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Begin Typing VigilLuke’s gospel and its sequel are addressed to a certain Theophilus. This is a genuine proper name, not an imaginary nom de guerre for the typical catechumen, nor a conventional title for the average Christian reader. Nothing is known of Theophilus, except what may be inferred from Luke’s language, viz. that he was not simply an outsider interested in the faith, but (κατηχήθης Acts 18:25, 21:21) a Christian who desired or required fuller acquaintance with the historic basis of the Christian gospel; also that, as κράτιστε implies (Acts 23:26, 24:3, 26:25), he was a man of rank. Luke’s emphasis on the relation between Christianity and the Roman empire, and his stress upon the hindrances and temptations of money would tally with the hypothesis that his friend belonged to the upper and official classes; but beyond these inferences lies the land of fancy.
Luke’s method is historical, but his object, like that of John (20:31), is religious. He makes no claim, however, to be an eyewitness. All he professes is to write a correct, complete, and chronological (in the sense of well-arranged, or logical) account of the primitive παράδοσις as received from the first generation of disciples. This attempt was neither new nor superfluous. Luke had numerous predecessors in the enterprise, but their work did not satisfy his purpose, and he resolved to make a fresh essay. He makes no claim to be inspired (contrast the ἔδοξε κἀμοί with the ἔδοξεν πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ ἡμῖν of Acts 15:28); his qualifications are simply the pains he had taken to acquaint himself (ἀκριβῶς) with the contents of the παράδοσις. Luke did not rest his narrative on unsifted traditions.
This timeline combines the three Synoptic Gospels, Acts, and the five Johnannine works.