An Introduction of Timothy

Timothy was born to a non-Jewish father and a Jewish mother named Eunice in Lystra, in the eastern Roman province of Galatia. From a young age, Timothy was taught the Old Testament by Eunice and his grand- mother Lois (2 Timothy 1:5).

On Paul’s first missionary journey, he visited Lystra (Acts 14:8-18) and many people became Christians—likely including Timothy and his mother and grandmother. During his second missionary journey, Paul returned to Lystra and selected Timothy to join him and Silas as a ministry partner (Acts 16:1-3).

Timothy became one of Paul’s closest disciples and constant traveling partner (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2). Timothy co-authored six New Testament letters with Paul: 1-2 Thessalonians, 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

During Paul’s mission journey following his release from his first Roman impris- onment, he left Timothy in Ephesus to serve as bishop (1 Timothy 1:3). After Paul was rearrested and imprisoned in Rome again, he wrote Timothy the letter of 2 Timothy. Knowing his martyrdom was close, Paul told Timothy to come and see him for the last time (2 Timothy 4:21).

The Acts of Timothy tells us that the eighty-year-old Ephesus bishop tried to stop an Artemis processional around 97 by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. The angry crowd beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.

Timothy was buried in Ephesus, although his tomb has not been found. Around 356, emperor Constantius II took Timothy’s physical remains to Constantinople and put them in the Church of the Holy Apostles.