THEOPHILUS (lit. ‘beloved of God’). The person to whom St. Luke’s two works are addressed ( Luke 1:3 , Acts 1:1 ). That Theophilus stands for a real person and is not a general name for the Christian reader is made probable by the title ‘most excellent,’ which, when strictly used, implies equestrian rank (Ramsay, St. Paul p. 388). It is used also of Felix ( Acts 23:26; Acts 24:3 ) and of Festus ( Acts 26:25 ). But some take the title as a mere complimentary address, and therefore as telling us nothing of Theophilus himself. If it is used strictly, we may agree with Ramsay that Theophilus was a Roman official, and the favourable attitude of St. Luke to the institutions of the Empire is in keeping with this idea. If so, Theophilus would be the Christian, not the Roman, name of the person addressed. A. J. Maclean.
Theophilus. [Theo'philus]One, doubtless a Christian, to whom Luke addressed his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. The word translated 'most excellent' is κράτιστος, the same that is applied to governors of provinces, as to Felix and Festus as 'most noble.' Nothing further is known of Theophilus. Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1; cf. Acts 23:26; Acts 24:3; Acts 26:25.