Luke begins his account using the Greek word ἐγένετο, which means, And it came to pass or It happened in those days. Some scholars have tried to find special significance in this word but its common use by Luke argues against this. (He uses it sixty-nine times in Luke and fifty-four times in Acts.)

Luke also says that his account begins in the days of Herod, that is, in the time of King Herod the Great who reigned as a Roman vassal over Israel from 37 to 4 BC. Herod’s domain included Samaria, Galilee, Perea, and much of Syria. He was not a Jew but an Idumean. He was known as a ruthless and bloodthirsty ruler, as well as a builder of many monuments, theatres, and altars. He also started to rebuild the temple in 20 BC but it was not finished until sixty-eight years after his death.

Luke’s almost immediate focus is on a priest called Zechariah who was of the eighth division of Abijah (1 Chronicles 24:10). Since the days of David, the priesthood had been organized into twenty-four divisions, and Abijah was one of the heads of the priestly families. Elizabeth was also of priestly descent, being from the daughters of Aaron.