Timothy (17-97 AD) was the Bishop of Ephesus and one of the companions of Saint Paul along with Silas (Silvanus).
Biography[]
Timothy was born in Lystra, Lycaonia, Roman Empire (present-day Akoren, Meram Province, Turkey) to a Greek father and Jewish mother, Eunice; his grandmother was Lois. Saint Paul visited Lystra several times, and Timothy's mother converted to Christianity; Timothy became a companion of Paul during his missionary travels. Timothy, Paul, and Silas traveled through the eastern Roman Empire, and Paul tried to instruct the younger Timothy on how to manage the Catholic Church. Paul was close to Timothy, calling him his "beloved child" in a letter in 2 Timothy 1.
After the death of Paul and several other apostles, Timothy continued to be an apostle, spreading the faith of Christianity. In 97 AD, the 80-year-old bishop Timothy of Ephesus tried to halt a pagan festival in the honor of the goddess Diana by preaching the Gospel to the pagans. The angry pagan worshippers stoned him to death, martyring him.