In die Skriflig (Jun 2014)

Who is Theophilus? Discovering the original reader of Luke-Acts

  • Jennifer M. Creamer,
  • Aida B. Spencer,
  • Francois P. Vijoen

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 48, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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The aim of this article is to investigate the nature of Theophilus as the original reader of Luke-Acts. A lexical and grammatical analysis of Luke 1:1–4 and of the broader literary context of the Luke-Acts narrative provided the basis for discovering the identity of Theophilus. This article proposes that Theophilus was a man of prominent position: a Gentile who had received some introductory teachings about Christ and who needed factual verification of the events surrounding the emergence of Christianity.

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