St. Luke (active 50 AD) was one of the four Evangelists. Since the 2nd century he has been regarded as the author of the Third Gospel and its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles.

Luke's name--of Latin origin--indicates that he apparently was not of Jewish derivation. The earliest surviving testimony describes him as a Syrian from Antioch. His abundant acquaintance with the Antiochean Church, as well as his knowledge of literary Greek, both illustrated in his writings, supports this testimony. Tradition and one text of St. Paul's (Colossians 4:14) say that Luke was a trained physician. His Gospel exhibits a Greek literary style absent from the other Gospels and documents of the New Testament. Luke, apparently, was a well-educated man. His Greek was as polished as that of such classical writers as Xenophon.

Luke's association with the disciples of Jesus probably began after Christ's death, in the early 30s of...