sheep, 15:1-7.
2. The woman who lost one of her ten groats, 15:5-10.
3. The father who lost one of his two sons, 15:11-32.

(f) To His disciples He proposes the parable of the Unjust Steward, 16:1-13.

(g) In answer to the Pharisees who mocked He speaks on self-justification; He declares that the Law shall not fail, and condemns divorce and re-marriage, 16:14-18.

(h) He then sets forth the parable of Dives and Lazarus, 16:19-31.

(i) Various lessons to His disciples:

1. Woe to those who scandalize little children, 17:1-2.
2. On forgiveness of injuries, 17:3-4.
3. On the power of faith, 17:5-6.
4. Parable of the Servant plowing; the obligation of doing our duty: We are unprofitable servants, we have done that which we ought to have done, 17:7-10.

C. The Third Stage, 17:11 - 18:30.

(a) Still on His way to Jerusalem He heals ten lepers, of whom only one returns to thank Him, 17:11-19.

(b) To the Pharisees who ask when the kingdom of God should come, He replies the kingdom of God is within you, 17:20-21.

(c) To the disciples He declares the need of preparing for the coming of the Day of the Son of Man, 17:22-37.

(d) On prayer; the parable of the Importunate Widow and the Unjust Judge, 18:1-8.

(e) On self-justification; the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, 18:9-14.

(f) Little children are brought to Him; He rebukes the disciples who would have hindered it: Suffer little children to come to Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven, 18:15-17.

(g) The rich ruler; on the danger of riches, 18:18-27.

(h) In answer to Peter's declaration that they at least have left all things and followed Him, He promises more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting, 18:28-30.

D. The Fourth Stage, 18:31 - 19:27.

(a) Behold we go up to Jerusalem...: the last prediction of the Sacred Passion, 18:31-34.

(b) As He nears Jericho He cures a blind man who sat by the way side, begging, 18:35-43.

(c) In Jericho He visits Zacheus the publican; he is converted, 19:1-10.

(d) Because He was nigh to Jerusalem He sets forth the parable of the Pounds, 19:11-27.

E. The Fifth Stage, 19:28 - 21:38.

(a) His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

1. He enters the city, 19:28-38.
2. He rebukes the Pharisees who murmur at the way in which the multitude welcomes Him, 19:39-40.
3. His lament over the doomed city, 19:41-44.
4. He cleanses the temple, 19:45-46.
5. He teaches daily in the temple; the opposition of the Chief Priests and Scribes; the attention of the people, 19:47-48.

(b) The Day of Questions in the Temple, 20:1-47 - 21:4.

1. The Chief Priests, the Scribes and the Elders ask "By what authority dost Thou do these things?" He retorts with a question about the origin of the baptism of John, 20:1-8.
2. He adds the parable of the Husbandmen in the vineyard; the hatred of the Priests who knew that He spoke this parable against them, 20:9-19.
3. They plot against Him and firstly send spies who ask: Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cæsar or not? 20:20-26.
4. The Sadducees then come with a question about the resurrection of the dead, 20:27-38.
5. A Scribe praises Him, but He asks the Scribes to explain in what sense Christ is called the Son of David. He adds a terrible rebuke to the Scribes, 20:39-47.
6. The widow's mite, 21:1-4.

(c) He foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and dwells upon The Last Things. The parable of The Fig-tree, 21:5-36.

(d) He teaches daily in the temple, but spends the night on Mount Olivet, 21:37-38.

VII. CHS. 22 - 23. THE STORY OF THE SACRED PASSION

(a) Judas sells Him, 22:1-6.

(b) The preparation for the Passover, 22:7-13.

(c) The Last Supper.

1. The Holy Eucharist, 22:14-20.
2. He foretells His betrayal, 22:21-24.
3. The disciples dispute as to which is the greater; He teaches them humility, but promises that in His kingdom they shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel, 22:24-30.
4. His special prayer for Simon, though He foretells that he will betray Him, 22:31-34.
5. He tells them that henceforth they are to carry purse and scrip though on their previous mission they had not needed them. The two swords, 22:35-38.

(d) He goes out to Mount Olivet; the Agony in the garden, 22:39-46.

(e) The arrest, 22:47-53.

(f) They lead Him to the High Priest; Peter's denials, 22:54-62.

(g) He is mocked in the High Priest's court, 22:63-65.

(h) The trial before the High Priest in the early morning, 22:66-71.

(i) He is led to Pilate, 23:1-6.

(j) Pilate sends Him to Herod; Herod and his court mock Him; He is sent back to Pilate; Herod and Pilate are thus reconciled, 23:7-12.

(k) Pilate finds no cause in Him; but Barabbas is preferred before Him; He is sentenced to death, 23:13-25.

(l) He goes out to Calvary; Simon helps Him to carry His cross; the women of Jerusalem lament over Him; His words to them, 23:26-32.

(m) The Crucifixion; the bystanders mock Him; so also does the wicked thief, but he is reproved by the Good Thief who receives the promise: This day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise. He gives up the ghost, 23:33-46.

(n) The centurion glorifies God: Indeed this was a just man! The repentance of the crowd. The holy women who had accompanied Him. Joseph of Arimathea buries Him. The women prepare spices for His embalming, 23:47-56.

VIII. CH. 24. THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION

(a) Mary Magdalen, Joanna, Mary of James, and the other women, find the tomb empty. The vision of angels who remind them that He had foretold His Passion and His Resurrection, 24:1-9.

(b) They tell what they have seen to the eleven; but they disbelieve. Peter, however, goes and finds the tomb empty. His bewilderment, 24:9-12.

(c) He appears to Cleopbas and another as they journey to Emmaus: they knew Him in the breaking of bread, 24:13-35.

(d) While they are recounting all this to the rest who say that He has risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon, He stands in the midst, He shows them His Hands and His feet. Their joy and yet their doubt. He cats with them. Then He opens their minds that they may understand the Scriptures; He gives them their final commission and adds: And you are witnesses of these things. Then He promises them the Holy Spirit and finally leads them out as far as Bethania where He ascends into heaven. They go back with joy and spend their time in the temple, 24:36-53.

G. The Integrity of the Gospel of St. Luke

One of the boldest attempts at mutilation of the Gospel was that made by Marcion at the opening of the second century. But this very attempt resulted in setting forth in clearer light than ever the Apostolic origin of Luke's narrative. For Marcion rejected all the Gospels save that of Luke, and he accepted his Gospel simply because he believed it to represent St. Paul's teaching. But just as he 'edited' his Apostolicon, or collection of St. Paul's Epistles, so did he mutilate Luke's Gospel. His most noticeable excision concerned the chapters which told of the Sacred Infancy; for this he was sternly called to account by St. Irenæus who describes him as "mutilating the Gospel according to Luke and removing all that was therein written concerning the Lord's generation, as removing, too, many things from the teaching contained in the Lord's discourses ... and persuading his disciples that he himself was more truthful than the Apostles who gave us the Gospel."[36] Similarly Tertullian who dubs Marcion "that gnawing mouse from Pontus who nibbled at the Gospels."[37] But a mutilation such as this presupposes the previous existence of the thing mutilated, and Tertullian and Irenæus were not slow to point this out.[38]

The authenticity of Luke 22:43-44, "And there appeared to Him an Angel... And His sweat ... upon the ground." These two verses have been called in question but on quite insufficient grounds. A brief discussion of the case will show how misleading the evidence of MSS. may be at times, (a) MSS. evidence: the first corrector of Sinaiticus, א, apparently deleted it; it is not in Vaticanus B, nor in R and T. Alexandrinus has it in the margin, not in the text.

The recently discovered Detroit MSS. omit it.[39] (b) Versions: most Bohairic (Coptic) MSS. omit it; some Sahidic (Coptic) omit it. The Sinaitic Syriac also omits it. The Old-Latin Cod. Brixianus, f, omits it. (c) Patristic evidence: St. Cyril of Alexandria[40] and St. Ambrose[41] omit this passage in their expositions of St. Luke's Gospel.

But on the other hand in favor of the passage: (a) MSS. all the other Greek MSS. save those above mentioned retain it, the second corrector of Sinaiticus replaces it, though the first corrector had deleted it. (b) Versions: the remaining Syriac versions have it; many Coptic also; while of the enormous mass of Old- Latin and vulgate Latin MSS. all retain it save f, see above, (c) Patristic evidence: St. Justin in the second century says explicitly: " In the memorials which, as I have said, were drawn up by His Apostles and their followers, it is said that sweat, like drops of blood, flowed from Him."[42] This is not so much a quotation as an allusion, but none of the Gospels save Luke's has this clause. Similarly St. Irenæus alleges as proof of Christ's perfect human nature "else He would not have sweated drops of blood."[43] Both Justin and Irenæus give the striking word θρόμβοι as in Luke. At a later period, however, many copies of the Gospels must have lacked these words. For St. Hilary says: "We are well aware that in very many Greek and Latin copies there is no word about the coming of the Angel nor about His sweat of blood."[44] Hilary says very many lack this passage, St. Jerome conversely: "In some copies, both Greek and Latin, we find Luke writing 'And there appeared upon the ground'."[45] St. Epiphanius also quotes it.[46]

Thus the early Patristic evidence favors the passage, the later expresses doubts or, as in the case of St. Ambrose and St Cyril, appears unconscious of its existence.[47] It is all the more remarkable that whereas several Latin Fathers show the existence of doubts touching the passage yet all the Latin MSS. save f retain it. A curious side-light is thrown on the difficulty by the fact that all known Evangelistaria or "gospel-books" have this passage after Matthew 26:39, and the same is the case with four Cursive Greek MSS. which have the same order. It appears that on Holy Thursday it was the custom to read this passage after Matthew 26:39, while on the Tuesday after Sexagesima, when Luke 22 was read, this passage was then omitted. This fact would go far to explain the omission of the two verses in many copies of Luke known to Hilary and Jerome.[48]

For further textual difficulties, e.g. in Luke 22:19-20, "Which is given for you ... shed for you", where, in order to obviate the difficulty arising from the two cups mentioned by Luke, some MSS. and Versions omit or transpose sections of the Text; and Luke 23:34, "And Jesus said: Father forgive them for they know not what they do", another passage which on insufficient grounds has been called in question, see the Commentaries.

H. Theology of the Gospel

(a) God and the Father:

He is the Most High. 1:32, 6:35. 8:28; the Lord God, 1:32; the Lord their God, 1:16; the Lord, 2:29; the Lord God of Israel, 1:68; He is mighty, 1:49, 51, 52, 9:44; Holy, 1:49; the "brightness" of God, 2:9; the Father, 6:36, 9:26, 35, 10:21, 22, 11:1, 13, 12:30, 32, 22:29, 42, 23:46, 24:49; He alone is Good, 18:19; the God of the living, 20:38; His mercy, 1:25, 50, 54, 58, 72, 78; is the Lord of heaven and earth, 10:21; He has delivered all to the Son, 10:22; is known by the Son, 10:22; He gives the Holy Spirit, 11:13; the Wisdom of God, 11:49; the Charity of God, 11:42; He knows our needs, 12:30; and our hearts, 16:15; the Justice of God, 12:31; He spoke to our Fathers, 1:55, 70; the Promise of the Father, 24:45; He is faithful to His Promises, 1:54, 55, 72-74; the Law of the Lord, 2:39; the Salvation of God, 3:6, cp. 1:47; the grace of God, 2:40; His power, 3:8, 18:27, 22:69; He alone forgives sins, 5:21; the counsel of God, 6:30; He has done great things, 1:49, 8:39; has hidden things from the wise and revealed them to the simple, 10:21; nothing is forgotten before God, 12:6; He showed mercy to Elizabeth, 1:58; His Hand was with the Baptist, 1:66; Christ is the Lord's, 2:26, 9:20; He is the Holy One of God, 4:34; the word of the Lord, 3:2, 4:4, 5:2, 8:1, 21, 11:28; Christ works miracles by the finger of God, 11:20; God feeds the ravens, 12:24; He clothes the grass of the field, 12:28; the Father bestows a kingdom, 12:32, 22:29; He will revenge His elect, 18:7; the Kingdom of God, 4:43, 6:20, 28, 8:1, 10, 9:2, 11, 27, 60, 62, 10:9, 11, 11:20, 12:31, 13:18, 20, 28, 29, 14:15, 16:16, 17:20, 21, 18:16-17, 24, 25, 29, 19:11, 21:31, 22:l6, l8, 23:51; the Children of God, 20:36; the Way of God, 20:21; the things that are God's, 20:25; we cannot serve God and Mammon, 16:13; the wicked are an abomination to God, 16:15; we must adore the Lord God, 4:8; must not tempt the Lord God, 4:12; Gabriel stands before God, 1:19; he is sent from God, 1:26; the Angels of God, 12:8-9, 15:10; Zachary and Elizabeth were just before God, 1:6, 8; the Baptist is to go before the Lord, 1:15, 17, 76; Christ grows in grace before God, 2:52; Mary has found grace with God, 1:30; the message to her is from the Lord, 1:45, cp. 2:15; she is the handmaid of the Lord, 1:38; she magnifies the Lord, 1:46; love of God, 10:27; fear of God, 1:50, 18:2, 4, 23:40; we must be rich towards God, 12:21; the elect of God, 23:35, cp. 18:7; blessing God, 1:64, 2:13, 14, 20, 28, 38, 5:25, 26, 7:16, 29, 13:13, 17:15, 18, 18:45, 19:37, 38, 23:47, 24:53.

(b) The Christology:

Christ is the Son of God, 1:35, 3:22, 4:3, 9, 41, 8:28, 9:26, 35, 10:21, 22, 22:42, 69, 23:34, 46; the Son of the Most High, 1:32, 8:28; My Beloved Son, 3:22, 9:35; He saw Satan falling from heaven, 10:18; He is the Son of David, 1:32, 2:4, 11, 18:38, 39, 19:41, 44; the Son of Man, 5:24, 6:5, 7:34, 9:26, 44, 56, 12:8, 40, 17:22, 24, 26, 30, 19:10, 21:27, 36, 22:22, 69, 24:7; He is the Christ, 2:11, 26, 4:41, 9:20, 22:26, 23:2, 35, 39; the Christ of God, 9:20; His Name is Jesus, 1:31, 2:21; "Jesus of Nazareth," 4:34, 24:19; He shall be great, 1:32; shall reign for ever, 1:32-33; is the Holy One, 1:35, 4:34; the Orient, 1:78; the Savior, 2:11, 9:56, 19:10; is addressed as "Lord," 1:43, 76, 5:8, 12, 6:5, 7:6, 9:54, 61, 10:17, 40, 11:1, 12:40, 13:23, 17:36, 19:8, 22:33, 38, 23:42; as "Master," 5:8, 8:24, 45, 9:38, 10:25, 12:13, 17:13, 20:21, 21:7, 22:11; is spoken of as "the Lord," 2:11, 5:17, 7:31, 10:1, 39, 41, 12:37, 41, 13:15, 17:3, 6, 18:6, 19:8, 31, 34, 22:31, 61, 24:3; He grew in wisdom and age, 2:40, 52; is mightier than the Baptist, 3:16; full of the Holy Spirit, 4:1; is led by the Spirit, 4:1, 14, 18; is Lord of the Sabbath, 6:5; is a Prophet, 7:39, 24:19; is mighty, 24:19; is greater than Solomon, 11:31; than Jonas, 11:32; His word shall not pass away, 21:33; He teaches the way of God in truth, 20:21; is foretold in Holy Scripture, 24:27; is the Elect of God, 23:35; foretells His Passion, 9:22, 44, 17:25, 18:31-33, 24:7; also His Resurrection, 9:22, 18:33, 24:7, 21; His Passion was necessary, 24:26, 46; the "days of His assumption" approach, 9:51, cp, 13:32; He bestows power, 9:2, 10:19, 21:15, 24:49; casts out devils by the finger of God, 11:20; is a King, 19:38, 23:2; is King of the Jews, 23:37-38; men shall be delivered up for His Name, 21:12, 17; we must be worthy to stand before Him, 21:36; the Temple is His house, 19:46; He institutes the Holy Eucharist, 22:19-20; He bestows a kingdom on His followers, 22:29, 23:42-43; they shall sit at His table, 22:30; He rises from the dead, 24:6, 64; He will send the Promise of the Father, 24:49; He ascends into heaven, 21:51; He will come again, 17:22-24, 30, 21:27, 22:69.

(c) The Holy Spirit:

Is in John the Baptist, 1:15; came upon Mary, 1:35; on Elizabeth, 1:41; on Zachary, 1:67; on Simeon, 2:25-27; will come in Baptism, 3:16; is in Christ, 3:22, 4:1, 14, 18; Christ rejoices in the Holy Spirit, 10:21; is given by the Father, 11:13; will teach all, 12:12; sin against the Holy Spirit, 12:10; He will come to the Apostles, 24:49.

(d) The Ministry of the Angels:

An Angel appears to Zachary, 1:13-20; to Mary, 1:26-38; to the shepherds, 2:9-15; their providential care of us, 4:10-11; will assist at the Judgment, 9:26, 12:8-9; rejoice at our repentance, 15:10.

J. Bibliography.

In addition to the works mentioned in the text the student will do well to consult various papers in the Revue Biblique. For a sudden volte-face by Harnack, who now accepts many positions formerly repudiated by modern critics, see Lukas der Arzt, 1906, reviewed in R.B. 1906, p. 644, translated into English, Luke the Physician, Crown Theological Library, 1907. For a study of Luke's relations to Matthew and Mark see Wright's Gospel according to St. Luke in Greek, 1900.

___________________
1 Given in Wordsworth and White's Oxford Vulgate, the Gospels, p. 272. This Prologue is an abbreviated form of a much longer one given in a great number of Codices of the Vulgate, ibid. p. 269.

2 De Viris Illustr. VII.; P.L. XXII. 619-620; cp. D.R. April, 1883, p. 468.

3 Comment, in Ep. ad Philemonem, 24; P.L. XXVI. 618. For Luke's medical language note iv. 38, 40, v. 31, xxii. 40, and see further s.v. Acts; also D.R. July, 1883, p. 116.

4 Hom. X. xxxix. in Ep. ad Romanos, P.G. XIV. 1288; cf. Expos. Times, September, October, 1913.

5 Hær. LI. xi.

6 Dial. adv. Marcionistas, cp. P.L. XXIII. 1002, note.

7 Ut supra.

8 De Recta Fide, I. inter Opp. Origenis, ed. Delarue, I. 807; so too St. Epiphanius, Hær. LI. 11; P.G. XLI. 908.

9 Præf. in Joan, x., Delarue, IV. 11; cp. Apost. Constitut. VI. 16, and Mansi, Concilia, I. 325 ff.

10 Lib. X. Comment, in Evangel. S. Lucæ.

11 H.E. III. iv.

12. H.E. II. xxii. 6.

13 Ut supra.

14 Ut supra.

15 Cf. Origen, ut supra.

16 Quast. Heb. in Genesim. xlvi. 26; P.L. XXIII. 1002; and again: "Our early teachers in the Church tell us that Luke the Evangelist was deeply skilled in the art of medicine, and that he knew Greek better than Hebrew. Hence too his diction, both in his Gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles, is of a refined character, it savors, too, of worldly eloquence, and he makes use of the Greek Scriptures rather than of the Hebrew," in Isaiam VI. 9, P.L. XXIV. 98; cf. in Isaiam XXVIII. 13, ibid. 320.

17 De Viris lllustr. VII.

18 Præf. in Matth., P.L. XXVI. 18. See note 6 on p. 224.

19 Adv. Julian, i. 79, P.G. XXXV. 589.

20 See above, also Inter. Opp.'s. Hier., P.L. XXX. 567, and St. Jerome, Contra Vigilantium, I. 5; P.L. XXIII. 343, where he says that Constantius translated thither the bodies of St. Andrew, St. Luke and St. Timothy. Cp. Vir. III. VII., P.L. XXIII. 619, ut supra.

21 Cp. sv. Canon New Testament, p. 79 ff.

22 Adv. Marcionem, IV. ii-v., P.L. II. 363-367. Cp. St. Irenæus, Adv. Hær. III. x. i; xiv. i, P.G. VII. 872, 913.

23 It is doubtful whether St. Paul can be said to be quoting Luke 10:7 in 1 Tim. 5:18, "the Scripture saith, Thou shaft not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and The laborer is worthy of his hire." For though this last passage is apparently quoted as Scripture, yet this is not certain, it may have been merely a well-known proverbial expression. As given in 1 Timothy the quotation is in exact accordance with Luke 10:7; Matt. 10:10 is slightly different. But apart from the vocabulary common to Luke and Paul, cf. infra, it is worth noting the agreement between 1 Cor. 15:5, "He was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven," and Luke 24:33-36. The words of Institution, too, as given in 1 Cor. 11:24-25, agree with Luke 22:19-20 as against the accounts left us in Matthew and Mark.

24 Cf. St. Jerome, Vir. Illustr. VII. supra.

25 See Gal. 1:18-23.

26 Cp. Lagrange, R.B. April, 1895, pp. 160-185.

27 Thus note how Tertullian seems to say that the Genealogy given in Luke 3 is that of the Mother of God, "secundum Mariae censum," Adv Marcionem, IV. 1; P.L. II. 362, and Adv. Judæos, IX. "per Mariam ... censendum." P.L. II. 624. See also Ramsay, "Was Christ Born at Bethlehem?" pp. 80-90; also Sanday, Expository Times, April, 1903. For the very strong tradition that St. Luke was an artist and actually painted the famous portrait of the Blessed Virgin preserved in S. Maria Maggiore at Rome, see Plummer, St. Luke, pp. xxi-xxii.; and note St. Thomas remark, Summa Theologica, IIIa. XXV. iii. ad 4 m.

28 For St. Luke's "sources" see Lagrange, R.B. January, 1895, and January, 1896.

29 Cf. Lesêtre, La Methode Historiqite de S. Luc, R.B. 1892, p 171 ff.; Rose, R.B. 1899, 219 ff.

30 For further instances of this Lukan and Pauline vocabulary, see s.v. Acts, vol. III.

31 For a summary of the whole question see Moulton, Grammar of New Testament Greek, 1906, Vol. I. pp. 16-20; also Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East, 1910, Ch. II. pp. 54-66; also his Bible Studies, 2nd ed. 1909, Ch. III. section iii.; Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri, Cambridge University Press, 1912.

32 It is worth noting how Luke speaks of Christ as "the Lord," 7:13, 10:i, 11:39, 12:42, 13:15, 17:5, 6, 18:6, 19:8, 22:61, 24:34. This accords with the fact that he was not a personal disciple of Christ; for him Christ's humanity was merged in the over whelming Divinity. This use of the title "Lord" is illustrated by 5:17 where "Lord" stands for Jehovah of the Old Testament.

33 Thus note St. Jerome: "The Acts of the Apostles reads indeed like pure history and unfolds the story of the new-born Church. But when we remember that its author is Luke the physician, whose praise is in the Gospel, then we notice also that every word he writes is the medicine of the languishing soul." Ep. LIII. 8, P.L. XXII. 548.

34 Comment, in Ep. ad Gal. i. 17; P.L. XXVI. 328.

35 Ibid. ii. ii; P.L. XXVI. 341. Cp. St. Augustine, De Consensu, II. xlii. (89-90), P.L. XXXIV. U20-II2I, and II. Ixxiii. (142), P.L. XXXIV. 1146. Also Irenæus, Adv. Hær. III. xv. i; P.O. VII. 917; Tertullian, Adv. Marcionem, IV. ii-v.; P.L. II. 363-368.

36 Adv. Hær. I. xxvii. 2; P.G. VII. 688; cp. Origen, Tom. X. 4 in Joan. P.G. XIV. 315.

37 Adv. Marcionem, I. i.; P.L. II. 247-8.

38 Ibid. IV. iv-v.; cp. Epiphanius, Hær. I. iii. 11; P.G. XLI. 709.

39 R.B. July, 1908, p. 452.

40 Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam, P.G. LXXII.

41 Ibid., P.G. X. 60-61; P.L. XV. 1819. It is given however in a fragment attributed, with great probability, to Denis of Alexandria, see P.G. X. 1591.

42 Dial, ciii., P.G. VI. 717.

43 Adv. Hær. III. xxii. 2, P.G. VII. 957.

44 De Trin. X. 41, cj. P.L. XXIII. 551 note.

45 Dial. adv. Pelagianos, II. 16, P.L. XXIII. 552.

46 Ancoratns xxxi., P.G. XLIII. 73.

47 It is unfair to quote Origen as ignoring the passage, for in his translated Homilies on St. Luke his last comment is on chapter 20.

48 See Westcott and Hort, New Testament, II. 64-67. Also Hammond, Outlines of Textual Criticism, p. 112, fifth edition; Plummer, International Critical Commentary, St. Luke, p. 544.

By Hugh Pope, O.P., S.T.M., D.S.ScR.
Professor of New Testament Exegesis
The Collegio Angelico, Rome