Acts of Pilate and the Right-Hand Thief

Two interesting items from th textual criticism group:
To: textualcriticism@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2008 9:26 PM
Subject: [textualcriticism] Acts of Pilate and the Right-Hand Thief

The "Acts of Pilate" seems to be the only patristic work in which the
repentant thief is specifically called the one on the right side. In
the second-century "Apology of Aristides," Conybeare noticed the
following passage:

"And now I beseech you all, friends of the Christian race, to be
instructed by the faith of the right-hand thief and to agree with him.
Despise the left-hand one and his associates. For he helf aloof from
the voice of the crucified one, and has not in common with him the
ancient, right-handed, and beautifully equipped mansion; but has
withdrawn himself to the left hand, and stations himself there.
Concerning each of these robbers the expositions are near at hand for
you, and are constantly paraphrased and read aloud in the priestly
books (Latin: et recognoscuntur in sacerdotalibus litteris)."

Dear James


The problem here is that this passage appears to come not from the Apology of Aristides but from "De Latrone" or the "Homily on the Penitent Thief" a work attributed to Aristides the Apologist but found only in Armenian.

"De Latrone" has been little studied but IIUC it is thought not to be an authentic work of the 2nd century Aristides but instead to date from the 5th century.

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Apology_of_Aristides