There are currently two major streams of thought regarding the question of the relationship of Paul to the Gospel of Luke. One is that there is a clear affinity between the writings of Luke and those of Paul, and the opposite. Such a situation require...
There are currently two major streams of thought regarding the question of the relationship of Paul to the Gospel of Luke. One is that there is a clear affinity between the writings of Luke and those of Paul, and the opposite. Such a situation requires that we examine a number of different dimensions of Luke`s Gospel and Paul`s letters in order to examine and perhaps even to establish their relationship. This research examines these topics from a number of different angles. It begins with discussion of the issue of authorship of Luke`s Gospel, as a means of establishing a foundation for their mutual interaction and analysis. Then it discusses a number of the major issues that have been raised above and elsewhere to try to establish the possible relationship between the two. Such issues are raised regarding the authorship, time of writing and theological perspectives. Although Luke and Paul use various Old Testament Scriptures in various ways and with varying frequencies, they have the common interpretive practice of establishing the major theme or idea of a written text by means of an exemplary quotation. In Christology one cannot say that Luke is responding to Paul in this instance, the evidence based upon more nuanced reading of Luke`s Gospel is worth considering. However, when the limited evidence of the eucharistic words are examined in more detail and when Luke`s conglomerate view of salvation and the resurrection are brought into the discussion, Luke is seen to have a more complex view of the salvific significance of Jesus` death and resurrection. The eucharistic words found in Luke and Paul probably originated with a common source, but it is possible that Paul had a direct influence upon Luke at this point. These issues offer some insights into the possible theological relationship, as demonstrated through their writings, of Luke`s Gospel and Paul. The results allow us to appreciate the individual view of each, recognizing a number of points of theological convergence around major issues in the early Church while maintaining their distinctive voices. In many ways, this is the kind of profile one might expect from missionary companions of the likes of Luke and Paul.