medical profession, and this advanced education might have been received at either Athens or Tarsus From the content and style of his books, we may speculate that history and literature were two of his favorite subjects Conversion Luke was not a disciple of Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry While living in Antioch he may have been converted under the ministry of Paul, such as is referred to in Acts 11.25-26.4 Profession and ministry Luke was a man of various talents and callings: a Physician “Luke, the beloved physician” (Col 4:14).5 If he studied medicine at the university in Tarsus, then he and Paul may have rst met at the university, because it is very possible that Paul studied there, his hometown school b Historian His interest in history is shown by the many historical datelines cited in the gospel (e g., 1:5, 26, 56; 2:1-2, 21-22, 36-37, 42; 3:1-2) c Writer Luke’s gospel is considered by many to be a literary masterpiece It reveals a highly trained composer, who had a very large vocabulary, vivid style, historical outlook, and gift of communication The combination of Luke’s gospel and Acts makes Luke the writer of more content of the New Testament than any other author d Evangelist and pastor He was Paul’s colaborer on the apostle’s missionary journeys, remaining with him until Paul’s death (read Col 4:14; Tim 4:11; Philem 24) Apparently Luke never married Luke’s character Luke’s writings serve as character prints What he included and emphasized in his gospel and Acts reveals much about what kind of man he was We see him as kind, humble, joyful, bright, pious, and gentle He had a keen sense of the might, justice, and holiness of God He was surely a man of prayer, because he reported praise and intercession often in his writings For example, read the songs recorded at 1:46-55 (Mary); 1:67-79 (Zacharias); 2:13-14 (angels); 2:25, 29-32 (Simeon) Also, Luke’s gospel refers to the prayers of Jesus more than Matthew and Mark, and it contains three parables on prayer not found in the other gospels Luke was also a man of love and sympathy for the underprivileged and those of humble estate; for women, children, and the poor; and for the outcasts, such as the Samaritans He was truly a saint who identi ed himself with needy humankind, and thus was the very appropriate divine choice as the writer of the gospel of “The Son of Man Among Men.” Death One tradition says Luke died as a martyr in Greece According to the antiMarcionite “Prologue to Luke,” written around A.D 170, “at the age of eighty-four he fell asleep in Boeotia, full of the Holy Spirit.” B AUTHORSHIP The author of this third gospel is nowhere named in the book,6 but tradition and internal evidence strongly support Lucan authorship Concerning tradition, Guthrie observes, “At no time were any doubts raised regarding this attribution to Luke, and certainly no alternatives were mooted The tradition could hardly be stronger.”7 The same author wrote both Luke and Acts (Compare Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1.) The internal evidence of Acts points to Luke as its author, and this evidence in turn ... style, historical outlook, and gift of communication The combination of Luke’s gospel and Acts makes Luke the writer of more content of the New Testament than any other author d Evangelist and pastor... and the poor; and for the outcasts, such as the Samaritans He was truly a saint who identi ed himself with needy humankind, and thus was the very appropriate divine choice as the writer of the. .. Jesus more than Matthew and Mark, and it contains three parables on prayer not found in the other gospels Luke was also a man of love and sympathy for the underprivileged and those of humble estate;