Rethinking Luke's Prologue, Part 10
What does Luke mean when he speaks of "eyewitnesses and servants of the word"? Is this a good translation? How else could it be rendered? Join me as I explore.
St. Louis area residents, I’ve been invited to speak about Luke’s prologue this coming Sunday (9:30 AM, June 28th, 2026), at Stonebridge Community Church in O’Fallon, Missouri.
According to Luke, at the time he set out to write his Gospel, many others had already “compiled narratives about the things fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered to us…” (Lk. 1:1-2). In this article, I’d like to focus your attention on the meaning of ὑπηρέτης, which is the Greek word translated above as “servants.”1 After my own investigation, however, I discovered that the word Luke chose has a more precise meaning, which helps to clarify the point he is making in the prologue. Below are several examples that help us to see how this word was used in other parts of the NT and by other writers of the period.
An Officer of the Court / Prison Guard
“The judge may deliver you to the officer, and you may be thrown in prison” (Mt. 5:25). Josephus used the word in this sense when he recorded that judges should have “two officers allotted to him out of the tribe of Levi” (Ant. 4:214). Some English versions frequently render ὑπηρέτης as “guard,” rather than “officer.”
Officers of the High Priest / Temple Guards
Numerous passages speak of officers of the chief priests (Mt. 26:58, Mk. 14:54, Jn. 7:32, 45-46, 18:3, 12, 18, 22, 19:6), and according to Acts 5:24-26, the captain of the temple also had officers under his command.
The Synagogue Official in Charge of the Scrolls
“Jesus rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant” (Lk 4:20). According to Luke, the word ὑπηρέτης was used to refer to the official entrusted with the care of the sacred scrolls. This individual would have served under the authority of the ἀρχισυνάγωγος, i.e., “the ruler of the synagogue” (cf. Mk. 5:36-38, Lk. 8:41, 13:14, Acts 18:8, 17).
Officials Appointed by the Priests to Guard the Holy Vessels
According to Josephus, “every priest, and ὑπηρέτης of God, brought out the holy vessels, and the ornamental garments wherein they used to minister in sacred things.” This is a clear reference to the Levites who were called to assist the priests (Num. 8:19), and in this passage Josephus goes on to say that they were specifically called to “preserve (φυλάξαι guard) the holy ornaments” (Josephus, War 2:321).
The King’s Men
In the four places that ὑπηρέτης appears in the Greek Septuagint, the word refers to men who serve under the authority of a king (cf. Prov. 14:35, Is. 32:5, Dan. 3:46, Wis. 6:4). In fact, the selection below from The Book of Wisdom, which is part of the Apocrypha, is particularly illuminating:
Hear therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations. For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Highest, who shall try your works, and search out your counsels. Because, being ministers (ὑπηρέτας) of his kingdom, ye have not judged aright, nor kept the law, nor walked after the counsel of God… (Wis. 6:1-4).
In this passage, God is presented as the high king of heaven, and those who serve under him are earthly kings, judges, and rulers of the nations. Since the ordinary word for servant (δοῦλος) occurs over 300 times in the Septuagint, this is a good sign that ὑπηρέτης should be understood more narrowly. As we’ve seen, this less common word refers more specifically to those called to serve as various kinds of officers or guardians, such as:
• Men appointed by a judge to serve as prison guards
• Levites appointed by the priests to guard the sacred vessels
• Officers appointed to guard the high priest and his estate
• Men appointed by a synagogue ruler to keep/guard the sacred scrolls
• Officials appointed by kings and magistrates
• Men appointed by God to serve as judges, kings, and rulers
In light of these examples, let’s now take a look at the way the word ὑπηρέτης is used in the NT to describe the followers of Jesus. In John 18:36, Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest…” Given the militaristic context of this sentence, I believe it makes better sense to translate ὑπηρέτης as “officers” rather than “servants,” since the former is a more appropriate term for those called to fight on behalf of a king.
Another relevant text is Acts 26:16, in which Paul describes his experience on the road to Damascus. In this verse, he says that Jesus appointed him to be “a servant (ὑπηρέτης) and witness…” (Acts 26:16). Note the similarities between this language and Luke’s reference in the prologue to “eyewitnesses and servants.” In both cases, the word ὑπηρέτης is used, rather than the typical word for servant (δοῦλος). Therefore, in light of the similar wording, perhaps in his prologue, Luke should be understood as referring to Jesus’ official representatives (which included many more than twelve).2 In other words, when Luke described “those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and officers of the word,” perhaps he was making clear to the readers of his day that he was specifically referring to the official guardians of Jesus’ message.3
A similar phrase is found in 1 Corinthians 4:1, where Paul described himself and the other apostles as “Christ’s officers (ὑπηρέτας), and stewards (οἰκονόμους) of God’s mysteries.” Unfortunately, today the English word “steward” suggests a role similar to that of a butler, but the Greek word οἰκονόμος refers to the administrator of an estate or a public treasurer. Therefore, when both terms are viewed in the light of Christ’s kingship, it seems clear that the apostles are to be viewed as Christ’s royal ambassadors whose primary task was to deliver a message.4 In fact, Luke says in verse 2 that the eyewitnesses and guardians “delivered (παραδίδωμι) these things to us.”5
According to Luke, many in his day had already written narratives about Jesus. Why? Because they had been specifically commissioned to do this sort of thing. In John 15:26-27, Jesus told his followers that they would “bear witness” of him because they had “been with [him] from the beginning.” Toward the end of his Gospel, John says, “This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things,” which is a clear indication that he was claiming to be one of the witnesses who had been with Jesus at the very start of his ministry.6
It’s clear that Jesus frequently called his followers to serve as his witnesses (Mt. 10:18, Mk. 13:9, Lk. 21:13, 24:48, Acts 1:8, 23:11, 26:16), but what many seem to have overlooked is the fact that Jesus also referred to his disciples as scribes who were being “trained for the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 13:52). In fact, ten chapters later he rebuked the official scribes of Israel, and hinted that he had recently commissioned new scribes of his own: “Therefore I send (ἀποστέλλω)7 you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth…” (Mt. 23:34-35).
When Jesus warned his disciples about these sorts of things, according to Luke, he specifically told them, “This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Lk. 21:13). And since he promised to send scribes, this seems to be a clear indication that at least some of his followers had been appointed to write these things down, which is precicely what Luke claims took place (Lk 1:1-2) before he decided to write his own narrative to the most excellent Theophilus (Lk 1:3).8
For earlier parts of this series, use the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, and Part 9. To get a pre-release PDF of Shane’s book, Luke’s Key Witness, click here, and to watch Shane’s webinar, Rethinking Luke’s Prologue, click here.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Things Completely Fulfilled Among Us, Shane Rosenthal
His Excellency, The High Priest, Shane Rosenthal
The Implications of 70 AD on the Date of the Gospels & Acts, Shane Rosenthal
A Pre-70 Date for the Gospels & Acts, Shane Rosenthal
Outside the Gospels, What Can We Really Know About Jesus?, Shane Rosenthal
Is Luke a Trustworthy Historian?, Sir William Ramsay
Can We Trust Luke’s History of the Early Jesus Movement? Shane Rosenthal
On Faith & History, Shane Rosenthal
AUDIO
Who is Theophilus? Humble Skeptic #79 with Peter. Bolt
Luke, Theophilus & Joanna, Humble Skeptic #80 with Jim Sibley
A Forensic Approach to the Gospels, Humble Skeptic #81 with J. Warner Wallace
Why The Gospel Holds Up as History, Faith Lab with Craig Keener
Did Josephus Ever Mention Jesus? #77 with T.C. Schmidt
Jesus in Josephus & Other Ancient Texts, #78 with T.C. Schmidt
Lazarus, Humble Skeptic #84 with Richard Bauckham & T.C. Schmidt
VIDEO
Rethinking Luke’s Prologue: A Webinar by Shane Rosenthal for Paid Subscribers
Some versions translate the word ὑπηρέτης as “servants,” while others use the word “ministers.”
See Mt. 10:40, Lk. 6:12, 10:1, 16, Jn. 13:20, Acts 1:21-22, 1Cor 15:4-7.
To use a modern phrase, perhaps the guardians of the word were the ones entrusted with Jesus’ “authorized biography.”
Paul specifically uses the word ambassador (πρεσβεύω) in 2 Corinthians 5:20 and Ephesians 6:20, which fits extremely well with the proposal I am making in this essay.
Many higher critics over the centuries have argued that the word παραδίδωμι refers to the handing down of tradition from one generation to the next. However, the Greek word above is the same one that appears in Matt. 27:2 which says, “And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate, the governor.” As far as I can tell, this happened fairly quickly and not over the course of a generation.
I discuss this in more detail in my essay, “The Identity of the Beloved Disciple.”
The verb ἀποστέλλω is present active indicative. He’s not saying that one day off in the distant future he will send, but rather, “I am sending…”
Cf. Ex. 17:14, Dt. 31:19, Is. 30:8, Jer, 30:2, Ezk. 24:2, Jn 21:24, Acts 15:22-29, Jude 3, Rev 1:11.