Gospel of Luke
Third Gospel, part of Luke–Acts, covering Jesus' life and the early church.
The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volume work called Luke–Acts, accounting for 27.5% of the New Testament. The gospel shares the same author as Acts; tradition identifies the writer as Luke the Evangelist, a doctor who travelled with Paul the Apostle, though the text does not name its author.
- field
- Biblical Gospel
- known_for
- Third canonical Gospel; part of Luke–Acts; largest single-author contribution to the New Testament
- earliest_manuscript
- Fragment 𝔓4, late 2nd century (disputed)
- common_dating
- Around AD 80–90
- text_families
- Alexandrian and Western text-types
Lore & Background
The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles form a two-volume work scholars call Luke–Acts. The author is not named in either volume, as was common for ancient biographies and histories. According to a Church tradition first recorded by Irenaeus, he was the Luke named as a companion of Paul in three Pauline letters, but a scholarly consensus emphasizes differences between the portrayal in Acts and Paul’s theological points, though this has been challenged in recent years. Most scholars maintain that the author of Luke–Acts, whether named Luke or not, met Paul at some point. Scholars largely agree Luke used the Gospel of Mark, and the two-source hypothesis also posits usage of Q, though alternative hypotheses positing a direct relation between Matthew and Luke without Q are increasing in prominence. Luke follows Mark closely compared to other ancient historians’ usage of sources. The most common dating for its composition is around AD 80–90. The earliest witnesses for Luke are the Alexandrian and the revised western text-type. The earliest surviving manuscripts fall into two families with considerable differences, the Western and the Alexandrian text-type; the dominant view is that the Western text represents a process of deliberate revision in the second century. Luke espouses a three-stage 'salvation history' starting with the Law and the prophets, the epoch of Jesus, and the period of the church. The gospel's high Christology portrays Jesus as divine in various ways, identifying him with the God of Israel and as a preexistent messiah. The Holy Spirit plays a more prominent role compared to other Christian works, forming the basis of the early Christian community.
Reader's Guide
The Gospel of Luke is significant as the third canonical Gospel and as the first volume of Luke–Acts, which together provide the largest single-author contribution to the New Testament, accounting for 27.5% of its content. This two-volume work supplies the framework for the Church's liturgical calendar and the historical outline into which later generations have fitted their idea of the story of Jesus. Luke is unique among the canonical gospels for declaring its purpose and method in a prologue, aiming to render the Christian message on a higher literary plane. The author claims careful investigation, orderly writing, and access to accounts handed down by eyewitnesses, intended to demonstrate his gospel's superiority to its predecessors. The gospel was written to be read aloud to a group of Jesus-followers gathered in a house to share the Lord's Supper. Its legacy includes shaping Christian understanding of salvation history, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the relationship between rich and poor, as well as providing a model for ancient biographical history that anchors the founder's story with birth narratives and post-death appearances.
Did You Know?
- The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles together account for 27.5% of the New Testament, the largest contribution by a single author.
- The earliest surviving manuscript of Luke is fragment 𝔓4, dated from the late 2nd century, though this dating is disputed.
- Luke follows Mark closely compared to other ancient historians’ usage of sources.
- The gospel's high Christology portrays Jesus as divine, identifying him with the God of Israel and as a preexistent messiah.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is traditionally credited with writing the Gospel of Luke?
Church tradition names Luke the Evangelist, a physician who accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys, as the author. The text itself never identifies its writer, though it is clearly the first volume of a two-part work that continues in Acts.
What does the Gospel of Luke cover?
It narrates Jesus' birth, early life, public ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. It stands as the third of the four canonical Gospels in the New Testament.
What is Luke–Acts and why does it matter?
Luke–Acts is the combined name for the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, a single two-volume work by one anonymous author. Together they account for roughly 27.5% of the New Testament, making it the largest single-author contribution in that collection.
When was the Gospel of Luke most likely composed?
Most scholars date it to around AD 80–90, though the earliest surviving fragment (𝔓4) is a late-second-century papyrus whose attribution is still debated. Its text appears in both Alexandrian and Western textual traditions.
What makes the Gospel of Luke distinct from the other three Gospels?
It offers the most detailed infancy narrative and places special emphasis on Jesus' outreach to women, the poor, and social outcasts. It also frames the story as a continuation into Acts, linking Jesus' life directly to the founding and spread of the early church.
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