Luke 1:1-4 read as a statement about method, and about eleven lectures carry it (1086, 1089, 1316, 1471, 1807, 1829, 1831, 1890, 1900, 1906, 2182). Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which happened among us, just as they were declared by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, so it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus. Neville reads three things out of it and they build on each other. First, Luke does not claim to have been an eyewitness, only to have followed closely those who were. Second, in scripture an eyewitness is one who has experienced it - the one condition of being an apostle is to have seen the risen Christ, and you do not see it as another, you experience your own resurrection, and that is seeing. So Luke is not claiming greater chronological exactitude than those before him; what he claims is a better arrangement of source material he heard from people who had been through it. Third, Theophilus means one who loves God, so the letter is addressed to the hearer. The conclusion he draws is an invitation and he makes it repeatedly: you, too, can compile a narrative - those who have taken it down in shorthand and on tape over the years could tell the story as it actually happened. And the instruction that comes with it is to remove himself: leave the speaker out completely, for this is only a garment that he wears.