St. Luke the Evangelist
October 18

St. Luke, physician, Apostle, Evangelist, student of Greek philosphy, artist and iconographer, was born in Antioch, Syria. St. Luke met Jesus in Jerusalem, witnessing His teaching and works, and was sent forth to preach. After the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, St. Luke returned to Antioch and traveled to Rome with St. Paul, bringing Jews and pagans to the Christian faith.

In the year 60, Luke wrote his Gospel and, after the death of St. Paul, preached across Italy, Dalmatia, Macedonia and elsewhere. As the founder of Christian iconography, St. Luke painted icons of the Theotokos, and Apostles Peter and Paul, eventually also writing the Acts of the Apostles. In his old age, St. Luke preached across Libya and Egypt, and throughout Greece.

At the age of 84, idol worshippers captured St. Luke and tortured him for his Christian preaching, hanging him from an olive tree in the town of Thebes in Beothia, Greece. His relics were taken to Constantinople in the time of the Emperor Constantius, son of St. Constantine.

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