Bible Reference > Bible Book Studies > Gospel of Luke
Short answer. Theophilus is the reader Luke addressed at the start of his Gospel (Luke 1:3) and the Book of Acts (Acts 1:1). His name is Greek for "friend of God" or "loved by God." Luke calls him "most excellent," a title for people of rank. Beyond that, the Bible tells us nothing about him. He was most likely a real believer of some standing, perhaps a patron who helped Luke's books reach other churches.
Two verses are all we have. Yet those two verses frame more than a quarter of the New Testament. Who Theophilus was matters less than what his place at the front of Luke's work tells us about why Luke wrote.
Where Theophilus appears
Luke names him twice, once at the opening of each volume.
Luke 1:3-4: I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed. (NRSV)
Acts 1:1: In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning. (NRSV)
The second address points back to the first. Luke and Acts are one story told in two books, written for the same reader. See Acts as the Second Volume of Luke.
Notice what changes. In the Gospel he is "most excellent Theophilus." In Acts he is simply "Theophilus." Some readers think the friendship had grown more familiar. Others think a formal title was needed only once. Either way, the same person stands at the door of both books.
What his name and title tell us
The name. Theophilus joins two Greek words, theos (God) and philos (friend, or one who loves). It can mean "friend of God," "one who loves God" or "one loved by God." It was a common name in the first century among both Jews and Gentiles, so the name alone cannot tell us his background.
The title. "Most excellent" translates the Greek kratiste. Luke uses the same word for the Roman governors Felix (Acts 23:26; 24:3) and Festus (Acts 26:25). The historian Josephus used it for Epaphroditus, the patron to whom he dedicated his own books. So the title suggests rank, wealth or public office. It may also be a polite way to address someone held in high regard.
What he already knew. Luke says Theophilus had been "instructed." The Greek verb behind that word, katēcheō, gives us the word catechism. Theophilus was not hearing about Jesus for the first time. He had been taught, and Luke wanted him to stand on firm ground.
Four theories about who he was
Scholars have offered several answers. None can be proven, but some rest on firmer evidence than others.
| Theory | Evidence for it | The weakness |
|---|---|---|
| A real patron of rank | "Most excellent" is used for governors and patrons. Ancient authors often dedicated books to a sponsor who helped copy and circulate them. | The title can signal respect rather than office, and no other record of him survives. |
| A new or growing believer, perhaps a God-fearer | Luke says he had been "instructed" (Luke 1:4). Luke takes care to explain Jewish customs for readers outside Judaism. | This is drawn from Luke's audience as a whole, not from anything said about Theophilus himself. |
| Theophilus the high priest | A high priest named Theophilus, son of Annas, served from about AD 37 to 41, according to Josephus. | Luke is sharply critical of the temple leadership, including Annas (Luke 3:2). A title for Roman officials would be an odd fit. |
| A symbol for every "friend of God" | The name invites it, and early interpreters such as Origen read it this way. | The name was common, and real dedications to real patrons were standard practice. |
Most scholars favor the first or second view, and the two can overlap. A later Christian tradition, found in the Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions, tells of a wealthy Theophilus in Antioch who gave his house to the church. That story is late and cannot be tied to Luke's reader with any confidence.
Guardrail: hold the theories loosely. The Bible gives us a name, a title and a purpose. Everything else is reasonable guessing. It is fine to teach the theories as theories., but we should be cautious to preach them as facts.
Why Luke wrote to him
To give him certainty. Luke's stated goal is that Theophilus "may know the truth." The Greek word carries the sense of security, of solid footing. Luke lays out the chain of witness: the events happened, eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them on, others wrote them down, and Luke investigated everything from the start. He stands near the end of that line, checking and ordering what came before. Read more about the opening chapter in Luke 1 Chapter Summary and Outline.
To show that history and faith belong together. Luke grounds the gospel in dated events, but he never treats facts alone as the source of faith. At Pentecost the crowd already knew what had happened to Jesus. They believed when they were "cut to the heart" (Acts 2:37). When Lydia believed, "the Lord opened her heart" (Acts 16:14). Luke offers Theophilus an orderly account and trusts the Holy Spirit to do the rest.
To show that the church's story continues Jesus' story. In Acts, Paul's path echoes his Lord's. Jesus stood before the council, the Roman governor Pilate and King Herod (Luke 22:66 to 23:12). Paul stands before the council, the governors Felix and Festus, and King Agrippa (Acts 23 to 26). Pilate finds Jesus innocent; Festus and Agrippa agree that Paul has done nothing to deserve death (Acts 26:31). For a reader of rank who might hear Christians accused of disorder, that pattern answered the charge. See Jesus Before Pilate and Herod (Luke 23:1-12).
Every reader a Theophilus
We may never learn who first unrolled Luke's scroll. But every reader stands where he stood: already taught something about Jesus, still asking whether it holds. Luke's answer is not a slogan. It is a careful story, from a temple in Jerusalem to a house in Rome (Acts 28:30-31), told so that friends of God might know the truth. For the wider circle Luke had in mind, see Who Was Luke's Audience?
Keep reading in Luke
Sources
John Nolland, Luke 1:1-9:20, Word Biblical Commentary 35A (Word Books, 1989).
Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Eerdmans, 1997). [affiliate link]
Justo L. González, The Story Luke Tells: Luke's Unique Witness to the Gospel (Eerdmans, 2015). [affiliate link]
Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18.123 (the high priest Theophilus) and Against Apion 1.1 ("most excellent Epaphroditus").
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version.
