Luke the Evangelist was an apostle, probably the only evangelist of non-Jewish origin.
He was born in the Syrian city of Antioch and came from a well-educated Greek family, for which in church tradition he was called the “Christian of the Gentiles”. Having received a good education (in the “Muratorian Canon” he is mentioned as an expert in law), Luke set aside his career and followed Christ to Galilee. The Teacher sent him to preach the gospel, granting him the gift of healing and exorcism.
Having been baptized by Paul the Apostle, Luke became his constant companion and associate, a comforter in persecution. After the martyrdom of Paul, he went to preach in Libya, Achaia, the Thebaid and Egypt. An 84-year-old elder, he also suffered for Christ during the reign of the persecutor of Christians, Emperor Domitian: Luke was hanged from a tree in Thebes. The holy relics of the evangelist rest in the Italian city of Padua, in the Basilica of St. Giustina.
The Gospel according to Luke is written in Greek and is addressed to both Christians and pagans. In addition, the evangelist wrote the book “Acts of the Apostles”, also included in the New Testament. In his writings, he pays special attention to the sacrificial ministry of Jesus as the Savior of the world. That is why the winged ox became the symbol of Luke as an image of a redemptive sacrifice.
Most often, Luke the Apostle is depicted with the Gospel; less common are the icons where he himself holds or paints an image of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is no coincidence: it was he who, being a gifted artist, became the first icon painter. The Russian and Western churches keep over twenty icons of the Mother of God, the originals of which were painted, according to legend, by Luke the Evangelist. Among them are the Vladimir Mother of God, Our Lady of Iveron (Iverskaya) and the Theotokos of Tikhvin. He is also believed to have painted an icon of Peter and Paul.
The description of the apostle’s appearance, which was used by Russian icon painters, including the one who created the presented icon, is given in the “Iconographic Script”. It informs that Luke should be painted “with blond, curly hair and a beard like the one of James the Apostle, son of Zebedee (it is small and straight).”
This icon comes from the Nativity Church of Balakhna; it was received by the Museum of Local History for permanent storage on February 28, 1977. In 1993, it was restored by the Moscow Interregional Scientific and Restoration Art Department. In 2016, the staff of the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of Ilya Glazunov also conducted restoration works.
He was born in the Syrian city of Antioch and came from a well-educated Greek family, for which in church tradition he was called the “Christian of the Gentiles”. Having received a good education (in the “Muratorian Canon” he is mentioned as an expert in law), Luke set aside his career and followed Christ to Galilee. The Teacher sent him to preach the gospel, granting him the gift of healing and exorcism.
Having been baptized by Paul the Apostle, Luke became his constant companion and associate, a comforter in persecution. After the martyrdom of Paul, he went to preach in Libya, Achaia, the Thebaid and Egypt. An 84-year-old elder, he also suffered for Christ during the reign of the persecutor of Christians, Emperor Domitian: Luke was hanged from a tree in Thebes. The holy relics of the evangelist rest in the Italian city of Padua, in the Basilica of St. Giustina.
The Gospel according to Luke is written in Greek and is addressed to both Christians and pagans. In addition, the evangelist wrote the book “Acts of the Apostles”, also included in the New Testament. In his writings, he pays special attention to the sacrificial ministry of Jesus as the Savior of the world. That is why the winged ox became the symbol of Luke as an image of a redemptive sacrifice.
Most often, Luke the Apostle is depicted with the Gospel; less common are the icons where he himself holds or paints an image of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is no coincidence: it was he who, being a gifted artist, became the first icon painter. The Russian and Western churches keep over twenty icons of the Mother of God, the originals of which were painted, according to legend, by Luke the Evangelist. Among them are the Vladimir Mother of God, Our Lady of Iveron (Iverskaya) and the Theotokos of Tikhvin. He is also believed to have painted an icon of Peter and Paul.
The description of the apostle’s appearance, which was used by Russian icon painters, including the one who created the presented icon, is given in the “Iconographic Script”. It informs that Luke should be painted “with blond, curly hair and a beard like the one of James the Apostle, son of Zebedee (it is small and straight).”
This icon comes from the Nativity Church of Balakhna; it was received by the Museum of Local History for permanent storage on February 28, 1977. In 1993, it was restored by the Moscow Interregional Scientific and Restoration Art Department. In 2016, the staff of the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of Ilya Glazunov also conducted restoration works.
