Timothy of Ephesus

Was Timothy the bishop of the church in Ephesus?

Timothy served as the first bishop of the church in Ephesus.
The New Testament clearly states that Timothy travelled to Ephesus with St. Paul and accompanied him on his missionary journeys. Later, St. Paul had to leave the city of Ephesus due to a rebellion by the merchants in the Ephesus Grand Theatre. Timothy became the head of the Christian community in Ephesus.

St. Timothy in Ephesus

​Who was Timothy?

''Timothy, known as Timotheos in Ancient Greek, meaning honored by God. He was born in Lystra, a city in southwestern Central Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). The modern name for Lystra is Klistra, and it is located in south-central Turkey, approximately 24 miles southwest of Konya (Iconia in Biblical Times), near the modern village of Hatunsaray.

Timothy was born from a Jewish mother who became Christian later and a Greek father. During his second missionary journey, St. Paul visited Lystra and met with Timothy. Along with Silas, Timothy became Paul's trusted deciple and missionary partner. The New Testament states that Timothy traveled with Apostle Paul, who was also his mentor. They travelled to the Ancient City of Ephesus.

St. Paul with Timothy stayed in Ephesus for more than 2.5 years between 53-56 AD. Paul chose Ephesus as the center to spread the words of Jesus. Paul's missionary work in Ephesus had a significant impact on society, especially regarding the trade in idols associated with pagan gods, especially the Temple of Artemis. Paul's efforts to persuade the people to stop worshiping idols met with opposition, especially from the silversmith Demetrius, who led to rebellion in Ephesus in 56 AD. The riot forced Paul to leave the city, and he continued his travels until he was arrested by Roman soldiers in Jerusalem. Paul's claim to Roman citizenship led to his transfer to Rome, where he was eventually executed. Before he died while under house arrest, he wrote three letters to Ephesus; Two of these were written specifically to Timothy and show his devotion to his mission despite persecution.

Timothy had a leadership role in the Ephesus church, as seen in the two letters of St. Paul addressed to him, called Timothy 1 and Timothy 2. As indicated in the letter Timothy 1: 
''I asked you to stay longer in Ephesus when I went into Macedonia so you could command some people there to stop teaching false things. Tell them not to spend their time on stories that are not true and on long lists of names in family histories.''

Although the title "bishop" was not clearly indicated in reference to Timothy, the responsibilities and roles described in the New Testament are consistent with those of a bishop. Timothy was in charge with appointing leaders, teaching and promoting sound doctrine, and maintaining order within the church. These are all duties typically associated with the role of a bishop.

Additionally, historical sources outside the New Testament also support the idea that Timothy served as bishop of the church in Ephesus. Early Christian writers such as Eusebius and Ignatius of Antioch refer to Timothy as bishop of Ephesus. This lends credibility to Timothy's claim that he held a leadership position in the church.

What happened to Timothy at Ephesus?

​Presumably in 97 AD, Timothy was martyred under the command of Roman Emperor Trajan. According to a legend, he was beated to death by a crowd for protesting the exaggerated worship of the goddess Artemis.

---

Ephesus in the Bible
St. Paul in Ephesus
Biblical Ephesus Tours
7 Churches Tour Turkey