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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

DEMETRIUS

Name (“Son of Demeter”) of five persons in biblical times: three Syrian kings and two NT figures.

1. Successor to Antiochus V Eupator. Demetrius I was king (160–151 BC) when the Jewish uprising led by Judas Maccabeus was under way. He attempted several unsuccessful campaigns against the Jews (1 Macc 7:1-10; 2 Macc 14:1-15, 26-28). Toward the end of his reign Demetrius was challenged by Alexander Epiphanes and was killed in battle (1 Macc 10:46-50).

2. Son of Demetrius I. After his father’s defeat and death, Demetrius II sought refuge in Crete, then challenged Alexander Epiphanes by invading Syria with an army of foreign mercenaries. Demetrius eventually concluded a treaty with the Jews and gained the Syrian throne in 145 BC (1 Macc 11:32-37). The Jews also helped Demetrius against another rival, Trypho, until he broke his word to them (vv 54-55). In the subsequent contest between Demetrius and Trypho, the Jews, under Jonathan’s brother Simon Maccabeus, achieved independence (13:34-42). Demetrius was captured by Arsaces VI (Mithridates I), king of Parthia, around 138 BC (1 Macc 14:1-3). He returned to the Syrian throne 10 years later and reigned briefly until his assassination (125 BC).

3. Grandson of Demetrius II. Demetrius III ruled Syria (95–88 BC) in the turbulent years of the Seleucid era. One ruling party in Israel, the Pharisees, unsuccessfully enlisted his aid in their contest with the priest-king Alexander Janneus.

4. Pagan silversmith in the city of Ephesus. He provoked a riot against Christian evangelists whose preaching had detrimental effects on his trade (Acts 19:23-41). The city of Ephesus was a center of the worship of Diana (Latin counterpart of the Greek goddess Artemis), the goddess of hunting. A huge temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, had been erected there for her worship. Among the commercial enterprises connected with the cult of Diana was the making of religious images out of various materials, including silver.

Demetrius, speaking for the silversmiths, said that both his business and the worship of Diana were threatened by the preaching of the apostle Paul and his companions. Gathering the other silversmiths together, he denounced Paul. The meeting caused a general uproar, and a mob dragged three of Paul’s companions to the amphitheater. Finally the town clerk, who was responsible to the Roman authorities for maintaining civic order, was able to quiet the mob, persuading them to take any grievances they might have to the courts.

5. Christian believer whom the apostle John commended in his third NT letter (3 Jn 1:12). Demetrius may have been the carrier of that letter.