medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I have searched PL and cannot find anything like it, but I'm only
guessing at the Latin. Augustine did refer to the good thief on many
occasions, and did connect it to despair, but I can't yet find the
presumption half. Following are the results of my failed attempts to
find the source of the quotation, in case any are interested.
--Jonathan Hall
This quotation is attributed to Augustine on numerous websites, none of
which list a text. It is not in _Waiting for Godot_ (though the saved
thief is mentioned). According to many web sources (which obviousy
makes it true), Beckett once told an interviewer "I am interested in
the shape of ideas even if I do not believe in them. There is a
wonderful sentence in Augustine. I wish I could remember the Latin. It
is even finer in Latin than in English. 'Do not despair; one of the
thieves was saved. Do not presume; one of the thieves was damned.'
That sentence has a wonderful shape. It is the shape that matters." I
wish he could have remembered the Latin.
Beckett cannot be the source of the attribution to Augustine. "To this
doth that golden sentence of St. Augustine allude which he speaketh of
the thief hanging on the cross: There was (saith he) one thief saved
and no more, therefore presume not, and there was one saved, and
therefore despair not." (_The Repentance of Robert Greene, Master of
Arts_, published in 1592).
Other forms of the quotation:
"Two criminals were crucified with Christ. One was saved; do not
despair. One was not; do not presume."
"The Lord pardoned the thief at the final hour so that no one would
despair. But it was a single instance, that no one should have
immoderate hope in His mercy"
"There is one case of death-bed repentance recorded, that of the
penitent thief, that none should despair; and only one, that none
should presume." J.C. Ryle, _Expository Thoughts on the Gospels_ (late
19th c.), on Matthew 20:1-16, has these exact words with no
attribution, so this form is sometimes attributed to him.
Very similar idea in Matthew Henry's Commentary (1706-1721) on the
passage from Luke: "It is a single instance in Scripture; it should
teach us to despair of none, and that none should despair of
themselves; but lest it should be abused, it is contrasted with the
awful state of the other thief, who died hardened in unbelief, though a
crucified Saviour was so near him."
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