100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
18. Paul Quotes Luke – Evidence for an Early Writing of the Gospel
In 1 Timothy 5:18 Paul states,
“For the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.”
The first quote is taken from Deuteronomy 25:4. The second appears nowhere else in the Bible but Luke 10:7, which is a direct quote from Jesus. The implication here is that in order for Paul to quote from Luke, Luke’s Gospel had to have already been written. Whether we accept the traditional date of Paul’s death (AD 62) A or a later date (AD 68) B, this quotation certainly leads one to suspect that Luke’s account was written within about 30 years of the events it describes. Moreover, it shows that Luke’s Gospel was already being regarded as inspired literature.
18. Paul Quotes Luke – Evidence for an Early Writing of the Gospel - Notes and References
A. “After Jesus: The Triumph of Christianity”, Reader’s Digest Association Inc., 1992, p. 10
Craig L. Bloomberg, PH.D., interview with Lee Strobel, “The Case for Christ”, Zondervan, 1998, p. 33
B. Sir William Ramsey, “St. Paul the Traveler and Roman Citizen”, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1962
“Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible”, James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D., revised by John R. Kohlenberger III and James A. Swanson, Zondervan, 2001, p. 1736