Theophilus

There is no certainty over the identity of the Theophilus (whose name means “lover of God”) referenced by Luke in his gospel and in Acts: 1) Luke 1:1-3: “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. 2) Acts 1:1: “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach…. “ Since Theophilus was a common Jewish name in New Testament days, most scholars agree there can be no certainty as to Theophilus’ identity because of the minimal amount of information provided by Luke about Theophilus. We only know that Theophilus had been taught certain things and Luke believed that his orderly account of the eyewitness testimony concerning Jesus’ life and ministry would provide Theophilus with certainty about what he had been taught.