Was Luke, the evangelist, a Greek, as thought in the church for centuries? Or was he a Jew, just like the other authors of the New Testament? The answer to this question is rather important for the interpretation of his two books: his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Did he mean to write a contemporary historiography with a message? Or are they a Jewish manual for life perhaps?

The author presents a thorough exegesis of both Luke’s books. His starting point is the proposition that they are a certain form of Midrash, i.e. themes from the Hebrew Bible that were used to explain and clarify the problems Luke's contemporaries came across in their daily lives. The author pays ample attention to Luke’s language and style, his literary method, his aim and his audience, the historical and political circumstances, Luke’s situation among the Jewish groups of the first century like the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Zealots. Also his attitude towards the non-Jews and especially towards the Romans come up for discussion.

An important conclusion of the author is that Luke didn’t write the first churchhistory, but an argumentation on his messianic strategy to liberate Israel from the Roman suppression. 

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