Similarly the gospel of Luke was not seen by Paul. This is true for two reasons:

 1.         Firstly because the findings of the modem Protestant scholars are that Luke wrote his gospel in 63 AD in Achaias. It is established that Paul was released from prison in 63 AD. After that nothing is known about him up to his death but it is most probable that he went to Spain in the West and not towards the Churches of the East, and Achaias is one of the Eastern cities. Most possibly Luke had sent his gospel to Theophilus who was indeed the real cause of writing it. The author of Murshid-u-Talibeen wrote on page 161 of volume two, printed in 1840, discussing the history of Luke:

 As Luke [1] did not write anything related to Paul after his release from prison, we know nothing about his travels from his release to his death.

          Gardner said in his Commentaries printed 1728 vol. 5, p. 350:

           Now we want to write about the life of the disciple, from his release to his death, but we are not helped by Luke in this regard. However we do find some traces in other books of the modem time. The ancient writers do not help. We find great dispute over the question of where Paul went after his release.

           In the light of the above, the contention of some of modem scholars that he went to the Churches of the East after his release is not proved. He said in his epistle to the Romans 15:23,24:

           But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you; for I trust to see you in my journey…

           It is quite explicit from the above statement of their apostle that he had an intention to go to Spain, and at the same time we know that he never went to Spain before his imprisonment. It is therefore, quite logical that he might have gone to Spain after his release, because we do not see any reason for him to have abandoned his intention to travel to Spain. It appears in the Book of Acts 20:25:

           And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

           This statement also indicates that he had no intention to visit the Churches of the East. Clement, the Bishop of Rome, said in his letter:

           Paul, in order to unveil the truth to the world, went to the end of the West and then reached the sacred p1ace (i.e. died).”

           This too obviously implies that he went towards the West and not to the East before his death.

            Lardner first reproduced the statement of Irenaeus as follows:

           Luke, the servant of Paul, wrote in a book the tidings that Paul had preached in his sermon.

 He further said:

           The context of the description indicates that this (Luke's writing the gospel) happened after Mark had written his gospel, that is, after the death of Peter and Paul.

           On the grounds of this statement it is physically impossible for Paul to have seen the gospel of Luke. Besides, even if we assume that Paul saw this gospel, it does not prove and thing because we do not consider him to have been inspired by God and a statement made by an uninspired person could not achieve the status of inspiration simply by the fact of Paul having seen it.

 

[1]That is, in the Book of Acts, which is considered to be written by Luke.