St. Timothy +97AD

St. Timothy +97AD

On MASOCNA Calendar May 11th is the commemoration of the dukhrono of St. Timothy +97AD according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Mor Timotheos was native of Lystra in Lycaonia. While his father was a gentile, his mother was of Jewish ancestry, who along with his maternal grandmother embraced Christianity, their faith being commended by St. Paul (2 Timothy 1:5). The Christian citizens praised the merits of Timothy when Paul visited them. The life of St. Timothy is intimately linked to the mission of St. Paul. St. Paul had Timothy circumcised to prepare him for the ministry among Jews. He then took Timothy with him, in order to aid him in propagating the doctrine of our Lord. Timothy assisted Paul through the whole course of his preaching. St. Paul calls him not only his dearly beloved son, but also his brother, the companion of his labors, & a man of God. Timothy accompanied St. Paul from Lystra & sailed to Macedonia, preaching at Philippi, Thessalonica & Berea. Paul had to leave Berea, but Timothy remained there along with Silas to administer the new converts. Timothy was sent by St. Paul to Thessalonica, where persecution had left the believers distraught. He would then go to Corinth to report what transpired & the condition of the faithful there; prompting Paul to write his 1st epistle to the Thessalonians. Timothy accompanied Paul on his visits to Jerusalem followed by Ephesus where they spent 2 years. Paul then delegated Timotheos to Macedonia to prepare the faithful for his return to Greece. Afterwards, Timothy was directed to Corinth to propagate the true faith & reinvigorate the believers. Later in his ministry, Timothy would be imprisoned & suffered great persecution for his faith. Timothy was ordained bishop by St. Paul at Ephesus. St. Timothy is always described as the first bishop of Ephesus in tradition & by Church historians. Paul left Timothy at Ephesus to govern that Church, to oppose false teachers & to ordain priests, deacons, even bishops. When Paul was imprisoned in Rome & awaiting his execution, he wrote to Timothy desiring to see his friend & beloved brother in Christ one final time. Timothy spoke out against the idolatrous practices of the Katagogia festival in honour of pagan deity Diana. While preaching the Gospel, the heathens beat him with clubs, dragged him through the streets & finally stoned him to death. Thus Mor Timotheos attained the crown of martyrdom. His body was taken by the faithful & entombed in a nearby mountain top. In the 4th century his holy relics were transferred to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. Biography courtesy of, 'Martyrs, Saints and Prelates of the Syriac Orthodox Church' Oh Mor Timotheos sahdo! Plead for us before God's throne of grace. Amen.