Transcript Who wrote Luke Powerpoint

Who Wrote the Gospel of Luke
and Acts?
Outline:
Thesis: The Gospel of Luke was written by
Paul’s companion, Luke.
External Evidence
Internal Evidence
Conclusion
External Evidence
Manuscripts (Copies) of Luke
Manuscripts of Luke
All copies of Luke attribute the Gospel to
Luke.
There are no copies bearing the names of
any other apostle, or associate of the
apostles.
Colossians 4:14:
“Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas
greet you.”
Church Fathers’ Testimonies
Irenaeus (2nd Century C.E.):
“Luke also, the companion of Paul,
recorded in a book the Gospel preached by
him.”—Against Heresies Book 3, Chapter
1, Section 1
The Muratorian Fragment (2nd
Century C.E.):
“The third book of the Gospel is that
according to Luke. Luke, the well-known
physician, after the ascension of Christ,
when Paul had taken him with him as one
zealous for the law, composed it in his own
name, according to [the general] belief.”—
In Bruce M. Metzger, The Canon of the
New Testament (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1997), 305-306.
Tertullian (2nd and 3rd Centuries
C.E.):
“For even Luke's form of the Gospel men
usually ascribe to Paul.”—Against Marcion
Book 4, Chapter 5
Eusebius (4th Century C.E.):
“But as for Luke, in the beginning of his
Gospel, he states himself the reasons which
led him to write it. He states that since
many others had more rashly undertaken to
compose a narrative of the events of which
he had acquired perfect knowledge, he
himself, feeling the necessity….
Eusebius Continues:
…of freeing us from their uncertain
opinions, delivered in his own Gospel an
accurate account of those events in regard to
which he had learned the full truth, being
aided by his intimacy and his stay with Paul
and by his acquaintance with the rest of the
apostles.”—Church History, Book 3,
Chapter 24, Section 15
Internal Evidence
Luke’s Two Volumes:
The same author wrote the Gospel of Luke
and Acts.
Luke 1:3-4:
“I too decided, after investigating
everything carefully from the very first,* to
write an orderly account for you, most
excellent Theophilus, so that you may know
the truth concerning the things about which
you have been instructed.”
Acts 1:1:
“In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about
all that Jesus did and taught from the
beginning...”
Luke’s Second Volume
The first-person “we” passages.
The contents of Acts correspond with many
contents in Paul’s letters, which virtually all
skeptical scholars consider to be early sources.
Some of the “We” Passages
Acts 16:10-13:
“When he had seen the vision, we
immediately tried to cross over to
Macedonia, being convinced that God had
called us to proclaim the good news to
them. We set sail from Troas and took a
straight course to Samothrace, the following
day to Neapolis,…
Acts 16:10-13 Continued:
…and from there to Philippi, which is a
leading city of the district of Macedonia and
a Roman colony. We remained in this city
for some days. On the sabbath day we went
outside the gate by the river, where we
supposed there was a place of prayer; and
we sat down and spoke to the women who
had gathered there.”
Acts 20:5-8:
“They
went ahead and were waiting for us
in Troas; but we sailed from Philippi after
the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five
days we joined them in Troas, where we
stayed for seven days….
Acts 20:5-8 Continued…
…On the first day of the week, when we
met to break bread, Paul was holding a
discussion with them; since he intended to
leave the next day, he continued speaking
until midnight. There were many lamps in
the room upstairs where we were meeting.”
Acts 27:1-3:
“When it was decided that we were to sail
for Italy, they transferred Paul and some
other prisoners to a centurion of the
Augustan Cohort, named Julius. Embarking
on a ship of Adramyttium that was about to
set sail to the ports along the coast of
Asia,…
Acts 27:1-3:
…we put to sea, accompanied by
Aristarchus, a Macedonian from
Thessalonica. The next day we put in at
Sidon; and Julius treated Paul kindly, and
allowed him to go to his friends to be cared
for.”
Parallels With Paul’s Letters:
Christian communities were also in
existence outside Jerusalem, especially in
Judea, at a very early date (Acts 9:31; 1
Thess 2:14; Gal. 1:22).
Paul fled secretly from Damascus after
escaping over the wall (Acts 9:23-25; 2 Cor
11:32-33).
Parallels With Paul’s Letters:
The resurrection of Jesus was at the core of
Christian proclamation (Acts 1:22; 2:32;
3:15; 5:30; 1 Cor 15:14, 17).
Paul and other apostles reportedly
performed miracles (Acts 3:1-10; 5:12;
20:9-11; Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12).
Amazing Accuracy in Acts
Amazing Accuracy in Acts:
On pages 107-158 of his book titled The
Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic
History, the classical historian Colin Hemer
catalogs more than 150 examples of Luke’s
accuracy in Acts.
Amazing Accuracy in Acts:
13:4-5 A natural crossing between correctly
named ports is indicated. Mt. Casius, which is
south of Seleucia, is within sight of Cyprus.
13:7 correctly shows Cyprus as a proconsular
(senatorial) province at this time, with the
proconsul resident at Paphos.
16:11 Samothrace was a conspicuous sailor’s
landmark, dominated by a 5,000 foot mountain.
Amazing Accuracy in Acts:
16:12 Philippi is correctly described as a
Roman colony, as abundantly attested in
Latin inscriptions, with the explicit titles
and magistracies of a colony, the grant
having been made by Octavian after the
battle in 42 B.C.
Amazing Accuracy in Acts:
16:11 Philipi’s seaport is correctly named
Neapolis.
19:9 The name ‘Tyrannus’ is attested from
Ephesus in first century inscriptions.
27:8 The locations of ‘Fair Havens’ (a port) and
the neighboring site of Lasea are well attested,
though obscure places unlikely to be known to any
who had not made such a voyage.
Luke’s Knowledge of Local
Weather Patterns:
28:2 The note of the persistent storm wind ending
in cold rain was common on the island called
Malta.
All of this data is what one would expect from
someone who traveled frequently, such as a
traveling companion of Paul on Paul’s journeys
(Remember the “we” passages).
Archaeology Supports Luke
The Testimony of the Stones
No archaeological evidence
has ever refuted the Bible.
Thousands of
archaeological finds
support the Bible.
Some Archaeological Evidence
Relating to Jesus
Jesus’s Home Town--Excavation at Nazareth
Pilate Inscription--Pontius Pilate’s name in stone (1st cent.).
Caiaphas Inscription--High Priest of Jesus’ time (1st cent.).
Yohanan--a Crucifixion Victim from c. A.D. 70 (found 1968).
Jesus’s Hometown: Nazareth
“Pontius Pilate Prefect of Judea”
26-37 A.D. (Discovered 1961)
Ossuary of Joseph Caiaphas:
High Priest 18-36 A.D.
(Discovered 1990)
Crucifixion Victim 1st Century A.D.
(Discovered in Jerusalem)
Site of an Empty Tomb
like Jesus’s Tomb
Conclusion:
Luke is not anonymous.
External and internal evidence both indicate that
Paul’s traveling companion, Luke, authored Luke
and Acts.
If Acts was written by Luke, the companion of the
apostle Paul, it brings us right to the apostolic
circle—those who participated in the events
reported.