greek-saints

Saint Luke biography, Greek Orthodox saints

st-lukeSaint Luke was one of the four evangelists, a saint of the Christian Church and one of the collaborators of the Apostle Paul. According to tradition, he is the author of the third abridged Gospel (“According to Luke”) and the “Acts of the Apostles”. His memory is commemorated by Christianity on October 18. Those with the name Luke celebrate this day.

Luke, according to tradition (Eusebius), was born in Antioch in Syria, lived in the 1st century and was one of the most educated people of his time. He was originally a pagan, as can be seen from the fact that he is not mentioned by the apostle Paul (Colossians 4:11) among his disciples and followers, who were Jews, as well as from the origin of his name, which is an abbreviation of the Latin Lucan. We know nothing about the way and time of his conversion to the Christian faith.

In the Acts he mentions, about the Ascension of the Lord. He vividly describes Pentecost and the illumination the Apostles received from the Holy Spirit. In Acts he also speaks about the stoning of the first martyr and archdeacon Stephen, as well as about the miracles of Saint Peter. This and much more he tells us in this second book. But more in Acts he deals with the work and action of the Apostle Paul. He talks about the persecution that Paul did against the first Christians due to excessive zeal for the Jewish faith, but also how he returned to Christ after the divine light.

They say that he was the first to paint, like an excellent craftsman, where he was, three images of the Most Holy Theotokos. It represents her holding our Lord Jesus Christ in her arms. There is even a tradition, which mentions that he showed them to the Virgin Mary herself, who as soon as she saw them, praised them and said:”The Grace of being made of me by me with them”. In other words: By the grace of Christ, who was born from me, may he always be with these images through me. And indeed! Together in these images is the grace of the Panagia because countless miracles are performed through them.

Of these three holy icons, painted by the Evangelist Luke, one is located in the Peloponnese, in the Monastery of the Great Cave. The other icon of the Virgin Mary, painted by the Evangelist Luke, is said to be in Little Russia, in the city of Vilina, where there is a Church of the Virgin Mary. And the third one is in Kykkos Monastery in Cyprus.

Apart from these three, they say that he also made other icons of the Virgin Mary, such as Odigetria, which was in Constantinople and which many times saved the city from the raids of the barbarians.

Luke was a companion and partner of the apostle Paul from his second apostolic tour, as can be seen from verses in the “Acts of the Apostles”. He accompanied Paul to Macedonia from Troas (Acts 11-12) and remained in Philippi probably until the end of Paul’s third missionary journey. Finally, he accompanied Paul from Caesarea to Rome (Acts 1:16).

As to Luke’s action after Paul’s death, we do not know the slightest certainty. According to tradition, Luke preached the Christian faith in Dalmatia, France, Italy and Macedonia (Epiphanius) and in Achaia (Gregory Nazianzus). Simeon the Translator says that from Rome Luke went to the East, crossed Libya and reached Egypt. There he was ordained a bishop in the region of Thebaid, where he died.

Other writers and church fathers state that he died in Thebes in Boeotia (Maximus Margunius), while Gregory the Theologian maintains that he was martyred. Isidore of Seville writes that he died at the age of 74 and Nicephorus Callisto at eighty.

An ancient tradition wants the painter Loukas, who even painted the icon of the Virgin Mary. Orthodox church hymnology presupposes this tradition. The evangelist Luke was a holder of a great Hellenistic education and a connoisseur of the historical method of his time. His works, the “Gospel” and the “Acts of the Apostles”, show ease of use by the Hellenistic public and are one of the first historical monuments of Christianity.