1. To Theophilus:Many have tried to give a history of the things that happened among us.
2. They have written the same things that we learned from others—the people who saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message.
3. I myself studied everything carefully from the beginning, your Excellency. I thought I should write it out for you. So I put it in order in a book.
4. I write these things so that you can know that what you have been taught is true.
5. During the time Herod ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to Abijah’s group. Zechariah’s wife came from the family of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.