[aron]

Originally Posted by cityonahill

Why did "everyone in Asia" desert Paul?

I imagine "everyone" is an exageration especially considering Timothy himself was in Ephesus...

We do not have a scriptural account of the people of Asia turning away from Paul. This is the only mention of it in scripture. It can be assumed that this is speaking only of the Asians who were in Rome at that time(and several others also in Asia), who turned away from him because of the potential incrimination that associating with a condemned prisoner might bring on them.

Paul started many churches in Asia and spent years of his life ministering to the people there. It would be hard to believe that thousands of people had forsaken him. It is certain that Timothy, who was an Asian, hadn't forsaken Paul. It is also probable that many of the believers in Ephesus, under the leadership of Paul's most loyal associate, Timothy, still loved and appreciated Paul.


There are two factors that could be the cause for this "falling away."

Persecution and False Teachers...

The falling away that Paul first encountered in Ephesus seemed to have spread while he was imprisoned in Rome. Even though certain false teachers were driven away (1 Timothy 1:20), apparently, they did not repent and continued to spread their teaching beyond Ephesus into other parts of Asia Minor in the time between 1 and 2 Timothy.
These teachings(2 timothy 2:14-18) were early forms of Gnosticism that denied the bodily resurrection(2 timothy 2:18) They also had a "triumphalist" view of the Holy Spirit, and no doubt, they took advantage of Paul's imprisonment and the Roman persecution to decieve many and turn them away from Paul and his co-workers.

Good writing. I always felt that Paul's statement seemed a bit of an exaggeration, and this is a good look at possibly what was really occurring on the ground.