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Gospel of Luke

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Luke is the third book of the New Testament of the Bible, following Gospel of Mark and preceding Gospel of John. It is one of the 3 synoptic gospels along with the gospels of Matthew and Mark.

Luke, like Matthew, contains information about the early life of Jesus, including the most often repeated quotes for the infancy story.

Authorship

See the main article on this topic: Luke the Evangelist

Luke is generally considered a composite work, combining source material from Mark along with the material of the Q document,[1] presumed to be an early collection of the sayings of Jesus, now lost to us. A similar collection of sayings can be found in the Gospel of Thomas. The author of Luke, who is traditionally (though not by scholars) considered a companion to Paul, also wrote the Book of Acts.

Themes and attitudes

Luke's gospel portrays Jesus as well-disposed toward women, more so than any other gospel. Compared to Matthew, Luke is more concerned with presenting Jesus as a savior to the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

Sermon on the Plain

In the book of Luke, Jesus gave a Readers' Digest condensed version of his famous Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Some of his most important teachings include:

  • Blessed are the censors for they shall inhibit the earth.
  • Blessed are the cross-eyed; for they shall see God twice.
  • Blessed are the meek, for they shall bite ankles.
  • Blessed are the pretty girls, for they shall inherit the men.
  • Blessed are the ugly and determined, for they acquire the wealth to command the handsome and clever.
  • Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt.
  • Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.

See also

References

  1. The main alternative scenario is that the author of Luke simply read Mark and Matthew and that the common bits between Matthew and Luke are not from Q, but copied directly from Matthew, while the differences between Luke and Matthew are due to the differing theologies of their authors.