Character Study – Timothy
As I was starting to write an article on the hermeneutics responsible for the position of allowing woman in the pastorate (still coming soon), I realized that I had never done a character study on the awesome Timothy. So, here I am, and I hope it proves beneficial to you as well.
Passages Involving Timothy: The NA28 Greek text is on the left and the NASB on the right.
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Κατήντησεν δὲ [καὶ] εἰς Δέρβην καὶ εἰς Λύστραν. καὶ ἰδοὺ μαθητής τις ἦν ἐκεῖ ὀνόματι Τιμόθεος, υἱὸς γυναικὸς Ἰουδαίας πιστῆς, πατρὸς δὲ Ἕλληνος,
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Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek,
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εὐθέως δὲ τότε τὸν Παῦλον ἐξαπέστειλαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ πορεύεσθαι ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὑπέμεινάν τε ὅ τε Σιλᾶς καὶ ὁ Τιμόθεος ἐκεῖ.
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Then immediately the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there.
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οἱ δὲ καθιστάνοντες τὸν Παῦλον ἤγαγον ἕως Ἀθηνῶν, καὶ λαβόντες ἐντολὴν πρὸς τὸν Σιλᾶν καὶ τὸν Τιμόθεον ἵνα ὡς τάχιστα ἔλθωσιν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐξῄεσαν.
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Now those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.
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Ὡς δὲ κατῆλθον ἀπὸ τῆς Μακεδονίας ὅ τε Σιλᾶς καὶ ὁ Τιμόθεος, συνείχετο τῷ λόγῳ ὁ Παῦλος διαμαρτυρόμενος τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις εἶναι τὸν χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν.
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But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
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ἀποστείλας δὲ εἰς τὴν Μακεδονίαν δύο τῶν διακονούντων αὐτῷ, Τιμόθεον καὶ Ἔραστον, αὐτὸς ἐπέσχεν χρόνον εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν.
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And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
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συνείπετο δὲ αὐτῷ Σώπατρος Πύρρου Βεροιαῖος, Θεσσαλονικέων δὲ Ἀρίσταρχος καὶ Σεκοῦνδος, καὶ Γάϊος Δερβαῖος καὶ Τιμόθεος, Ἀσιανοὶ δὲ Τύχικος καὶ Τρόφιμος.
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And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
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Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Τιμόθεος ὁ συνεργός μου καὶ Λούκιος καὶ Ἰάσων καὶ Σωσίπατρος οἱ συγγενεῖς μου.
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Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
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Διὰ τοῦτο ἔπεμψα ὑμῖν Τιμόθεον, ὅς ἐστίν μου τέκνον ἀγαπητὸν καὶ πιστὸν ἐν κυρίῳ, ὃς ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσει τὰς ὁδούς μου τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ [Ἰησοῦ], καθὼς πανταχοῦ ἐν πάσῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ διδάσκω.
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For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.
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Ἐὰν δὲ ἔλθῃ Τιμόθεος, βλέπετε, ἵνα ἀφόβως γένηται πρὸς ὑμᾶς· τὸ γὰρ ἔργον κυρίου ἐργάζεται ὡς κἀγώ·
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Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am.
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Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφὸς τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν Κορίνθῳ σὺν τοῖς ἁγίοις πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Ἀχαΐᾳ,
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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:
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ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ γὰρ υἱὸς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν διʼ ἡμῶν κηρυχθείς, διʼ ἐμοῦ καὶ Σιλουανοῦ καὶ Τιμοθέου, οὐκ ἐγένετο ναὶ καὶ οὒ ἀλλὰ ναὶ ἐν αὐτῷ γέγονεν.
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For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him.
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Παῦλος καὶ Τιμόθεος δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Φιλίπποις σὺν ἐπισκόποις καὶ διακόνοις,
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Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:
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Ἐλπίζω δὲ ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Τιμόθεον ταχέως πέμψαι ὑμῖν, ἵνα κἀγὼ εὐψυχῶ γνοὺς τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν.
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But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition.
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Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφὸς
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Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
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Παῦλος καὶ Σιλουανὸς καὶ Τιμόθεος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεσσαλονικέων ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη.
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Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
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καὶ ἐπέμψαμεν Τιμόθεον, τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς τὸ στηρίξαι ὑμᾶς καὶ παρακαλέσαι ὑπὲρ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν
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and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith,
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Ἄρτι δὲ ἐλθόντος Τιμοθέου πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφʼ ὑμῶν καὶ εὐαγγελισαμένου ἡμῖν τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ὑμῶν καὶ ὅτι ἔχετε μνείαν ἡμῶν ἀγαθὴν πάντοτε, ἐπιποθοῦντες ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖν καθάπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμᾶς,
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But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you,
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Παῦλος καὶ Σιλουανὸς καὶ Τιμόθεος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεσσαλονικέων ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ,
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Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
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Τιμοθέῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ ἐν πίστει, χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν.
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To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Ταύτην τὴν παραγγελίαν παρατίθεμαί σοι, τέκνον Τιμόθεε, κατὰ τὰς προαγούσας ἐπὶ σὲ προφητείας, ἵνα στρατεύῃ ἐν αὐταῖς τὴν καλὴν στρατείαν
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This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
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Ὦ Τιμόθεε, τὴν παραθήκην φύλαξον ἐκτρεπόμενος τὰς βεβήλους κενοφωνίας καὶ ἀντιθέσεις τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως,
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O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”—
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Τιμοθέῳ ἀγαπητῷ τέκνῳ, χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν.
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To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Παῦλος δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφὸς Φιλήμονι τῷ ἀγαπητῷ καὶ συνεργῷ ἡμῶν
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Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,
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Γινώσκετε τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν Τιμόθεον ἀπολελυμένον, μεθʼ οὗ ἐὰν τάχιον ἔρχηται ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς.
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Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you.
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Our Introduction to Timothy:
Timothy is introduced into the story line whenever Paul is on his second missionary journey in Derbe and Lystra. We are immediately injected into the family of Timothy, being informed that his mother was a Jewish Christian his father was a Greek, which seems to be quite the surprise…for many different reasons. First, people of Jewish decent simply didn’t marry outside the Jewish ethnicity, or you might turn into a Samaritan… Secondly, based on other passages in Scripture (2 Timothy 1:5), it seems apparent that Timothy’s father wasn’t a Christian. So, not only did his mother marry outside of the Jewish line, but she also married a gentile non-believer. It is important to note, while we’re on the topic, that it is possible that the marriage outside of the Jewish decent may not have been as big of a deal simply due to the fact the Eunice’s (Timothy’s mother) mother was also a Christian, passing down the teaching of the fulfillment of the Jewish law. Either way, it’s a very interesting study.
This interesting marriage would also uniquely place Timothy in a position to minister to both Jews (because of his Jewish mother) and gentiles (because of his Greek father). This may only go so far as Timothy was probably not brought up in the Jewish tradition as he was not circumcised until he joined Paul (Acts 16:3). It’s important to note here that this circumcision was not in a fulfilment of the Jewish law, but for the sake of reaching the Jews with the gospel. This can also be seen in Acts 16. It was a kind of report that needed to be built so Timothy could have an effective ministry (although two chapters later, Paul decides to minister to the gentiles only…poor Timothy…) Jews, which we see he did in Acts 16:6, “So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.[1]” Timothy was with Paul on both his second and third missionary journeys.
Personal Facts about Timothy:
Interestingly, Timothy was a young person. Paul writes to Timothy and tells him “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.[2] (1 Timothy 4:12). If Paul wrote this letter in AD 63-66 which is the widely accepted date range, Timothy’s mother was a Christian when Timothy was born (due to Timothy not being circumcised, which happened when the baby was eight days old), and him being labeled as being so young, it seems reasonable to say Timothy was probably around 25 years old. Timothy was a young person leading the church in Ephesus. Paul had poured into this young person, equipping him for ministry in a magnificent way. What a testimony to the importance of discipleship, the mature pouring into the immature.
As Paul is instructing Timothy, he adds a little advice for Timothy’s ailments, “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.[3]” It’s not for certain what ailments Timothy was dealing with, but it seems apparent it was some type of stomach defect which caused frequent pain.
It is also important to note, this is not a proof text for constant alcohol consumption as previously in the same letter, drunkenness is clearly spoken against for any church leader (1 Timothy 3:8). Other texts throughout the Scriptures speak against drunkenness for all people (Ephesians 5:8).
Aside from the teachings of Paul, Timothy was raised with the readings of Scripture. It’s unknown what Scriptures these might be – whether only the Old Testament or both the Old Testament and parts of the early writings of the New Testament. Based on dating, it’s possible that Timothy would have been raised in the writings of James, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Mark, Romans, and Luke. However, this would be speculation. Either way, Timothy had a foundation because of his mother and grandmother in regard to understanding the Scripture, which I’d imagine boosted to effectiveness of Paul’s relationship with Timothy.
Timothy in Paul’s Ministry:
Timothy has a strong presence in much of Paul’s ministry. As can be seen multiple times (Acts 17:15; 18:5), Timothy seems to be under Paul, as Paul manages his ministry and utilizes Timothy as a partner in ministry. Timothy, throughout acts, seems to be a subordinate of Paul. As can be seen later in the letters to Timothy, this is confirmed as a discipleship relationship, where Paul is teaching Timothy so he can teach others, who will then teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). This relationship can also be found at the greetings of the letters to Timothy as Paul addresses Timothy as his son in the faith. This points to a fatherly mentorship or discipleship. They had a very close relationship and one that should be imitated among Christians today. As can be seen at the end of 2 Timothy, a letter which Paul is writing at the end of his life, the love they have for each other can clearly be seen. Paul loves Timothy deeply, and the weeping of Timothy in Acts 20 (whenever Paul departs from Ephesus) shows the deep love Timothy also had for Paul.
Timothy’s Ministry in Ephesus:
As we look at this relationship, it’s apparent that Timothy was instructed at some point to stay in Ephesus (Acts 20). 1 Timothy 1:3 confirms this, “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines[4].” Timothy wasn’t only to stay in Ephesus, but he was to continue in his teaching of the church in Ephesus. This is a major reason the letters to Timothy are considered to be the “pastoral epistles” (while there is also clear teaching strictly for pastor/overseers which contribute to this title as well).
With this, we see a major part of Timothy’s life. Timothy is the pastor or overseer of the church in Ephesus. At the very least, he is to guard the church against false doctrines by teaching the sound doctrine given to him by Paul directly (2 Timothy 2:2).
