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Luke from an old Armenian manuscript
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he Evangelist St. Luke was a native of Antioch
in Syria, and by profession a physician; and it is the general opinion
of most ancient historians with the art of painting.
After
our Lord’s ascension into heaven, he spent a great part of his time with
St. Paul, whom he accompanied to various places, and greatly assisted
in bringing over proselytes to the Christian faith. This so endeared him
to that apostle, that he seems delighted with owning him for his fellow-laborer,
and in calling him “the beloved physician,” and the “brother whose praised
is in the gospel.”
St. Luke preached the gospel with great success in a variety of places,
independent of his assisting St. Paul. He traveled into different parts
of Egypt and Greece, in the latter of which countries the idolatrous priests
were so incensed against him that they put him to death, which they effected
by hanging him on the branch of an olive-tree. The anniversary of his
martyrdom is held on the 18th of October.
St. Luke wrote two books for the use of the church; namely his Gospel,
and the Acts of the Apostles. Both these he dedicated to Theophilus, which
many of the ancients suppose to be a feigned name, denoting a lover of
God, a title common to all sincere Christians. But others think it was
a real person, because of the title of “most excellent” is attributed
to him; which was the usual form of address, in those times, to princes,
and other distinguished characters.
His Gospel contains the principal transactions of his life of our blessed
Redeemer; and in his Acts of the Apostles, which it is probable he wrote
in Rome about the time of material actions of the principal apostles,
especially St. Paul, whose activity in the cause of Christ made him bear
a very great part in the labors of his Master; and St. Luke, being his
almost constant attendant, was consequently capable of giving a more full
and satisfactory account of them than any other of the apostles.
In both these treatises his manner of writing is exact and accurate;
his style noble and elegant, sublime and lofty, and yet clear and perspicuous,
flowing with an easy and natural grace and sweetness, admirably adapted
to an historical design. In short, as an historian he was faithful in
his relations, and elegant in his writings; as a minister, careful and
diligent for the good of souls; as a Christian, devout and pious; and
to crown all the rest, he laid down his life in testimony of the gospel
he had both preached and published to the world.
Resources: This story is adapted from John Kitto's 1870 History
of the Bible and represents the commonly accepted views about this
apostle among rank and file believers in the late 19th century.
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