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Lois and Eunice

The grandmother and mother whose unfeigned faith shaped an apostle

Who Were Lois and Eunice?

Lois and Eunice are among the most briefly mentioned yet most consequential women in the New Testament. Lois was the grandmother of Timothy and the mother of Eunice; Eunice was Timothy’s mother. They lived in Lystra, a city in the region of Lycaonia (modern Turkey), and both were believers—though Eunice had married a Greek, meaning Timothy grew up in a mixed household.

Paul mentions them in a single memorable verse when writing his final letter to Timothy, his beloved missionary companion:

2 Timothy 1:5

“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

Three generations of faith: Lois, then Eunice, then Timothy. The word Paul uses—“unfeigned”—means sincere, genuine, not theatrical or assumed. It was the real thing, and it had been passed down deliberately through the family.

Teaching Through Scripture

Paul gives us another window into Eunice’s faithfulness when he reminds Timothy of his foundational formation:

2 Timothy 3:14–15

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

The phrase “from a child” (from infancy, in some translations) indicates that Eunice began teaching Timothy scripture from his earliest years. Despite living in a Greek household in a predominantly pagan culture, and despite the fact that Timothy was not circumcised until Paul himself performed it in preparation for missionary service (Acts 16:1–3), his mother and grandmother ensured that the Hebrew scriptures were the bedrock of his identity.

Meeting Paul

Paul first encountered Timothy’s family during his first missionary journey when he visited Lystra. It was likely on this visit or the return visit that Eunice and Lois came to faith in Christ. When Paul returned on his second journey, he found Timothy already well spoken of by “the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:2)—his reputation had been shaped by the faith cultivated at home.

Paul would call Timothy his “own son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2) and his “dearly beloved son” (2 Timothy 1:2). But the spiritual sonship Paul claims must be credited in part to Lois and Eunice, who had laid the foundation long before Paul arrived.

Their Legacy

Lois and Eunice represent the quiet, often invisible ministry of faithful parents and grandparents. They appear in the New Testament in only a few verses, yet their influence was formative for one of the most important figures in early Christianity. Timothy would carry the gospel across multiple regions of the ancient world, help found and strengthen numerous congregations, and receive two of Paul’s most personal and pastoral letters—all of which stand permanently in scripture.

Paul’s choice to specifically name and honor them in his final letter, written from a Roman prison as he faced death, suggests that he knew the weight of their contribution. He had spent decades with Timothy and understood that the unfeigned faith he relied on in his companion had roots that reached back before their acquaintance—to a grandmother in Lystra who chose to raise her daughter in the faith, and a mother who chose to raise her son in the scriptures.

Key Scriptures

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