1

I've heard that it is Catholic tradition that Luke interviewed Mary for his gospel. This is also portrayed in the popular show, The Chosen.

Luke 1:1-4 NKJV

1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

Do Luke’s eye witnesses include Mary?

I don't know of any external evidence for this claim, but, is there any internal evidence for the claim?

Jason_
  • 3,944
  • 8
  • 31
  • 1
    We are not told so we do not know. However, it is entirely possible that this occurred, among other people he interviewed. – Dottard Feb 23 '24 at 04:07
  • @Dottard Perhaps this is too opinion based. In which case I'm totally willing to remove it. I was more curious if there was internal evidence for the claim rather than if it clearly said so. – Jason_ Feb 23 '24 at 08:59
  • 1
    I would be amazed if Luke had not interviewed Mary. However, we do not know and have no way of finding out. – Dottard Feb 23 '24 at 09:55
  • @Dottard Do you think there is a way I can phrase this to be less opinion oriented? – Jason_ Feb 23 '24 at 09:59
  • 1
    One approach may be to estimate that if Luke wrote his Gospel before about 60 AD, Mary may have been at least 80 years old (if Christ was born in 5 BC) which appears a stretch. However, perhaps Luke started his research well before this time before Mary died. But we do not know when Mary died. – Dottard Feb 23 '24 at 10:08
  • 1
    Further, we do not know exactly how Luke conducted his research - did he (a) conduct interviews, (b) research documents at the time, (c) both of the above (d) use inspiration of the Holy Spirit, etc. He does not say so we do not know. – Dottard Feb 23 '24 at 10:11
  • See also https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/75540/when-was-the-gospel-of-luke-written – Dottard Feb 23 '24 at 10:14

3 Answers3

6

This is a very common view, though it is not explicitly stated in Luke's Gospel.

If we consider Luke a reliable historian (see my work here arguing that he is), then it is almost certain that he had a source within Mary & Joseph's family. If we assume that most or all of Luke's nativity account is both fabricated & anonymous (such an assumption, though popular in some places, presupposes naturalism and must discard much historical evidence to do so) then the question is moot.

This post will consider Luke to be a reliable historian.

--

Highly-specific reporting

There are a number of details in the first 2 chapters of Luke that would only be known by a handful of people directly involved, including:

  • The discussion between the angel Gabriel and Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
  • Specific details from Mary's visit to Elisabeth (Luke 1:39-45)
  • Mary's psalm (Luke 1:46-55)
  • The encounter with Simeon in the temple (Luke 2:25-35)
  • The encounter with Anna in the temple (Luke 2:36-38)

And although Luke points out occasions when people broadcast events in the surrounding area (e.g. the shepherds in Luke 2:17), he contrasts this with Mary who "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart" (see Luke 2:19).

Several of these events are related with highly-specific details, and most of the individuals involved (e.g. Zacharias, Elisabeth, Simeon, Anna, even Joseph) would have been deceased long before Luke conducted his research. The common thread in all of them is the person of Mary, who would have been able to provide these details and was still living after Easter (for arguments that both Luke & Acts were written within a generation of Easter see Stack Exchange posts here and here).

--

Second hand

If Mary told family members (such as James the Lord's brother, about whom Luke writes a great deal in Acts), then Luke may have obtained personal information from a family member who heard it directly from Mary, making Luke's report second-hand.

--

First hand

If we take this statement literally:

those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us

Then a report from James on events at which James wasn't present wouldn't be in scope, and Mary would be far and away the most likely source for Luke's writings on personal events in Mary's life. This would make Luke's report firsthand.

In fact, it is curious that while Matthew relates the experiences of Joseph prior to the nativity, Luke does not--Luke relates the experiences of Mary. Although it is not proof, it supports the firsthand argument. Luke apparently didn't meet Joseph (John 19:26-27 indicates Joseph has died prior to the crucifixion, Luke 1:2 implies Luke wasn't an eyewitness of Jesus' ministry--if he joined the movement after the crucifixion then he didn't meet Joseph), so he didn't have Joseph's eyewitness testimony and didn't report it.

--

Conclusion

Did Luke only report information he received from primary sources? We cannot be 100% certain, but if we take him literally at his word, the answer would be yes, and the eyewitness for much of Luke chapters 1 & 2 would almost certainly be Mary.

Hold To The Rod
  • 17,456
  • 2
  • 30
  • 92
  • 1
    All of what you have said here speaks to a well rounded appreciation of Luke. I can certainly go with your conclusion. + 1. – Olde English Feb 23 '24 at 09:16
  • 1 - I don't entirely agree with your conclusion but I appreciate a your well-reasoned argument. The reason I don't entirely agree is that I think Luke did use eyewitnesses whenever he could but he does not claim to use them exclusively. IMO he could have used not only second hand accounts (from people who listened to Mary) but also stories circulating in the church at the time of his writing. He was a reliable historian by the standards of his time, but his account would not pass muster as even a master's thesis in a history faculty today.
    • – Dan Fefferman Feb 23 '24 at 15:50
  • 1
    @DanFefferman thanks. I doubt even heavyweights like Herodotus, Thucydides, Appian, or Dio Cassius would pass muster as a master's thesis today. – Hold To The Rod Feb 24 '24 at 02:12
  • +1. I enjoyed learning from you here. I appreciate the well ordered answer! – Jason_ Feb 24 '24 at 18:49