Theophilus
Theophilus is Greek for "loved by God." It is the addressee, probably meant figuratively similar to John 3:16 , to whom Luke wrote his two New Testament books: the Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles. These two books comprise 27% of the entire New Testament.
Many wonder whether Theophilus is the name, or the title, of the person to whom Luke addressed his books. However, Theophilus was most likely a literary expression by Luke to refer to the entire world (as Apostle John independently did), which Luke was very capable of doing as the fabulous writer that he was. "It has been suggested that Luke wrote to a Christian audience and that a name with this meaning is a generic term for all of Luke’s Christian readers. Appropriately, the book would then be addressed to any “friend of God” who wanted more detailed and accurate information concerning the origin and meaning of his faith."[1]
Use of the "Theophilus" as the addressee may also be an example of the winsome humor that is throughout the New Testament, but which grim, humorless professors fail to appreciate.
But the additional use of "kratiste", meaning “most excellent,” which is a title of high rank as used by Luke to describe Felix, the governor of Judaea (Acts 23:26; 24:3), and Festus as his successor (Acts 26:25), suggests that Luke had someone specific in mind. When written as Theophilos, it was a common name or honorary title for educated Romans or Jews at the time.
