Book excerpt: We know relatively little about St. Luke the Evangelist: that he was a Syrian of Antioch, a physician by profession, a disciple of the apostles of Jesus, and a follower of St. Paul on several of the latter's journeys. Looking closely at the third Gospel and at the Acts of the Apostles, as well as texts about ancient medicine, medical training, and the influence of Luke on subsequent writers and artists, we can begin to flesh out more details about his life. This book uses illustrations to better explain Luke's time and his later influence on many who followed him.