Timothy was reared in a religiously divided home. His father was a Greek, and his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother Lois were of Jewish origin.
तीमथ्याला लिहिलेल्या दुसऱ्‍या पत्रात पौलाने सांगितलेल्या दोन गोष्टींचा त्याच्या या निर्णयावर प्रभाव पडला असेल.