Luke 3

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Luke 3
Zacynthius Lc 3,7-8 (Mt26,39-51).jpg
Luke 3:7-8 with commentary in majuscule on the underwriting of Codex Zacynthius, a palimpsest from 7th-century. The upper writing is 13th-century minuscule of Matthew 26:39-51.
BookGospel of Luke
CategoryGospel
Christian Bible partNew Testament
Order in the Christian part3

Luke 3 is the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It contains an account of the preaching of John the Baptist as well as a genealogy of Jesus. The Expositor's Greek Testament states that in this chapter "the ministry of the new era opens".[1]

Text[]

The original text was written in Koine Greek and is divided into 38 verses.

Textual witnesses[]

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

  • Papyrus 4 (AD 150-175; extant verses: 8-38)[2]
  • Papyrus 75 (175-225; extant: verses 18-38)
  • Codex Vaticanus (325-350)
  • Codex Sinaiticus (330-360)
  • Codex Bezae (~400)
  • Codex Washingtonianus (~400)
  • Codex Alexandrinus (400-440)
  • Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~50; extant verses 21-38)

Old Testament references[]

John the Baptist[]

Territories and tetrarchies in the first-century Palestine: Judea, Galilee, Iturea, Trachonitis, Abilene; also Perea, Nabatea, Idumea, Samaria, Decapolis, Chalcis, Phoenicia
Greek inscription mentioning Lysanias, possibly the tetrarch in Luke 3:1.
See also: John the Baptist and Chronology of Jesus

As he has already done in the first two chapters, Luke provides several points of historical data, in this case six, to specify the date of the events in the first century CE.[1]

Verses 1–2[]

1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar - when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene — 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.[3]

Tiberius' fifteenth year of rule was AD 29 or 30 (calculated from the death of his predecessor, Augustus, in AD 14), so one can date the start of John's preaching to then. New Testament scholar William Ramsay suggests that the year was AD 26, calculated from the time Tiberius was appointed as co-Princeps with Augustus in AD 12.[4] Ramsay notes that this manner of calculation could be 'made under an Emperor whose years were reckoned from his association as colleague', such as employed by Titus, whose reign began from his association with his father on July 1, AD 71.[5]

The rule of Pontius Pilate in Judea during the reign of Tiberius is well attested in history (for example, Tacitus in Annals book 15, chapter 44, written ca. AD 116).[6][7]

Comparison of Matthew 3:7-10 and Luke 3:7-9. Common text highlighted in red. From 1894 Scrivener New Testament.

Luke, like Mark 1:2–3, Matthew 3:3 and John 1:23, quotes Isaiah 40 but quotes it to the greatest length in reference to John the Baptist. It is possible that he does this to include the message that "...all flesh (or all mankind) will see God's salvation" (Luke 3:6) to his Gentile audience.[8]

Verses 7-17[]

John first exhorts the listeners ("brood of snakes") to prove their repentance by the way they lived. Their sincerity was being called into question. As John continues to preach a baptism of repentance, he then tell the crowds that their descent from Abraham will not save them from "the wrath to come", that "...out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." (8-9)

The people ask what they should do and John speaks of sharing (verse 11). Specifically to tax collectors (publicans in the King James Version),[9] and to soldiers he says that they should not abuse their positions. They ask him if he is the Christ, and he replies "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Luke 3:16) also found in Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:7-8 and John 1:26-27. John is then locked up by Herod for rebuking him about his wife Herodias, Herod adding this "crowning iniquity" to all his other misdeeds.[1]

Jesus's baptism[]

Facsimile edition of Luke 3:22,26-27 of Codex Tischendorfianus III, from 8th or 10th century.
See also: Baptism of Jesus and Nativity of Jesus

Luke then tells us that Jesus was one of the many who John baptized. The Holy Spirit appears to him like a dove and tells him "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" (cf. Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9–11, John 1:32–34).

Verse 23a[]

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.[10]

The King James Version's wording is "ungrammatical, a strange expression".[11] Many translations insert reference to his "work" [12] or his "ministry".[13] Luke does not state how many years John baptised for, but this is when most date the start of Jesus's ministry, 29 or 30. He had to be more than thirty years old, as he was born about six months before Jesus was born, as noted in Luke 1. Most probably John was born in 4 BC.

The ancestry of Jesus[]

A part of Luke's genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:23-26), from the Book of Kells, transcribed by Celtic monks c. 800
See also: Genealogy of Jesus § Luke's genealogy

Verses 23b-38[]

Luke sets out here, like Matthew in his opening chapter, a genealogy of Jesus. Luke starts with his legal father Joseph and lists 73 people between Joseph and Adam, who Luke says is "...the Son of God",[14] thus having 75 people between God and Jesus. This genealogy is longer than Matthew's, works retrospectively from Jesus back to Adam,[15] (whereas Matthew's runs chronologically forward from Abraham to Jesus), and has a number of other differences. Luke names Joseph's father and thus Jesus's grandfather as Heli, which could be Mary's father, as noted in the Talmud.[16] On the other hand, Matthew records the name of Joseph's father was Jacob. They then say that Jesus's great grandfather was named Matthat or Matthan, who could be the same person or, as first suggested by Julius Africanus, brothers. The lists then diverge from there, coming together again at David. The list in Luke also differs from Genesis 11:12, which says that Arphaxad was Selah's father, not his grandfather through Cainan.

Patrilineage of Jesus according to Luke
  1. God
  2. Adam
  3. Seth
  4. Enos
  5. Cainan
  6. Maleleel
  7. Jared
  8. Enoch
  9. Mathusala
  10. Lamech
  11. Noah
  12. Shem
  13. Arphaxad
  14. Cainan
  1. Sala
  2. Heber
  3. Phalec
  4. Ragau
  5. Saruch
  6. Nachor
  7. Thara
  8. Abraham
  9. Isaac
  10. Jacob
  11. Juda
  12. Phares
  13. Esrom
  14. Aram
  1. Aminadab
  2. Naasson
  3. Salmon
  4. Boaz
  5. Obed
  6. Jesse
  7. David
  8. Nathan
  9. Mattatha
  10. Menan
  11. Melea
  12. Eliakim
  13. Jonam
  14. Joseph
  1. Judah
  2. Simeon
  3. Levi
  4. Matthat
  5. Jorim
  6. Eliezer
  7. Jose
  8. Er
  9. Elmodam
  10. Cosam
  11. Addi
  12. Melchi
  13. Neri
  14. Salathiel
  1. Zorobabel
  2. Rhesa
  3. Joannan
  4. Juda
  5. Joseph
  6. Semei
  7. Mattathias
  8. Maath
  9. Nagge
  10. Esli
  11. Naum
  12. Amos
  13. Mattathias
  14. Joseph
  1. Jannai
  2. Melchi
  3. Levi
  4. Matthat
  5. Heli
  6. Joseph
  7. Jesus

Verse 33[]

Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda.[17]

Parallel verses: Matthew 1:3-4

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Expositor's Greek Testament on Luke 3, accessed 20 May 2018
  2. ^ Aland, Kurt; Aland, Barbara (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism. Erroll F. Rhodes (trans.). Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1.
  3. ^ Luke 3:1-2 NIV
  4. ^ Ramsay 1895, pp. 386–387
  5. ^ Ramsay 1895, p. 387
  6. ^ P.E. Easterling, E. J. Kenney (general editors), The Cambridge History of Latin Literature, page 892 (Cambridge University Press, 1982, reprinted 1996). ISBN 0-521-21043-7
  7. ^ Bart D. Ehrman wrote: "Tacitus's report confirms what we know from other sources, that Jesus was executed by order of the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, sometime during Tiberius's reign." In: Ehrman, Bart D. (2001). Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. Oxford University Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-0195124743.
  8. ^ Brown 2007, p. 235
  9. ^ Luke 3:12: King James Version
  10. ^ Luke 3:23: King James Version
  11. ^ Farrar, F. W. (1891), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Luke 3, accessed 25 December 2021
  12. ^ Luke 3:23: New Revised Standard Version
  13. ^ Luke 3:23: New International Version
  14. ^ Luke 3:38
  15. ^ Maas, Anthony. "Genealogy of Christ" The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 9 Oct. 2013
  16. ^ Talmud Yerushalmi, Hag. chap.2, 11a; Hebrew text at http://www.mechon-mamre.org/b/r/r2b.htm, records as follows: למרים ברת עלי l'miryam bart eli, "Of Mary the daughter of (H)Eli"
  17. ^ Luke 3:33: KJV

Sources[]

External links[]

Preceded by
Luke 2 		Chapters of the Bible
Gospel of Luke 		Succeeded by
Luke 4
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