Saviour, who dids't healing give (St. Luke)

Today, October 18th is the Feast Day of St. Luke, Apostle and Evangelist.

Luke the Evangelist is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of canonical Gospels. The early church fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts of the Apostles. The authorship of The Gospel according to Luke and The Acts of the Apostles place Luke as having written a plurality of the New Testament, more even than Paul the Apostle.

The New Testament mentions Luke briefly a few times, and the Pauline epistle to the Colossians refers to him as a doctor; thus he is thought to have been both a physician and a disciple of Paul. Christians since the faith's early years have regarded him as a saint. He is believed to have been a martyr, reportedly as having been hanged in an olive tree.

The Roman Catholic Church and other major denominations venerate him as Saint Luke the Evangelist and as a patron saint of artists, physicians, surgeons, students and butchers.

The melody of this hymn was composed by Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen (1670-1739) was a theologian of the pietist Halle School and a scholar and follower of August Hermann Francke. He was the second director of the Franckenschen Stiftungen, a collection of schools for orphans.

He studied theology in Jena and in 1695 was his assistant in ministry at St. Ulrich's Church in Halle. At his death in 1739, he was priest of St. Ulrich and director of the orphanages and boarding schools.

Freylinghausen's significance lies with his administrative accomplishment for all of the districts of hymnology.

The score is attached as well as photos of Freylinghausen and St. Ulrich's Church. The church is now a concert hall, which, beautiful though it may be, and housing a fine organ, is still very depressing.

Many churches in the US share this fate. The only churches left are the "little" or "new" ones. The old grand and glorious ones are disappearing.