Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Was St. Luke one of Jesusā Twelve Apostles?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
St. Luke
St. Luke, illuminated page from the Beatus Apocalypse, Mozarabic, 975; in the Gerona Cathedral, Spain.
No, St. Luke was not one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.1
While he is a central figure in early Christianity as the traditional author of the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, he was not an eyewitness to Jesusā ministry. Instead, Christian tradition identifies him as a physician and a close companion of St. Paul the Apostle, who accompanied Paul on several of his missionary journeys.12