Everyday LifeGreek → English
Theophilus
/θiˈɒfɪləs/noun
A male given name, and the man to whom Luke addresses his Gospel and Acts.
The Greek roots
θεός
theós
god
φίλος
phílos
dear, loving
Literally: “loved by god”
The story of the word
Luke opens both books to most excellent Theophilus, and readers have argued since antiquity whether that is a patron, a Roman official under instruction, or simply any god-loving reader. Latin rendered the name as Amadeus, which is how Mozart came by his middle name. Greek could run the pieces the other way too, giving Philotheos.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Same family
theologyphilanthropyTimothyatheist
In a sentence
The dedication to Theophilus tells us the author expected a single, literate patron to read the whole thing.