Luke the Evangelist was a first-century companion of the Apostle Paul and the author, ascribed by the early Church, of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Together these two books account for roughly 27.5% of the New Testament, the largest contribution by any single author.

By the consistent witness of the early Church Fathers and of Eusebius, who called him "by birth a native of the renowned Antioch," Luke came from Antioch in Roman Syria. He was a Greek-speaking physician — Paul names him "the most dear physician" (Colossians 4:14) — and is generally regarded as a gentile rather than of Jewish descent, though some hold he may have been a Hellenized Jew.

Beyond his writings, Luke is remembered in Christian tradition, attested from roughly the eighth century, as the first icon painter, said to have painted images of the Virgin Mary and Child. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him on October 18.

Customs & Traditions

Patron of physicians and, as by tradition the first to paint the Theotokos, of iconographers — who keep him as their guild patron and seek his blessing on their work; his feast is a name-day for Loukas and a patronal festival at the churches dedicated to him.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 2

Let us praise the godly Luke:
he is the true preacher of piety,
the orator of ineffable mysteries
and the star of the Church;
for the Word, Who alone knows the hearts of men,
chose him, together with wise Paul, to be a teacher of the gentiles!

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 5

Let us praise with sacred songs the holy Apostle Luke,
the recorder of the joyous Gospel of Christ
and the scribe of the Acts of the Apostles,
for his writings are a testimony of the Church of Christ:
He is the physician of human weaknesses and infirmities.
He heals the wounds of our souls,
and constantly intercedes for our salvation!

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline7 momentsReadHide

c. 1–16 ADBirth at AntiochLuke is born at Antioch in Roman Syria, into a Greek-speaking family, and is trained as a physician.
c. AD 52Joins Paul at TroasLuke joins the Apostle Paul at Troas (Acts 16:10) to cross into Macedonia, becoming his traveling companion through Macedonia, Jerusalem, Caesarea, and the voyage to Rome.
c. 62–63 ADWrites the Gospel and ActsBy tradition Luke composes his Gospel in Rome under Paul's guidance and authors the Acts of the Apostles in the same period; an alternate tradition places the Gospel's writing in Achaia.
Paul's final imprisonmentRemains with Paul aloneWhen Paul's other coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained with him, as attested in Paul's last epistle to Timothy.
by tradition, age 84DeathLuke reposes at the age of 84; accounts variously place his death in Boeotia, his martyrdom at Thebes, or his repose in Bithynia.
AD 357Translation of relics to ConstantinopleLuke's relics are transferred from his tomb in Thebes to Constantinople, dated by Jerome to the twentieth year of Constantius's reign.
2001Examination of the Padua relicsScientific analysis, including DNA testing, is undertaken on the remains held in Padua; a portion is afterward returned to his tomb in Thebes.

Contributions & Legacy

6 contributionsReadHide

Origins and Formation

The Early Church Fathers and the historian Eusebius identify Luke as a native of Antioch in Roman Syria. He is generally understood to have been a Greek-speaking gentile, evidenced in part by Paul's distinguishing him from "those of the circumcision," though some scholars consider him a possible Hellenized Jew.

Luke was trained as a physician, enlightened in the Greek medical arts. Paul calls him "the most dear physician" in the Epistle to the Colossians, and his medical training has been read in the specialized terminology that recurs through his writings; some scholars have suggested he may have studied at the medical school in Tarsus.

In the Orthodox tradition Luke is numbered among the Seventy Apostles, learning of Christ, traveling to Palestine, and accepting the faith during Christ's earthly ministry.

Companion of the Apostle Paul

Luke became a devoted traveling companion of the Apostle Paul. The Book of Acts records that he joined Paul at Troas (Acts 16:10, near Acts 16:8) and crossed with him into Macedonia, accompanying him through Jerusalem, his imprisonment at Caesarea, and the voyage to Rome.

When Paul's coworkers had forsaken him, Luke remained: by the testimony of Paul's final epistle to Timothy, only Luke was still with him.

The Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles

The Early Church Fathers ascribed to Luke the authorship of both the Gospel that bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles, the two dedicated to Theophilus and together comprising about 27.5% of the New Testament — the largest single-author contribution.

By church tradition Luke composed his Gospel around 62–63 AD in Rome under Paul's guidance, carefully investigating the facts and drawing on oral tradition and on accounts said to come from the Virgin Mary herself. He authored Acts in the same period, documenting the works of the apostles following Christ's Ascension. An ancient tradition traceable to Julius Africanus instead places the writing of his Gospel in Achaia.

Luke as Icon Painter

Christian tradition, attested from roughly the eighth century, holds that Luke was the first icon painter, said to have painted images of the Virgin Mary and Child — particularly the Hodegetria image at Constantinople — and also icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul.

By a tradition preserved in the Orthodox Church, the Mother of God blessed these images, saying, "Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons." A medieval tradition likewise attributes to Luke a portrait of the Virgin in Rome's basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, traceable to AD 847.

Death

By tradition Luke died at the age of 84. Accounts of his death vary by source: some place his repose in Boeotia, others report he suffered martyrdom in Thebes — reportedly hanged from an olive tree, though this is disputed — while an ancient tradition from Julius Africanus has him dying in Bithynia, "filled with the Holy Ghost," having remained unmarried.

Relics & Shrines

Luke's tomb was located in Thebes, and his relics were transferred to Constantinople in the year 357 — Saint Jerome dating the translation to the twentieth year of the reign of Constantius, alongside relics of the Apostle Andrew from Achaia.

His remains are now divided among several sites: the body rests in the Abbey of Santa Giustina in Padua, the skull in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, and a rib at his tomb in the Holy Church of Luke the Evangelist in Thebes. By one account the relics reached Padua around the time of the 1204 Crusade.

In 2001, scientific analysis, including DNA testing, was undertaken to examine the authenticity of the Padua remains, after which a portion was returned to his tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes.

Works & Further ReadingReadHide

Notable Works

Member ofReadHide

The Seventy Apostles

Commemorated together · Jan 4

Companions11 figuresShowHide

His traveling companion and closest collaborator

Apostle Paul

Fellow Evangelist and missionary

Apostle and Evangelist Mark

Of the Pauline missionary circle

Apostle Barnabasof the Seventy

Of the Pauline missionary circle

Apostle Timothyof the Seventy

Of the Pauline missionary circle

Apostles SilasSilvanus, Crescens, and Epenetus of the Seventy

Of the Pauline missionary circle

Apostle Titusof the Seventy

Fellow apostle and Evangelist (later tradition)

Apostle & Evangelist Johnthe Theologian

By tradition the companion with whom he met the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus

Apostle Cleopasof the Seventy

By tradition the first to be painted in icon by Luke

Most Holy Theotokos (Virgin Mary)

The Lord, whose Gospel he wrote and whose acts among the apostles he recorded.

Jesus Christ

Apostles of the Seventy; their Luke (Loukios) is a distinct saint from the Evangelist.

Apostles NathanaelApelles, Luke, and Clement of the Seventy

Related Saints2 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Fellow Evangelist

Apostle and Evangelist Matthew

The unmercenary physician and great-martyr, a fellow healer of bodies who took no payment.

Great Martyr & Healer Panteleimon

Browse similar saints by calling and place.

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Ideas for Celebrating This Day5 ideasShowHide

Ways to honor St Luke the Evangelist.

Since tradition names him the first to paint the Theotokos, set out an icon-coloring page of the Mother of God — a gentle way to talk about why icons are "written," not merely painted.
Luke was a physician: make a little prayer list of family doctors, nurses, and anyone who is ill, and remember them at the icon.
Show the children his evangelist symbol, the winged ox (a sign of sacrifice), and find it in an icon or church dome — or play a four-evangelists matching game.
Gather comfort items or a donation for a hospital or the homebound, echoing the healer who traveled with St Paul.
Read the opening of his Gospel or of Acts aloud — he wrote both, and preserved the Annunciation and the Magnificat.

Sources: Synaxarion