Who Was Theophilus?

Who Was Theophilus?
By
James Scott Trimm

It is often taught that the books of Luke and Acts were originally written in Greek, because Luke was a Greek writing to Theophilus, who also had a Greek name. However the truth of this matter may come as a surprise to you.

Who was Luke?

Luke wrote the books of Luke and Acts and addressed each to Theophilus. This means that Luke was responsible for writing 27.5% of the material of the books of the “New Testament”. The Fourth Century “Church Father” Eusebius writes of Luke:

Luke, who was born at Antioch, and by profession a physician, being for the most part connected with Paul, and familiarly acqainted with the rest of the apostles, has left us two inspired books, the institutes of that spiritual art which he obtained from them. One of these is his gospel, in which he testifies that he has recorded, “as those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word,” delivered to him, whom also, he says, he has in all things followed. The other is his Acts of the Apostles, which he composed, not from what he had heard from others, but from what he had seen himself.
(Eusebius; Eccl. Hist. 3:4)

Many have wrongly concluded, from the fact that Luke has a Greek name, and that he was born in Antioch, that he was either a Greek or a Hellenistic Jew, who wrote in Greek.

However, it was not uncommon for non-helenistic Jews to have Greek names, and Antioch was a bilingual city, the capital of Syria. While there was a Greek speaking population, the native Syrians spoke their native language “Syriac” which was a dialect of Aramaic. This is why the Romans called Aramaic “Syriacos”. It is quite possible that Luke was a Syrian who had become a proselyte Jew, and whose native language was Aramaic. It is also possible that Luke was a Jew born in Syria, that he was either a hellenist or not, but that he was quite fluent in Hebrew and in Aramaic.

The reality of the matter is (whether Luke himself knew Greek or not) that Luke was most certainly written in a Semitic language. As Charles Cutler Torrey states:

In regard to [Greek] Luke, it remains to be said, that of all the Four Gospels, it is the one which gives by far the plainest, and most constant evidence, of being a translation.
– C.C. Torrey; Our Translated Gospels p. lix

Who Was Theophilus?

Luke addressed both Luke and Acts to a certain “Theophilus”. But who was Theophilus? Some have argued that Luke must have been written in Greek, because it was addressed to man with a Greek name. But as pointed out above, it was not uncommon for non-hellenist Jews to have Greek names.

In Luke 1:3 Luke ascribes the honorific title “most excellent” (KJV). In the Aramaic נציחא “noble”. This title gives us a clue.

The answer is to be found in the writings of Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews. Josephus references a High Priest of this time period named Theophilus (37-41 CE) Theophilus ben Ananus (Antiquities 18:5:3). Who was from one of the wealthiest and most influential Jewish families in Judea at the time (Antiquities 19:4:2). This Theophilus was not only the son of Ananus (See Luke 3:2) he was also the brother-in-law of Caiaiphas.

Luke-Acts Written to a Priest

There is a good deal of internal evidence that Luke and Acts were written to a priest. Luke begins his gospel with an account of the righteous priest Zechariah, and his vision of an angel in the Temple. He quickly moves on to Miriam’s purification and Yeshua’s dedication at the Temple, and then to Yeshua teaching in the Temple at the age of twelve (Young Theophilus might well have witnessed this, as his father was High Priest at the time). Moreover, Luke makes no mention of Caiaphas and his role in Yeshua’s crucifixion (remember, this would have been Theophilus’ brother-in-law). And in Acts, Luke makes sure to record the meeting of “Annas the High Priest,. and Caiaphas, and Yochanan and Alexander, “and as as many as were kindred of the High Priest” (Acts 4:6) at which Kefa (peter) Spoke. These “kindred of” Annas and Caiaphas would certainly have included Caiaphs’ son, brother-in-law to Caiaphas, Theophilus, so Theophlius would have actually taken part in this meeting!

Luke-Acts Written to a Sadducee

The vast majority of priests were Sadducees, and Theophilus certainly would have fallen into this category. Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection, an afterlife or angels

Luke especially emphasizes Yeshua’s literal and physical resurrection, with the account of doubting Thomas (Luke 24:39) and with the account of Lazarus and the rich man on the afterlife (Luke 16:19-31). Luke begins with an account of Zechariah’s vision of an angel in the Temple, and includes the account of Yeshua being comforted by an angel (Lk. 22:43)

Conclusion

All of this evidence leads to the conclusion that Luke wrote his book either in Hebrew or Aramaic, to Theophilus the High Priest, who was a Sadducee. This information sheds a great deal of light on the content of the books of Luke and Acts.

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