Theophilos (Luke)

Theophilos is in the New Testament of the Bible the addressee of the Gospel of Luke ( Lk 1,3-4  EU ) and the Acts of the Apostles ( Acts 1,1  EU ).

In the Gospel of Luke he is addressed as “illustrious Theophilos” (“κράτιστε Θεόφιλε”), an address that was used verbally and in writing for Roman senators , knights and procurators , e . B. for Felix in Acts 23.26  EU and for Festus in Acts 26.25  EU . Hence one can assume that Theophilus was a distinguished man. Some authors conclude that Theophilos was converted between the writing of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles from the fact that he is only addressed in this way in Luke, while in the Acts of the Apostles it simply says "O Theophilos" ("ὦ Θεόφιλε"). The absence of the honorary title in the book of Acts can also be traced back to the fact that it was uncommon to repeat honorary titles in cases like these.

Theophilus is only mentioned in the New Testament in Luke. In the pseudo-clementines it is mentioned, however, that in Antioch a Theophilos, who was “more respected than the most powerful men in the city”, made his portico available to Peter as a preaching hall.

Regarding the origin of Theophilos, Fritz Rienecker states that Luke apparently assumes that his reader is familiar with southern Italy as far as Rome and Sicily , as well as a trip from Antioch to Cyprus and through Asia Minor to Troas , from which one can conclude that these places were known to Theophilus . On the other hand, Luke describes in great detail the customs and places of Judea , Crete , Macedonia and Athens , which Theophilos apparently did not know.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Schürmann, The Gospel of Luke . First part. 1.1-9.50, Freiburg u. a., 2001 special edition of the 1981 reprint of the 1969 edition, on Luke 1, 3, p. 13, note 83 (Herder's Theological Commentary on the New Testament).
2. ↑ Schürmann, The Gospel of Luke . First part. 1.1-9.50, Freiburg u. a., 2001 special edition of the 1981 reprint of the 1969 edition, on Luke 1,3, p. 13f. in connection with ibid., note 87 (Herder's Theological Commentary on the New Testament).
3. ↑ Clementia X, LXXI.
4. ^ Fritz Rienecker, The Gospel of Luke , Wuppertal / Zurich, paperback special edition 1994, p. 2. (Wuppertaler Study Bible [Volume 3]).

literature

Christoph Heil, in collaboration with Thomas Klampfl: Theophilos (Lk 1,3; Acts 1,1), in: "Light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel". Studies on the Lucanian double work (Bonner Biblical Contributions 151), ed. v. Christoph Gregor Müller, Hamburg 2005, pp. 7–28.