What do you know about the hymn for Demas the thief?
By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-08
The hymn for Demas, the Right-Hand Thief, is a profound and ancient part of the Coptic Orthodox liturgy, primarily chanted during the Sixth Hour of Good Friday (ⲡⲓⲡⲁⲣⲁⲥⲕⲉⲩⲏ ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ).
In the Coptic tradition, the Right-Hand Thief is identified by the name Demas (ⲇⲏⲙⲁⲥ). The hymn commemorates his extraordinary faith—recognizing the divinity of Christ while He was crucified, suffering, and mocked. While the world saw a dying man, Demas, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, saw the King of Glory.
The Theology of the Hymn
The hymn centers on the dialogue found in the Gospel of St. Luke (23:42–43). The Coptic Church emphasizes this moment as the ultimate example of "deathbed repentance" and the power of the Cross to open the gates of Paradise.
The core of the hymn is the plea:
"Remember me, O Lord, when You come into Your kingdom."
(ⲁⲣⲓⲡⲁⲙⲉⲩⲓ ⲱ ⲡϭⲟⲓⲥ: ⲁⲕϣⲁⲛⲓ ϧⲉⲛ ⲧⲉⲕⲙⲉⲧⲟⲩⲣⲟ.)
Liturgical Placement and Melodies
There are two primary ways this theme is expressed in the Coptic Rite:
- The Sixteenth Part of the Exposition (ⲡⲓⲧⲁϩⲣⲉ): During the Sixth Hour of Good Friday, the "Hymn of the Right-Hand Thief" is chanted in a very mournful and deep melody. It recounts how Demas rebuked the other thief and confessed Christ.
- The Commemoration of the Saints: In the Doxology of the Second Canticle during the Pascha week, Demas is often mentioned as the first to enter Paradise, carrying the sign of the Cross as his "key."
The Significance of Demas in Coptic Tradition
The Coptic Orthodox perspective is very straightforward regarding Demas: he is the "thief who stole Paradise." Our fathers teach that his confession was a supreme act of theology. By saying "Remember me," he acknowledged Christ's authority over the afterlife and His eternal Kingdom, even as they both hung on the wood of the cross.
Unlike the heretics who might downplay the necessity of the Church's traditional understanding of salvation, the Coptic Church views Demas as a saint who was baptized, in a sense, by the blood and water flowing from the side of Christ.
Performance and Transmission
The specific melodies for the Good Friday hymns are among the most difficult and sacred in our heritage. To hear this hymn chanted with the proper "hazin" (mournful) tone and precision, one should refer to the heritage preserved by the great cantors of our Church, such as:
- Moalem Ibrahim Ayad
- Moalem Gad Lewis
- Moalem Zaher Andrawes
- Moalem George Mikhail
- Moalem Mina Makar
- Moalem Milad Nady
Its theological and liturgical place is firmly rooted in the 12th-century Coptic Pascha rituals and the teachings of the early Alexandrian Fathers.