The Apostle Timothy of the Seventy was baptized and instructed in the Christian faith by the holy Apostle Paul in the year 52. A zealous disciple, his follower and fellow worker, Timothy accompanied him everywhere. He also bade farewell to the Apostle Paul on the eve of his martyrdom, when Paul, imprisoned in Rome, summoned him for a final meeting.
Timothy was ordained bishop of the Church of Ephesus. He preached the word of God and was a skillful speaker and defender of the truths of the faith. Once in Ephesus, pagans were holding a certain rite with chants in honor of the festival of their idols. The holy bishop could not calmly witness this impious spectacle and rebuked the idolaters, striving to open their eyes to the true God; for this he was cruelly tortured and died.
His relics were transferred to Constantinople and laid in the church of the Holy Apostles. Saint Timothy became an example of humility and devotion to God, and his life was filled with virtues and service.
