Smith’s Bible Dictionary

Demas

(governor of the people), most probably a contraction from Demetrius or perhaps from Demarchus, a companion of St. Paul, (Philemon 1:24; Colossians 4:14) during his first imprisonment at Rome. (A.D. 57.) At a later period, (2 Timothy 4:10) we find him mentioned as having deserted the apostle through love of this present world, and gone to Thessalonica.

Smith’s Bible Dictionary, William Smith (1863). Public domain, from the CrossWire SWORD module.