Luke the Evangelist
(abbreviated form of Latin, words Lucanus, such as Force - Silvanus), writer of the third Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. He is not named at all as the writer of the last book, but the general and continuous tradition of the Church from the very beginning attributed to him the composition of the said book N.Z. According to the testimony of Eusebius and Jerome, Luke was a native G. Antioch. IN last to the Colossians (Col.4:14) ap. Paul calls him doctor, lover. His thorough acquaintance with Jewish customs, way of thinking, phraseology make it somewhat probable that he was at first a proselyte, a foreigner who accepted the Jewish faith, although on the other hand, in his opinion classic style, cleanliness and correctness Greek language in his Gospel, one can rather conclude that he came not from Jewish, but from Greek race. We do not know what exactly prompted him to accept Christianity, but we know that after his conversion, he became deeply attached to the great ap. Paul, he devoted his entire subsequent life to serving Christ. There is an ancient legend that Luke was one of the 70 disciples sent by the Lord to every city and place where Shem wanted to go(Luke 10:1). Another ancient legend says that he was also a painter and attributes to him the drawing of icons of the Savior and Mother of God, of which the last one is still kept in the Great Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. Regarding the manner of his activity upon entering the apostle ministry, we find precise and definite information described by him himself in book Acts. They think that in his touching Gospel narrative about the appearance of the risen Lord to the two disciples going to Emmaus, under another disciple, whose name is not mentioned, of course Luke himself ( Ch. 24). When Luke joined ap. Pavel and became his companion and collaborator, it is not known for certain. Maybe it was in '43 or '44 R.H. Then he accompanied the apostle to Rome until the time of his first imprisonment there (Acts 27:1 and track.) and remained with him (Col. 4:14). And during the second bond of the apostle, not long before his death, he was also with him, while all the others left the apostle; that's why the words sound so touching ap. Paul at the end of the 2nd last to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:10): " Damasus left me, loving the present age, and went to Thessalonica, Criscent to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luka is with me". Upon death ap. Paul, about his later life ev. Bows from priest Nothing is known from the Scriptures. There is a legend that he preached the Gospel in Italy, Macedonia and Greece and even in Africa and died peacefully at the age of 80. According to another legend, he died a martyr's death under Domitian, in Achaia and, for lack of a cross, was hanged on olive tree. His relics were transferred to Constantinople during imp. Constantia in the middle of the 4th century. His memory is celebrated by the Church on October 18.
Luke's Gospel- legal book New The Testament, the third of the Gospels, consists of 24 chapters. Inspiration to compile it, in my own words ev. Luke, we serve as the example of many previous narrators of the Gospel events and the desire to confirm in the true faith a certain God-fearing man, Theophilus, through an accurate and completely reliable presentation Gospel story(Luke 1:1,4). The Gospel begins with a description of the circumstances of the birth of the Forerunner and the Lord I. Christ, and ends with the ascension of the Lord into heaven. The Gospel of Luke contains, however, a description of some events that other evangelists do not mention, such as the birth of John the Baptist, the Roman census in Judea, the circumstances surrounding the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem, the heavenly vision of the Bethlehem shepherds, the conversation of the 12-year-old boy Jesus Christ in the Jerusalem Temple with Jewish teachers; parables: about the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, the rich man and Lazarus, the unjust judge, the publican and the Pharisee; miraculous healing a bleeding woman, the healing of 10 lepers, the resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain, details about the journey of two disciples to Emmaus and the appearance of the Lord to them.
Bible. Old and New Testaments. Sinoidal translation. Biblical encyclopedia.. arch. Nikifor. 1891.
LUKE, author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, companion of the Apostle Paul (see PAUL (apostle)), particularly during his sea voyage to Rome. Probably Greek (according to Eusebius of Caesarea (see EUSEBIUS of Caesarea), from Antioch). Memory 18... encyclopedic Dictionary
Luke the Evangelist Luke and his symbol, the calf, on the page ... Wikipedia
An apostle from the age of 70, a holy martyr, the author of the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, an icon painter, came from Syrian Antioch and from his youth devoted himself to the sciences: he studied Jewish law, Greek philosophy, painting and medicine. In Jerusalem, he heard from the lips of ... Russian history
Luke the Evangelist- author of the third Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. One of the church traditions says that he was also an artist and painted the first icons of the Savior and the Mother of God. After death on the cross and the Resurrection of the Lord Luke joined... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia
St. Evangelist, according to legend, one of the 70 disciples of I. Christ. His very name from the Roman Lucanus or Lucilius indicates his pagan origin: he was one of the first educated pagans to accept the gospel of Christ. According to my occupation... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron
Luke the Evangelist Luke and his symbol the calf born Antioch died 84, c. Boeotia, Greece ... Wikipedia
And, male. Report: Lukich, Lukinichna. Derivatives: Lukan; Lukonya; Lunya; Lukar; Lucas; Lukaha; Lukasha.Origin: (Greek personal name Lukas (lat. Lucas). From lat. lux (gen. lucis) light.) Name day: January 9, January 17, February 11, February 20, February 23 ., Apr 5… Dictionary of personal names
Apostle, Matthew, John the Theologian, Mark, Luke Dictionary of Russian synonyms. evangelist noun, number of synonyms: 5 apostle (22) ... Synonym dictionary
Luke- evangelist and apostle from among the 70, a companion of the holy Apostle Paul (see Phil. 1, 24; 2 Tim. 4, 10), a native of Antioch in Syria, a doctor from an enlightened Greek environment. Having heard about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and here he warmly accepted... ... Orthodoxy. Dictionary-reference book
The holy apostle and evangelist Luke came from Syrian Antioch, from a noble pagan family. Having received a comprehensive education, he had knowledge in the field of medicine and skills in the basics visual arts. Hearing about Christ, he arrived in Palestine and became one of the Lord's disciples. Among the 70 apostles, Saint Luke was sent by the Lord to preach the first sermon about the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s life on earth (Luke 10:1-3). After the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on their way to Emmaus.
The appearance of Christ to Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus, the Supper at Emmaus, Luke and Cleopas tell the other apostles about their meeting with Christ. Gračanica. Serbia. XIV century
Apostle Luke took part in the second missionary journey of the Apostle Paul, and from then on they were inseparable. When all his co-workers left Saint Paul, the Apostle Luke continued to share with him all the difficulties of his evangelistic work (2 Tim. 4:10). 
Apostles Luke and Paul. XIII century. Russian National Library, St. Petersburg, Russia.
After martyrdom supreme apostles Saint Luke left Rome and preached through Achaia, Libya, Egypt and Thebaid. In the city of Thebes, he ended his earthly journey as a martyr.
Transfer of the relics of St. Luke to Constantinople; Balkans. Serbia. Decani; XIV century; location: Serbia. Kosovo. Vysoki Decani Monastery. Narthex (narthex)
Tradition has preserved information that the Apostle Luke became the first icon painter, painting the first icons of the Mother of God and the icons of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul.
Currently in the Russian Church there are about ten icons attributed to the Evangelist Luke; in addition, there are twenty-one of them on Mount Athos and in the West, eight of them in Rome. According to legend, St. the Apostle Luke wrote Kikkos, Czestochowa, Vilna, Vladimir, Smolensk, Khakhul, Korsun, Jerusalem and others. But it should be understood that “... the icons are attributed to the Evangelist not in the sense that they were written by his hand,” testifies Leonid Aleksandrovich Uspensky, “not one of the icons he himself painted has reached us. The authorship of the holy evangelist Luke here must be understood in the sense that these icons are copies (or rather, lists of lists) from icons once painted by the evangelist. Apostolic Tradition should be understood here in the same way as in relation to the apostolic canons or apostolic liturgy. They go back to the apostles not because the apostles themselves wrote them, but because they have an apostolic character and are invested with apostolic authority. The same is true with regard to the icons of the Mother of God painted by the Evangelist Luke.”
The earliest historical document that mentions an icon painted by the apostle and evangelist Luke dates back to the first quarter of the 6th century and is associated with the name of the historian Theodore the Reader (Anagnost), who lived during the time of the emperors Justin and Justinian. He tells the story of Empress Eudokia, the widow of Emperor Theodosius the Younger, who went to Jerusalem to worship the holy places and discovered there the image of the Mother of God, painted by St. Luke, which she sent to Constantinople to her sister-in-law Pulcheria, the wife of Emperor Marcian.
The next news appears only in the 8th century from St. Andrew of Crete. He reports that there were images written by Ev. Luka. He says that app. Luke “with his own hand portrayed both the incarnate Christ himself and His immaculate Mother” and that these images, known in Rome, are in Jerusalem.
The unknown author of “Tales on Icons to Constantine Copronymus,” using the fact that St. Luke depicts the Mother of God for the same apologetic purposes, and notes about the icon that it was sent by an evangelist to a certain Theophilus.
The following news, captured in the life of Stephen the New, who suffered for the veneration of icons in 757, refers to the Saint in the second half of the 8th century. The text tells that the Archbishop of Constantinople Herman, exhorting Leo the Isaurian to abandon the idea of persecuting icon-worshippers, in confirmation of the antiquity of sacred images, in addition to the statue of the Savior erected by a bleeding wife and the Edessa Ubrus, also pointed to the image of the Virgin Mary, painted by the Evangelist Luke and then sent to something from Jerusalem.
In the “Conciliar Epistle of the Three Eastern Patriarchs to Emperor Theophilus,” attributed by scientists to the year 845-846, it is conveyed that the divinely inspired Luke, during the life of the Most Holy Theotokos, while She lived in Zion, drew Her honest image on a board with picturesque compositions for subsequent generations and from the lips of the Virgin Mary herself he heard the promise that Her grace would remain with his icon.
Hagiographer Simeon Metaphrastus, the compiler of one hundred and thirty-two lives of saints and a historian who lived in the 10th century, says that the first image of the Mother of God was painted with wax and paints: “The most gratifying thing is,” he writes, “that the Evangelist Luke is a human form of my Christ and the image The One who gave birth to Him and gave Him human nature, first depicting them with wax and paints, conveyed that they would be honored even to this day, considering it insufficient if he did not contemplate in images and images the features of their faces, which serves as a sign of his ardent love. And he did this not only for himself, but also for all the faithful who love Christ.”
In the Menology of Emperor Basil II the Bulgarian Slayer, dating back to the end of the 10th century, Saint Apostle Luke was spoken of as a proselyte, an Antiochian by birth, a doctor and a painter by occupation.
Theophan Keramevs, Archbishop of Tauromenia (1130-1150), in a conversation for the week of Orthodoxy, revealing with examples the idea that the veneration of icons from time immemorial and from above is established, adds in conclusion: “and Luke, the eloquent evangelist, painted with wax and paints the icon of the Mother of God holding the Lord in His holy hands, which is preserved to this day in a certain city,” that is, in Constantinople.
And finally, in the 12th century, Nicephorus Callistus, in his “Ecclesiastical History,” there is a mention of the Apostle Luke himself, who “... was the first to depict in painting the image of Christ and the Godly One who gave birth to Him, also the supreme apostles, and that from him this lofty and honorable art spread throughout the entire universe” and about the revered image of the Virgin Mary, located in the Ton Odigon monastery in Constantinople, which was sent to Empress Pulcheria, according to some information from Antioch, according to others from Jerusalem. “...“The second Hodegetri church, where she (Empress Pulcheria) placed the icon of the Mother of the Word sent from Antioch, which the divine Apostle Luke painted with her own hand during Her lifetime. She saw this image and imparted grace to her image. This icon first worked miracles in a place called the Tribunal, which are still performed today. Pulcheria established that in this temple on the third day of the week there should be a vigil and prayer, which is observed to this day.” Empress Pulcheria ordered that a certain ritual be performed near this icon. The Hodegetria Monastery was located on the shore marble sea, not far from the imperial Blachernae Palace (a complex that combines the Blachernae Church and the palace). The temple of the Hodegetria monastery itself was small, since there were many admirers, many came to pray, the icon began to be transferred for veneration to the Blachernae Church during Lent on Holy Week, since there were many pilgrims. The fact that the image of Hodegetria was actually transferred to the Blachernae temple is evidenced by the Russian pilgrim Dobrynya (baptized Anthony), who at the beginning of the 13th century, coming to Constantinople, visited the Blachernae church and wrote that the image written by St. Luke and he are transferred to the Blachernae Temple.
Also, many liturgical texts testify to the painting of the first icons of the Mother of God and the Infant Christ by the Apostle Luke. So, for example, on the day of the celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the first song of the canon says: “Having written Your all-honorable image, the divine Luke, the God-inspired writer of the Gospel of Christ, depicted the Creator of all in Your hands.” And in the first ikos of the akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of Her miraculous icon of Vladimir we read: “... but You did not abandon us, earthly ones, like some kind of ray, having sent down to us Your icon, first painted by Saint Luke. About her you once said: with this image may My grace and strength abide.” In the stichera on the feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, it is sung: “First of all, to the icon that was written on Yours, the gospel mysteries are brought to You, and brought to You by the Queen, so that You may assimilate it, and make it strong to save those who honor You, and You rejoice, for You are the Merciful One, the Creator of our salvation.”
The most serious argument against the possibility of the existence of icons painted by the holy evangelist is the absence of any mention of this fact among the fathers of the VII Ecumenical Council, the reason for this fact is not clear, but having considered all the arguments presented, we can confidently conclude that, according to Holy Tradition and According to historical evidence, the holy evangelist Luke painted one or more icons of the Mother of God with his own hand. These icons were known only to a small circle of Christians. After considerable time, the originals were lost, but numerous modified repetitions survived. We can say that the Apostle Luke laid the foundation for icon painting and defined its basic principles. And the Mother of God Herself imparted grace-filled and mysterious power to the icons, uttering the words: “With this image may My grace and power abide.”
It is difficult to say when the legend about Luke as an icon painter spread to Rus', but in the Moscow chronicle code of the end of the 15th century, under 1204, it is said that the icon of Hodegetria was painted by Luke: “this icon was copied by Luke the angelist [...]”; and under 1395 - the same as the icon Our Lady of Vladimir written by the evangelist Luke: “The word about the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos, when the icon of her honest image was brought, was written by Luke the evangelist, from the city of Volodymyr to this glorious city of Moscow.” In the Gospel of 1507, stored in the State Public Library in St. Petersburg, under The miniature of the Evangelist Luke indicates: “Luke […] icon painter.” In the Makaryev Menaions of the Fourth, in the chapter about Luke, it is said that he was not only a doctor and the author of the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel, but also an artist who painted images of the Mother of God.
The images of the holy apostle and evangelist Luke are found among other evangelists from early times. The earliest depiction of the Evangelists, whose figures are identified by a box with four scrolls at the feet of the Savior, is found in the Roman catacombs of Saints Mark and Marcellian (before 340). From the beginning of the 5th century, images of winged animals - symbols of the Evangelists - were placed in compositions of a triumphal nature, glorifying the greatness of God or the worship of the heavenly powers: the conch mosaics of the apse of the Church of Santa Pudenziana in Rome (c. 400).
Mosaic of the concha of the apse of the Church of Santa Pudenziana in Rome.
During the same period, images of symbols of the Evangelists with books appeared:
Triumphal Arch of Sant'Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna (c. 549).
In the V-VI centuries. images of the Evangelists themselves with their symbols appeared. One of the first examples is the mosaic of the chapel of the church of San Giovanni in Laterano (461-468): symbols are depicted in the clouds next to the standing Evangelists. On the mosaics of the vima of the church of San Vitale in Ravenna (546-548) the Evangelists are presented without books and with wingless animals: Matthew with a man, Luke with a calf, Mark with a lion, John with an eagle; on a miniature from the Gospel of St. Augustine of Canterbury, late 6th century. Luke is depicted with a winged body:
Miniature of the Gospel of St. Augustine of Canterbury, late 6th century.
In the post-iconoclastic period, images of Evangelists writing the Gospels became widespread. This iconographic type goes back to ancient portraits of poets, orators and philosophers pondering and writing their works or inspired by the muses. Most often, the Evangelists were depicted sitting in front of tables with writing instruments or music stands, with books and scrolls, meditating on the text, reading or writing. Luke was usually depicted as a middle-aged man with short dark hair and a beard, sometimes with a tonsure.
Luke the Evangelist, St. ap.; Byzantium; XII century; location: Greece. Athos
Less common are figures of standing Evangelists with a book or scroll in their hands:
Luke the Evangelist, St. ap.; Byzantium; X century; location: Greece. Athos
In the decoration system of the cross-domed church, images of the Evangelists were placed in sails under the dome, which symbolizes the spread of the Gospel teaching to all directions of the world:
Evangelist Luke. Fresco of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary at the Ferapontov Monastery. 1502
Icons of the Evangelists could be part of the Deesis series:
Evangelist Luke. Icon from the Deesis row of the Hilandar monastery. Athos. OK. 1360
In miniatures, the Apostle Luke is often depicted with his teacher, the Apostle Paul (see above) or, like other evangelists, with the personification of Divine Wisdom in the form of a virgin, which should testify to the inspiration of his text. This ancient motif, reminiscent of the poet and muse, became widespread in Balkan art during the Palaeologian period.
Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke; XVI century; Greece. Athos, Dionysiates monastery.
The image of the Evangelists on the doors has become typical for Russian art royal gates, in the Deesis ranks of iconostasis, as well as in the composition of the Last Judgment.
The Royal Doors with the image of the Annunciation and the four evangelists. Around 1425. From the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Fresco detail "Apostles and angels"in composition Last Judgment. 1408 Andrey Rublev.Assumption Cathedral, Vladimir, Russia.
The most interesting are the images of St. Luke painting the icon of the Mother of God, which begin to appear in Palaiologan times in monumental painting, in miniatures and on icons. Thus, the Greek iconographic original of Erminius about St. Luke briefly says: “The Evangelist Luke is not old, curly, with a small beard, depicts an icon of the Mother of God.” Luke is presented in the composition sitting, but instead of a music stand, like the other evangelists, there is an easel with an icon of the Mother of God in front of him, and instead of an inkwell there are paints, and a brush in his hand. The oldest such image is a fresco from the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary at the Matejce Monastery in Macedonia, dating back to 1355-1360.
Apostle Luke paints an icon of the Mother of God. El Greco icon. OK. 1560-1567
Since the end of the 15th century, this kind of illustration can be found in Russian manuscripts of the Gospel, as well as “The Tale of the Icon Image, How and When the Hour” and “The Tale of the Painting of the Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria”, next to the text: “After the resurrection and ascension of the hedgehog into heaven of the Lord our Jesus Christ and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the past fifty years, the glorious apostle and evangelist Luke, to whom praise is given in the gospel of Christ, wrote the gospel of Christ about the Ever-Virgin Mary who gave birth to Him, as well as the Acts of the holy Apostles in little books. And again, that first divine image, hedgehog painting, was self-righteously in the habit of writing on the table the outline of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, likening Thy graceful vision to dangerous... And brings it to the archetype of the mistress and all the Queen. She, having laid her eyes on that icon and... having rejoiced, speaks to him with reverence and with authority: “Let my grace be with you.”
Starting from the second half of the 16th - 17th centuries, images of the icon painter appeared in easel and wall paintings.
Ap. Luke. Miniature from the Gospel of the 1st half of the 15th century. Moscow. 2nd half of the 15th century. RSL. Moscow.
Ap. Luke. Icon. Rus. Mid-16th century 89 x 65. PGOIAKHMZ. Pskov.
Ap. Luke. Icon. Second half of the 16th century. Tretyakov Gallery Moscow, Russia
It is interesting that the depiction of artists in ancient Russian painting begins precisely with Luke. On the icon from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin “Metropolitan Peter in the Life” of the late 15th or early XVI century there is a stamp where Peter is depicted writing the icon of the Mother of God of Petrovskaya, the author of which he was considered to be. In the life of Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh at the end of the 16th century, Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny are depicted painting frescoes. And although these images are few in number, they are extremely interesting because the work of the icon painter is presented in them as important and lofty.
Ap. Luke with his life. Nasedkina A. (graduate of the Icon Painting School 2005). Sergiev Posad. 2005. Thesis. Collection of the Icon Painting School.
Used sources.
The holy evangelist Luke was not one of the twelve apostles, the innermost circle of Christ. He belonged to the seventy, the next group of disciples. But his life developed in such a way that he often found himself an eyewitness to all the most important events in the birth and development of Christianity.
Of course, each of the apostles was a bright personality in his own way. But even against this background, Luka stood out for his extraordinary diversity of talents. By first profession he is a doctor. Then, finding himself surrounded by Christ, like the other apostles, he became a preacher, missionary, and theologian. And a Christian writer. It was he who wrote one of the four Gospels. And also the famous Acts of the Holy Apostles, which, among other things, make for fascinating plot-based reading. Especially when it comes to chases, wanderings and shipwrecks, described by an eyewitness very vividly, with precise and unexpected details. Finally, he essentially became the founder Christian iconography. It was he who was the author of the first icons of the Mother of God, as well as the apostles Peter and Paul. Moreover, it was a unique icon painting from life.
El Greco. Apostle LukeSaint Evangelist Luke was born in the Syrian city of Antioch, famous for the flourishing of sciences and arts, where there was no shortage of knowledgeable teachers. His parents did not belong to the Jewish tribe: this is evidenced partly by the very name Luke, abbreviated from the Latin word “Lucan”, “Lucian”, and especially by one place from the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians, where Saint Paul clearly separates Luke from “ those who are of circumcision“, i.e., Jews. However, from the works of the holy Apostle Luke, it is quite obvious that he was very well acquainted with the Jewish beliefs - the Law of Moses and customs. This allows us to think that even before converting to the faith of Christ, Saint Luke accepted Judaism.
WITH youth Luke devoted himself to science. Having fully studied Jewish law, he also learned the art of healing and became acquainted with Greek philosophy, and knew the Greek and Egyptian languages perfectly. He could become a famous speaker or writer, doctor or artist, and could achieve wealth and honors in Antioch. However, having heard about the Savior, to the surprise of everyone who knew him, Saint Luke neglected his “brilliant career”, left his relatives and friends, left hometown and went to Galilee - in search of the Teacher of righteousness who appeared there. Here I warmly accepted the saving teaching from the Lord Himself. Among the 70 disciples, Saint Luke was sent by the Lord to preach the first sermon about the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s life on earth.
IN last days During the earthly life of the Savior, when with the defeat of the Shepherd the sheep of His flock were scattered, Saint Luke was in Jerusalem, lamenting and crying for his Lord, who suffered freely. Probably, during His crucifixion, among others who knew Jesus, Luke stood “afar off” and looked with sorrow at the Crucified One. But soon his sorrow turned into joy, for the Risen Lord, on the very day of His resurrection, consoled Luke, worthy of him with His appearance and conversation even earlier than in the meeting of the closest chosen ones, which Luke himself reports with particular detail and vividness in his Gospel. The Lord appeared to Luke and the Apostle Cleopas on the road to Hamaus. They talked for a long time without recognizing Christ. And when they found out, they lost sight of it. This is one of the most mysterious and profound situations described in the Gospel. A person’s meeting with Christ, recognition, transition from the visible world to the invisible - all this is so important for everyone who comes to faith. And the Apostle Luke is a good travel companion here. Therefore, people turn to him for help in their spiritual search.
After Christ’s ascension into heaven, Luke and the other apostles received the Holy Spirit, who descended in tongues of fire. When, after the murder of the first martyr Stephen, persecution of Christians began, and the apostles, except for a few, left Jerusalem to preach the Gospel in other countries, then Luke went to his homeland, to Antioch. On the way, he preached through the city of Sebastia, where the incorruptible relics of John the Baptist and the Baptist of the Lord were located. The Apostle wanted to take them with him, but the local Christians, diligently honoring the Baptist, did not allow them. Then Luke took from the relics only right hand, under which Christ once bowed his head, receiving baptism from John. With this priceless treasure, Luke arrived home, to the great joy of the Christians there. (At the end of the 18th century, the right hand of St. John the Baptist became the property of Russia: having been brought here from Malta, this great shrine Christianity sanctified our land.)
Saint Luke never sought to excel; his best fate was to become a student of a worthy mentor. He remained in Antioch, in the circle of brethren in Christ, until the feat of the supreme Apostle Paul, the enlightener of the nations, began to be accomplished. Beginning with the second evangelistic journey of the Apostle Paul, Saint Luke became his constant companion, and together with him endured trials and tribulations for the faith of Christ.
The Almighty, preparing the highest Heavenly crown for the Apostle Paul, allowed him to have a thorn in the flesh in his earthly life - serious illnesses of the body. That’s when the art of medicine he mastered in his youth came in handy for Saint Luke: medicines he eased the suffering of his great mentor. Such a companion was a true gift from God for the supreme Apostle Paul, who called Saint Luke his beloved physician.
Saint Luke was not only distinguished by his talents as a healer: he was the most loving and faithful of those who followed the Apostle Paul. When the great evangelist was sent in custody from Palestine to the court of the Roman Caesar, Saint Luke remained with him. Later, when the Apostle Paul, tormented by imprisonment, illness, and torture, was awaiting his execution in a Roman prison, only Saint Luke did not leave him. And the holy Apostle Paul wrote from prison: “ I am already becoming a victim, and the time of my departure has come... For Demas left me, having loved the present age, and went to Thessalonica, Crescent to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia; only Luke is with me».
In Rome, Saint Luke accomplished the main work of his life: at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote the Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. The reason for this accomplishment seemed insignificant: a certain noble Antiochian Christian, sovereign Theophilus, asked Saint Luke to write about the life of the Savior. Saint Luke came for advice to his mentor, the Supreme Apostle Paul, and he encouraged the student, blessing him for the feat of the Evangelist.
With humble words, Saint Luke opens the gospel he wrote: many have already begun to compose narratives about events that are completely known among us (Luke 1:1). Indeed, in those days more than a hundred attempts were made to create books about Christ the Savior. However, from all this sea of early Christian literature, the Catholic Church of Christ singled out and recognized as truly divinely inspired, free from false human speculation, only a few creations, among which are the works of the humble Apostle of the Seventy, Saint Luke.
Among modern researchers and interpreters there is no consensus: which of the evangelists wrote his work earlier - Matthew or Mark? But we can say with confidence that Luka was third in time. Surely he was well acquainted with the text of Mark, and perhaps also of Matthew; He also used other sources. These three Gospels are often called synoptic; this Greek word does not have in this case relationship to the weather forecast, which means that the three authors “looked together.” Their texts are much closer to each other than to the Gospel of John, written much later and in a completely different way - he just sought to complement the weather forecasters and talk in detail about what they were silent about.
The two-part work of Saint Luke - the Gospel and the Acts of the Holy Apostles - is a conscientious and clear account of events in their sequence; it is made in accordance with all the requirements of the historical genre. He carefully researched the facts, made extensive use of the oral tradition of the Church and the stories of the Most Pure Virgin Mary Herself. He is characterized by precision and attention to detail. It is his Gospel, the only one of the four, that tells in such detail the story of Christmas and even one episode from the childhood of Jesus: how He and his family went to Jerusalem for a holiday and how he then stayed in His Father’s house, that is, in the Temple. Only he talks about a prudent thief who turned to Christ already on the cross.
Just as Matthew cites Old Testament prophecies in detail, just as Mark emphasizes the power and greatness of Jesus, so Luke speaks in particular detail about His sacrificial death and its saving significance for humanity. That is why its symbol, borrowed from the prophecy of Ezekiel, is a winged calf holding a Gospel.
But the main difference between this Gospel and the rest is its literary grace. Luke combines different styles: here we see exquisite Greek prose, and poetic hymns (the only ones in the entire New Testament), and solemn narration in the style Old Testament, and aphoristic sayings. Luke clearly wrote for a discerning and educated Hellenistic public, which had to not only be surprised with new thoughts, but also present these thoughts to them in an elegant form, otherwise they would not listen. Saint John Chrysostom, who was a connoisseur of the beauties of literary style, notes the purity and elegance of the Greek language in the books of the New Testament written by Saint Luke. Here the holy evangelist put at the service of the divinely inspired narrative the brilliant worldly education that he received in Antioch.
As you know, the New Testament was written in the Greek dialect “Koine”, that is, in such an everyday Greek dialect, which was then the language of international communication (as it is now English). However, Luke's writings are wonderful literary work, written in excellent classical Greek, and especially its prologue. It turns out that Academician Averintsev asked his students: “Where in the New Testament can one see classical ancient speech?” Answer: “at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke.”
The pinnacle of his literary mastery was, perhaps, parables. It is in Luke that we find those stories that are very familiar even to people who have not opened the Bible: for example, about the prodigal son or about the rich man and Lazarus. We see a series of everyday scenes that are easy to remember, but it is not always possible to draw clear conclusions from them. Why, for example, did Christ praise the unfaithful steward who wrote off part of the debt to his master’s debtors? Until now, interpreters have offered different answers.
Or, for example, parable of the prodigal son. Is this son hers? main character? Everything about his behavior is clear. The father's behavior seems completely illogical. He does not prevent his impudent son from leaving, patiently waits for his return and accepts him as soon as he sees him. He has the right to punish him severely, but forgives him without even letting him finish, and returns him to his former dignity. Is this not how Heavenly Father expects our repentance? So it turns out that the parable is not about the prodigal son at all, but about a patient and endlessly loving father. Or maybe it’s also about his older brother? He carried out all orders so diligently, he was an exemplary son. But it turns out that you can only be your father’s son if your most dissolute brother remains a brother to you.
I would like to dwell on the book in a little more detail. Act of the Holy Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles is a book that is part of the New Testament, in which the Apostle Luke leads through many countries and cities, mountains and seas. This is the geography from Jerusalem to Rome. The apostles, who were commanded to testify for Christ, walked thousands of kilometers. If you look at the route of their journey, you will see how many countries they passed through. These are Israel, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Italy. And what cities: Jerusalem, Antioch, Damascus, Corinth, Athens, Rome!
The Acts of the Apostles reflects the activities of mainly two apostles - Peter and Paul. In the first chapters, next to Peter, John is also spoken of, but the main role assigned to Peter as the head of the Jerusalem church. He preaches, heals, resurrects, stands boldly before the court of the Sanhedrin, baptizes a Roman officer. After a miraculous release from prison, he is forced to leave Jerusalem.
In the second part of Acts, the main character becomes Paul, the once furious persecutor of Christians, who was instantly transformed by the power of Divine love and became His most devoted and fruitful servant. It was he who began his Gospel sermons from Antioch, walked around all of Asia Minor, then reached Europe, founding churches in Greece. By chapter 20, the voice of Christian preachers was heard throughout the Mediterranean. In the person of Paul, Christianity reached the capital of the then world.
Evangelist Luke, in writing the Holy Gospel and Acts, set himself a grandiose task - to tell how the Church of Christ arose, began to grow and develop, converting new countries and peoples to faith, in which His Spirit continues to act.
It is quite possible that the holy Apostle Luke had the opportunity to see and experience with his own eyes the martyrdom of the holy Apostle Paul. And after all the chief apostles had gone to the Lord, the holy Apostle Luke left Rome and preached the faith of Christ in Italy, Gaul (now France), Dalmatia (now the territory of Croatia and Montenegro), and again in Macedonia, which was familiar to him.
Already in old age, the holy Apostle Luke visited Achaia, Libya, and Egypt. This journey brought him many hardships, associated not so much with the sea voyage, but with the difficulties of missionary activity, especially in Egypt, where he converted many to the faith of Christ. In the Church of Alexandria he ordained Avilius to the episcopate, before whom Annianus had been bishop. He was ordained by Saint Mark the Evangelist and served here for 22 years.
After his campaign in Egypt, the holy Apostle Luke returned to the region of Greece Boeotia, establishing churches, ordaining their future abbots and ministers to the priesthood. He did not forget his mission as a doctor, healing the sick in spirit and body - some with the word of God, and some with the word of God, and his medical craft, the knowledge of which, obviously, was greatly replenished by him during the years of his apostolic wanderings. Researchers of his works, both ancient and modern, noted that in his works there were many medical terms contemporary to that period, and believed that he happened to be a ship’s doctor. This is very likely, given his sea voyages and the inevitable ailments of sailors and travelers on difficult sea crossings.
"Evangelist Luke painting the Virgin Mary", Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), 1652-53Tradition says that Evangelist Luke was the first in the world to paint the image of the Mother of God holding the Eternal Child in her arms on a board from the table at which Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother dined with Righteous Joseph. And then, having painted two more icons of the Most Holy Theotokos, wanting to find out whether this pleased the Mother of God, he brought them to Her. The Mother of God, seeing her image, said with her most pure lips: “ May the grace of the One born of Me and Mine be with these icons". Several icons of the Mother of God are attributed to his authorship, including Vladimirskaya icon of the Mother of God (kept in Tretyakov Gallery), Częstochowa icon of the Mother of God, Sumelskaya icon of the Mother of God (kept in the temple in the village of Kastanya, Greece), Kikkos icon of the Mother of God, or "Gracious"(kept in the Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus), and Tikhvinskaya icon of the Mother of God.
The holy Apostle-Evangelist Luke ended his earthly journey as a martyr in Achaia for 84 years, being hanged, for lack of a cross, on an olive tree. However, the ancient historian Julius Africanus, in his story about the life of the holy Apostle Luke, says nothing about his martyrdom, mentioning only that he died filled with the Holy Spirit. His honest relics were buried in the capital of Boeotia, Thebes, in an ancient marble tomb, and many wonderful healings were performed with them. According to Theban legend, the tomb exuded a certain substance in the form of a paste, the name of which in Greek sounds like “kolidio”, and in Latin - “kallurium”, and all eye ailments were healed with it.
Tomb of the Evangelist Luke in ThebesIn the second half of the 4th century, the Greek emperor Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great, having heard about the healing relics of the Apostle Luke, sent his commander for them. The holy relics were transferred with great honor from Thebes to Constantinople. And a miracle happened. One of the royal bed-guards, Anatoly, who had been lying on his sick bed for many years, hearing that the relics of the Apostle Luke were being brought into the city, fervently prayed to the saint and ordered himself to be carried to him. As soon as he, having bowed with faith, touched the ark with the shrine, he instantly received healing and, together with others, carried the relics to the church built in the name of the holy apostles. The relics remained there until the Turkish conquest, after which they, like many other shrines, fell into the hands of the Venetians. Today they are kept in the Italian city of Padua, and a part of these relics was returned to Thebes in the 1990s. There, in the ancient cemetery, there is a church, where to the right of the altar stands the same marble tomb, which became the first tomb of the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. She is revered, and every year on October 31st according to the new style, on the day of remembrance of St. Luke, the full rite of festive services is performed here, procession and general celebration.
Church of St. Justina in Padua
Temple of St. Justina in PaduaThe Basilica of St. Justina Martyr is located in the city center in the beautiful Prato della Valle square. The huge area (88’620 m2) - Prato della Valle - has seen a lot over the centuries of its existence. In the Roman era, the imperial theater was located here; in the Middle Ages, church holidays and performances, palio (horse racing), exhibitions and fairs.
Currently, the basilica is part of the abbey and belongs to the order of Beneditine monks.
Inside the basilica rest the relics of many saints: the holy martyr Justina, the two first saints of Padua - Maximus /San Massimo/ and Prosdocimo//. the holy martyrs Daniele /San Daniele/ and Fidenzio/, part of the relics of the holy Apostle Matthias /San Mattia Apostolo/.
Sarcophagus of St. Luke in the Church of St. Justina (Padua)In the basilica, on the left side, there is the chapel of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, where his holy relics rest in the throne, with the exception of the head. Above the throne is an icon of the Mother of God, which was painted by the Evangelist Luke himself. The chapel is decorated with frescoes by the artist Giovanni Storlato, which tell the story of the life of the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.
The Basilica of the Holy Martyr Justina was built on the site of the martyrdom of the first saint of the city of Padua, who suffered martyrdom in 304. In the 16th century, the basilica was decorated with nine domes. And many Italian craftsmen worked on the interior of the basilica.
Honest Chapter of St. Luke rests in the Cathedral of St. Vitus the Martyr in Prague.
St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague
Honest Head of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist LukeParticles of the relics of St. Luke the Apostle there are in three monasteries of Athos - Iveron, St. Panteleimon and Diosiniata.
Looking at the feat of the life of the Apostle Luke, every Christian must understand: God does not endow a person with intelligence and talents for entertainment, waste, or, especially, turning them into evil, a source of pride or a temptation for others. As a writer, Saint Luke became a spirit-bearing evangelist. As an artist, he became the founder of sacred icon painting. As a doctor, he alleviated the illnesses of the suffering Apostle Paul, and subsequently healed and is now healing the physical and mental ailments of many people. So let us follow his holy example, devoting all our strength and abilities to serving the Lord, so that they do not bring us destruction instead of salvation.
Troparion, tone 5:
The apostolic acts of the narrator / and the Gospel of Christ is a luminous writer, / Luke is praised, the existence of the Church of Christ is glorious, / with sacred hymns we praise the holy apostle, / as a physician who exists, human infirmities, / natural ailments and illnesses of souls, healing / and praying unceasingly for our souls.
Kontakion, voice 2:
Let us praise the true piety of the preacher, and the unspeakable mysteries of the rhetorician, the ecclesiastical star, the divine Luke: for his word was chosen, with Paul the wise teacher of tongues, the only one who knows the heart.
IN Orthodox Church memory Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke It is celebrated several times a year: January 17, May 5, July 3 and October 31 according to the new style.
Life and works of the Holy Apostle Luke
It is known about the Apostle Luke that he was from Antioch in Syria. It can be assumed that he came from a Greek environment, which was reflected in the language of his literary works. Luke was well educated and knew Greek philosophy, Jewish law and medicine.
Called by Jesus Christ to Last year earthly life of the Savior, he became one of the 70 apostles and began his preaching ministry even before the suffering on the cross and death of Christ. After the Resurrection of the Lord, he was honored with His appearance together with another apostle of the seventy, Cleopas, when both were walking along the road to the city of Emmaus. From the books of the New Testament, as well as from church tradition It is known that Luke accompanied the Apostle Paul from his second missionary journey until the martyrdom of Paul in Rome. After this, the Apostle Luke preached in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and Thebaid. According to legend, he suffered martyrdom in greek city Thebes, where he was hanged around 82
The Holy Apostle Luke is the author of two books included in the New Testament. This is the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. In his Gospel, Saint Luke tells a lot about the Nativity of Jesus Christ, as well as about the early years of His earthly life, which the apostle wrote about, according to legend, from the words of the Most Holy Theotokos herself. In addition, the main goal of the gospel story is the idea that Christian teaching has universal significance, and the salvation accomplished by the Lord extends to all humanity. The redemptive significance of the Savior’s ministry, emphasized in this Gospel, led to the fact that the calf became the symbol of the evangelist, as an image of a sacrifice offered to God.
The second work of the Apostle Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, is the only historical book of the New Testament that is dedicated to the first years of the Christian Church and the preaching of the apostles. The main events of the book of Acts are the Ascension of the Lord, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, and the Apostolic Council of 51. The significance of this Council for the Church was very great, since it was at it that Christians declared themselves adherents of a new religion, separating from the Jews. Most of the narrative is devoted to the missionary journey of the Apostle Paul, in which Luke also took part. The main theological idea of the book of Acts is the economy of the Holy Spirit in the Church, which began on the day of Pentecost and continues until the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Apostle Luke as an icon painter
According to legend, the Apostle Luke was also an icon painter, the first to paint the image of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Child of God in her arms. The legend says that when he brought this icon to the Mother of God, She blessed his work and said that from now on everyone who turns to Her with prayer in front of Her image will receive help and consolation. Not a single icon painted by the Apostle Luke has reached us, but it is generally accepted that the Vladimir, Czestochowa and Kykkos icons of the Mother of God go back to the prototype created by Saint Luke. In addition, there is an opinion that he also painted the first icon of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul.
The Apostle Luke himself on icons is often depicted sitting in front of the Most Holy Theotokos with brushes in his hands and painting Her image, and behind him stands an Angel who helps the icon painter.
Apostle Luke is the patron saint of icon painters, which is why everyone who works on creating icons often turns to him.
Troparion, tone 5:
We praise the apostolic acts of the narrator, and the bright writer of the Gospel of Christ, Luke, the glorious being of the Church of Christ, with the sacred hymns of the holy apostle we praise, as a physician, human infirmities, natural ailments and illnesses of souls, healing, and praying unceasingly for our souls.
Kontakion, voice 2:
Let us praise the true piety of the preacher and the unspeakable mysteries of the rhetorician, the ecclesiastical star, Luke the Divine: for his word was chosen, with Paul the wise teacher of tongues, the only one who knows the heart.
Magnification:
We magnify you, Apostle of Christ Luke, and honor your illnesses and labors, in which you worked in the gospel of Christ.
Prayer:
Oh, glorious Apostle Luke, who gave up his soul for Christ and fertilized His pasture with your blood! Hear your children's prayers and sighs, now offered with a broken heart. Because we are darkened by lawlessness, and for this reason we are covered with troubles, like clouds, but with the oil of a good life we are greatly impoverished, and we are not able to resist the predatory wolf who is boldly trying to plunder the heritage of God. O strong one! Bear our infirmities, do not separate from us in spirit, so that we may not be separated in the end from the love of God, but protect us with your strong intercession, may the Lord have mercy on all of us for your prayers for the sake of, may He destroy the handwriting of our immeasurable sins, and may He be honored with all the Saints of the blessed The kingdom and marriage of His Lamb, to Him be honor and glory, and thanksgiving and worship, forever and ever. Amen.
With the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke was born in Syrian Antioch. He received a high and varied Greek education, was a doctor and was proficient in the art of painting. Having heard about Christ, Saint Luke arrived in Palestine, where he ardently accepted the saving teaching from the Lord Himself. Among the 70 disciples, he was sent by the Lord to the first sermon about the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s life on earth (Luke 10:13). After the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas, who were going to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).
The Holy Apostle Luke took part in the second missionary journey of the Apostle Paul and since then has been his constant companion, sharing with him all the difficulties of the evangelistic feat. After the martyrdom of the chief apostles Peter and Paul (+ c. 67), Saint Luke left Rome and continued preaching in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and Thebaid. In the city of Thebes, he ended his earthly journey as a martyr in the 85th year of his life during the persecution of Domitian.
Apostle Luke wrote the Holy Gospel in 62-63 in Rome, under the leadership of Apostle Paul. The theological content of the Gospel of Luke is distinguished by the teaching about the universality of salvation accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, about the universal significance of the Gospel preaching.
Apostle Luke wrote the Book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, which tells about the labors and exploits of the holy disciples of Christ after the Ascension of the Savior. The theological subject of the Book of Acts is primarily the Economy of the Holy Spirit, carried out by the Church of Christ from the Ascension and Pentecost to the Second Coming of Christ.
According to the Tradition of the Holy Church, the Apostle Luke painted the first icons of the Mother of God with the Eternal Child in her arms, at the sight of which Holy Mother of God, blessing the images, she prophetically said: “From now on, all generations will bless Me. May the grace of the One born of Me and My mercy be with these icons.” Apostle Luke also painted icons of the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul.
The iconographic symbol of St. Luke the Evangelist is a calf, a sacrificial animal among the ancient Jews.
