SPECIAL TOPIC: LUKE, THE MAN

Anti-Marcion Prologue to Luke (A.D. 175) says of him that he
1. was a native of Antioch of Syria
2. was a physician
3. was single
4. was a follower of Paul
5. wrote from Achaia
6. died at age 84 in Boeotia
Eusebius of Caesarea (A.D. 275-339) in Hist. Eccl. III.4.2 says of him that he
1. was from Antioch
2. was a missionary companion of Paul
3. wrote a Gospel and Acts
Jerome (A.D. 346-420 in Migna XXVI. 18) says of him that he
1. wrote from Achaia
2. died in Boeotia
He was a highly educated man who
1. used good Koine Greek grammar
2. had a large vocabulary (esp. medical and nautical)
3. knew and applied research methods (cf. Luke 1:1-4)
4. probably was a physician (cf. Col. 4:14). Luke used terms related to medicine, cures, diseases, etc. at least 300 times (cf. W. K. Hobart, The Medical Language of Luke, or better, A. Harnack, Luke the Physician). Also, Mark's negative comments about physicians in Mark 5:26 are omitted in the parallel in Luke 8:43.
He was a Gentile
1. Paul seems to make a distinction in his list of helpers in Col. 4:10-11 (i.e., "who are from the circumcision") and other helpers (i.e., Epaphras, Luke and Demas).
2. In Acts 1:9 Luke says "in their own language," referring to Aramaic, which implies it was not his language.
3. In his Gospel Luke omits all the controversies with Pharisees concerning the Jewish Oral Law.
Of all people to be the writer of the longest Gospel and Acts and thereby to have written more of the NT than any other author, it is surprising that a little-known, non-eyewitness (i.e., non-Apostle) Gentile would be chosen. Yet, this is the unanimous tradition of the early church.