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18th century Icon Russian Orthodox Today, 18 October is the feast of Luke the Evangelist. He is also known as St Luke. Are you marking this day?  If so, how? Here are 5 ways to celebrate Luke's Day: 1. Celebrate St Luke with food. St Luke by Pordenone Some people like to eat beef of St Luke's Day. That is because of the tradition that since early Christianity Luke's Gospel (and its writer) has been identified with the winged bull or ox, one of the 4 living creatures around God's throne, described in John's vision in Revelation. 2. Celebrate St Luke with reading Tradition attributes the Gospel of Luke and its sequel the Acts of the Apostles to Luke the physician and evangelist companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys. Reading at least some of those books would be a fitting way to honour him. Luke's message is the message of Jesus - good news for all people, including people seen by others as outsiders. That me...

Was Luke the Evangelist also an artist? The detail image shown above is from a stained glass window in Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral. It is in the Chapel of Laurence O'Toole and shows St Luke drawing or painting. It was created by Patrick Pollen in memory of his teacher Catherine O'Brien who died in 1963. Some people venerate St Luke as the patron saint of artists. This is because of a Christian tradition from the 8th century onward that Luke painted the first Icons of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. There are legends supporting this idea and paintings showing Luke painting the Madonna and Child, for example this anonymous Russian icon. Was Luke an artist? There are icons of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child whose origins are attributed to Luke. You can even find a catalogue of them here . Personally, I am highly sceptical that many or any can be traced back to Luke. The historical evidence is slim to say the least. So, I do not know if Luke created any paintin...