When was Luke written?

The Gospel of Luke proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah of Israel and the Savior and Lord of the whole world. The Gospel begins with the announcement of Jesus’ miraculous birth to Mary and concludes with His crucifixion, resurrection on the third day, and ascension into heaven. Luke’s account also includes detailed descriptions of Jesus’ teachings, parables, and miracles. Luke was likely written between AD 58 and 62.

Identifying the author and learning details about his life helps narrow the timeframe for when the Gospel of Luke was written. Luke’s introduction emphasizes his timely research: “I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning” (Luke 1:3). The book of Acts explicitly connects itself to the Gospel: “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1). So, the composition of both works must fall within the span of Luke’s lifetime and active ministry.

Although there is little biographical information about Luke in the Gospel, the book of Acts and three of Paul’s letters mention him. For instance, in Colossians 4:14, Paul refers to him as “our dear friend Luke, the doctor.” Then in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul mentions that “only Luke is with me.” And in Philemon 1:24, Paul includes Luke in his final greeting, calling him “my fellow worker.” These references to Luke as Paul’s co-worker, especially during his imprisonments, help estimate when Luke lived and wrote the Gospel named for him.

In addition, since Acts is the sequel to the Gospel of Luke, Luke would have been written first. Many scholars date Acts to AD 60—62 partly because it ends abruptly with Paul still alive and under house arrest in Rome. This supports a date for the Gospel of Luke in the late 50s or early 60s. This means that Luke’s account was written close enough to the events that many who had personally seen and heard Jesus were still alive.

Furthermore, like Matthew and Mark, the Gospel of Luke does not mention the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, suggesting that all three of those Gospels were written before that tragedy occurred. In fact, Jesus had predicted this judgment (Luke 19:43–44). Jesus also described Jerusalem’s siege (Luke 21:20–24). If Luke had written after the destruction, he likely would have noted its fulfillment, given his emphasis on historical and prophetic details.

The evidence for when the Gospel was written supports Luke’s reputation as a careful historian and adds credibility to his account of Jesus’ ministry. Luke 19:10 captures the heart of Jesus’ purpose: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Because the Gospel was written in the late 50s to early 60s, within the lifetime of eyewitnesses, readers can trust that Luke’s account reflects reliable testimony about Jesus.