Dismas

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Dismas, representation in the crucifixion chapel in Putzleinsdorf

Dismas (also Dysmas , Dimas or since the Middle Ages Dumachus ; † around 30 in Jerusalem ) is in the Christian tradition the name of the "right" ("good") criminal or thief who was crucified with Jesus and who showed repentance on the cross according to the Gospel of Luke, for which Jesus promised him paradise ( Lk 23.39ff  EU ). His name as well as that of the left thief Gestas , who mocked Jesus on the cross, are mentioned for the first time in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus (9, 4).

The name Dismas is possibly a derivation from the ancient Greek ἡ δυσμή "setting, sunset", in the figurative sense "end of life".

history

Reference to an old Dismas worship of the carters in Landsberg am Lech
Figure of the Dismas on the Graz Calvary

The names of the two criminals executed with Jesus are not mentioned in the Gospels. John does not mention the story of the two thieves at all, while in Matthew ( Mt 27.44  EU ) and Mark ( Mk 15.32  EU ) both thieves mock Jesus. The story of the “good” thief Dismas is only told in the Gospel of Luke ( Lk 23.39–43  EU ); while Gestas mocks Jesus on the cross, Dismas asks Jesus for assistance, for which Jesus promises him that he will be with him in paradise.

The names of the two thieves are found for the first time in the Acta Pilati 9.4, the first part of the Gospel of Nicodemus from the 4th century AD. Here they are called dysmas and gestas. According to this apocryphal story, the Archangel Michael is said to have received the Dismas together with his cross in Paradise, which is probably why the attribute of the Dismas has been the cross staff or the "thief cross" since the old church.

In the Arabic childhood gospel from the 6th century, he is the robber who is said to have taken Joseph and Mary into his home on the flight to Egypt. Therefore at the time of execution he is said to have been given the grace of complete repentance. His cross is said to have reached Cyprus , where Dismas is particularly venerated.

Theological meaning

Dismas looks to Christ in the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche Mindelaltheim.

Dismas was never officially canonized, although he has been venerated and dubbed like a saint since the ancient Church.

Dismas is often written on icons in the Eastern Churches; Since he was the thief on the right side of Jesus at the crucifixion, the crucifixion icons write the head of Jesus inclined to the right, which symbolizes the acceptance of the sinner through his complete repentance. In some medieval paintings an angel appears who leads his saved soul to paradise. In a certain type of resurrection icon , Dismas leads the Old Testament saints with his thief cross and is the first to knock on the door of paradise.

In the Divine Liturgy of John Chrysostom , his saying “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” is spoken three times by the priest before the distribution of communion.

In the western church, Dismas has been venerated since the Middle Ages, especially by the orders of the Franciscan family, today for example in the Capuchin hermitage of Sansepolcro in central Italy.

Catholic feast day is March 25th , Orthodox March 23rd .

Patron saints

Dismas is the patron saint of the Italian city of Gallipoli in Apulia . Dismas is the patron saint of those sentenced to death, prisoners and gravedigger. For this reason, at the foot of the Gallows Mountains, some dismassed statues were erected where the convict could say a last prayer before the execution.

Dismask churches:

Well-known namesake

literature

Web links

Commons : Dismas  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gospel of Nicodemus in Greek and German
personal data
SURNAME Dismas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dysmas; Demas; Dumas; Dimas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Robber crucified with Jesus
DATE OF BIRTH before 30
DATE OF DEATH at 30
Place of death Jerusalem