Luke, the author of this gospel, is a historian who wrote an accurate, orderly, and factual account. Luke was not the first to write what the disciples had been saying concerning Jesus’ ministry. Mark and Matthew’s accounts are believed to have been finished by this time. The introduction found at FreeBibleStudyHelp.com has more information.
The Bible that the church accepted (with much prayer and God’s leading) in the third century and has been handed down to us to this day, has four gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Other accounts were rejected then and now by most scholars.
The first church came to know, accept, and firmly believe that the Old Testament Scriptures concerning the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus and his ministry. Luke quotes a lot from the Old Testament to show that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures concerning the Messiah. See the chart, “PROPHECIES JESUS FULFILLED” on FreeBibleStudyHelp.com for a list.
Using language similar to classical Greek, Luke begins with a formal preface, common to historical works of the time, in which he states his purpose for writing and identifies the recipient. He acknowledges other reports on the subject, shows the need for this new work and states his method of approach and sources of information.
