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Vatican City stamps featuring Saint Luke: From the Evangelists Airmail Set, Scott C57 (1971) Beginning of the Gospel of Luke, Scott 522 (1972) International Peace Year (Luke 2:14), Scott 771 (1986) Evangelists Vending Machine Set, Scott V13 (2002) St. Luke is the author of the Gospel that bears his name as well as the Book of Acts. He was a disciple of St. Paul and accompanied him on the second and third missionary journeys, including the shipwreck off Malta, and Paul’s subsequent presence in Rome. Luke was Greek and a physician (also verified by 4th century historian Eusebius). He was an early member of the Christian community at Antioch. It is stated that he lived to age 84, was unmarried, and died as a martyr, but the evidence of martyrdom is unattested. A claim that he painted an icon of the Blessed Mother is traditional but not substantiated. His symbol is an ox, an image of atonement, because of the emphasis in his gospel of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. Historian David Farmer cites Luke’s Gospel emphasis on the Virgin Birth of Jesus. He wrote some of the most moving parables, such as the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and Jesus’ address to the women of Jerusalem and the Good Thief at the Crucifixion. Farmer writes: “all of these elements underline the compassion of Christ, which together with Luke’s emphasis on poverty, prayer, and purity of heart make up much of his specific appeal to the Gentiles, for whom he wrote this Gospel.”In Acts, Farmer observes that Luke’s observations have been confirmed by archaeology and that this account documents the movement of Christianity away from Jerusalem into the broader Roman world. St. Luke was originally buried in Thebes (an early Christian community site), but his remains were moved to Constantinople in the 4th century (according to St. Jerome). Today, St. Luke’s relics are claimed by Constantinople and Padua. Veneration in Padua at the Abbey of St. Justina began in the 11th century. A marble sarcophagus was created in 1313 to hold what was believed to be his remains. REFERENCES: |
