Apostle Luke: da Vinci before da Vinci

A man of many trades - as the saying goes for someone who excels in a variety of activities. This is definitely the case with St Luke, whose feastday is commemorated on October 18 in the Life of the Church.


Luke the Apostle

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We all look back with great amazement at the life and accomplishments of Leonardo da Vinci, the epitome of the Renaissance. The Italian polymath who excelled as a painter and sculptor, engineer and inventor, scientist and writer (just to name a few). Da Vinci's great legacy of works has inspired and left a lasting impression upon society for many centuries.


Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

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But before da Vinci was da Vinci, Luke was Luke; an apostle, evangelist, iconographer, and physician. He was a native of Syrian Antioch, a companion of the holy Apostle Paul during his travels and a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. Hearing about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. As one of the Seventy Apostles, St Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior's earthly life.

St Luke is credited as the first iconographer, painting the first images of the Theotokos, as well as Peter & Paul, the first-ranked of the Apostles. He is the author of the Gospel according to Luke, as well as the Acts of the Apostles, which give great input into the Life of the "Early" Church.


St Luke the Evangelist

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The Apostle Paul is usually considered one of the most influencial figures in Christian history, mainly due to his own writings and extended traveling and preaching of the good news. But its really St Luke who "gives" us St Paul; Luke records Paul's journeys (as a companion), his interactions with other apostles, Christ-followers in various towns and cities, Jewish authorities, and the Roman Empire.

As Orthodox Christians, we are greatly indebted to Luke: an eyewitness of the Risen Lord, chronicler and historian of the actions of the early Christ-followers, an apostle who traveled, preached, and recorded the Gospel, an artist who gave us the rich Tradition of iconography, and a physician who healed those suffering of ailments of their bodies as well as their souls.

Through the intercessions of the Apostle Luke, Evangelist & Physician, may our Lord God have mercy upon us and save us!

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director