Bible Trivia - 5/9/2008

Question: To whom did Luke address both books he contributed to the New Testament?

Answer: Theophilus (Luke 1 and Acts 1).

Comments: Theophilus appears Biblically only in Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1. Nothing beyond this is definitively known of him.

His name means “friend of God" and thus the book could be addressed to any believer. This generic interpretation would function much the same way that Kay Arthur uses “Beloved” today.

His honorific epithet (“most excellent”) has led most to conclude that he was an historical entity. It is used only in Luke-Acts to refer to public officials [also used of Claudius Lysias (Acts 23:26), Felix (Acts 24:3), and Festus (Acts 26:25)]. From this many have concluded that Theophilus was a person of rank, perhaps a Roman officer.

Some also identify Luke's Theophilus with Theophilus ben Ananus, High Priest of the Temple of Jerusalem from 37-41 CE. In this tradition Theophilus would have been both a kohen and a Sadducee, the the son of Annas and the brother-in-law of Caiaphas. He would have grown up in the temple. This interpretation has Luke-Acts targeting Sadducees and would account for some features of Luke-Acts, such as his preoccupation with the temple.

Coptic tradition asserts that Theophilus was a Jew of Alexandria while others still have speculated that he could have been Paul's lawyer during his trial period in Rome.

Whoever he was, he was someone Paul cared enough to tell about the Christian faith. Who do you care enough to tell about Jesus?