[annalex]

paradise, not heaven

Understandable hellenism, coming from Greek St. Luke; possibly also addressed to a non-Jew, and hence indeed spoken in Greek. Since St. Dismas was promised to be with Christ we understand that he was to be in His Kingdom, whatever the toponymy, and whatever detours Christ Himself was to take on His way.

The important point for us to understand though is that his good works (vv. 40, 41) preceded his conversion (v.42).

[kosta50]

Understandable hellenism...Dismas was promised to be with Christ we understand that he was to be in His Kingdom, whatever the toponymy, and whatever detours Christ Himself was to take on His way

My point was that there are serious problems with Luke 23:43, to wit:

(1) the thief asked Jesus to remember him in his kingdom (heaven is never mentioned); Jesus replied the thief will be with him this day (Gr. semeron, i.e. what happened today) in the paradise (en ton paradeison), not in heaven as you implied, as if claiming paradise is his kingdom.
(2) The concept of paradise does not exist in Judaism, the word paradise does not exist in biblical Hebrew or ancient Aramaic, ergo a dying Jesus, a Jew, must have been speaking to a dying thief, also a Jew, in Greek rather than in Jewish vernacular (Aramaic), about something that both of them, as Jews, would not have believed, and a concept that both, especially the thief, would not have understood.
(3) Therefore, the whole conversation, so crucial to Christianity, so often quoted especially by Evangelicals, never took place.

No less problematic is the claim that Jesus would "this day" be in paradise when the Church unanimously teaches that Jesus descended to hell for three days to free the souls of the Old Testament righteous. Never mind the whole idea that Jesus would go to paradise instead to heaven.

The important point for us to understand though is that his good works (vv. 40, 41) preceded his conversion (v.42).

That is certainly orthodox hermeneutics expected to be heard in a Sunday homily, and reflects the Church's approach to scriptures as principled examples of what Christianity is all about.

It is the teaching or the message, or the lesson God would supposedly want us to take home with us. But then Gospels, as eyewitness accounts, are not eyewitness accounts, but moral tales not unlike the suras and hadiths or rabbinical exegesis, such as for example Gen 2:16, where God supposedly gives Adam six Noahide laws in one sentence!