The legend of Theophilus ‘circulated in both the East and West for a long time before the beginning of the twelfth century’, but it is so emblematic of English Miracles of the Virgin that the earliest groupings of Marian miracle stories in England, whether Latin or vernacular, are addenda to the Theophilus story. Though it did not originate in England, it was prominently positioned in two of the early Anglo-Latin collections that were important to R. W. Southern, and its long popularity in England played a significant role in the creation of the Marian miracle genre. It is the story of a sixthcentury vicedominus (Theophilus) who contracts his soul to the Devil with the help of a Jewish sorcerer, and then successfully prays for Mary's help to undo the contract. Theophilus is the archetypal sinner of Marian literature, and Mary is, in this story, a powerful legal advocate with particular power over the written word, and with a special ability to intercede where Jews are concerned.

The usual summary of the origins and dissemination of the legend says that it was written in Greek in the sixth century; that it was first recorded by one Eutychian, who claimed to be a member of Theophilus's household and an eyewitness to the events; that it was translated into Latin in the ninth century by Paul, a deacon of Naples; and that Paul's translation became the basis for all later Western versions of the story. There is good evidence for this summary, but it is also true that the repetition of these basic elements has obscured the case and its implications. Though the legend is certainly of Byzantine origin, the authorship and dating of the original composition are not really discernible, and the Greek text survives in only three medieval manuscripts, two dating roughly to the eleventh century and one to the fifteenth.