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Saint Luke the Evangelist, doctor, patron of artists

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Summary

The “gentle doctor”

Saint Paul speaks of Saint Luke, the author of the Third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles Letter to the Colossians definendolo “Luca, il caro medico” (Col 4, 14).

Secondo lo storico Eusebio, era nato ad Antiochia di Siria ed era un Gentile: Paolo infatti, sempre nella Lettera ai Colossesi, parla dei suoi compagni e nomina prima “quelli venuti dalla circoncisione”, cioè gli Ebrei, senza includervi Luca (Col 4, 10-11).

Furthermore, in his Gospel, Luke demonstrates a particular sensitivity regarding the evangelization of the Gentiles. It is he who tells the parable of Good Samaritan, it is he who cites Jesus' appreciation for the faith of the widow of Zarephath, of Naaman the Syrian and of the leper Samaritan, the only one who returns to express his gratitude for having been healed.

Next to Paolo

Non sappiamo nulla delle circostanze della conversione di Luca, ma dagli Atti degli Apostoli possiamo dedurre quando Luca si unì a Paolo.

Fino al sedicesimo capitolo, infatti, gli Atti vengono raccontati in terza persona, ma ad un tratto, subito dopo la visione di Paolo di un Macedone che lo supplica di raggiungerli e di aiutarli (Atti 16, 9), si passa alla prima persona plurale: “subito cercammo di partire per la Macedonia, ritenendo che Dio ci aveva chiamati ad annunziarvi la parola del Signore” (Atti 16, 10).

So Luke accompanied Paul in 51 to Samothrace, Neapolis and Philippi. Then there is a new transition to the third person, which makes us think that Luke had not been arrested with Paul and that indeed he had remained in Philippi after his friend's departure. Seven years later, Paul returned to that region and Luke, who resumes narrating in the first person plural in chapter 20, went with him to Miletus, Tyre, Caesarea and Jerusalem.

When Paul was imprisoned in Rome in 61, Luke remained close to him, as demonstrated by Paul's letters to Philemon and Timothy: after everyone had abandoned him, in the final phase of his imprisonment, Paul wrote to Timothy: "Only Luke is with me” (2 Timothy 4, 11).

The Evangelist of Mercy

È possibile percepire la caratteristica più originale del Vangelo di Luca grazie ai sei miracoli e alle diciotto parabole che non troviamo negli altri Vangeli.

There is in him a particular attention for the poor and for the victims of injustice, for the repentant sinners welcomed by the forgiveness and mercy of God: it is he who tells about Lazarus and the rich Epulone, it is he who speaks about the Son prodigal and of the merciful Father who welcomes him back with open arms, it is he who describes the forgiven sinner who washes the feet of Jesus with her tears and dries them with her hair, it is he who quotes Mary's words in the Magnificat when she proclaims that God "has overthrown the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble, has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty" (Lk 1,52-53).

Next to Mary

Il rapporto particolare con Maria è l’altra caratteristica principale del Vangelo di Luca.

Thanks to him and, we can imagine, thanks to the direct story that Mary gave him, we know the words of the Annunciation, of the Visit to Elizabeth and of the Magnificat, grazie a lui conosciamo i particolari della Presentazione al Tempio e il fine ritratto dell’angoscia di Maria e Giuseppe che non riescono a trovare il dodicenne Gesù.

È probabilmente a questa sensibilità narrativa e descrittiva che si deve la tradizione, anche iconografica, che Luca fosse un pittore.

The news regarding his death is uncertain: some sources speak of his martyrdom, others say that he lived to a ripe old age; the oldest tradition has it that he died in Boeotia at the age of 84 after having settled in Greece to write his Gospel.