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a continuation of My Blog About The Bible |
a continuation of my blog about the bible |
Many have attempted to write an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who were eyewitnesses and of the Word. Therefore, since i have thoroughly investigated everything from the start it seemed good for me to write an accurate accounting for you Theophilus so that you may know the certainty of the thing you have been told. The Birth of John The Baptist In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged the priestly division of Abijah his wife Elizabeth was also descended from Arron both of them were upright in the sight of the Lord, observing all of God's laws and commandments blameless. however they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both fairly advanced in age. Once when Zechariah on duty as priest he was selected as was the custom, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense and when the time for the burning of the incense came all of the worshipers were praying outside Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing on the right side incense when Zechariah saw him he was startled and gripped with fear. but the angel said to him do not be afraid Zechariah your prayers have been heard your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to name him John and he will be a joy and a delight to you and many will rejoice because of his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is to never take wine or any other fermented drink. and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. he will bring many of the people of Israel and he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elisha to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make people ready to receive the Lord Zechariah asked the angel How can i be sure of what you are telling me i am an old man and my wife is advanced in years the angel i am Gabriel i stand in the presence of God and i have been sent to tell you this good news, and now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this happens. |
Author, Place And Date Of Writing The opening of Luke Chapter 1 Verses 1 through 4 and Acts Chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 make clear that the two books should be regarded as a single work in two volumes neither name's its author but the we sections of Acts in comparison with what we can know from Pauls Letters about who was with him at different points in his career point to Luke as the author of this work Justin Martyr, The Muratorian Canon, and Irenaeus all support this conclusion. Luke was one of Pauls most loyal followers and was well versed in greek culture, he was also a doctor. Luke may have been a Gentile convert if so his knowledge of the Old Testament was extraordinary. Syrian Antioch and Philippi are among sites suggested for his hometown It has been suggested that Luke wrote his gospel either in Caesarae or Rome, a logical assumption is that Luke started writing the gospel at some point during Paul's imprisonment and continued writing until the story caught up the present situation. Audience Luke directly addresses someone named Theophilus who could be a non christian Roman official but definately someone with a high position and considerable wealth yet underlying Luke's overt greeting his gospel the most extensive of the four was written to strengthen the faith of chritians and answer the attacks of cultured non christians. Cultural Facts and Highlights In the opening to his gospel Luke expresses his desire to give readers a clear and coherent account of the words and deeds of Jesus by A. D. 62 there probably many oral and some written accounts of Jesus' Miracles and teachings. Did You Know Each priest was required to serve at the temple for one week every 6 months thirty was the age at a levite was required to start serving at the temple in ancient times it was assumed that calamities would only happen to those who were sinful Synagogues were not only used for worship and school but also community administration an imprisonment of those awaiting trial Themes The universality of the gospel concern for social outcasts repentance wealth |