<P> The authorship of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, collectively known as Luke--Acts, is an important issue for biblical exegetes who are attempting to produce critical scholarship on the origins of the New Testament . Traditionally, the text is believed to have been written by Luke the companion of Paul (named in Colossians 4: 14). However, the earliest manuscripts are anonymous, and the traditional view has been challenged by many modern scholars . </P> <P> There is substantial evidence to indicate that the author of The Gospel of Luke also wrote the Book of Acts . These hypothetical connections are dependent upon repeating themes that both of these books share . The most direct evidence comes from the prefaces of each book . Both prefaces are addressed to Theophilus, the author's patron--and perhaps a label for a Christian community as a whole as the name means "Beloved of God". Furthermore, the preface of Acts explicitly references "my former book" about the life of Jesus--almost certainly the work we know as The Gospel of Luke . </P>

Who is the author of the book of luke in the bible