2 Timothy 1:15

This thou knowest, that all that are in Asia turned away from me; of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

All that are in Asia ... This does not refer to any general desertion of the faith by Christians throughout Asia, but to the turning away from Paul of any who might have been of help to him in his trial before the imperial government of Nero. The two men named here are examples of those who refused to help Paul. No one knows anything at all about these men, their names standing here in the sacred text and bearing the perpetual infamy which is their deserved reward. Were they among Paul's friends among the Asiarchs (Acts 19:31) of Ephesus? Whoever they were, it seems that Paul had hoped for their support, hence the disappointment evident here.

Turned away from me ... This does not refer to deserting the truth, but to the refusal to stand by the apostle in his trial. Christians who might have been guilty of such a thing would, of course, have suffered the most bitter pangs of sorrow and remorse. The savage persecution under Nero would sorely test the strongest; and there were many who simply would not be able to give up their lives for the holy faith. It is doubtless in view of this extenuating circumstance that Paul here expressed no criticism of those who turned away from him, no bitterness, no resentment, only the tragic fact itself being narrated, taking comfort in the blessed remembrance of one who had not forsaken him (2 Timothy 1:17).