St Luke the Evangelist
St Luke the Evangelist

St Luke the Evangelist

Author: N / A

Created: first half of the 19th century.

Material / technique: wood carving, polychrome.  

Dimensions: high - 65 cm.

St Luke is an evangelist who did not come to know Jesus. He was born into a family of Greek aristocrats in Antioch. He was a doctor and an excellent man of letters. He converted to Christianity, became a disciple of Paul the Apostle, and accompanied him on missions. After Paul’s death, Luke preached in Egypt and Greece. He wrote the Third Gospel in which he focused mainly on the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Gospel is characterised by consistency and the most beautiful literary language. With the same accuracy he then wrote the Acts of the Apostles, in which he told about the first steps of the Christian community after Pentecost. For this reason, St Luke is sometimes called the artist who painted in words. He is also known as a painter who painted a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The main attribute of St Luke is a winged ox, because his Gospel starts from the description of the sacrifice in the temple.

To where our sun rises, in the land of the Turks, there is a city called Antioch, where St Luke lived with his parents. When he grew up he learned to write well and to be a doctor. When St Paul, who was the Lord’s apostle, came to Antioch, St Luke converted to Christianity, joined the apostle, and travelled everywhere with him. Being with St Paul, the great teacher of the people, he understood the things about the faith well and as a result wrote the Gospel which we hear priests read in churches – ‘Gospel according to St Luke.’

St Paul mentions St Luke in his letters /.../ St Luke wrote the second book called Acts of the Apostles. In this book he spoke of how quickly and miraculously the Catholic faith spread. He was a great writer who lived in this world without a woman for 84 years and died. He is buried in Constantinople. [Motiejus Valančius, „Žyvatai šventųjų“, Raštai 2, 2006, p. 195–197)

Reference: "The Lithuanian art collection of Jaunius Gumbis". Museum and Collector - 6. Vilnius: National Museum of Lithuania, 2016, Kat. No, P. 244.

Published: "The Lithuanian art collection of Jaunius Gumbis". Museum and Collector - 6. Vilnius: National Museum of Lithuania, 2016, Kat. No, P. 245.