Theophilus
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(“friend of God” or “loved by God”) (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1)—the person to whom Luke addressed both his Gospel and Acts. Luke calls him “most excellent,” a form of address that may indicate high social or official rank, though little else is securely known about him. The source describes him as a Greek Christian, Luke’s friend, and patron; these are reasonable possibilities rather than explicit statements of the New Testament.