The Identity of Luke the Physician

 

Luke was probably from Antioch, Syria.  He was the writer of the Gospel of Luke and was a gentile Christian who never personally met Jesus. He became a Christian after Paul taught him about the gospel. Using his scientific approach learned as a physician, his two scriptural books, Luke [κατὰ Λουκᾶν; According (to) Luke] and The Acts of the Apostles [Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, Acts (of the) Apostles], are the result of his numerous interviews of surviving first-generation Christians. In Luke :1-4, he says that he has carefully investigated everything before recording it. 

He was with Paul on several journeys and was present when Paul met with James and the elders (Acts 21:17-20) in Jerusalem.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:6, mentions “more than 500 brothers” to whom Jesus appeared after his resurrection and that most of them were still alive. The mention of 500 witnesses to the risen Jesus was meant as a challenge to people living at the time Paul wrote the passage to check it out if they wanted to. Luke’s careful investigation probably included interviews with many of the elders and many of the 500 brothers. Luke 34:33.

Luke may be the Lucius mentioned in Acts 13:1. Lucius in Romans 16:21 may also be the same man. Because they are named together in 2 Timothy 4:10-11, Titus and Luke may have been brothers. 2 Corinthians 8:18.

Modern Names of Places Mentioned in the Bible

 

Acts 11:26     Antioch (Antakya, Turkiye)

Hosea 10:14   Beth Arbel (Irbid, Jordan)

1 Chronicles 5:26   Gozan (Tell Halaf, Syria)

Acts 14:8   Lystra (Klistra, Turkiye)

Revelation 2:18  Thyatira (Akhisar, Turkiye)

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Some of those listed may surprise you.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Rufus: The brother of Alexander and one of the sons of Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21).  He is possibly the same man mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13.

Marcus: Marcus was a relative of Barnabas.  He left Paul but later became an important Christian leader.  (Acts 13:13, 15:39; 2 Timothy 4:11)

Simeon: (aka: Niger) Simeon was a leader in the church at Antioch (Antakya, Turkey).  He chose Paul and Barnabas as missionaries.  Acts 13:1-2.

Epaenetus: Epaenetus of Rome is mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:5.  He was possibly the first male Christian convert in Asia.

Philologus: This Roman Christian is mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:15.

Christian Marriage, Part 2

(This is the continuation of the post begun yesterday.)


... so that we would not have to!!


"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."  2 Corinthians 5:21


This is where the Trinitarian part comes in.  We are Christians, which means "little Christs."  The name seems to have been given to us by outsiders (Acts 11:26) in Antioch (near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey) and was probably intended as an insult.  This Greek name comes from Χριστιανος, "Kristos" (annointed) plus "-ianos" (belonging to, carrying the idea of "being a slave of.") To be worthy of the name is actually an honor.

The third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, who is fully God, just as Jesus and The Father are fully God, indwells every Christian.  This means that God Himself is in me.  God Himself is in you.  Our pupose, our reason for existence, is to act out His purposes, to further His Kingdom.  Each of us is Jesus to this world and we may be the only Jesus some ever see.  What a responsibility!.  I know this sounds strange to modern ears, but this is what Paul said in Philippians 1:21: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." 

We don't, and can't, live up to it, but we do better the more we get ourselves out of the way and let the Holy Spirit guide our actions.  The more we insist on control, the more we can be petty, or jealous, or unreasonable, or snippy.

By the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) we increasingly think the thoughts of Jesus; we take on the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14-16).  This doen't mean we are no longer ourselves, but that our thinking is brought in line with that of God (2 Corinthians 10:5).

(Part 3 of this post will appear tomorrow.)