Born in Antioch, St Luke was a physician by trade having studied medicine, philosophy & art.
St Luke came to Jerusalem where he came to believe in Jesus Christ as the Saviour. As one of the Seventy Apostles, St Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior's earthly life (Luke 10:1-3). After the Resurrection, Jesus Christ appeared to St Luke and St Cleopas on the road to Emmaus.
After Pentecost, St Luke returned to Antioch where he journeyed with St Paul. After the Apostle Paul's martyrdom, St Luke preached in Italy, Dalmatia, Macedonia and elsewhere. He painted icons of the Most-holy Theotokos—not just one, but three—as well as icons of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. St Luke is considered the founder of Christian iconography.
In his old age, he visited Libya and Upper Egypt; from Egypt he returned to Greece, where he continued to preach and convert many with great zeal despite his age. He was hung from an olive tree by pagans in Thebes at the age of 84.
St Luke wrote his Gospel originally in Greek, after Matthew and Mark, and then wrote the Acts of the Apostles.
Luke’s Gospel
St Luke's Gospel was written around 70-80 A.D in Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. In the preliminary verses (1:1-3), St Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. He proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. By doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4). He carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51).
In St Luke's Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance.
Acts of the Apostles
St Luke also wrote the Acts of the Apostles in Rome around 75-85 A.D. The Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior. At the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51 A.D, a Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). The theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church "into all truth" (John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ.
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