Of S. Timothy, and Interpretation of his Name

Chapter 121 of the Golden Legend by Jacobus Voragine (1275), translated by William Caxton, 1483.

Timothy is as much to say as holding dread. Or of timor, that is dread, and theos, a word of Greek, which is deus in Latin and God in English, as the dread of God.

S. Timothy was taken under Nero of the provost of Rome, and was grievously beaten, and had quicklime put in his throat and upon his wounds. And he rendered thankings to God with all his heart. And then two angels came to him, saying: Lift up thine head to heaven. And then he beheld and saw the heaven open, and Jesu Christ, which held a double crown, and said to him Thou shalt receive this of my hand. And a man named Apollinarius saw this thing and did him to be had himself baptized. And therefore the provost commanded that they twain two together, persevering in the confession of our Lord, should be beheaded about the year of our Lord fifty-six.

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A 16th-century fresco of St. Timothy as a bishop. (See the description page for this image and the page explaining the iconography of images of this saint.)

This text was taken from the Internet Medieval Source Book. E-text © by Paul Halsall. Annotations, formatting, and added rubrics by Richard Stracke. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the sources. No permission is granted for commercial use.