The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70
Demas
fl. c. 60–66 (death unrecorded) · Co-worker of Paul, who departed · Rome → Thessalonica
The Apostolic Age
Who Demas was
Three verses trace the arc: “Demas, Luke, my fellowlabourers” (Philemon); “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas” — the commendation already cooling (Colossians); then the epitaph, “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica.” Whether he went home to safety, to business, or out of the faith altogether, Paul does not say. The early church read him as its cautionary tale of the long game abandoned late.
Common questions
When was Demas active?
Demas is dated fl. c. 60–66 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Demas in the Apostolic Age (AD 4–70). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Demas?
Demas is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Paul, Paul of Tarsus and The presbyter of Asia. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Demas from?
The archive associates Demas with Rome, Thessalonica. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Demas’ contemporaries?
The archive links Demas to 2 other figures, including Luke the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
2 Timothy 4:10
c. AD 55For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…Paul · read ↗
Acts of Paul and Thecla 12–14 (cast as the apostle's false companion)
c. AD 160Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
- AD 62 · James the Just stoned, AD 62
- AD 64 · The Great Fire and Nero’s persecution, AD 64
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Demas, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.