Theophilus

Theophilus is mentioned twice in the New Testament, both in Luke's writings, Lk 1:3 and Acts 1:1. Luke tells us nothing about him. Conjectures abound, though. Luke greets him with great politeness; "most worthy" was a form of polite address for nobility. Theophilus may, therefore, have been a high official in Caesar's court or administration. It is certain that he was someone Luke was keen who should hear the truth of the gospel and, hopefully, make a decision for Christ if he had not already done so. It may be significant that the verb Luke used to speak of Theophilus having been 'taught,' katecheo is the verb used for the instruction of new believers (Acts 18:25; 1 Cor 14:19; Gal 6:6), from which also is derived the English word 'cathechism.' This suggests he was being prepared for baptism. That Luke should take the trouble to write not one, but two accounts of the great transformative events about all that Jesus had with his band of disciples suggests that he was someone highly important in Luke's view. Beyond this we cannot safely go, though some commentators have suggested that Theophilus—which means "lover of God"—may be a made-up moniker for "God-fearers" who were attracted to the Jewish religion and to whom Luke directed his Gospel in the hope of attracting them over to the Christian faith. The polite address, "most excellent," however, makes this suggestion improbable. It is perhaps the wiser option to accept Luke at face value and to recognize that, for reasons of his own, Luke thought it right not to say anything more about his friend than what we have. But, perhaps, it should also be noted that Theophilus was a very common name in Roman society from about the 3rd Cent BC onwards.

Read the entry in:

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Eaton's Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Further Reading & Resources:

Werner G. Marx, "A New Theophilus," The Evangelical Quarterly, 1 (1980): 17-26.
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