Luke 1:2

The writer wanted to assure Theophilus (Luke 1:3) that the information that he and other writers had included in their accounts was valid. It had come from eyewitness testimony of people who accompanied Jesus from the beginning of His public ministry and who were servants of the word, namely, the gospel message. These people were the apostles and other eyewitnesses, such as Jesus’ mother (cf. Acts 10:39-42). Luke used the Greek word logos, "word," often in his Gospel, especially in the sections that are unique to it. [Note: See Lloyd Gaston, Horae Synopticae Electonicae; Word Statistics of the Synoptic Gospels, pp. 64, 76; and John C. Hawkins, Horae Synopticae; Contributions to the Study of the Synoptic Problem, pp. 20, 43.] Paul also claimed to communicate faithfully what others had "handed down" to him (1 Corinthians 11:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3). [Note: See Oscar Cullmann, The Early Church: Studies in Early Christian History and Theology, pp. 59-75.] This verse is a claim to careful research using reliable sources of information.