Bible Dictionaries
Theophilus
Holman Bible Dictionary
(thih ahf' ih luhss) Personal name meaning, “friend of God.” The person to whom the Books of Luke and Acts were written (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1 ). However, his exact identity is unknown. Speculation has ranged from the generic “friend of God” intended to all Christians to a specific benefactor, perhaps in high social and/or political standing. If the latter is true, the name may be a pseudonym to protect the individual from persecution. One conjecture holds that Theophilus was unsaved and that Luke wrote the letter to persuade his belief in Christ.
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Bibliography Information
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Theophilus'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/t/theophilus.html. 1991.