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Luke
AN
EXPOSITION,
W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E R V A T I O N S,
OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
S T. L U K E.
WE
are now entering into the labours of another evangelist; his name
Luke, which some take to be a contraction of Lucilius;
born at Antioch, so St. Jerome. Some think that he was the only one of
all the penmen of the scripture that was not of the seed of Israel. He
was a Jewish proselyte, and, as some conjecture, converted to
Christianity by the ministry of St. Paul at Antioch; and after his
coming into Macedonia
he was his constant companion. He had employed himself in the study and
practice of physic; hence, Paul calls him Luke the beloved
Physician,
Col. iv. 14.
Some of the pretended ancients tell you that he was a painter, and drew
a picture of the virgin Mary. But Dr. Whitby thinks that there is
nothing certain to the contrary, and that therefore it is probable that
he was one of the seventy disciples, and a follower of Christ when he
was here upon earth; and, if so, he was a native Israelite. I see not
what can be objected against this, except some uncertain traditions of
the ancients, which we can build nothing upon, and against which may be
opposed the testimonies of Origen and Epiphanius, who both say that he
was one of the seventy disciples. He is supposed to have written this
gospel when he was associated with St. Paul in his travels, and by
direction from him: and some think that this is the brother whom
Paul speaks of
whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches of
Christ; as if the meaning of it were, that he was celebrated in
all the churches for writing this gospel; and that St. Paul
means this when he speaks sometimes of his gospel, as
But there is no ground at all for this. Dr. Cave observes that his way
and manner of writing are accurate and exact, his style polite and
elegant, sublime and lofty, yet perspicuous; and that he expresses
himself in a vein of purer Greek than is to be found in the other
writers of the holy story. Thus he relates divers things more copiously
than the other evangelists; and thus he especially treats of those
things which relate to the priestly office of Christ. It is uncertain
when, or about what time, this gospel was written. Some think that it
was written in Achaia, during his travels with Paul, seventeen years
(twenty-two years, say others) after Christ’s ascension; others, that
it was written at Rome, a little before he wrote his history of the
Acts of the Apostles (which is a continuation of this), when he
was there with Paul, while he was a prisoner, and preaching in his own
hired house, with which the history of the Acts concludes; and then
Paul saith that only Luke was with him,
2 Tim. iv. 11.
When he was under that voluntary confinement with Paul, he had leisure
to compile these two histories (and many excellent writings the church
has been indebted to a prison for): if so, it was written about
twenty-seven years after Christ’s ascension, and about the fourth year
of Nero. Jerome says, He died when he was eighty-four years of age,
and was never married. Some write that he suffered martyrdom; but, if
he did, where and when is uncertain. Nor indeed is there much more
credit to be given to the Christian traditions concerning the writers
of the New Testament than to the Jewish traditions concerning those of
the Old Testament.
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