Jason luke biography bible

The gospel of Luke begins with the following remarks:

&#;Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus; that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed&#; (Lk. , ASV).

Leon Morris characterizes Luke&#;s introduction by saying, &#;The opening paragraph is one sentence in good Greek style, with classical vocabulary, rhythm and balance&#; (The Gospel According to St. Luke, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, , p. 65).

Unlike the other Gospels, Luke begins with a literary introduction that is personal (e.g., &#;it seemed good to me,&#; emphasis added). While the opening lines of Luke differ from Matthew, Mark, and John in this regard, the style is similar to some of the renowned secular histories of antiquity. The History of Herodotus ( B.C.) begins like this:

&#;These are the researches of Herodotus of Halicarnassus, which he publishes, in the hope of thereby preserving from decay the remembrance of what men have done&#; (Transl. George Rawlinson, New York: Tudor Publishing Company, , p. 1).

For similar examples, see The Gospel of Luke by William Barclay.

Luke, like Matthew, Mark and John, wrote by the inspiration of God (2 Pet. ; 2 Tim. ). And when Luke introduces his narrative, by inspiration he indicates the following things concerning his account of the life and ministry of the Son of God. First, he notes the precedent for such a work. Second, he outlines the process needed to accomplish it. Third, he reveals the purpose for which he records those matters. The Holy Spirit guaranteed the accuracy of Luke&#;s gospel, which includes , and in these verses God teache

Book of the New Testament

The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts, accounting for % of the New Testament. The combined work divides the history of first-century Christianity into three stages, with the gospel making up the first two of these – the life of Jesus the messiah (Christ) from his birth to the beginning of his mission in the meeting with John the Baptist, followed by his ministry with events such as the Sermon on the Plain and its Beatitudes, and his Passion, death, and resurrection.

Most modern scholars agree that the main sources used for Luke were a), the Gospel of Mark, b), a hypothetical sayings collection called the Q source, and c), material found in no other gospels, often referred to as the L (for Luke) source. The author is anonymous; the traditional view that Luke the Evangelist was the companion of Paul is still occasionally put forward, but the scholarly consensus emphasises the many contradictions between Acts and the authentic Pauline letters (the view that the author, not necessarily Luke, met Paul is more common, perhaps including most scholars). The most probable date for its composition is around AD 80–, and there is evidence that it was still being revised well into the 2nd century.

Composition

Textual history

See also: Acts of the Apostles §&#;Manuscripts

Autographs (original copies) of Luke and the other Gospels have not been preserved; the texts that survive are third-generation copies, with no two completely identical. The earliest witnesses (the technical term for written manuscripts) for the Gospel of Luke fall into two "families" with considerable differences between them, the Western and the Alexandrian text-type, and the dominant view is that

After Paul spends some time in Thessalonica, including three Sabbaths teaching in the local synagogue, The Jews stir up trouble, form a mob, and rush to Jason’s house to bring Paul and Silas before the city officials. When they do not find Paul and Silas, they drag Jason before the officials and make their accusations against Paul, pointing out that “Jason welcomed them.” Jason posted bond and was released (Acts ).

Jason suddenly appears in Acts 17 as Paul’s host in Thessalonica. Jason is a common Greek name, and it is possible some Jews used it as a rough equivalent to Joshua. One of the rival high priests prior to the Maccabean Revolt was named Jason. This is usually explained as an example of Hellenization: rather than using the Hebrew name Joshua, he uses a Greek equivalent, Jason. It is impossible to know if the Jason in Acts 17 is Greek or Jewish simply from his name.

Since he hosts Paul, Silas, and Timothy in his home, commentaries often assume he was prosperous. But this may not be the case. In Acts , Paul stayed and worked with Aquila and Priscilla. As tent-makers, they may have rented a workshop and lived in attached rooms. Jason’s situation may have been better in Thessalonica; if he was a craftsman with several storerooms, he could have hosted several people in his home. For an illustration of the range of homes for early Christians, see Peter Oakes, Reading Romans in Pompeii(Fortress ).

On the other hand, Jason could post a bond not only for himself but also for Paul and Silas (). In the oft-quoted opinion of A. N. SherwinWhite, “What is happening to Jason is clear enough: he is giving security for the good behavior of his guests, and hence hastens to dispatch Paul and Silas out of the way to Beroea, where the jurisdiction of the magistrates of Thessalonica was not valid” (Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament (Oxford, ], 63). Although we have no clue how much was required, that he could make any sort of payment is an indication he

Authorship of Luke and Acts

The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts. The author is not named in either volume. According to a Church tradition, first attested by Irenaeus (c. – c. AD), he was the Luke named as a companion of Paul in three of the Pauline letters, but many modern scholars have expressed doubt that the author of Luke-Acts was the physician Luke, and critical opinion on the subject was assessed to be roughly evenly divided near the end of the 20th century. The eclipse of the traditional attribution to Luke the companion of Paul has meant that an early date for the gospel is now rarely put forward. Most scholars date the composition of the combined work to around 80–90 AD, although some others suggest 90–, and there is textual evidence (the conflicts between Western and Alexandrian manuscript families) that Luke–Acts was still being substantially revised well into the 2nd century.

Common authorship of Luke and Acts

See also: Luke-Acts

The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up a two-part work, Luke–Acts, by the same anonymous author. It is usually dated to around 80–90 AD, although some scholars suggest 90– The first part, the Gospel of Luke, tells how God fulfilled his plan for the world's salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the promised messiah. Acts continues the story of Christianity in the 1st century, beginning with the ascension of Jesus to Heaven. The early chapters, set in Jerusalem, describe the Day of Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit) and the growth of the church in Jerusalem. Initially, the Jews are receptive to the Christian message, but later they turn against the followers of Jesus. Rejected by the Jews, the message is taken to the Gentiles under the guidance of Paul the Apostle. The later chapters tell of Paul's conversion, his mission in Asia Minor and the Aegean, an