Who is Theophilus and why are two books of the Bible addressed to him?

For those of us who have read Luke or Acts for the first time, or perhaps the fifth time, we may have noticed that a certain person is mentioned in the beginning, but never seems to appear in either of the two books. In fact, it doesn't seem to materialize in any book of the Bible.

So why does Luke mention the man Theophilus in Luke 1: 3 and Acts 1: 1? Do we see similar books addressed to people who never appear in the narrative or is Theophilus the only exception? And why don't we know more about him? It certainly had at least a minor importance in Luke's life if Luke had decided to include it in two books of the Bible.

In this article, we will dive into Theophilus' personality, if he makes an appearance in the Bible, why Luke addresses him and more.

Who was Theophilus?
It is difficult to glean much about a man from just two verses, neither of which shows much biographical information. As mentioned in this Got Questions article, scholars have proposed several theories about Theophilus' personality.

We know, from the title given to Theophilus, that he had some power, like those held by magistrates or governors. If this is the case, then we can assume that the gospel reached those who occupied high positions during the persecution of the early church, although, as pointed out in the accompanying commentary, not many superiors believed in the gospel.

Don't let the flattering language fool you, Theophilus is not Luke's protector, but rather a friend, or as Matthew Henry suggests, a pupil.

Theophilus's name means "friend of God" or "beloved of God". Overall, we cannot definitively declare the identity of Theophilus. We only see him explicitly in two verses, and those passages don't provide much detail about him, other than the fact that he had a high rank or some sort of high position.

We can assume, from Luke who addresses the Gospel and the Book of Acts to him, that somewhere he believed the Gospel and that he and Luke were somehow close. They may have been friends or have a teacher-student relationship.

Does Theophilus appear personally in the Bible?
The answer to this question depends entirely on the theory you attribute to. But if we speak explicitly, Theophilus does not appear personally in the Bible.

Does this mean that it did not play a vital role in the early church? Does this mean that he did not believe the gospel? Not necessarily. Paul mentions many people at the end of his epistles who do not make a physical appearance in narratives such as Acts. In fact, the entire book of Philemon is addressed to a man who does not appear in person in any Bible account.

The fact that it appears in the Bible, with its real name, carries great significance. After all, the rich man who turned sadly away from Jesus' teachings was never named (Matthew 19).

Whenever someone in the New Testament gave names, they meant the reader to go to that person for a test, because they were eyewitnesses of something. Luke, as a historian, did so with meticulousness in detail, especially in the Book of Acts. We have to assume that he did not throw Theophilus name precariously.

Why are Luke and the Acts addressed to Theophilus?
We can ask this question about many New Testament books that appear to be dedicated or addressed to one person or another. After all, if the Bible is God's word, why do some writers direct certain books to certain people?

To answer this question, let's look at some examples of Paul and who he turns to at the end of the books he writes.

In Romans 16, he greets Phoebe, Priscilla, Aquila, Andronicus, Junia, and various others. The verses make it clear that Paul worked personally with many, if not all, of these people during his ministry. He mentions how some of them endured prison with him; others risked their lives for Paul.

If we analyze Paul's other books, we notice how he offers similar greetings to those who have played a role in his ministry. Some of these are pupils to whom he passed the mantle. Others worked side by side with him.

In the case of Theophilus, we must assume a similar model. Theophilus played a vital role in Luke's ministry.

Many like to say that he served as a patron, providing the funds for Luke's ministry. Others have claimed that Theophilus learned from Luke as a pupil. Whatever the case, such as those mentioned by Paul, Luke makes sure to turn to Theophilus, who contributed in part to Luke's ministry.

Why is the life of Theophilus significant for the gospel?
After all, if we only have two verses about him, does that mean he did nothing to promote the gospel? Once again, we need to look at those Paul mentions. For example, Junia does not get another mention in the Bible. This does not mean that Junia's ministry has gone in vain.

We know that Theophilus played a role in Luke's ministry. Whether he received teachings or helped Luke's financial efforts as he collected eyewitness testimony, Luke believed he deserved a mention in the Bible.

We can also know, from the title of Theophilus, that he held a position of power. This meant that the Gospel permeated all social strata. Many have suggested that Theophilus was Roman. If a wealthy Roman in a high position accepts the gospel message, it proves the living and active nature of God.

This probably gave hope to those of the early church as well. If previous murderers of Christ like Paul and Roman superiors like Theophilus can fall in love with the gospel message, then God could move any mountain.

What can we learn from Theophilus for today?
Theophilus' life serves as a testimony to us in many ways.

First, we learn that God can transform the hearts of any person, regardless of life circumstances or social strata. Theophilus actually enters the narrative at a disadvantage: a wealthy Roman. The Romans were already hostile to the Gospel, as it went against their religion. But as we learn in Matthew 19, those with wealth or higher positions have a hard time accepting the gospel because in many cases it means giving up earthly wealth or power. Theophilus defies all odds.

Second, we know that even minor characters can play a more important role in God's story. We don't know how Theophilus influenced Luke's ministry, but he did enough to earn a shout out in two books.

This means we shouldn't be doing what we do for the spotlight or recognition. Instead, we should trust God's plan for our lives and who he can put in our path as we share the gospel.

Finally, we can learn from the name of Theophilus: "loved by God". Each of us is a Theophilus in a certain sense. God loves each of us and has given us the opportunity to become a friend of God.

Theophilus can only make an appearance in two verses, but this does not necessarily rule out his role in the Gospel. The New Testament has many people mentioned once who played a pivotal role in the early church. We know that Theophilus had a certain wealth and power and that he had a close relationship with Luke.

No matter how big or small he played the role, he received two mentions in the greatest story of all time.