Who is Theophilus mentioned in Luke and Acts?

from the old testament

• Theophilus is not mentioned in the Old Testament.

from the new testament

• Although Luke and Acts appear separately in English Bibles, Luke wrote them as a two-volume set. Luke, writing to Theophilus, details Jesus’ life from His birth to His ascension. In Acts, Luke starts from the ascension and shows how the church was born and spread.
• In the Gospel of Luke’s opening, Luke acknowledged that others had already written Gospel accounts, but “it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3–4). We thus know that Theophilus had already been taught things about the Christian faith. That may mean he was a believer, though at the least it means he was curious. Luke was writing to make a clear record of events.
• Acts 1 opens with, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen” (Acts 1:1). This is the bridge between Luke and Acts that shows this is the second part of this two-part work.
• The Greek word translated as “most excellent” appears in three other passages: Acts 23:26; 24:3; 26:25. In each case, it’s addressed to a government official (Felix and Festus). This has led some to assume that Theophilus was also a government official, with the word better translated as “Most Excellency, Theophilus.” This suggestion is plausible not only because of the “title,” but also because this lengthy and costly two-volume work was written and dedicated to him.
• However, the “title” is not officially a title and may have been used simply to honor Theophilus. If so, he may have been a wealthy benefactor who supported the church. That, too, is plausible given the time and effort spent in compiling this work, which was addressed directly to him.
• The Greek word “Theophilus” means “friend of God.” This has led some to think Theophilus was a pseudonym used to hide this government official's identity from scrutiny. Others suggest that Luke made up the name as a literary device to introduce the books. However, many names inside and outside Scripture have meanings, so it's overreading to assume that because a name has meaning, it’s a pseudonym or fake name. Nothing else in the natural reading of the opening of Luke or Acts would lead one to assume a false identity. Thus, it’s best to take it at face value.

implications for today

We don’t know much about Theophilus, but it’s because of him that we have the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. What Luke dedicated to one man has been greatly profitable to the church ever since.

When we ask questions like these, it can be difficult to find the “so what?” of how to apply what we learn to ourselves. However, the brief comments about Theophilus remind us that biblical books were not written in a void. They were written against specific backgrounds and for specific purposes. Part of correctly studying Scripture is identifying the background and purpose to understand what motivated the author to write. That helps us to interpret them in a way consistent with the author’s meaning.

In Luke’s case, he wanted to ensure an orderly account of both Jesus’ time on earth and the growth of the early church. Therefore, when reading these books, keeping that purpose in mind helps us better understand Luke’s detailed descriptions, how he ordered his accounts, and what he included as important to know.

Every biblical author has a purpose and an occasion (reason for writing). Luke’s comment reminds us to look for those elements to guide our interpretation. We’ll likely never know who Theophilus was, but we are thankful that Luke wrote to him!