Feast of Saint Timon
(1st c.)
St. Timon is mentioned by name in the Acts of the Apostles. He belonged to the group of seventy disciples who followed Jesus during his earthly ministry. After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, St. Timon was one of the original seven deacons, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, chosen by the Apostles to help with the work of ministering to the growing Christian community.
Timon was later ordained a bishop by the Apostles. He baptized many Greeks and Jews into the Christian faith. He also had the supernatural ability to heal the sick and to cast out devils.
St. Timon suffered martyrdom for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. According to tradition he was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed, and later died by crucifixion.
His feast day is April 19.
Credit: https://www.MorningOffering.com
Morning Offering is among the family of brands of The Catholic Company, a leading online and catalog retailer of high quality Catholic books and gifts. For these and other faith based Catholic items please visit our friends at The Catholic Company or your local Catholic bookstore. Information herein posted under the "rules of fair use" to foster education and discussion in accordance with Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976.
St. Timon, one of the first seven deacons, taught first at Berea. Afterwards while preaching the word of the Lord at Corinth, he was delivered to the flames by the Jews and the Greeks; but remaining uninjured, he ended his martyrdom by crucifixion.”
An account of Saint Timon
In Acts 6, it is said that the twelve apostles chose seven men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus…
While Timon is not mentioned again in the Scriptures, we learn quite a bit about his character and ministry in the Acts 6 passage. His name (Τίμων/Timon) is Greek, and like the other proto-deacons, he was most likely selected because of his heritage as a Greek-speaking Jew. This possibly meant that he was a diasporic Jew from elsewhere in the Roman Empire who had come to Jerusalem, or it could be that he was a Greek-speaking Jew living in Jerusalem who likely had names in both Hebrew and Greek. The name Timon comes from the Greek root τῑμή/tīmē, meaning “honor” or “honorable,” and this is certainly the case for Timon, as he was selected because of his μαρτυρουμένους/martyroumenous, meaning “good reputation,” or literally, “well-spoken of” (Acts 6:3). This root of this word is μαρτυρέω/martyreō, from which we receive the word “martyr” or “witness,” certainly a foreshadowing of what is to come for Stephen and many of these proto-deacons. The Scriptures also note that Timon was “full of the Spirit and wisdom,” and one who was “put in charge” of the needs of the Church. Timon was also selected to serve, indicating a calling of service to the Church. It should not be lost on us that the Holy Scriptures testify to the character, gifts, and calling of this man.”
From “The Life and Ministry of St. Timon the Biblical Proto-Deacon, Later Apostle and Bishop of Arabian Bostra in Syria” by the Rev. Andrew S. Ames Fuller
Saint Timon, Holy Deacon, Apostle, Martyr, pray for us.
Be not afraid! And may the peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones today and always. Holy Family, pray for us. Amen.
