Luke 1:1-4
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. What is the History and background of Luke?
2. Who was Theophilus?
http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/1_1-4.htm says:
ReplyDeleteReaders. Luke seems to writing to readers somewhat removed in geography and time from the Holy Land. While Matthew is clearly written to answer the interests of Jewish Christians, Luke seems to be more directed toward Gentile Christians.
Sources. Luke is one of the "so-called" Synoptic Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- that contain a good deal of material in common with each other. The Gospel writer seems to have access to the Gospel of Mark. But in addition, he includes some material in common with Matthew, and another set of events not recorded in either of the other Gospels.
Author. Though the Gospel itself does not tell us, Church tradition as far back as 120 AD unanimously ascribes this gospel to Luke "the beloved physician," a travelling companion of St. Paul's. Recent attempts to discredit Lucan authorship are unconvincing.
Date. While the Gospel of Luke displays an interest in the fall of Jerusalem, Acts seems to conclude before AD 70 when Jerusalem fell. Probably Luke was written in the 60s AD, prior to AD 70. The place of composition could be Achaia or Rome, Antioch or Caesarea, but we are not sure.
Language. While Luke wrote in fairly elegant Koine Greek, Jesus himself probably spoke and taught in Aramaic.
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-1-faith-rooted-history-luke-11-4 says:
ReplyDeleteNot just Gentiles, but sinners of every stripe are the focus of Luke’s gospel. He uses the word “sinners” 16 times, more than Matthew (5), Mark (5), and John (4) combined
Luke is the only synoptic gospel to call Jesus “Savior” (2:11). He alone uses the word salvation (6 times) and ten times he uses the word for preaching the good news, which is only used once in the other gospels. Luke alone of the three uses the word grace (8 times) and Luke is the only Gospel writer to use the words “redemption” and “redeem”. The theme verse of Luke occurs in the context of the salvation of the despised tax collector, Zaccheus, where Jesus explains His mission: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (19:10).
Nine times Luke tells of prayers that Jesus offered in the crises of His life, and seven of these are unique to Luke. It has also been called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit, who is named more in Luke than in Matthew and Mark together, and even more than in John. Thus Luke shows us Jesus as the Savior who was fully human, but who triumphed as man through dependence on prayer and the Holy Spirit.
https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-luke/ says:
ReplyDeleteThe author’s name does not appear in the book, but much unmistakable evidence points to Luke. This Gospel is a companion volume to the book of Acts, and the language and structure of these two books indicate that both were written by the same person. They are addressed to the same individual, Theophilus, and the second volume refers to the first (Ac 1:1). Certain sections in Acts use the pronoun “we” (Ac 16:10–17; 20:5–15; 21:1–18; 27:1—28:16), indicating that the author was with Paul when the events described in these passages took place. By process of elimination, Paul’s “dear friend Luke, the doctor” (Col 4:14) and “fellow worker” (Phm 24), becomes the most likely candidate. His authorship is supported by the uniform testimony of early Christian writings (e.g., the Muratorian Canon, a.d. 170, and the works of Irenaeus, c. 180).
Luke was probably a Gentile by birth, well educated in Greek culture, a physician by profession, a companion of Paul at various times from his second missionary journey to his final imprisonment in Rome, and a loyal friend who remained with the apostle after others had deserted him (2Ti 4:11).
Antioch (of Syria) and Philippi are among the places suggested as his hometown.
The Gospel is specifically directed to Theophilus (1:3), whose name means “one who loves God” and almost certainly refers to a particular person rather than to lovers of God in general. The use of “most excellent” with the name further indicates an individual, and supports the idea that he was a Roman official or at least of high position and wealth. He was possibly Luke’s patron, responsible for seeing that the writings were copied and distributed. Such a dedication to the publisher was common at that time.
Theophilus, however, was more than a publisher. The message of this Gospel was intended for his own instruction (1:4) as well as the instruction of those among whom the book would be circulated. The fact that the Gospel was initially directed to Theophilus does not narrow or limit its purpose. Luke wanted to show that the place of the Gentile Christian in God’s kingdom is based on the teaching of Jesus. He wanted to commend the preaching of the gospel to the whole world.
The two most commonly suggested periods for dating the Gospel of Luke are: (1) a.d. 59–63, and (2) the 70s or the 80s. The place of writing was probably Rome, though Achaia, Ephesus and Caesarea have also been suggested.
Luke had outstanding command of the Greek language. His vocabulary is extensive and rich, and his style at times approaches that of classical Greek (as in the preface, 1:1–4), while at other times it is quite Semitic (1:5—2:52)—often like the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT).
Since the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) report many of the same episodes in Jesus’ life, one would expect much similarity in their accounts. The dissimilarities reveal the distinctive emphases of the separate writers. Luke’s characteristic themes include: (1) universality, recognition of Gentiles as well as Jews in God’s plan (see, e.g., 2:30–32 and notes on 2:31; 3:6); (2) emphasis on prayer, especially Jesus’ praying before important occasions (see note on 3:21); (3) joy at the announcement of the gospel or “good news” (see note on 1:14); (4) special concern for the role of women (see, e.g., 8:1–3 and notes); (5) special interest in the poor (some of the rich were included among Jesus’ followers, but he seemed closest to the poor; see note on 12:33); (6) concern for sinners (Jesus was a friend to those deep in sin); (7) stress on the family circle (Jesus’ activity included men, women and children, with the setting frequently in the home); (8) repeated use of the Messianic title “Son of Man” (used 25 times; see 19:10; Da 7:13 and notes); (9) emphasis on the Holy Spirit (see note on 4:1); (10) inclusion of more parables than any other Gospel (see chart, p. 2130); (11) emphasis on praising God (see 1:64; 24:53 and notes).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophilus_(biblical) says:
ReplyDeleteBoth Luke and Acts were written in a refined Koine Greek, and the name "θεόφιλος" ("Theophilos"), as it appears therein, means friend of God[2] or (be)loved by God or loving God[3] in the Greek language. No one knows the true identity of Theophilus and there are several conjectures and traditions around an identity. In English Theophilus is also written "Theophilos", both a common name and an honorary title among the learned (academic) Romans and Jews of the era.
Theories about who Theophilus was:
Coptic: Coptic tradition asserts that Theophilus was a person and not an honorary title. The Coptic Church claims that the person was a Jew of Alexandria.
Roman Official: Others[who?] say that Theophilus was probably a Roman official of some sort, because Luke referred to him as "κρατιστε", optime in the Latin Vulgate translation, meaning "most excellent" . . .
Honorary title: Honorary title (academia) tradition maintains that Theophilus was not a person. The word in Greek means "Friend of God" and thus both Luke and Acts were addressed to anyone who fits that description. In this tradition the author's targeted audience, as with all other canonical Gospels, were the learned (academic) but unnamed men and women of the era.
Paul's Lawyer: Some believe that Theophilus could have been Paul's lawyer during his trial period in Rome.[6] To support this claim people appeal to the formal legalese present in the prologue to the Gospel such as "eye witnesses", "account", "carefully investigated", "know the certainty of things which you have been instructed".
Jewish priest: A growing belief[7] points to Theophilus ben Ananus, High Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem from 37-41. In this tradition Theophilus would have been both a kohen and a Sadducee. That would make him the son of Annas and brother-in-law of Caiaphas, raised in the Jewish Temple. Adherents claim that Luke's Gospel was targeted at Sadducee readers. This might explain a few features of Luke. . . . A minority view identifies Theophilus as a later high priest: Mattathias ben Theophilus who served from 65-66. Note that Luke refers to high priest Joseph ben Caiaphas simply as "Caiaphas".[9] Thus, the reasoning goes, Luke used this pattern when addressing Theophilus.