Luke

A physician and companion of Paul, according to information provided in the epistles (Col. 4:14, Philem. 24 and 2 Tim. 4:11). Since about 190 CE there has been a tradition, unbroken until modern times, that this person was the author of the third gospel and of the Acts (two volumes of a single work). The traditional argument is supported by an examination of the two books (whose vocabulary and style are similar, and both enjoy the same dedication, to Theophilus) which confirms that the author was well educated—though nothing can be proved about a knowledge of medicine, since no technical medical terminology existed in the 1st cent. It is also probable that where the author falls into using the first person plural for parts of the Acts (‘we’ and ‘us’ in Acts 16:10–17, 20:5–15; 21:1–18; 27:1–28:16) he is using his own personal reminiscences, although the use of the first person could be a mere editorial device to add interest to the narrative. On the whole, Luke of the epistles seems to fit the data for establishing the authorship of the NT work Luke–Acts, in which any discontented Gentiles are reminded of the Church's Jewish heritage.