Linus

Biblical Record

Linus appears only once in Scripture, in 2 Timothy 4:21. At the close of the letter, Paul urges Timothy, "Do thy diligence to come before winter." He then passes on greetings to Timothy from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and "all the brethren." Because 2 Timothy is read as a letter written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome, Linus is understood to have been one of the believers in Rome at that time.

The text says nothing about Linus's origins, office, family, or later life.

Significance Within Scripture

The mention of Linus shows that Paul was not left entirely alone near the end of his life. Second Timothy 4 records both those who had left Paul (v. 10) and those who remained. Among them, Linus appears as a member of the Roman church who was well enough known to exchange greetings with Timothy. These names are also cited as evidence that a community of believers actually existed in first-century Rome.

Interpretations and Issues

• Early church tradition: The second-century church father Irenaeus wrote in Against Heresies that after Peter and Paul founded the church in Rome, they entrusted the office of bishop to Linus. He identified this Linus as the man mentioned in the letter to Timothy. The fourth-century church historian Eusebius records a similar tradition.
• Roman Catholic Church: Linus is honored as the second bishop of Rome after Peter, that is, as the second pope (Saint Linus).
• Protestantism and scholarship: Protestants do not accept the papacy or apostolic succession and therefore regard Linus as a believer traditionally remembered as an early leader of the Roman church. Scholars disagree over whether the Roman church was already governed by a single bishop by the late first century.
• Extrabiblical accounts: Some accounts identify Linus as the son of Claudia or describe the length of his tenure and his martyrdom. These stories rest on later writings or legend and do not appear in Scripture.
• Authorship question: The traditional view holds that Paul himself wrote 2 Timothy. Some scholars, however, hold that it was written later in Paul's name, so the historical setting of the passage mentioning Linus is also discussed in light of this debate.

In the Korean Church

Linus is rarely treated as a subject in his own right in Korean Protestant preaching or Sunday school. He is usually mentioned only briefly, as one name in the list of Paul's last coworkers, in expositions of 2 Timothy 4. In the Catholic Church he is known as "Saint Linus" from the list of popes.