2 Timothy 4:10

Demas Very likely a shortened form of Demetrius; two persons of the name occur in N.T., Acts 19:24, the silversmith of Ephesus, and, 3 John 1:12, the bearer possibly of that letter, one to whose character all bore testimony, which St John himself ratified. The Demetrius or Demas here seems to occupy a middle place; a Christian believer and follower, who however had lost -his first love," and forsook the Apostle in his hour of trial, to attend to the business of the world. He had been with him in the first imprisonment, Colossians 4:14.

hath forsaken Forsook, so in 2 Timothy 4:16. The same strong compound verb and tense occur Matthew 27:46, where the rendering -why hast thou forsaken me?" is more correct, because the aorist is used there of what is just happening, cf. Philippians 2:28; Galatians 6:11.

having loved -Because he loved"; this verb is chosen in half-conscious irony of contrast to 2 Timothy 4:8 and the love set on the future appearing of the Lord.

this present world Lit. -age"; cf. note on 1 Timothy 6:17. The other world, the world of eternity, is under the Eternal God the King of the ages, 1 Timothy 1:17. Cf. Luke 20:35; Luke 18:30. -The Apostles speak of themselves and their generation as living on the frontier of two æons, the Gospel transferring them across the border. The distinction of time between the two becomes lost in the moral and spiritual conception." Bp Lightfoot on Galatians 1:4.

unto Thessalonica Why, is not known, except so far as this place suggests either home or business.

Crescens to Galatia Before the Christian era and for two centuries afterwards the form Galatia (Galatæ) is almost universally used by Greek writers to the exclusion of Gallia (Galli), when they do not employ Celtice (Celtæ), whether speaking of the people of Gaul properly so called, or of the Asiatic colony. And -Galatia" here was traditionally interpreted of European Gaul. It is thus explained by Eusebius H. E. iii. 4 -Of the other followers of St Paul, Crescens is recorded as having been sent to Gallia," and by others. It is so taken also by those mss. which read Gallianfor Galatian, for the former reading may be regarded as a gloss. The Churches of Vienne and Mayence both claimed Crescens as their founder. Weight is also to be attributed to this tradition in favour of western Gaul because it is not the prima facieview. From the language of Clement ad Cor. c. 5. -having taught righteousness through the whole world and having come to the boundary of the west" it appears that St Paul's intention to visit Spain (Romans 15:24) was fulfilled, and it is not improbable that this western journey included a visit to Gaul, which would make a visit of Crescens to it afterwards as natural as the visit of Titus to Dalmatia, with which it is linked. The above, representing substantially the view of Bp Lightfoot (Galatians, pp. 2, 31, Clement, p. 50) is further illustrated in Introduction, pp. 42, 44.

Titus unto Dalmatia Dalmatia was part of the Roman province of Illyricum on the east coast of the Adriatic, now Herzegovinaor Bosnia. Its capital was Salona (now Spalatro) to which place the Emperor Diocletian retired. St Paul had preached in the neighbourhood -round about unto Illyricum," possibly near Dyrrachium, now Durazzo, the scene of the great contest between Cæsar and Pompeius, and the port from Macedonia into Italy. The mission of Titus would naturally connect itself with some such labours, which still formed a part of the -care of all the churches," see Introduction," Life of Titus."