Abstract
Luke; Syrian, Gentile, physician and companion of Paul (Col 4:14; Phm 2:23–24; Tm 4:1), addressed his two-volume work—the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles—to “Theophilus” (in Greek: one who loves God, Lk 1:3) and, through it, especially the Gentile Christians. In addition to its elegant Greek style, close to the LXX, his way of presenting the kerygma, from Jesus' birth of to his Ascension, is marked by these facts: his origin, his closeness to Saint Paul, his addressees, and the Holy City, where everything in Luke's Gospel begins and ends.
To highlight the special characteristics of his Gospel, his presentation of Jesus and the way of salvation offered to all who, which depend on the adapted use of the various sources (Lk 1:2), we will begin by listing his Sondergut—narrative elements that only appear in this work and constitute about 40% of the text—; next, we will note the distinctive themes in these passages, themes that are particularly close to Luke's heart; and, finally, in the conclusion we will summarize in a few words Luke's message concerning Jesus and the path he proposed, which characterizes the Gospel of Luke and its atmosphere.
