Featured Was Luke a Gentile?

Another interesting tradition, that would mean the opposite of those that assert Luke was a Gentile, is that Luke was one of the seventy (Luke 10:1ff). To me, Luke 1:2 seems to discount this tradition.

Epiphanius of Salamis (ca. AD 315-403) wrote that the third gospel was by Luke, and that Luke was one of the seventy(two).

Such can also be found in Pseudo-Hippolytus (lost and found, so probably hard to date), some others said the same, including Dialogue on the True Faith of God.

I am not buying stock in this tradition, just relaying that it exists.

 

One common way of understanding is that Matthew writes to the Jews, Mark to the Romans, Luke to the Greeks, and John wrote to everyone, all people. Using your logic, Matthew would be a Jew, Mark a Roman, Luke a Greek, and John a Heinz 57.

 

An interesting early tradition about Luke is that he (Luke) is “the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches” of 2 Corinthians 8:18. Many take this to suggest Paul is referring to Luke’s already-written gospel.

John Chrysostom says this in Homily 10 on the Second Timothy:

Jerome in De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men) Chapter 7 says Luke:

And in Letter 53, To Paulinus:

The longer recension of the Epistle of Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians (Chapter 15) credits Luke as being this brother whose praise in in the Gospel:

Eusebius in Church History, Book III.4.8 makes a reference that seems to say Luke’s Gospel was already written when Paul was writing (though he doesn’t mention the 2 Corinthians passage).

 

Yes, it would be. Acts was written after Paul went to Rome the first time, but before he was executed, somewhere between AD 62 and AD 66. Luke wrote his gospel before he wrote the book of Acts (Acts 1:1-3), so prior to AD 62. But, according to when II Corinthians was written, that would make the Gospel earlier than most conservative scholars tend to ascribe to it.

[Note: edited to add that I notice some put the date of II Corinthians at AD 55, which is already not that far distant from an AD 58-59 date for Luke.]

 

Worth considering on the Jew and Gentile question:
Luke travels with Paul into Macedonia and to Philippi. The masters of the damsel considered the troublemaking party to be Jews.

Luke is with Paul in Jerusalem. The locals get stirred up because they think Paul brought a Greek into the temple. The person is not Luke, but one named Trophimus, from Ephesus.

Worth considering on the early dating of Luke-Acts:
Writing to Timothy possibly circa AD 60-61, Paul quotes scripture.

The first is in the Old Testament -- Deuteronomy -- but the second is not. Where might it be found? In Luke, it seems.

A few suggested dates for the gospel of Luke:

• Leon Morris - in the early 60s (Luke Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, p. 28)
• Darrell Bock - sometime in the 60s (Luke The NIV Application Commentary, p. 21)
• Merrill C. Tenney - circa AD 60 (New Testament Survey, p. 175); in another writing I have by Tenney he says possibly as early as AD 58