Tuesday, October 18, 2022

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

It is the 18th of October, 2022. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Quick question: of all of the New Testament authors, who wrote the most?

That’s right- the author of the books we call the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. It accounts for 27.5% of the New Testament and is a combined 5,000 words more than St. Paul.

I say “the author of” these books not to out myself as some skeptic or cynic- but rather to remind you of the difficulty of doing history that pertains to the New Testament.

The idea that Luke (or Lucanus) wrote these two books comes from church tradition- not the text itself. This is important, especially in traditions that don’t bind the consciences of Christians to tradition. But tradition can be a helpful guide! And so, on this feast of the Evangelist St. Luke, let’s talk about what the early church taught about the man who is said to have written the 3rd gospel and the book of Acts.

It is said that Luke was born in 9 AD in Antioch and was by trade a physician (this assumes he is the same Luke in Philemon, Colossians, 2 Timothy, and 2 Corinthians). Paul calls him a coworker- so it seems he put his work as a physician on hold to become an evangelist.

We know the books themselves are written to a “most excellent” Theophilus (name mentioned in chapter 1 verse 1 of Acts)- this has led some to think he is a lawyer or judge working in Rome on the case of Paul’s arrest. The book ends with Paul under home arrest, and perhaps his companion Luke was putting together the story of Jesus and his Apostles for this man involved in Paul’s trial.

Based on how Paul lists his companions in Colossians, it may be that Luke was a Gentile. Others have argued that there are so many allusions to the Old Testament that it would make sense if Luke were a Jewish Christian. The emphasis on the Old Testament and the sacrificial system is why Luke is portrayed as the winged Ox or Bull in Christian art taken from the images in the book of Ezekiel. It has also been suggested that the Ox could represent the animals in the manger- Luke’s gospel includes the nativity scene read by Linus in a Charlie Brown Christmas.

And Luke is said to have another critical place in Christian Art- it is said that he interviewed Mary, the mother of Jesus, personally. When he did it, he painted a picture of Mary then (he is also portrayed as holding a painter's palette and is a patron saint of artists). The Gospel starts in the temple with Zechariah and Elizabeth with the birth announcement and then Mary and Joseph and their birth announcements. Tradition holds that Luke received this information from Mary herself.

Luke’s account of Jesus’ life portrays Romans as curious (this would be helpful if it were written for Paul’s trial) and Pilate as sympathetic. The book alternates with stories of Jesus’ ministry to the downtrodden- alternating between men and women. The book's action heads toward Jerusalem- the text of the Acts of the Apostles likewise heads out FROM Jerusalem.

While he wasn’t an eyewitness to Jesus, tradition holds that he may have been one of the 70. Born in 9 AD, tradition holds that he was martyred in Central Greece in the year 93 at the age of 84.

While of the relics of saints, there are often more relics than there was person, the strongest traditions tie him to Prague, Padua, and his tomb in Thebes.

The Last Word for today comes from the lectionary for today from James 5:

7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 18th of October 2022, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite Luke’s include the Evangelist, the Skywalker, and Hemsworth, the brother of Thor: Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man now with the scene from That Thing You Do with Chris Isaak running through his head- “Hey Uncle Bob, when are we gonna get these records?” “Luke 21:19” "In your patience possess ye your souls” “Luke, who’s Luke?” I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.