Dismas

Saint Dismas (sometimes spelled Dysmas), also known as the Good Thief, is the apocryphal name given to one of the thieves who was crucified alongside Christ according to the Gospel of Luke 23:39-43:

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:And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

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:But the other answering rebuked him, saying, "Dost not thou fear God , seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss."

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:And he said unto Jesus, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."

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:And Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise." (KJV)

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The thief who challenged Jesus to free Himself from the Cross was not saved; the thief who asked to be remembered in Christ's kingdom was St Dismas, according to the legend.

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The name of "Dismas" for this person, unnamed in the canonical Gospel itself, appears first in the twelfth century in the Gospel of Nicodemus. The other thief's name is given as Gestas. The name of "Dismas" was adapted from a Greek word meaning "sunset" or "death."

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The apocryphal Arabic Infancy Gospel calls the two thieves Titus and Dumachus, and adds a fanciful tale about how Titus (Dismas) prevented other thieves in his company from robbing Mary and Joseph on their flight into Egypt.

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In medieval art, St Dismas is often depicted as accompanying Jesus in the Harrowing of Hell as related in the Apostles Creed.

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Apocrypha: Apocrypha is a Greek word (απόκρυφα, neuter plural of απόκρυφος) and is formed by the combination of apo (away) with kryptein (hide). Thus it connotes the idea of "closed" or "hidden." (In this sense apocrypha is in...

Thieves: REDIRECT Theft...

Gospel of Luke: The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Although the text does not name its author, the modern consensus follows the traditional view that this gospel and the Acts of the Apostles were written ...