Family and Conversion
Timothy was born at Lystra in Lycaonia in Asia Minor. His mother, Eunice, was Jewish and became a believer, and his father was Greek; his grandmother Lois is likewise remembered for her faith, and Timothy is said to have known the Scriptures from childhood. He was converted through the preaching of the Apostle Paul around the year 52, when, according to the synaxarion, Paul's healing of a man crippled from birth at Lystra led many of the townspeople, including Timothy's family, to embrace Christ.
Timothy became Paul's disciple and constant companion. Paul circumcised him so that he would be acceptable to the Jews among whom they worked, and afterward Timothy accompanied the apostle on his journeys, sharing in his labors and sufferings. Paul's affection for him is reflected in the New Testament, where he is described as a uniquely trusted helper.
Ministry and Episcopate at Ephesus
Between about AD 52 and 58 Timothy traveled with Paul through Macedonia, Thessalonica, Corinth, and other regions. Paul subsequently appointed him the first bishop of Ephesus to govern that church; by the synaxarion's account he held the see for fifteen years.
Two letters of the New Testament, the First and Second Epistles to Timothy, are addressed to him and give counsel on the ordering and leadership of the Church. In one of these Paul advises him to take a little wine for the sake of his stomach and his frequent infirmities, a passage from which his patronage against ailments of the stomach derives.
Martyrdom and Relics
According to tradition, Timothy met his death at Ephesus when he tried to stop a pagan festival in which idols were carried through the city with songs and ceremonies. Preaching the faith of Christ to the crowd, he was attacked, beaten, dragged along the ground, and stoned. The sources place his martyrdom in the 90s, the OCA giving the year 93 and other accounts around 97.
In the fourth century his relics were brought to Constantinople and laid in the Church of the Holy Apostles, near those of the Apostles Andrew and Luke. He is honored as one of the Seventy Apostles, and is commemorated on January 22.
