SAINT LUKE

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Saint Luke, or as he is also called – Luke the Evangelist, in the Orthodox and Catholic traditions is considered the first icon painter and the Patron Saint of doctors and artists.

Saint Luke was “an apostle from the seventy” (or from seventy-two followers of Jesus Christ – that is, except for the twelve apostles and the apostle Paul, who preached His doctrine in the 1st century). He is a Christian Saint, revered as the author of one of the four Gospels and the Acts of the Holy Apostles. During his life, he was a doctor, and many believe – a ship’s doctor, as well as an expert in law, who accompanied Paul the Apostle as a lawyer.

The Bible does not say anything about the descent of Luke the Evangelist, but tradition says that the apostle came from an enlightened Greek background and may have been the only author of the New Testament of non-Jewish origin.

It is also known that Luke the Evangelist was born in ancient Syria, in the city of Antioch, was a comprehensively developed person with an outstanding intellect, had a good education, knew the Egyptian and Greek languages, was engaged in science and medical practice, art and painting.

Having learned about the teachings and sermons of Jesus Christ, Luke immediately came from Syria to Galilee, where he met the living Lord and became His disciple and follower. Luke was honored, as already mentioned, to become one of the seventy apostles who followed Christ, and to receive a blessing to work miracles; to preach about the Kingdom of God and eternal life; to tell people that God himself really came to earth.

After the death of Jesus Christ, Luke returned to Antioch to continue bringing people the truth about salvation and the Messiah. Therefore, he became a doctor, assistant, disciple and faithful friend of Paul the Apostle until the end of his days. The letter of Paul the Apostle to Timothy contains the following lines,

“I am already becoming a victim, and the time for my departure has come. For Demas left me, having loved the present age, and went to Thessalonica, Criskent left for Galatia, Titus – for Dalmatia; and Luke alone is with me.”

After the terrible martyrdom of Paul the Apostle, his faithful follower Luke traveled around Greece, Gaul, Italy, Dalmatia, Libya, Egypt, converting many pagans to Christianity, building churches and healing people from mental and physical illnesses. By the way, Luke not only saved people from illnesses, but also saved them from disabilities, and sometimes even saved lives, because in those days many medical methods were inaccessible to ordinary people.

According to legend, Luke the Apostle was the first to depict the image of the Most Holy Theotokos on an icon. He created the icon at a time when Mary lived in the house of John the Theologian, and She herself blessed the Evangelist to write it, “The grace of the One Born of Me and My mercy will be with these icons.“

This image is considered to be “The Virgin of Vladimir“, which was transported from Jerusalem to Constantinople, and in the XII century – to Russia, as a gift to Yuri Dolgorukiy. At first, the icon was in a monastery near Kyiv, and then it was brought to Vladimir, where it got its name. Since December 1999, The Virgin of Vladimir has been in Moscow, in the church-museum of Saint Nicholas in Tolmachi that is part of the State Tretyakov Gallery located in Moscow.

According to tradition dating back to the 16th century, Russian sovereigns were crowned with the Vladimir Icon. Moreover, this icon has repeatedly saved Moscow from foreign invaders:

• • in 1395 from Tamerlane;
• • in 1408 from the Golden Horde Emir Edigey;
• • in 1480 from the Golden Horde Khan Ahmed;
• • in 1521 from the Crimean Khan Mehmed Giray…

It is also believed that Luke the Apostle painted Saints Peter and Paul and illustrated the Gospel with a full cycle of miniatures.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, there are about ten icons attributed to Luke the Evangelist; in addition, there are twenty-one of them on Athos and in the West as a whole, of which eight are in Rome.

However, icon painters also captured the life of Luke the Apostle on holy images. On the icons, mostly painted in blue and red shades, the Holy Martyr is most often depicted as a man of about forty, dressed in loose clothes, holding a book in which he describes the life of Jesus Christ, and a halo glows over his head…

For all creators of the Gospel, along with the common features of iconography – such as depicting them writing the Holy Scriptures, Luke the Evangelist had his own specifics – he was often depicted working on the icon of the Mother of God: Luke was represented sitting in front of an easel with the image of Mary… Next to him there were paints, and in the hands of the Evangelist – a brush…, for example might be taken the icon “The Evangelist Luke paints the icon of the Mother of God”, painted in Pskov in the 16th century…

Also on some icons, the Preacher is depicted with a staff in his hands – a biblical symbol showing that God blesses its owner for pastoral service.

There is also an icon of Luke the Apostle, on which the Saint is depicted in a white cassock with a panagia on his chest, sitting at a table during his scientific work. Sometimes a set of medical instruments were depicted next to Luka – an indication of his occupation (that he was a doctor).

As mentioned above, for a long time the Apostle lived in Greece in the city of Thebes, where he was martyred – he was hanged on an olive tree… at the age of 84… Moreover, what is interesting – the Almighty, who valued His disciple, during his funeral, sent a rain of healing kallurium (a medicinal lotion for eye disease) …

And what followed afterwards? – And afterwards miracles began to happen at his tomb – people were instantly healed of various ailments and diseases, and especially eye diseases…

Why especially eye diseases? – Well, obviously, firstly, because the Almighty always believed (according to theologians) that illness was the most serious problem of mankind, which led to the most terrible pain – i. e. despair, thereby destroying life itself, its image, its vision… If we approach the causes of vision problems and eye diseases metaphysically, that is, taking into account the subtle, mental, emotional, psychosomatic, subconscious, deep aspects… then eye diseases reflect an unwillingness to see, i.e. to live… The suffering person does not like what he sees or does not want to see it in his life, he experiences aggressive emotions such as hatred, sadness and anger; and these negative feelings accumulate in his soul… That is, his eyes see only negative events around him… He does not understand that he sees the bad side of everything only because he looks at the world through the prism of his aggressive emotions!

Secondly, the eyes symbolize the ability to see clearly the past, present and future, i.e. the sick person closes his eyes to the Truth… His pride and stubbornness make him ignore reality!

Thirdly, any disease signals loss of harmony, i. e. vision of integrity, consistency and natural connection of all parts and elements in the structure of any system, any organism, any organ; vision of coordination sometimes even between heterogeneous and opposite (conflicting) elements… Actually, vision of the harmony in the universe. Painting, like healing, restores this harmony! That is, painting and painters are supposed to make up for this failure in the system! Since painting is the most complicated art form: and not only thanks to color, or rather to chromatic tones, but also thanks to achromatic tonal values (contrasts and nuances between light and dark), chiaroscuro gradations, graphic means (lines, silhouettes), and even the texture of a paint layer… It is the art of painting, which due to such a variety of means is closely connected with picturesqueness and clarity of the image, which gives the most complete idea of ​​the form and space in the universe at large.

Who, if not a painter (and Saint Luke was a true painter!), reveals to the world all its beauty, harmony and the energy of life, expressed through pulsating colors…

As to the eyes and eye diseases… There are some ways out:

• – to cleanse thoughts, and the world will become better;
• – to create such a world, which it will be nice to look at;
• – to develop mindfulness, because it contributes to the development of visual acuity (inattention, as well as excessively intense concentration can lead to a decrease in visual acuity);
• – to develop the aesthetics of one’s character, which will certainly make it possible to stabilize the functions of the organ of vision (bad taste, as well as pickiness and scrupulousness can lead to a decrease in visual efficiency);
• – to remember that positive thoughts increase the immunity of the organ of vision (negative thoughts reduce immunity and may trigger inflammatory processes in the eyes; excessive enthusiasm also leads to immune disorders);
• – to remember that openness in character gives the ability to have a strong look (isolation contributes to a decrease in the power of the look, and excessive gullibility leads to anxiety in it).

That is the whole wisdom of life! These are the simple tricks for visual hygiene, which, of course, were familiar to Saint Luke, and therefore he became not only the Patron Saint of healers, but also artists and icon painters, for whom the main professional tool are eyes, which, as we know, are, as Mark Thulius Cicero said, the mirror of the soul!

By the way, the miracles performed by Saint Luke do not end even day, and this is proved by true stories of those who have been healed, which sometimes defy any logic, but these stories always tell us about strong faith and love… Therefore, we conclude that one must always believe and love everywhere, and especially in hopeless situations!

Moreover, no doubt, the Potion of the Danish Prince – a miraculous elixir of honesty and decency, is always used as a remedy to all diseases, sorrows and troubles. It completely expels cowardice from the human body strengthening courage, bravery, and bestowing good luck in love.

The relics of the Preacher were first buried in Thebes, but in 356, by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II, they were transported to Constantinople and laid under the throne of the Basilica of the Holy Apostles. After the fall of Byzantium, the crusaders took the relics, and since 1177, they have been kept in the Basilica of Saint Justina in Padua, Italy. As early as 1354, the head of Saint Luke was given as a gift to the Czech king Charles IV, where since then it has been kept in Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle.

Interestingly enough, in the 19th century, M. L.Lalanne, a French archaeologist, and J. O. de Plancy, a French writer, counted 8 bodies and 9 heads located in different places, which were presented as the relics of Luke the Apostle. That is why in 1998 the sarcophagus with the alleged relics of Luke the Apostle in the Basilica of Saint Justina was opened to establish authenticity. The Scientific Commission, which had been dealing with that issue for two years, at the International Conference held in Padua in 2000, announced the results of their research. According to the conclusion of that highly authoritative scientific commission, there was not a slightest argument against the fact that the examined relics belonged specifically to Luke the Apostle.

We may address Saint Luke asking Him to:

• strengthen oneself in faith (by the way, even the smallest apostasy is a form of betrayal, and betrayal occupies the main place in the hierarchy of abominations of a person. For example, Dante placed it at the very bottom of hell, in the ninth circle, and it is there, where Judas, Brutus and Cassius are suffering…);

• increase mental strength;

• help in matters of spiritual education;

• help in understanding any literature related to the enlightenment of the mind and spirit;

• help in acquiring legal knowledge;

• help in the practical activities of lawyers; (after all, Luke the Apostle was also a lawyer, and, apparently, an outstanding one… – brilliant people are brilliant in everything!);

In the Russian Orthodox Church Saint Luke the Evangelist’s feast days are:

• • May 5 (April 22 old style);
• • October 31 (October 18, old style);
• • January 4 (17 old style) on the Day of the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles.