Luke 1:5-56

5 fuit in diebus Herodis regis Iudaeae sacerdos quidam nomine Zaccharias de vice Abia et uxor illi de filiabus Aaron et nomen eius Elisabeth

6 erant autem iusti ambo ante Deum incedentes in omnibus mandatis et iustificationibus Domini sine querella

7 et non erat illis filius eo quod esset Elisabeth sterilis et ambo processissent in diebus suis

8 factum est autem cum sacerdotio fungeretur in ordine vicis suae ante Deum

9 secundum consuetudinem sacerdotii sorte exiit ut incensum poneret ingressus in templum Domini

10 et omnis multitudo erat populi orans foris hora incensi

11 apparuit autem illi angelus Domini stans a dextris altaris incensi

12 et Zaccharias turbatus est videns et timor inruit super eum

13 ait autem ad illum angelus ne timeas Zaccharia quoniam exaudita est deprecatio tua et uxor tua Elisabeth pariet tibi filium et vocabis nomen eius Iohannem

14 et erit gaudium tibi et exultatio et multi in nativitate eius gaudebunt

15 erit enim magnus coram Domino et vinum et sicera non bibet et Spiritu Sancto replebitur adhuc ex utero matris suae

16 et multos filiorum Israhel convertet ad Dominum Deum ipsorum

17 et ipse praecedet ante illum in spiritu et virtute Heliae ut convertat corda patrum in filios et incredibiles ad prudentiam iustorum parare Domino plebem perfectam

18 et dixit Zaccharias ad angelum unde hoc sciam ego enim sum senex et uxor mea processit in diebus suis

19 et respondens angelus dixit ei ego sum Gabrihel qui adsto ante Deum et missus sum loqui ad te et haec tibi evangelizare

20 et ecce eris tacens et non poteris loqui usque in diem quo haec fiant pro eo quod non credidisti verbis meis quae implebuntur in tempore suo

21 et erat plebs expectans Zacchariam et mirabantur quod tardaret ipse in templo

22 egressus autem non poterat loqui ad illos et cognoverunt quod visionem vidisset in templo et ipse erat innuens illis et permansit mutus

23 et factum est ut impleti sunt dies officii eius abiit in domum suam

24 post hos autem dies concepit Elisabeth uxor eius et occultabat se mensibus quinque dicens

25 quia sic mihi fecit Dominus in diebus quibus respexit auferre obprobrium meum inter homines

26 in mense autem sexto missus est angelus Gabrihel a Deo in civitatem Galilaeae cui nomen Nazareth

27 ad virginem desponsatam viro cui nomen erat Ioseph de domo David et nomen virginis Maria

28 et ingressus angelus ad eam dixit have gratia plena Dominus tecum benedicta tu in mulieribus

29 quae cum vidisset turbata est in sermone eius et cogitabat qualis esset ista salutatio

30 et ait angelus ei ne timeas Maria invenisti enim gratiam apud Deum

31 ecce concipies in utero et paries filium et vocabis nomen eius Iesum

32 hic erit magnus et Filius Altissimi vocabitur et dabit illi Dominus Deus sedem David patris eius

33 et regnabit in domo Iacob in aeternum et regni eius non erit finis

34 dixit autem Maria ad angelum quomodo fiet istud quoniam virum non cognosco

35 et respondens angelus dixit ei Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi ideoque et quod nascetur sanctum vocabitur Filius Dei

36 et ecce Elisabeth cognata tua et ipsa concepit filium in senecta sua et hic mensis est sextus illi quae vocatur sterilis

37 quia non erit inpossibile apud Deum omne verbum

38 dixit autem Maria ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum et discessit ab illa angelus

39 exsurgens autem Maria in diebus illis abiit in montana cum festinatione in civitatem Iuda

40 et intravit in domum Zacchariae et salutavit Elisabeth

41 et factum est ut audivit salutationem Mariae Elisabeth exultavit infans in utero eius et repleta est Spiritu Sancto Elisabeth

42 et exclamavit voce magna et dixit benedicta tu inter mulieres et benedictus fructus ventris tui

43 et unde hoc mihi ut veniat mater Domini mei ad me

44 ecce enim ut facta est vox salutationis tuae in auribus meis exultavit in gaudio infans in utero meo

45 et beata quae credidit quoniam perficientur ea quae dicta sunt ei a Domino

46 et ait Maria magnificat anima mea Dominum

47 et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo

48 quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes

49 quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est et sanctum nomen eius

50 et misericordia eius in progenies et progenies timentibus eum

51 fecit potentiam in brachio suo dispersit superbos mente cordis sui

52 deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles

53 esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes

54 suscepit Israhel puerum suum memorari misericordiae

55 sicut locutus est ad patres nostros Abraham et semini eius in saecula

56 mansit autem Maria cum illa quasi mensibus tribus et reversa est in domum suam

Luke 1:5-56 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LUKE

The writer of this Gospel, Luke, has been, by some, thought, as Origen {a} relates, to be the same with Lucius, mentioned in Ro 16:21, but he seems rather to be, and without doubt is, Luke the beloved physician, who was a companion of the Apostle Paul in great part of his travels in the Gentile world: he came with him to Jerusalem, and from thence accompanied him to Rome, and continued with him when in prison, and was with him to the last; see Ac 16:10,11 \Col 4:14 2Ti 4:11 Phm 1:24\. Jerom {b}, and others, say, he was a physician of Antioch in Syria; where it may be the Apostle Paul met with him, and might be the happy instrument of his conversion; so that he seems to be, by nation, a Syrian, as Jerom {c} calls him. Grotius thinks his name is Roman, and that it is the contraction of Lucilius. It is not an Hebrew name, but might be in common use in Syria; for though the Jews reckon owqwl, "Lukus", among foreign names, yet say {d} a it was a very illustrious one, and well known to them, as it may well be thought to be if Syriac, the language being spoke by them: and many Jews lived in Syria, and particularly in Antioch. Some say that this Gospel was written by the advice, and assistance, and under the direction of the Apostle Paul, as the Gospel according to Mark was by that of Peter; though the following preface does not seem so well to accord with this. Eusebius says {e} that it was the sense of the ancients, that whenever the Apostle Paul makes mention of his Gospel, he intends this according to Luke. The time of the writing of it is not certain; some say it was written in the fifteenth year after the ascension of our Lord; others in the twenty second; and others in the twenty seventh. It is commonly thought to have been written after the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, according to the order in which it stands; but this is rejected by some learned men, who rather think that Luke wrote first of all: and indeed, there are some things in his preface which look as if there had not, as yet, been any authentic account published, at least which was come to the knowledge of this evangelist. The place where he wrote it is also uncertain. Jerom says {f}, he wrote it in the parts of Achaia, perhaps at Corinth: according to the titles prefixed to the Syriac and Persic versions, he wrote it in Alexandria: the former of these runs thus;

``the Gospel of Luke, the Evangelist, which he spake and published in Greek in Alexandria the great.''

And the latter thus;

``the Gospel of Luke, which he wrote in the Greek tongue in Alexandria of Egypt.''

However, it is agreed on all hands, that it is genuine, and of divine inspiration. Eusebius {g} relates, that it was affirmed by some, that this Gospel, together with those of Matthew and Mark, were brought to the Apostle John, who approved of them, and bore witness to the truth in them.

{a} In Rom. xvi. 21. {b} Catalog. Script. Eccles. sect. 17. fol. 91. Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 4. {c} Praefat in Luc. {d} T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 11. 2. & Gloss. in ib. {e} Ubi supra. (Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 39.) {f} Praefat in Luc. {g} Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 24.