Linus is named in 2 Timothy 4:21 as among the disciples of Paul greeting Timothy. Irenaeus (Adv. Haer. 3.3.3, c. 180) names him as the immediate successor of Peter as bishop of the Roman Church, and every subsequent papal list down to Pope Francis confirms him as the second pope. Eusebius and the Liber Pontificalis place his reign at AD 67–76, the years immediately following Peter's martyrdom under Nero.
Tradition attributes to him the decree that women should cover their heads in church (cf. 1 Cor 11:5–6); a decree on the number of bishops needed to consecrate a new bishop (three); and the burial of Peter on the Vatican Hill. He was buried near Peter, and his remains are believed to rest beneath the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica with those of the other early popes.