How did Timothy die?

Response

Timothy’s death is not documented in the Bible. According to extrabiblical church tradition, Timothy stayed in Ephesus for the remainder of his life, until he was martyred for his faith. Some of this does appear to align with a detail found in Paul’s final letters to Timothy. In 1 Timothy, Paul encouraged his young protégé to remain in Ephesus and combat the false teaching that was prevalent there “As I urged you to remain at Ephesus when I went to Macedonia, so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,”, (1 Timothy 1:3).

Notorious for its idolatry and temple to Diana, Ephesus is considered the traditional burial site of Timothy. Despite the agreement that Timothy was martyred in Ephesus, there are varying reports concerning his martyrdom. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs claims that Timothy’s death took place in AD 97 during the rule of Domitian (Claxton, 1881, p. 20). This would place Timothy’s martyrdom shortly after the exile of the apostle John to the island of Patmos, which occurred around AD 95. According to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, “as the pagans were about to celebrate a feast called Catagogion, Timothy, encountering the procession, strongly rebuked them for their absurd idolatry, which so angered the people that they attacked him with their clubs, beating him so severely that he died from the injuries two days later” (op. cit., p. 20).

Another source, the apocryphal Acts of Timothy, provides a similar narrative, except it states that Timothy’s martyrdom took place under the reign of Nerva instead of Domitian. According to this account, Timothy attempted to halt a pagan festival in honor of Dionysus known as Katagogion, where participants would wear costumes, masks, and engage in sexual immorality and murder. It is reported that Timothy admonished them, saying, “M”

Men of Ephesus, do not worship idols, but recognize the true God.” Instead of heeding Timothy’s words, the revelers attacked and beat him. While Timothy was still barely alive, some fellow Christians rescued him from the mob, and after his death, they buried him in a location called Pion in Ephesus. Although both narratives describe Timothy’s death similarly and portray the disciple’s unwavering faith, the exact circumstances of Timothy’s death remain uncertain.

The Bible does not detail Timothy’s later life and death, but it does contain some of Paul’s final encouragements to his companion. Paul encouraged Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses” «But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. », (1 Timothy 6:11). We can be certain that Timothy took this advice seriously and boldly preached the gospel in Ephesus, spreading the message of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is probable that Timothy, like the apostles, endured persecution for his faith.