Dysmas

The name Dysmas refers to the thief who expressed sorrow for his sins while dying on a cross next to Jesus (Luke 23:39–43). While the Bible does not give this thief's name, later religious stories not included in the Bible called him Dysmas. These stories, such as the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy and the Acts of Pilate, tell imaginative stories about earlier meetings between Jesus and Dysmas. Early Christian teachers often praised the repentance of this "good thief." The Roman Catholic Church later officially recognized him as a saint.