DELIYERER.— In the Acts and Epistles the word ' deliverer' occurs only twice. Once (Ac 7^) the original word is 6 XvrpuT^s and once (Ro IV) it is 6 ^vdfjLtuoi. The reference in Acts is to Moses, and so does not specifically concern us here, except that the word is one of a group (X&rpou, duTlXurpof, \vTp6u, diroX&rpujffis) used of the redemptive worlc of Christ. In the Koine the word Xvrpov usually meant
the purchase-money for the manumission of slaves (A. Deissmann, Light frovn, the AncieiU East'-, 1911, p. 331 f.). In the LXX (Ps 19" es^^) the word XiiT/)coT^y is used of God Himself, and the Xvrpua-is wrought by Clirist is illustrated by tliat wrought by Moses (Lk l^^ 2^, He 912, Tit 2"), and that notion may have influenced Luke's choice of the word in Ac73*(R. J. Knowling, EGT, 'Acts,' 1900, p. 192). The passage in Ro IP^ (6 pvdfievos) is a quotation from Is 59^" and is given the Messianic interpretation. 'There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer.' It is a free quotation, the LXX having iK ^idiv instead of 'iveKev Sitii', while the Hebrew has ' to Zion.' Some of the current Jewish writings (En. xc. 33; Sib. Omc. iii. 710 f. ; Pss. Sol. xvii. 33-35) cherished the hope of the conver- sion of the Gentiles. St. Paul here seizes on that hope, and the OT prophecy of the Messiah as Deliverer, to hold out a second hope to the Jews who have already in large measure rejected the Messiah. Before He comes again, or at His com- ing, the Jews Avill turn in large numbers to the Deliverer once rejected (cf. Sanday-Headlam, Bom.^, 1902, in loc). In 1 Th V> St. Paul had already used 6 pvbfievos of Jesus in connexion also with the expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. It is not here translated ' the Deliverer ' because the participle is followed by ^/iSs, ' who delivereth us from the wrath to come.' The word pt/w means properly ' to draw,' and so the middle voice is ' to draw to one's self for shelter,' ' to rescue.' The word emphasizes the power of Christ as our De- liverer, iK r^s dpyrjs t^s ipxofJ-ivTjs. The deliverance is complete (iK) (Milligan, Thess., 1908, in loc). This word piofiai is the most frequent one for de- liverance by God. St. Paul in 2 Co P" uses it of his rescue from death in Ephesus (ipmaTo 7jiJ.ds Kal piaerai — Kal in pvaeTai). It is the word for our rescue from the power of darkness in Col V^. St. Paul has it also in 2 Ti 3^^ when he tells liow the Lord delivered him out of his persecutions. In 4'"- he uses it of his rescue from the lion, and of his hope that the Lord will deliver him from every evil deed. In 2 P 2^ St. Peter uses it also for God's help in temptation. In Gal 1* St. Paul has dVws i^iXrjTai for Christ's purpose to deliver us from the present evil age. The word is i^atpiofiai, * to take out from,' while in He 2^' the word for deliverance from the fear of death is diraXXdiro-w, * to set free from.'
These words are simply those that in the RV happen to be translated by 'deliver' in Englisli. But they by no means cover the whole subject. As a matter of fact all the atoning work of Christ is embraced in the notion of deliverance from sin and its effects. St. Paul himself epito- mizes his conception of Christ as Deliverer in his pajan of victory in 1 Co 15^^^' : ' Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 death, where is thy victory ? O death, where is thy sting ? The sting of death is sin ; and the power of sin is the law ; but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.' This deliverance applies to the whole man (soul and body) and to the whole creation (Ro 8'^"^). It means ultimately the over- throw of Satan and the complete triumph of Christ in a new heaven and a new earth (the Apocalypse). A. T. Robertson.
DELUGE.— See Flood.
DE MAS ( A77/tas, perhaps a short form of Demetrius, as Silas was of Silvanus). — Denias was a Christian believer who was with St. Paul during his imprison- ment in Rome, and sends greetings to the Colossians (4") and to Philemon (v.=*^). Probably he was a Thessalonian, and in both the references he is men- tioned in connexion with St. Luke, while in 2 Ti 4'" liis conduct is contrasted with that of the beloved
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DEMOIf
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physician. In the last-named passage we are in- formed that Demas left the Apostle -when he was awaiting his trial before Nero. The desertion seems to have been deeply resented by St. Paul, who describes his action as due to his ' having loved this present world.' Probably Demas realized that it was dangerous to be connected with one who was certain to be condemned by Nero, and he saved his life by returning to his home in Thessalonica. The phrase used, however, suggests that the prospect of worldly advantage was the motive which deter- mined Demas. No doubt the busy commercial centre of Thessalonica offered many opportunities for success in business, and love of money may have been the besetting sin of this professing Christian. The name ' Demetrius ' occurs twice in the list of politarchs of Thessalonica ; and, while we cannot say with certainty that the Demas of 2 Ti 4'° is identical with either of these, the possi- bility is not excluded. In this case the prospect of civic honours may have been the reason which led him to abandon the hardships and dangers of the Apostle's life and return to Thessalonica, where his family may have held jjositions of influence. Perhaps the bare mention of his name in Col 4^* and the reference in Ph 2-°- 2' may indicate that the Apostle even at this early date suspected the genuineness of Demas, who was with him at the time of his writing to Philippi (cf. Ramsay, St. Paul, p. 358). We have no certain assurance that the apostasy of Demas was hnal, but the darker view of his character has usually been taken, as e.g. by Bunyan in The Filgrim's Progress. Epi- piianius (Hter. li. 6) classes him among the apos- tates from the faith. It is impossible to iden- tify Demas with any Demetrius mentioned in the NT.