Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
•Purpose for which the Gospel was written.—The evangelist professes to write that Theophilus
“might know the certainty of those things wherein he had been instructed.” ch, (Luke 1:4) This
Theophilus was probably a native of Italy and perhaps an inhabitant of Rome, in tracing St. Paul’s
journey to Rome, places which an Italian might be supposed not to know are described minutely,
(Acts 27:8,12,16) but when he comes to Sicily and Italy this is neglected. Hence it would appear
that the person for whom Luke wrote in the first instance was a Gentile reader; and accordingly
we find traces in the Gospel of a leaning toward Gentile rather than Jewish converts.
•Language and style of the Gospel.—It has never been doubted that the Gospel was written in
Greek, whilst Hebraisms are frequent, classical idioms and Greek compound words abound, for
which there is classical authority. (Prof. Gregory, in “Why Four Gospels” says that Luke wrote
for Greek readers, and therefore the character and needs of the Greeks furnish the key to this
Gospel. The Greek was the representation of reason and humanity. He looked upon himself as
having the mission of perfecting man. He was intellectual, cultured, not without hope of a higher
world. Luke’s Gospel therefore represented the character and career of Christ as answering the
conception of a perfect and divine humanity. Reason, beauty righteousness and truth are exhibited
as they meet in Jesus in their full splendor. Jesus was the Saviour of all men, redeeming them to
a perfect and cultured manhood.—ED.)
Lunatics
(from the Latin Luna, the moon, because insane persons, especially those who had lucid intervals,
were once supposed to be affected by the changes of the moon). This word is used twice in the
New Testament— (Matthew 4:24; 17:15) Translated epileptic in the Revised Version.) It is evident
that the word itself refers to same disease affecting both the body and the mind, which might or
might not be a sign of possession By the description of (Mark 9:17-26) it is concluded that this
disease was epilepsy.
Luz
(almond tree). It seems impossible to discover with precision whether Luz and Bethel represent
one and the same town—the former the Canannite, the latter the Hebrew, name—or whether they
were distinct places, though in close proximity. The most probable conclusion is that the two places
were, during the times preceding the conquest, distinct, Luz being the city and Bethel the pillar and
altar of Jacob that after the destruction of Luz by the tribe of Ephraim the town of Bethel arose.
When the original Luz was destroyed, through the treachery of one of its inhabitants, the man who
had introduced the Israelites into the town went into the “land of the Hittites” and built a city which
he named after the former one. (Judges 1:28) Its situation, as well as that of the land of the Hittites,”
has never been discovered, and is one of the favorable puzzles of Scripture geographers.
Lycaonia
(land of Lycanon, or wolf land), a district of Asia Minor. From what is said in (Acts 14:11) of
“the speech of Lycaonia,” it is evident that the inhabitants of the district, in St. Paul’s day, spoke
something very different from ordinary Greek. Whether the language was some Syrian dialect or
a corrupt form of Greek has been much debated. The fact that the Lycaonians were similar with
the Greek mythology is consistent with either supposition. Lycaonia is for the most part a dreary
plain, bare of trees, destitute of fresh water, and with several salt lakes. (It was about 20 miles long
from east to west, and 13 miles wide. “Cappadocia is on the east, Galatia on the north, Phrygia on
the west and Cilicia on the south “Among its chief cities are Derbe, Lystra and Iconium.—ED.)
After the provincial system of Rome had embraced the whole of Asia Minor, the boundaries of the
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William Smith