Demas (Greek:Δημᾶς,romanized: Dēmas; probably a short form ofDemetrios)[1] was a man mentioned by theApostle Paul in theNew Testament of the Bible, and appears to have been involved for a time in his ministry.[2]
Demas is mentioned in three of thePauline epistles:
Demas is also mentioned in the non-canonicalActs of Paul and Thecla, where he is described as holding views similar to the author ofSecond Peter. Based on this,Dale Martin speculates that whichever one of theActs of Paul and Thecla and thePastoral Epistles (including Second Timothy) was written later may have been arguing against the other.[5]
InThe Pilgrim's Progress,John Bunyan writes of Demas, a deceiver, who beckons to pilgrims at theHill Lucre, urging them to join in the supposedsilver mining being carried out there; he is described as a "fellow pilgrim", just as Demas is described by Paul as a "fellow worker," but has a love for earthly treasures which caused him to desert the path and could lead to his death, just as Demas's love for the world caused him to stop following God and potentially to lose his salvation.[6]
InLora Johnson's 2007 novel,"The Demas Revelation," Demas plays a pivotal role in the plot of the story and lends his name to the title.[7]
InJane Eyre, St. John notes thatJane is free of "the vice of Demas" when trying to convince her to join him as a missionary in India.