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Luke 1

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,

Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;

It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,

According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.

And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.

And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.

And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.

And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.

And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.

And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.

And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.

And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

What does Luke 1:2 mean?

Explanation

Luke 1:2 is a statement regarding the sourcing and transmission of the accounts the author of the Gospel of Luke has decided to put into a narrative.

In this verse, Luke asserts that his account of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ is based on the testimonies of those who were direct witnesses from the beginning.

He also refers to them as ministers of the word, suggesting that they did not only observe but also served in propagating the teachings they were witness to.

The verse emphasizes the reliability of the Gospel as a faithful record, underlining that it is not based on anonymous traditions but on witness accounts.

Top Rated Luke Books

Historical Context

This verse is part of the preface to the Gospel of Luke, which is believed to have been written around AD 60-90.

The intended audience was most likely Gentile Christians, as well as Theophilus, a particular person or possibly a symbolic name meaning 'lover of God'.

During this time, the early Christian community valued apostolic authority as key to ensuring the correctness of teachings about Jesus.

In an era where orality was more common than literacy, noting that a teaching was based on eyewitness accounts was important for establishing authenticity and reliability.

Theological Insights

Different theological viewpoints will focus on various aspects of this verse:

Conservative Theological Perspective: This verse underscores the reliability and inspiration of scripture, confirming that the Gospel of Luke is an accurate historical document that can be trusted for its apostolic endorsement.
Liberal Theological Perspective: Some might argue that the verse suggests a degree of selection by the author regarding which testimonies and reports were included in his narrative, illustrating the human element in the composition of the Scriptures.
Catholic Theological Perspective: It may be used to support the importance of Sacred Tradition alongside Sacred Scripture, seeing those eyewitnesses and ministers as part of the living tradition upon which the Church's teachings are based.

Practical Applications

This verse encourages Christians to place a high value on firsthand accounts and to appreciate the importance of transmission from reliable sources.

In daily life, it teaches the importance of integrity in sharing information, the responsibility of faithfully passing on teachings or messages, and the critical value of personal witness.

Cross-References

John 15:27: "And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning."
2 Peter 1:16: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty."
Acts 1:21-22: "Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection."
1 Corinthians 15:6-8: "After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time."

Language Study

Key words in the original Greek text of Luke 1:2 include:

"delivered" (παρέδοσαν, paredosan): This verb is in the aorist tense and speaks to the handing down or traditioning process, perhaps implying a careful transmission of information.
"eyewitnesses" (αὐτόπται, autoptai): This word is where we get the term 'autopsy' from, and in this context, it refers to those who have personally seen the events concerning Jesus.
"ministers" (ὑπηρέται, huperetai): Typically referring to an under-rower on a ship; here, it implies those who served the word diligently and in subservience to the message rather than their own interpretation.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Similar to other ancient faith traditions, the early Christian community placed a high value on the accurate preservation and transmission of sacred stories and teachings.

Religions such as Judaism with its oral Torah, and Islam which stresses the importance of Hadith, which are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad passed down through chains of reliable narrators, also emphasize eyewitness accounts and faithful transmission of their religious knowledge.

Scientific Perspectives

From a scientific standpoint, modern studies in memory and oral traditions can lend insight into how eyewitness accounts may change over time and the methods by which communities maintain the accuracy of transmitted stories.

The application of forensic psychology to biblical studies might investigate the reliability of eyewitness testimony, although it is important to consider the differences in ancient understandings of testimony and history writing compared to modern standards.

Commentaries

Biblical scholars and commentators have various perspectives on this verse:

Traditional Commentary: Matthew Henry, for instance, points out that Luke had a noble intention to write and had been diligent to collect his materials from the best hands.
Critical Commentary: Scholars such as Bart Ehrman may question the identity of these eyewitnesses and the extent to which accurate transmission without embellishment or alteration is possible.
Linguistic Commentary: Commentators focusing on the Greek text might analyze how Luke's vocabulary and grammar suggest a careful, deliberate composition, often contrasting Luke's style with the other Gospel writers.

Luke 1

Luke 1

What does Luke 1:2 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Luke Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?

What does Luke 1:2 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Luke Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?