Thief
Thief is an outdated word meaning "robber, criminal". In the Christian tradition, it refers to the two men who were crucified together with Jesus of Nazareth . They are often depicted in Christian art as part of the crucifixion group. Schächer is therefore also a term in German-language art history.
etymology
The word thief for 'robber, criminal' comes from the old high German scāhhāri of the 8th century to ahd.scāh for robbery , derived from the ancient Germanic * skēka-. In Middle High German developed SCHACHEN to mean going out, robbing, looting 'in on robbery NHG until the 18th century by schachen used. According to Wolfgang Pfeifer , other relationships are not considered secure and the origin is therefore unknown. However, Schächer often applies - as with Luther , but not in the Bible - for the two wrongdoers executed on the cross next to Christ; from the 18th century onwards in the weakening disposition of poor thieves also as a 'poor fellow'. The Duden names today's usage as "biblical" in the meaning of 'robber, murderer'.
Christian meaning and representation in art
Gospels
From the Gospel of Luke ( Lk 23.39 ff. EU ) it emerges that one of the men is said to have reviled Jesus while the other repented and asked for Jesus' intercession, whereby he was redeemed: “Truly, I tell you: Today you will be with me in paradise ”( Lk 23.43 EU ), one of the seven last words of Jesus on the cross. The parallel passages are Matthew ( Mt 27.44 EU ) and Mark ( Mk 15 EU ). More artistically, however, was the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus , in which the two thieves were also named.
Lore
As the name of the first thief, Gestas or Gesmas , sometimes also Kosmas, is given from the so-called Pilate files of the Nicodemus Gospel . According to this tradition, the second, repentant crucified one is called Dismas . He is often depicted alone as a cult has developed around him - a day of remembrance is dedicated to him in both the Catholic (March 25) and Orthodox Churches (March 23).
Artist's impression
Some conventions have become established in her artistic representation that are also not covered by the Bible. In contrast to Jesus, they are often not depicted on a passion cross , but on a Y-shaped cross ( thief cross ), and occasionally their cross is T-shaped ( Antonius cross ). You also see them tied down more often instead of nailed down. In a few crucifixion scenes, Kosmas is shown with his back to Jesus. In traditional Christian iconography, Dismas is shown to the right of Jesus and Gismas / Kosmas to the left of Jesus. The dying Jesus bends his head to the right (towards Dismas), Dismas to the left (towards Jesus) and Kosmas also to the left (away from Jesus).
- Holy Cross Church
Dismas on the right hand of Jesus
Gismas / Kosmas to the left of Jesus, turns away from him
This iconography is usually followed by the arrangements of the crucifixion scene in the traditional passion plays in German-speaking countries and in the procession plays for Holy Week in southern Italy.
Adaptations
In the film adaptation of The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson , two more scenes occur after the mockery of Kosmas. The first shows a raven picking out an eye from Kosmas. A second scene shows the devil pulling away with a child in his arms. The child should symbolize the soul of the thief.
Web links
- Thief in BeyArs art encyclopedia
Individual evidence
- ↑ thief . In: Heinrich August Pierer , Julius Löbe (Hrsg.): Universal Lexicon of the Present and the Past . 4th edition. tape 15 . Altenburg 1862, p. 43 ( zeno.org ).
- ↑ Wolfgang Pfeiffer: Etymological Dictionary of German. Online in DWDS , accessed on November 25, 2016.
- ↑ thief in Duden.de , accessed on 25 November 2016th
- ↑ See Diane Dingeldein: Das Bensheimer Passionspiel . Studies on an Italian-German cultural transfer (= Mainz contributions to cultural anthropology / folklore. Volume 7). Waxmann, Münster a. a. 2013, ISBN 978-3-8309-2919-2 ( Google Books ).