Background of the Gospel of Luke

The Gospel of Luke has two distinctives from the other gospels. The first being the longest of the four gospels. The second is Luke is the only gospel with a sequel—the book of Acts. The two books and their message are virtually inseparable, despite their canonical division. Luke's gospel lays the foundation for many of the issues answered in Acts. The primary one being the equality of Jews and Gentiles in God's plan for salvation.

Authorship and Date

Although neither the Gospel of Luke nor the Acts of the Apostles names an author, it is widely accepted that Luke is the author. Church tradition firmly affixes Luke as the author by A.D. 200 and remained so with no hint of contrary opinion.

The date of the Gospel's writing is slightly disputed, but not by a wide margin of time. The earliest possible date would be within the years of the last recorded events in Acts, around A.D. 62. The latest possible date is around 170. The most accepted dates fall sometime after the fall of Jerusalem, between 75-85. It is widely believed that Luke's gospel was penned after Mark's, which is dated in the 60s. Luke's gospel writing parallels Mark's, making it likely that Luke had access to a copy of the Gospel of Mark.