Luke

These pages discuss issues specific to the gospel of Luke:

• • Luke Chapters 1 and 2 Luke 3:1 reads as though it could at some time have been the beginning of this gospel. Might this have been the case at some time in the past, in an early version of Luke?

  • Capernaum or Nazareth First? In Luke as we see it today the first details of Jesus' ministry concern his teaching in Nazareth (vv. 4:16-30), followed by Capernaum (vv. 4:31-41). However, in both Mark and Matthew the teaching in Capernaum is first, and it is only later that we get the Nazareth passage. Is it possible that this was also originally the case in Luke, and that Capernaum and Nazareth were later swapped?

  • Well Known in Galilee - Twice Why does Jesus preach throughout Galilee both before and after Capernaum and Nazareth, and why does his fame spread on both occasions?

  • The Great Omission The Great Omission is the name generally given to a section of Mk (approximately 75 verses long), most of which has parallels in Mt, but which is not present in Lk. There are several theories as to why this section has no parallel in Lk, and the exact boundaries of the section seem to vary according to which explanation is favored.

  • Luke 22:17-20 In all three synoptic gospels there are passages describing the events of the last supper, at Mark 14:22-25, Matthew 26:26-29, and Luke 22:17-20. The passages in Mk and Mt are virtually the same, and both refer to the bread and the cup in that order. In contrast, the parallel in the majority of mss of Luke has some significant differences, chief of which are an additional reference to the cup before the bread, and text in vv. 19b-20a that is not present in either Mark or Matthew. How and why did these differences occur?