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|death_date=c. AD 97
|death_date=c. AD 97
|feast_day=January 22 ([[Eastern Christianity]])<br />January 26 ([[Roman Catholic Church]], [[Lutheranism]])<br />January 24 (some local calendars and pre-1970 [[General Roman Calendar]])
|feast_day=January 22 ([[Eastern Christianity]])<br />January 26 ([[Roman Catholic Church]], [[Lutheranism]])<br />January 24 (some local calendars and pre-1970 [[General Roman Calendar]])
|venerated_in=[[Roman Catholic Church]]<br />[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]<br />[[Oriental Orthodoxy]]<br />[[Anglican Communion]]<br />[[Lutheran Church]]
|venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church<br />[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]<br />[[Oriental Orthodoxy]]<br />Russian Orthodox Church<br/>[[Anglican Communion]]<br />[[Lutheran Church]]
|image=Saint Timothy.jpg
|image=Saint Timothy.jpg
|imagesize=180px
|imagesize=180px
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==Life==
==Life==
Timothy was a native of Lystra in Lycaonia,<ref name=stelca>[http://www.sttimothyelca.com/sttimothybio.htm "Biography of St. Timothy", St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church, Norfolk, Virginia]</ref> ([[Early centers of Christianity#Anatolia|Anatolia]]). When Paul and Barnabas first visited Lystra, Paul healed one crippled from birth, leading many of the inhabitants to accept his teaching. When he returned a few years later with Silas, Timothy was already a respected member of the Christian congregation, as was his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, both Jewesses. In 2 Timothy 1:5, his mother and grandmother are noted as eminent for their piety and faith. Timothy is said to have been acquainted with the Scriptures since childhood. In 1 Corinthians 16:10 there is a suggestion that he was by nature reserved and timid. ("When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord...")<ref name=fwec>[http://www.fwepiscopal.org/st.timothy/StTimHist.html "Who Was Saint Timothy", St.Timothy's Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, Texas]</ref>
⚫
Saint Timothy is mentioned in the Bible at the time of Paul's second visit to [[Lystra]] in [[Early centers of Christianity#Anatolia|Anatolia]], where Timothy is mentioned as a [[Disciple (Christianity)|"disciple"]]. Timothy's mother was "a Jewish woman who was a believer," but his father was Greek—that is, not a [[Jew]]. Timothy had not been [[Circumcision controversy in early Christianity|circumcised]], and Paul now ensured that this was done, according to the text, to ensure Timothy’s acceptability to the Jews they would be evangelizing to.<ref>Acts 16:1-3</ref> According to [[John William McGarvey|McGarvey]]<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch16.html McGarvey on Acts 16]: "Yet we see him in the case before us, circumcising Timothy with his own hand, and this "on account of certain Jews who were in those quarters".</ref> Paul performed the operation "with his own hand", but others claim this is unlikely and nowhere attested.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}


⚫
Timothy's father was Greek—that is, not a [[Jew]]. Timothy had not been [[Circumcision controversy in early Christianity|circumcised]], and Paul now ensured that this was done, according to the text, to ensure Timothy’s acceptability to the Jews they would be evangelizing to.<ref>Acts 16:1-3</ref> According to [[John William McGarvey|McGarvey]]<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch16.html McGarvey on Acts 16]: "Yet we see him in the case before us, circumcising Timothy with his own hand, and this "on account of certain Jews who were in those quarters".</ref> Paul performed the operation "with his own hand", but others claim this is unlikely and nowhere attested.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}
Timothy accompanied Paul for the next few years, traveling with him through [[Phrygia]] and [[Galatia]], and into Europe to [[Philippi]] and [[Thessalonia]], and was sent back to the latter city to aid the congregation there, to rejoin Paul in [[Roman Corinth|Corinth]] where he aided Paul in evangelizing that city. Timothy next appears in Acts during Paul's stay in Ephesus (54-57), and in late 56 or early 57 Paul sent him forth to Macedonia with the aim that he would eventually arrive at Corinth.<ref>Acts 19:22; 1 Corinthians 4:17, 16:10</ref> Timothy arrived at Corinth just after [[1 Corinthians]] reached that city. The letter was not well received, and Timothy quickly returned to Ephesus to report this to Paul. Timothy was with Paul in Corinth during the winter of 57-58 when Paul dispatched his [[Letter to the Romans]].<ref>Romans 16:21</ref> According to Acts 20:3-6, Timothy was with Paul in Macedonia just before Passover 58; he left the city before Paul, going ahead of him to await Paul in [[Troad|Troas]].<ref>Acts 20:4-5</ref> "That is the last mention of Timothy in Acts," Raymond Brown notes.<ref>Brown, ''An Introduction to the New Testament'' (New York: Doubleday, 1997), p. 655</ref>
⚫
[[File:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 153.jpg|thumb|[[Rembrandt|Rembrandt's]] ''Timothy and his grandmother'', 1648.]]
[[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] extols his zeal and disinterestedness in immediately forsaking his country, his house, and his parents, to follow the apostle, to share in his poverty and sufferings.<ref name=butler>[http://www.bartleby.com/210/1/241.html Butler, Alban. ''Lives of the Saints'', Vol. I, (1866)]</ref> Timothy may have been subject to ill health or "frequent aliments" and Paul encouraged him to "use a little wine for thy stomach's sake".<ref name=fwec/>


In the year 52, Paul and Silas took Timothy along with them on their journey to Macedonia. When Paul went on to Athens, Silas and Timothy stayed for some time at Beroea and [[Thessalonia]] before joining Paul at Corinth.<ref name=butler/> Timothy next appears in Acts during Paul's stay in Ephesus (54-57), and in late 56 or early 57 Paul sent him forth to Macedonia with the aim that he would eventually arrive at Corinth. Timothy arrived at Corinth just after [[1 Corinthians]] reached that city. The letter was not well received, and Timothy quickly returned to Ephesus to report this to Paul.
⚫
His relationship with Paul was close. Timothy's name appears as the co-author on [[2 Corinthians]], [[Philippians]], [[Colossians]], [[1 Thessalonians]], [[2 Thessalonians]], and [[Epistle to Philemon|Philemon]]. Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy, "I have no one like him."<ref>Philippians 2:19-23</ref>


Timothy was with Paul in Corinth during the winter of 57-58 when Paul dispatched his [[Letter to the Romans]].<ref>Romans 16:21</ref> According to Acts 20:3-6, Timothy was with Paul in Macedonia just before Passover 58; he left the city before Paul, going ahead of him to await Paul in [[Troad|Troas]].<ref>Acts 20:4-5</ref> "That is the last mention of Timothy in Acts," Raymond Brown notes.<ref>Brown, ''An Introduction to the New Testament'' (New York: Doubleday, 1997), p. 655</ref> In the year 64, Paul left St. Timothy at Ephesus, to govern that church.<ref name=butler/>
His mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, are noted as eminent for their piety and faith,<ref>2 Timothy 1:5.</ref> which indicates that they may have also been Christians. Timothy is praised by Paul for his knowledge of the [[Scriptures]] (in the 1st century mostly the [[Septuagint]], see [[Development of the New Testament canon#Clement of Rome]]), and is said to have been acquainted with the Scriptures since childhood.<ref>2 Timothy 3:15.</ref>


⚫
His relationship with Paul was close. Timothy's name appears as the co-author on [[2 Corinthians]], [[Philippians]], [[Colossians]], [[1 Thessalonians]], [[2 Thessalonians]], and [[Epistle to Philemon|Philemon]]. Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy, "I have no one like him."<ref>Philippians 2:19-23</ref> When Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend, Timothy, for a last farewell.<ref name=oca>[http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/01/22/100262-apostle-timothy-of-the-seventy "Apostle Timothy", Orthodox Church in America]</ref>
⚫
That Timothy was jailed at least once during the period of the writing of the New Testament is implied by the writer of [[Epistle to the Hebrews|Hebrews]] mentioning Timothy's release at the end of the epistle. It is also apparent that Timothy had some type of stomach malady, owing to Paul's advice in 1 Timothy 5:23, counseling Timothy to "No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments."


⚫
That Timothy was jailed at least once during the period of the writing of the New Testament is implied by the writer of [[Epistle to the Hebrews|Hebrews]] mentioning Timothy's release at the end of the epistle.
Paul commanded Timothy to remain in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1) "I command you to stay there in Ephesus" to prevent heresy from infecting the church in Ephesus. Paul also gave Timothy instructions for establishing Elders and Deacons there. These very guidelines have become the commonly used guidelines among churches across the world to this day. According to later tradition, Paul consecrated Timothy as [[bishop of Ephesus]] in the year 65, where he served for 15 years. The later apocryphal ''Acts of Timothy'' states that in the year 97 (with Timothy dying at age 80), the bishop tried to halt a pagan procession of [[Idolatry in Christianity|idols]], ceremonies, and songs. In response to his preaching of [[the gospel]], the angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and [[Stoning|stoned him to death]]. In the 4th century, his relics were transferred to the [[Church of the Holy Apostles]] in [[Constantinople]].

The apocryphal ''Acts of Timothy'' states that in the year 97, the 80 year old bishop tried to halt a procession in honor of the goddess Diana by preaching [[the gospel]]. The angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and [[Stoning|stoned him to death]].<ref name=oca/> In the 4th century, his relics were transferred to the [[Church of the Holy Apostles]] in [[Constantinople]].


==Veneration==
==Veneration==
⚫
[[File:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 153.jpg|thumb|left|[[Rembrandt|Rembrandt's]] ''Timothy and his grandmother'', 1648.]]
Timothy is venerated as an apostle, saint and [[martyr]] by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], with his feast day on 22 January. The [[Roman Catholic calendar of saints]] venerates Timothy together with [[Titus (Biblical)|Titus]] with a memorial on 26 January. In the [[General Roman Calendar of 1962]], his feast, a third class, is kept on 24 January. Along with Titus and [[Silas]], he is commemorated by the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] and the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] on 26 January. Timothy's feast is kept by the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] on 24 January.
Timothy is venerated as an apostle, saint and [[martyr]] by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], with his feast day on 22 January. The [[Roman Catholic calendar of saints]] venerates Timothy together with [[Titus (Biblical)|Titus]] with a memorial on 26 January. In the [[General Roman Calendar of 1962]], his feast, a third class, is kept on 24 January. Along with Titus and [[Silas]], he is commemorated by the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] and the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] on 26 January. Timothy's feast is kept by the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] on 24 January.

{{-}}
In the fourth century the relics of Timothy were transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles near the tombs of St Andrew and St Luke.<ref name=oca/>

===Patronage===
Timothy is the patron invoked against stomach ailments.<ref name=fwec/>


== See also ==
== See also ==
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* [[First Epistle to Timothy]]
* [[First Epistle to Timothy]]
* [[Second Epistle to Timothy]]
* [[Second Epistle to Timothy]]
* [[Development of the New Testament canon#Clement of Rome]]


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 17:58, 17 January 2014

Saint Timothy
Bishop
Bornc. AD 17
Diedc. AD 97
Macedonia
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Oriental Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodox Church
Anglican Communion
Lutheran Church
FeastJanuary 22 (Eastern Christianity)
January 26 (Roman Catholic Church, Lutheranism)
January 24 (some local calendars and pre-1970 General Roman Calendar)

Timothy (Greek: Τιμόθεος; Timótheos, meaning "honouring God"[1] or "honored by God"[2]) was the first first-century Christian bishop of Ephesus,[3] whom tradition relates died around the year AD 97. The New Testament indicates that Timothy traveled with Saint Paul, who was also his mentor. He is addressed as the recipient of the Epistles to Timothy.

Life

Timothy was a native of Lystra in Lycaonia,[4] (Anatolia). When Paul and Barnabas first visited Lystra, Paul healed one crippled from birth, leading many of the inhabitants to accept his teaching. When he returned a few years later with Silas, Timothy was already a respected member of the Christian congregation, as was his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, both Jewesses. In 2 Timothy 1:5, his mother and grandmother are noted as eminent for their piety and faith. Timothy is said to have been acquainted with the Scriptures since childhood. In 1 Corinthians 16:10 there is a suggestion that he was by nature reserved and timid. ("When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord...")[5]

Timothy's father was Greek—that is, not a Jew. Timothy had not been circumcised, and Paul now ensured that this was done, according to the text, to ensure Timothy’s acceptability to the Jews they would be evangelizing to.[6] According to McGarvey[7] Paul performed the operation "with his own hand", but others claim this is unlikely and nowhere attested.[citation needed]

Rembrandt's Timothy and his grandmother, 1648.

Augustine extols his zeal and disinterestedness in immediately forsaking his country, his house, and his parents, to follow the apostle, to share in his poverty and sufferings.[8] Timothy may have been subject to ill health or "frequent aliments" and Paul encouraged him to "use a little wine for thy stomach's sake".[5]

In the year 52, Paul and Silas took Timothy along with them on their journey to Macedonia. When Paul went on to Athens, Silas and Timothy stayed for some time at Beroea and Thessalonia before joining Paul at Corinth.[8] Timothy next appears in Acts during Paul's stay in Ephesus (54-57), and in late 56 or early 57 Paul sent him forth to Macedonia with the aim that he would eventually arrive at Corinth. Timothy arrived at Corinth just after 1 Corinthians reached that city. The letter was not well received, and Timothy quickly returned to Ephesus to report this to Paul.

Timothy was with Paul in Corinth during the winter of 57-58 when Paul dispatched his Letter to the Romans.[9] According to Acts 20:3-6, Timothy was with Paul in Macedonia just before Passover 58; he left the city before Paul, going ahead of him to await Paul in Troas.[10] "That is the last mention of Timothy in Acts," Raymond Brown notes.[11] In the year 64, Paul left St. Timothy at Ephesus, to govern that church.[8]

His relationship with Paul was close. Timothy's name appears as the co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon. Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy, "I have no one like him."[12] When Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend, Timothy, for a last farewell.[13]

That Timothy was jailed at least once during the period of the writing of the New Testament is implied by the writer of Hebrews mentioning Timothy's release at the end of the epistle.

The apocryphal Acts of Timothy states that in the year 97, the 80 year old bishop tried to halt a procession in honor of the goddess Diana by preaching the gospel. The angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.[13] In the 4th century, his relics were transferred to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.

Veneration

Timothy is venerated as an apostle, saint and martyr by the Eastern Orthodox Church, with his feast day on 22 January. The Roman Catholic calendar of saints venerates Timothy together with Titus with a memorial on 26 January. In the General Roman Calendar of 1962, his feast, a third class, is kept on 24 January. Along with Titus and Silas, he is commemorated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church on 26 January. Timothy's feast is kept by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod on 24 January.

In the fourth century the relics of Timothy were transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles near the tombs of St Andrew and St Luke.[13]

Patronage

Timothy is the patron invoked against stomach ailments.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ MFnames.com - Origin and Meaning of Timothy
  2. ^ Zelo.com - What does the name TIMOTHY mean?
  3. ^ Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica 3.4; translated by G.A. Williamson, Eusebius: The History of the Church (Harmonsworth: Penguin, 1965), p. 109
  4. ^ "Biography of St. Timothy", St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church, Norfolk, Virginia
  5. ^ a b c "Who Was Saint Timothy", St.Timothy's Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, Texas
  6. ^ Acts 16:1-3
  7. ^ McGarvey on Acts 16: "Yet we see him in the case before us, circumcising Timothy with his own hand, and this "on account of certain Jews who were in those quarters".
  8. ^ a b c Butler, Alban. Lives of the Saints, Vol. I, (1866)
  9. ^ Romans 16:21
  10. ^ Acts 20:4-5
  11. ^ Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (New York: Doubleday, 1997), p. 655
  12. ^ Philippians 2:19-23
  13. ^ a b c "Apostle Timothy", Orthodox Church in America
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