Thieves, The Two

The two criminals crucified alongside Jesus (Luke 23:32-43) are described as robbers or malefactors in the Gospel accounts. Their contrasting responses to Jesus in Luke's account have become paradigmatic in Christian reflection: one reviled Jesus and demanded a miraculous rescue; the other confessed his own guilt, acknowledged Jesus's innocence and kingship, and received the extraordinary promise "today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

Matthew and Mark record both criminals reviling Jesus (Matt. 27:44; Mark 15:32), while Luke distinguishes them, a detail sometimes explained by a change of heart in one of them during the crucifixion. Christian tradition has named the penitent thief Dismas (or Dimas) and the impenitent thief Gestas, though these names are not scriptural. The episode has been widely read as a demonstration that salvation is available to the repentant until the final moment of life.