voluntary falsehood, and to correct the ignorance of others, and withal

to instruct all those who are desirous of knowing the truth ...'

(Against Apion. Book 1, section 1).

Luke could have received his message 'from above', but he can hardly be said

to have 'closely traced', 'gone over carefully', made 'careful investigation'

from above.  Anothen, like other words in the same class, operates both in

space and in time.  In space we can translate 'from above' and in time 'from

the beginning' and this is the evident intention of Luke here.  God can as

surely give infallible discernment when sifting evidence, as he can give the

subject matter direct.  'In sundry times and in divers manners' God spake to

the fathers by the prophets, and in Luke, as in John, 'divers manners' are

once again evident in these books of the New Testament.  The eye-witnesses

and ministers of the Word (Luke 1:2) include the apostles, and the

composition of the twelve was definitely limited to those who 'beginning from

the baptism of John, unto that same day that He was taken up' had companied

with the rest all the time covered by the Lord's earthly ministry (Acts

1:21,22; John 15:26,27):

'The apostles delivered these matters orally to the churches in their

teaching ... and others drew up accounts from catechetical

'Theophilus had then been orally instructed in the narratives which

form the subject of this Gospel: and Luke's intention in writing it is,

that he might have a more accurate knowledge of these histories'

The word translated 'certainty' in Luke 1:4 is the Greek asphaleia

elsewhere translated 'safety (Acts 5:23; 1 Thess. 5:3).  Asphales is the word

translated 'safe' in Philippians 3:1, and Luke seems to have the same idea.

To Luke, to speak the same things, indeed, was not grievous, but for

Theophilus and for us it is indeed 'safe'.  Other variants are asphalizo

'sure', 'fast' (Matt. 27:64,65,66; Acts 16:24) and asphalos 'safely',

'assuredly' (Mark 14:44; Acts 2:36; 16:23).  Sphallo, to supplant, to trip up

by the heels, does not occur in the New Testament.  The word used by Luke

translated 'certainty' has the primitive idea underneath it of safety,

security, steadiness, especially in connection with the thought of a

Such is the introduction written by Luke to this Gospel, and our

expectation of accuracy of detail, a systematic presentation of the truth,

and a consideration for 'order' is not disappointed by a study of the record

that follows.

The close conformity of Luke's opening words to current usage lends

weight to the translation 'having closely traced' from the beginning the

things which eye-witnesses and ministers of the Word had testified.  Luke now

proceeds to give 'in order', not especially chronological, but an order

following some preconceived plan, an account of those things in which

Theophilus had been 'catechized', so that he may be assured of their

certainty and of their truth.  Matthew opens his Gospel with a genealogy that

commences with Abraham.  John has no genealogy, for he takes us back to the

period covered by Genesis 1:1 'In the beginning'.  Mark opens with the

beginning of the Gospel by introducing the public ministry of John the