Apostle
Apostle Luke the Evangelist
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Apostle and Evangelist Luke — a physician from Antioch in Syria, a companion of Apostle Paul, author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Holy Apostles; according to tradition, the first iconographer, who painted an image of the Most Holy Theotokos; patron of physicians and artists.
The Apostle and Evangelist Luke, according to tradition, was born in Antioch of Syria into an educated Greek family and was a physician, possibly a ship's doctor. He became a companion and co-worker of Apostle Paul on many of his missionary journeys, which he recounts in the Acts of the Holy Apostles, of which he is also the author. He wrote the third canonical Gospel, having carefully investigated the events of the Savior's earthly life "from the very first." According to church tradition, St. Luke was the first iconographer — he painted several images of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Christ Child, and possibly also images of the Apostles Peter and Paul. He is considered the patron of physicians and icon-painters. According to tradition, he died at an advanced age. His memory is kept on October 18/31, as well as January 4/17 in the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles.
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