St. Luke Orthodox Saint History and Name Day Information
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Saint Luke, also referred to as one of the four Apostles, is one of the name days that is celebrated in the Greek Orthodox Church. It is true that in some Orthodox Christian countries, such as Greece, more importance is placed on a person’s name day than their actual birthday. It is considered to be a great honor to be named after one of the saints. Luke was one of the original people to spread the Gospel of Christ, and the Book of Luke in the New Testament talks about this. His name day is celebrated on October 18th each year. Here’s more information about him:
Early Life of Saint Luke
Saint Luke is one of those apostles that was actually born in Greece. He was from Antioch, which at the time was part of Ancient Syria. However, Antioch is considered to be “Hellenistic” and had a decidedly Greek influence. He is known for being well-educated, which means that he studied topics such as art, Ancient Greek philosophy, and even medicine. Later on, he pursued medicine even further and practiced as a physician. It is thought that Luke was considered to be a Hellenistic Jew, but this is under debate.
Luke Follows Christ
At some point in his life, Luke ended up traveling to Jerusalem. It is here that Luke encountered Christ and his teachings and eventually came to believe in him. This changed the course of his life and he began to preach about Christ to others. The Book of Luke is associated with him, and it tells the story of Christ’s life, works, and ministry, including his birth, death, and resurrection. The Acts of the Apostles is also associated with Luke and chronicles the works of those who traveled to spread news that Jesus Christ was the Messiah written about in the Old Testament.
Later Years of Saint Luke
Luke truly did leave his legacy on Christianity today. First of all, he is credited as being the first Orthodox icon painter. It is thought that he painted the earliest images of Mary with her child, Jesus. He also is credited with other images from Christianity and the life of Jesus Christ. He is also known as being an historian, and his writings reflect how dedicated he was to making sure that when he told the story of Christ that it was historically accurate. As a result of this diligence, historians and religious scholars alike have a greater picture of how the stories of the New Testament relate to history. Ultimately, Saint Luke was martyred after Emperor Nero ordered his beheading.
Saint Luke’s name day is celebrated on October 18th of each year. Visit the Name Day page for more information about other Orthodox Christian name days.
Sources:
Wikipedia – Like the Evangelist
Orthodox Wiki – Apostle Luke (Also Source for Photo credit for Image Above)
Categorized in: Ancient Greek History, Greek Orthodox Religious Information
This post was written by Greek Boston
