Unveiling Christianity

Luke and Paul. Friends or strangers?

by Ibn Anwar

Many Christians, especially the evangelicals believe that Luke who is supposed to be the author of both the Gospel According to Luke and Acts met Paul and travelled together with him as his companion. So for example, A.T. Robertson says that Luke was a “constant companion of Paul from Philippi on the return to Jerusalem on the 3rd tour till the 2 years in Rome at the close of the Acts”. One of the most common proof texts used in support of this idea is Colossians 4:14. It mentions a certaing “beloved physician”. Our first question would be who is this beloved physician mentioned? The passage itself does not divulge the identity of this mysterious individual. Secondly, was there only one physician in the entire geography? Their argument would carry some weight if Luke was the only physician in his time. But was he? Surely there must have been other physicians(that is if Luke was indeed a physician in the first place as per Church tradition) as well. As a matter of fact, the traditional notion that Luke was a physician is actually rejected today in Biblical scholarship as Emeritus Professor of Religion at Gettysburg College Edwin D. Freed notes, ” The traditional view that Luke was a physician and that his works contain a special medical vocabulary has been abandoned.” [1] Furthermore,  scholars today do not only question the attribution of Colossians to Paul, but ultimately conclude that he is not the author. The scholars who reject the epistle’s attribution to Paul postulate several strong points for their contention. One of the points contended is that in Colossians the author writes in long and extended complex Greek sentences(e.g.Colossians 1:3-8) which is in stark contrast to how Paul would normally write in his undisputed letters.[2] Nevertheless, the real origin of the epistle continues to be hotly debated in academic circles. Some scholars argue that it was written by Paul, but alongside other hands. Some say that it is the product of the Pauline school tradition(and not from Paul). Which is it? The reason for all these divergent views is because there is no solid evidence to substantiate its true origin. In other words it is highly doubtful. Like so many things in Christianity conjecture seems to reign supreme. Most scholars in critical scholarship however, are fairly certain that Paul did not write Colossians. What about the alleged association between Luke and Paul? Let us carefully consider the following from Edwin D. Freed on whether Luke was Paul’s companion,