iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Theophilus (biblical)

Theophilus is the name of a person or an honorary title to whom the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles is addressed (Luke 1:3, Acts 1:1). Most scholars agree that both Luke and Acts were originally written in Koine Greek, and that "θεόφιλος" ("Theophilos"), as it appears therein, means friend of God[1] or (be)loved by God or loving God[2] in the Greek language. No one knows the true identity of Theophilos and there are several conjectures and traditions around an identity. In English Theophilos is also written "Theophilus", both a common name and an honorary title among the learned (academic) Romans and Jews of the era. Their life would coincide with the writing of Luke and the author of Acts, sometime between 60-110 A.D., depending on which tradition one subscribes to.

Conjectures to the identity and traditional beliefs include:
  • Coptic tradition asserts that Theophilus was a person and not an honorary title. The Coptic Church claims that the person was a Jew of Alexandria.
  • Honorary title (academia) tradition maintains that Theophilus was not a person. The word in Greek means "Friend of God" and thus both Luke and Acts were addressed to anyone who fits that description. In this tradition the author's targeted audience, as with all other canonical Gospels, were the learned (academic) but unnamed males and females of the era. Likewise the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Peter, and Gospel of James are not addressed to any particular gender, or any specific person.
  • Another tradition claims the person was a converted Roman official, possibly Titus Flavius Sabinus II, a former Prefect of Rome and older brother of future Roman Emperor Vespasian, owing to the honorific, "most excellent" (Luke 1:3). As Titus Flavius Sabinus, Theophilus is given a crucial role in the historical novel The Flames of Rome by Paul Maier, where he is given the dedication of the "Gospel of Luke" and "Acts of the Apostles" by Luke the Evangelist. Maier's extensive research into Biblical and archaeological intertextuality lend credence to this theory, as evidenced in the footnotes of the book. He also ties Titus Flavius Sabinus to Aulus Plautius and his wife Pomponia Graecina by marriage, the latter of whom is by scholars presumed to have converted to Christianity, and who possibly used her son-in-law's status as Lord Mayor of Rome to try to protect Paul while he was under house arrest during his first stay in Rome. As the Apostle Luke was believed to be with Paul at this time, it is indeed plausible that in gratitude to Sabinus for the kindnesses shown to Paul during his imprisonment, Luke considered Sabinus to be a friend of God, based on Christ's words that "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40) To honour Sabinus while protecting him from the persecution of Christians and those who sympathized with them under the tyrannical rule of the Emperor Nero, it is postulated that Luke encoded the dedication of Acts.
  • Some believe that Theophilus could have been Paul's lawyer during his trial period in Rome.
  • Others point to Theophilus ben Ananus, High Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem from 37-41 A.D. In this tradition Theophilus would have been both a kohen and a Sadducee. Adherents claim that Luke, unlike Acts, was targeted at Sadducee readers. That would make him the son of Annas and brother-in-law of Caiaphas, raised in the Jewish Temple. This might explain a few features of Luke. He begins the story with an account of Zacharias the righteous priest who had a Temple vision of an angel (1:5-25). Luke quickly moves to account Mary's purification (niddah), Jesus' Temple redemption (pidyon ha-ben) rituals (2:21-39), and then to Jesus Temple teaching when he was twelve (2:46). He makes no mention of Caiaphas' role in Jesus' crucifixion and emphasizes Jesus' literal resurrection (24:39). (Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.)

See also

References

1. ^ Strong's G2321
2. ^ Bauer lexicon, 2nd edition, 1958, page 358
  • Maier, Paul L. The Flames of Rome. (Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 1981).

External links

Honorary titles in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in some universities and colleges in the United States and Canada.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Gospel of Luke is a synoptic Gospel, and the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament. The text narrates the life of Jesus, with particular interest concerning his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection; and it ends with an account of the
..... Click the link for more information.
Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. It is commonly referred to as simply Acts. The title "Acts of the Apostles" (Greek Praxeis Apostolon
..... Click the link for more information.
Koine Greek (kini) (Κοινὴ Ἑλληνική, "common Greek", or
..... Click the link for more information.
English}}} 
Writing system: Latin (English variant) 
Official status
Official language of: 53 countries
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: en
ISO 639-2: eng
ISO 639-3: eng  
..... Click the link for more information.
Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea.
..... Click the link for more information.
Historical Jewish languages
Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, others
Liturgical languages:
Hebrew and Aramaic
Predominant spoken languages:
The vernacular language of the home nation in the Diaspora, significantly including English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and
..... Click the link for more information.
Luke the Evangelist (Hebrew: לוקא; Greek: Λουκᾶς Loukas) was an early Christian who is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the
..... Click the link for more information.
1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century
30s  40s  50s  - 60s -  70s  80s  90s
57  58  59  - 60 -  61  62  63
This article is about the year 60. For other uses, see 60 (number).

..... Click the link for more information.
2nd century - 3rd century
80s  90s  100s  - 110s -  120s  130s  140s
107 108 109 - 110 - 111 112 113
..... Click the link for more information.
Eastern Christianity

History
Byzantine Empire
Crusades
Ecumenical council
Baptism of Kiev
Great Schism
By region
Eastern Orthodox history
Ukraine Christian history
Asia Eastern Christian history

Traditions
..... Click the link for more information.

..... Click the link for more information.
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since October 2007.

..... Click the link for more information.
The Gospel of Peter was a prominent passion narrative in the early history of Christianity, but over time passed out of common usage and has come down to us only in fragments.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Gospel of James, also sometimes known as the Infancy Gospel of James or the Protoevangelium of James, is an apocryphal Gospel probably written about AD 150.
..... Click the link for more information.
See also Titus Flavius Sabinus for other men of this name.

Titus Flavius Sabinus was the elder son of Titus Flavius Sabinus.

Along with his younger brother Vespasian, he served in the Roman conquest of Britain in 43, during the reign of the Emperor Claudius.
..... Click the link for more information.
Vespasian
Emperor of the Roman Empire

Bust of Vespasian
Reign 1 July, 69–23 June, 79
Full name Titus Flavius Vespasianus Caesar Augustus
Born 17 November 9(9--)
..... Click the link for more information.
Aulus Plautius was a Roman politician and general of the mid-1st century. He led the Roman conquest of Britain in 43, and became the first governor of the new province, serving from 43 to 47.

Career

Little is known of Aulus Plautius's early career.
..... Click the link for more information.
Pomponia Graecina was a noble Roman woman of the 1st century who was related to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the wife of Aulus Plautius, the general who led the Roman conquest of Britain in 43, and was renowned as one of the few people who dared to publicly mourn the death
..... Click the link for more information.
Nero
Emperor of the Roman Empire

Nero at Glyptothek, Munich
Reign October 13, 54 – June 9, 68
(Proconsul from 51)
Full name Nero Claudius Caesar
Augustus Germanicus
Born November 15 37
..... Click the link for more information.
St. Paul the Apostle (Hebrew: שאול התרסי‎ Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning "Saul of Tarsus"), the "Apostle to the Gentiles"[1]
..... Click the link for more information.
Comune di Roma

Flag
Seal
Nickname: "The Eternal City"
Motto: "Senatus Populusque Romanus" (SPQR)   (Latin)
..... Click the link for more information.
Theophilus was the High Priest in the Second Temple in Jerusalem from 37 to 41 C.E. according to Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews. He was a member of one of the wealthiest and most influential Jewish families in Iudaea Province during the first century.
..... Click the link for more information.
Kohen Gadol or Kohen ha-Gadol (Heb. כהן גדול "Great Priest") is the title of of early Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem.
..... Click the link for more information.
Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Bet HaMikdash and meaning literally "The Holy House") was located on the Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) in the old city of Jerusalem.
..... Click the link for more information.
1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century
0s  10s  20s  - 30s -  40s  50s  60s
34  35  36  - 37 -  38  39  40
This article is about the year 37. For other uses, see 37 (number).

..... Click the link for more information.
1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century
10s  20s  30s  - 40s -  50s  60s  70s
38  39  40  - 41 -  42  43  44
This article is about the year 41. For other uses, see 41 (number).

..... Click the link for more information.
kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן, "priest", pl. כּהנִים, kohanim or cohanim), is assumed to be a direct male descendant of the Biblical Aaron, brother of Moses.
..... Click the link for more information.
The sect of the Sadducees - possibly from Hebrew Tsdoki צדוקי [sˤə.ðo.'qi], whence Zadokites
..... Click the link for more information.
Annas (also Ananus), son of Seth, was a Jewish High Priest from AD 6 to 15 and remained an influential leader afterwards.

Annas was appointed High Priest in AD 6 by the Roman legate Quirinius just after the Romans had deposed Archelaus, Ethnarch of Judaea, thereby
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter