Theophilus

Theophilus

Man living at the time of the New Testament

Theophilus was the recipient of Luke's Gospel and the Book of Acts, likely a Christian of high social standing.

Theophilus is mentioned in Luk.1.3 and Act.1.1 as the recipient of these two books written by Luke. He is addressed as "most excellent Theophilus," indicating a person of high social or political standing, possibly a Roman official or a wealthy benefactor of the church. Luke states that he wrote his Gospel to provide Theophilus with an orderly account of the life and teachings of Jesus, based on eyewitness testimonies. The Book of Acts, also addressed to Theophilus, continues the narrative of the early church's growth and mission. The dedication suggests that Theophilus was a Christian who had received some instruction in the faith but needed a more comprehensive understanding. No other details are provided about Theophilus' background, conversion, or role in the church. His identity remains unknown, but his mention reflects the importance of written accounts in transmitting and confirming the gospel message for believers.

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Who was Theophilus?

RoleDebated

Luke addresses his Gospel and Acts to Theophilus, "most excellent" as used of Roman officials. Was he a real patron, a symbolic "lover of God", or a high-ranking official, and was he Christian already?

LukePhysician; companion of Paul; author of Luke and Acts TheophilusRecipient of Luke's Gospel and Acts

Where the text shows it: Luke 1:3 — Most excellent TheophilusActs 1:1 — Second volume addressed to him

Ways people read this (3)

A real patron or publisher, probably a person of rank.
Symbolic: any "lover of God" reading.
Some propose identification with Theophilus son of Annas, high priest AD 37-41 (Josephus); this is speculation.

Sources: Scripture

Bible dictionary

Theophilus Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Lover of God, a Christian, probably a Roman, to whom Luke dedicated both his Gospel (Luke 1:3) and the Acts of the Apostles (1:1). Nothing beyond this is known of him. From the fact that Luke applies to him the title “most excellent”, the same title Paul uses in addressing Felix (Acts 23:26; 24:3) and Festus (26:25), it has been concluded that Theophilus was a person of rank, perhaps a Roman officer.

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Theophilus Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(friend of God) the person to whom St. Luke inscribes his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1) From the honorable epithet applied to him in (Luke 1:3) it has been argued with much probability that he was a person in high official position. All that can be conjectured with any degree of safety concerning him comes to this, that he was a Gentile of rank and consideration who came under the influence of St. Luke or under that of St. Paul at Rome, and was converted to the Christian faith.

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Theophilus Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

friend of God

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Theophilus Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

THEOPH'ILUS (lover of God), a distinguished individual, probably of Greece or Rome, to whom, as his particular friend or patron, Luke addressed both his Gospel and his history of the Acts of the Apostles. Luke 1:3. The title "most excellent" probably denotes official dignity. Acts 23:26; 1 Sam 24:3; and Gen 26:25.

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Theophilus Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

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Who was Theophilus?

Bible dictionary

Where Theophilus appears