His mother and grandmother believed after Paul came to Derbe and Lystra during his first missionary journey. It was from them that Timothy believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. When Paul returned to Derbe and Lystra, he heard good testimony from the brothers about him. Since he needed a companion to help him in his travels and preaching, he took Timothy with him, because of his activity.
جال تيموثاوس مع الرسول بولس في فريجيا وغلاطية وتسالونيكية وبيرية واثينا وسواها وتبعه الى قيصرية فلسطين والى رومية. وكان له موفداً شخصياً الى أماكن عدّة كتسالونيكي وكورنثوس وفيليبي وأفسس. كان لتيموثاوس في كل هذه الجولات دور فاعل. لأهل كورنثوس قال عنه بولس انه “يعمل عمل الرب” (1 كور 16: 10-11) ولأهل تسالونيكي قال انه “العامل معنا في انجيل المسيح”. كذلك كان له دور تثبيت الكرازة (1 تسالونيكي 3: 2-3): 2-3).
In everything Timothy showed complete faithfulness to the Apostle Paul. That is why the Apostle said of him that he is faithful in the Lord and teaches as he himself teaches in every place and in every church (1 Cor. 4:17). The Apostle Paul had no one on whom he could fully rely except Timothy. In some cases he considered him a copy of himself. He told the Philippians that he had no one like himself who cared for their affairs with sincerity (Philippians 2:19-22).
Paul was keen to provide his disciple with all the commandments, advice and support he saw him needing. Timothy was a young man exposed to all kinds of youthful lusts and whims. So he urged him to flee from lusts and foolish arguments because they generate strife (2 Timothy 2:22-23). He called on him to be sober in all things (2 Timothy 4:5), to turn away from vain and profane talk (1 Timothy 6:20), to treat the elders as fathers, the younger as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with all purity (1 Timothy 5:1-2), and to avoid the love of money, which is the root of all evil and pierces the soul with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10-11). He also called him to be a role model for the believers in speech, behavior, love, spirit, faith, and purity, and to devote himself to reading, preaching, observing himself, and teaching (4:12-16). He urged the believers to embrace him, honor him, and cooperate with him (1 Corinthians 16:10-11).
الظاهر من كلام الرسول بولس ان تلميذه تعرض للسجن ثم أُطلق سراحه. هذا حدث في ايطاليا. كتب الرسول بولس رسالتين الى تيموثاوس.عالج في الاولى بعض الصعوبات التي تعرّض لها تلميذه وبسط لصفات معلّمي الكنيسة وخدّام الإنجيل وواجباتهم. اما في الثانية فشدد تلميذه وحضه على الثبات في البشارة والتمسك بالأمانة عارفاً ممن تسلّمها (3: 14)، والاشتراك في المشقات كجندي صالح ليسوع المسيح (2 تيمو 3: 1-3).
It is mentioned in the heritage that Timothy met Saint John the Beloved in Ephesus and received blessings and grace from him. When John was exiled, Timothy governed the church in Ephesus in the spirit of Paul and John together. One day, while the pagans were celebrating one of their feasts, Timothy tried to turn them back from their error, but they rebelled against him and beat him severely. Some of his disciples came and dragged him away from them half dead, but he soon fell asleep after that. He was buried in the city of Ephesus near the shrine of Saint John the Beloved. Around the year 356 AD, his remains were transferred to Constantinople and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles. They remained there until the Crusaders stole them after the sack of Constantinople in the year 1204 AD.
The Holy Church celebrates his feast on January 22.
Troparia in the fourth tune
When you learned good things, and were awakened in all circumstances, wearing good intentions as befits the priesthood, you learned from the chosen vessel the indescribable mysteries, and since you kept the faith, you completed the right course, O Apostle Timothy, so intercede with Christ God to save our souls.
Kontakion in the first tone (on the same day is the feast of the holy martyr Anastasius the Persian)
O believers, let us today praise with hymns Timothy, the divine disciple, who accompanied Paul on his journeys, honoring with him the wise Anastasius, who shone from Persia like a star, removing the passions of our souls and the diseases of our bodies.