Gospel of St Luke
Six reflections by Fr Tom O'Reilly SSC
3. Luke: Crossing Boundaries in Galilee
4. Luke: Journeying with Jesus to Jerusalem
5. Contemplating the Passion with Luke
6. Luke: Walking and Eating with the Risen Jesus
The Gospel of Luke is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension. The author is traditionally identified as Luke the Evangelist.
The author, writing from a Gentile perspective, is characteristically concerned with social ethics, the poor, women, and other oppressed groups. Certain popular stories on these themes, such as the prodigal son and the good Samaritan, are found only in this gospel. This gospel also has a special emphasis on prayer, the activity of the Holy Spirit, and joyfulness. Donald Guthrie claimed, "it is full of superb stories and leaves the reader with a deep impression of the personality and teachings of Jesus".
Modern critical scholarship concludes that Luke, like Matthew, relied on Mark for its chronology and on the sayings gospel Q for many of Jesus' teachings. Luke might also rely on independent written records. There are two serious possibilities regarding the date of composition, either being in the early 60s, or in the later decades of the 1st century.