Theophilus (biblical)

Theophilus (Greek: Θεόφιλος) is the name or honorary title of the person to whom the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are addressed (Luke 1:3, Acts 1:1). It is thought that both works are by the same author, and often argued that the two were originally a single unified work. Both were written in a refined Koine Greek, and the name Θεόφιλος (Theophilos), as it appears therein, means friend of God, (be)loved by God, or loving God in Greek. Theophilus's identity is unknown, with several conjectures and traditions around an identity. In English, Theophilus is also written "Theophilos", both a common name and an honorary title among the learned (academic) Romans and Jews of the era. Theophilus's life coincided with the writing of Luke and the author of the Acts.