Who is "Saint Timothy"?

Background to our Patron Saint

Although it is not known why the founders of Herndon’s first Episcopal church decided on the name of “St. Timothy’s”, the New Testament and church tradition provide a rich array of information for whom we are named!

Timothy was a native of Lystra in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), and the son of a Jewish woman, Eunice, and an unnamed Greek father. The Book of Acts (Chapter 16) also reports that Timothy’s grandmother’s name was Lois and that he was chosen by Paul during the latter’s 2nd Missionary Journey (circa 50 CE) through Lystra for reasons unknown.
The principle of matrilineal descent meant that he was Jewish, but since Timothy was not circumcised, he might not have grown up in an observant family in Diaspora. Regardless, by the time that Paul visits Lystra in Acts, Timothy was already a Christian, presumably having been converted by Paul and Barnabas on their 1st Missionary Journey. Acts 16 reports that Paul had Timothy circumcised to make him more fully acceptable and regularizing his Jewish status. Since Timothy’s father did not object, the assumption is that the latter was deceased.

Timothy then travelled with Paul and Silas to Macedonia, where conflict in Philippi landed the latter two in jail, but not Timothy. Perhaps he was spared jail because he was Greek. Eventually Timothy was sent to Thessalonica for more ministry. The frequency with which Timothy’s name is reported as a co-sender of letters reveals a special collaborative relationship with Paul. It’s been said, in fact, that Timothy was the son that Paul never had!
Later Timothy joins Paul in Corinth and then meets Paul during his Ephesian stay on the 3rd Missionary Journey (circa 54-57 CE). There they hear what’s going on in Corinth, and Timothy is sent with a letter to serve as an apostolic reminder. It seems that Paul is apprehensive about how Timothy would be received. Did Paul have doubts about Timothy as a leader? Had he been rejected earlier? Did they want Paul himself? Because of these references, Timothy is sometimes characterized as being young (see the 1650 Rembrandt painting at left entitled “Timothy with his grandmother Lois”) and lacking self-confidence.

The two Pastoral Letters of 1st and 2nd Timothy are addressed to Paul’s protege and, in the final letter, Timothy is told to come to Rome, and to bring Mark and Paul’s cloak. Later tradition includes Timothy becoming the first Bishop of Ephesus and meeting his martyrdom trying to stop a pagan festival near the end of the 1st century.

St. Timothy’s Herndon is the only so-named church in the Diocese of Virginia, and only one of about 70 69 “St. Timothy’s” in the Episcopal Church.
St. Timothy is the patron saint of stomach ailments. He shares a feast day with Titus, another close colleague of Paul’s, on January 26th in the Episcopal Church calendar.

For more on Saint Timothy:

Bruce F. F. 2006. The Pauline Circle. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock.
Bryan, Christopher. 1998. “A Further Look at Acts 16:1-3.” Journal of Biblical Literature 107 (2): 292–294.
Cohen, Shaye. 1986. “Was Timothy Jewish (Acts 16:1-3): Patristic Exegesis, Rabbinic Law, and Matrilineal Descent.” Journal of Biblical Literature 105 (2): 251–268.
Gillman, John. 1992. “Timothy” in Freedman, David Noel, ed. The Anchor Bible Dictionary (Vol. 6) 1st Ed. NY: Doubleday, 558-560.
Meeks, Wayne A. 1983. The First Urban Christians : The Social World of the Apostle Paul. New Haven: Yale.
Walker, William O, Jr. 1981. “The Timothy-Titus Problem Reconsidered.” The Expository Times 92 (8): 231–35
Wright, N. T. 2018. Paul: A Biography. New York NY: HarperOne. 174-180.