Eunice (biblical figure)

According to the New Testament, Eunice was the mother of Timothy and influenced his faith in Christ.[1] Born into the Jewish faith, she and her mother Lois accepted Christianity.

Depiction of Eunice and Timothy by Henry Lejeune.

Eunice is identified by name only in 2 Timothy 1:5, where the author writes to Timothy, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well" (ESV). Many commentators have also connected Eunice to 2 Timothy 3:15, where Timothy is reminded, "from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings" (ESV). Albert Barnes makes this observation of Eunice: "The mother of Timothy was a pious Hebrewess, and regarded it as one of the duties of her religion to train her son in the careful knowledge of the word of God."[2] Timothy's mother is also mentioned, but not named, in Acts 16:1 where it shows she married outside of the Jewish faith to a Greek man (who was well spoken of in their home town, Lystra).