Theophilus

From Bible Exegesis

thḗ-of´i-lus (Θεόφιλος, Theóphilos, “loved of God”):

A Christian, probably a Roman, to whom Luke dedicated both his Gospel (Luke 1:3) and the |Acts of the Apostles (Acts 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; Acts 24:3) and Festus (Acts 26:25), it has been concluded that Theophilus was a person of rank, perhaps a Roman officer.

He was the one to whom Luke addressed his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles (compare Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). It has been suggested that Theophilus is merely a generic term for all Christians, but the epithet “most excellent” implies it was applied by Luke to a definite person, probably a Roman official, whom he held in high respect. Theophilus may have been the presbyter who took part in sending the letter from the Corinthians to Paul, given in the “Acta Pauli” (compare Hennecke, Neutestamentliche Apokryphen, 378). There is also a magistrate Theophilus mentioned in the “Acts of James” as being converted by James on his way to India (compare Budge, The Contendings of the Apostles, II, 299), but these and other identifications, together with other attempts to trace out the further history of the original Theophilus, are without sufficient evidence for their establishment (compare also Knowling in The Expositor Greek Testament, II, 49-51).