Dorcas ( el, Δορκάς, Dorkás, used as a translated variant of the Aramaic name), or Tabitha ( arc, טביתא/ܛܒܝܬܐ, Ṭaḇīṯā, (female) gazelle), was an early
disciple
A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to:
Religion
* Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ
* Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples
* Seventy disciples in t ...
of Jesus mentioned in the
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its messag ...
(, see discussion
here
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
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* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here
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* Here TV (formerly "here!"), a ...
). She lived in the port city of
Joppa, today absorbed by
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. Acts describes her as being known for her "good works and acts of mercy", sewing clothes for the poor.
When she died, the widows of her community mourned her and sent urgently for
Peter (), who was in nearby
Lydda
Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Sheph ...
. As evidence of her charity, they showed him some of the clothes she had sewn, and according to the biblical account he raised her from the dead.
[
She is celebrated as a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and some Protestant denominations.]
Name
Both her Jewish name,[ which is in ]Aramaic
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated i ...
, rendered as Tabitha, and her Greek one, Dorcas, translate to emale'gazelle'. The equivalent Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
name is Zibiah Zibiah, or Sibia, ( he, צִבְיָה; ''Ṣīḇəyā'', "gazelle") was the consort of King Ahaziah of Judah, and the mother of King Jehoash of Judah.2 Kings 12:1 She was from Beersheba. She is mentioned only in 2 Kings 12:1 and 2 Chronicles 24 ...
, also spelled Tsibiah, a name carried by the mother of King Joash of Judah. Some explain the use of a Greek variant of Tabitha's Syriac Aramaic
The Syriac language (; syc, / '), also known as Syriac Aramaic (''Syrian Aramaic'', ''Syro-Aramaic'') and Classical Syriac ܠܫܢܐ ܥܬܝܩܐ (in its literary and liturgical form), is an Aramaic dialect that emerged during the first century ...
name by the fact that she was living in a port city, where many inhabitants and visitors would primarily communicate in Greek.[ Dorcas was a common name of the time both among Jews and Greeks.][ Today, the scientific name of one species of gazelle is ''Gazella dorcas'', the ]dorcas gazelle
The dorcas gazelle (''Gazella dorcas''), also known as the ariel gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The dorcas gazelle stands about at the shoulder, with a head and body length of and a weight of . The numerous subspecies survive on vegeta ...
.
The Greek verb used in Acts 9:36 is ''διερμηνεύω'', transliterated diermēneuō, which means "to interpret fully, to explain", and in this passage it is rendered "''is by interpretation''", which in context leads to the literal meaning: "''Tabitha, meaning Dorcas''" (i.e. 'gazelle').[ One volume combining W. E. Vine's ''An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words'' (1940), and ''Nelson's Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament'' (1980) edited by M. Unger and W. White, Jr.]
Position in her community
It is unclear whether Dorcas was herself poor or a widow. Acts describes her as beloved in the specifically Christian community at Joppa, and by implication prominent in it. This might also be indicated by the fact that Peter took the trouble to come to her from a neighbouring city, when requested by the community members.
Although widowhood has been associated with poverty and dependence in the early modern Western mind, that was not necessarily the case for Dorcas. The Bible describes a variety of widows, both poor and rich, powerful and dependent. Under Roman law in this era, when a woman's father died, she would become legally independent and would conventionally inherit an equal share of his property along with her siblings. She controlled this property herself even if married. If her husband died, she would also recover her dowry, which would have been controlled, and possibly managed or invested, by her husband during their marriage. Thus a woman could actually become wealthier when her husband died. If Dorcas was a wealthy benefactress on the model of Mary Magdalene, then she nevertheless humbly sewed the clothes herself rather than simply buying them.
Death and burial sites
According to the New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...
, Tabitha died in Jaffa, at the house of Simon the tanner. The house where she died and was resurrected by Saint Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupat ...
can still be visited in Jaffa, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. When she died a second time, she was buried in what are now the gardens of an Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church may refer to:
* Eastern Orthodox Church
* Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
* State church of the Roman Empire
* True Orthodox church
See also
* Orthodox (d ...
in Jaffa, where her tomb can still be visited.
In Christian tradition
Basil of Caesarea
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Cae ...
refers to Dorcas as an example in his ''Morals'' (rule 74): "That a widow who enjoys sufficiently robust health should spend her life in works of zeal and solicitude, keeping in mind the words of the Apostle and the example of Dorcas." She is also commemorated in poems by Robert Herrick ("The Widows' Tears: Or, Dirge of Dorcas") and George MacDonald
George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He was a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow writer Lewis Carroll ...
("Dorcas").
Feast
The Catholic Church commemorates St Tabitha on October 25, the same date as the Eastern Church.[ Dorcas societies, which provide clothing to the poor, are named after her.][
The ]Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
celebrates Saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...
Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, on October 25
Events Pre-1600
* 285 (or 286) – Execution of Saints Crispin and Crispinian during the reign of Diocletian, now the patron saints of leather workers, curriers, and shoemakers.
* 473 – Emperor Leo I acclaims his grandson Leo II ...
.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...
also places their joint commemoration on January 27, immediately after the male missionaries remembered after the feast of St. Paul's Conversion, but the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) commemorates these three faithful women on October 25.[
In 2022, Dorcas was officially added to the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with a feast day on 25 October.
]
In art
Depictions of Dorcas in art can be found as early as the fourth century, and her raising is often included in Medieval and Renaissance illustrations of the life of Saint Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupat ...
.
Dorcas's acts of charity are a common subject of stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
church windows. She is represented in a window in the apse of Christ Church, Bath
Christ Church, Bath is a proprietary chapel on Julian Road, Bath, England.
History and organisation
The church was founded by socially concerned clergy and lay people for those excluded from worship through the system of pew rents. It was prob ...
, on the south side of St Peter's Church, Caversham
St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church in Caversham, a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated close to the River Thames in Caversham Heights.
History
The church dates to 1162.
Royalists statio ...
, in St. Andrew's Church, Cheddar, in the sacristy of Calvary Episcopal Church (Pittsburgh)
Calvary Episcopal Church is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The parish was founded in 1855.
History
In 1854, Mrs. Mathilda Dallas Wilkins, a prominent East Liberty resident and the wife of Judge William Wilkins, req ...
, in Llandaff Cathedral
Llandaff Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter ...
in Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
, in St Leonard's Church, Bridgnorth
St Leonard's Church is a redundant Anglican church in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation T ...
, in Castleton Parish Church in Derbyshire, on the north side of St. Nicholas' church in Castle Hedingham
Castle Hedingham is a village in northern Essex, England, located four miles west of Halstead and 3 miles southeast of Great Yeldham in the Colne Valley on the ancient road from Colchester, Essex, to Cambridge.
It developed around Hedingham ...
in Essex, in the Ladychapel of St Michael's Church in Mytholmroyd
Mytholmroyd (pronounced ) is a large village in the Upper Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, England, east of Hebden Bridge. It lies east of Burnley and west of Halifax. The village, which has a population of approximately 4,000 is in the L ...
, West Yorkshire, in an oriel window at the Head Office of the Retail Trust in north London, in a window in St Andrew's Church in Moretonhampstead and in a window at St John the Evangelist Church in Cinderford.
The Lady chapel
A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, ...
of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
Saint Patrick's Cathedral ( ir, Ard-Eaglais Naomh Pádraig) in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 1191 as a Roman Catholic cathedral, is currently the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Christ Church Cathedral, also a Church of Ireland ...
, has a window of Dorcas with the legend: "Dorcas this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds". Christ Church, St. Joseph, Missouri, depicts her holding a blue cloth in a prominent nave window (1885) on the south side. Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, has her in a window made in Germany around 1890.
Dorcas and Cornelius are represented on the stained glass windows above the altar in the Emmanuel Anglican Church in Lawson, New South Wales
Lawson is a town in the Blue Mountains area of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Great Western Highway between Hazelbrook in the east and Bullaburra in the west. Lawson has a station on the Main Western line. The town is also ...
. In the church of St. Lawrence, Weston under Penyard
Weston under Penyard is a small village in Herefordshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 1,007.
It lies on the A40 road two miles east of Ross-on-Wye. The Penyard is a prominent hill.
The parish church of S ...
, Herefordshire, she is depicted with St. Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
in a pair of stained glass windows dedicated to the memory of Edward Burdett Hawkshaw, the Rector from 1854 to 1912, and his wife, Catherine (a photograph nearby in the church shows that his likeness is the face given to St. Paul, while Dorcas has the face of Mrs. Hawkshaw).
Dorcas is referenced in Gene Wolfe
Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short story writer and nove ...
's "The Book of the New Sun
''The Book of the New Sun'' (1980–1983) is a four volume, science fantasy novel written by the American author Gene Wolfe. It inaugurated the "Solar Cycle" that Wolfe continued by setting other works in the same universe (''The Urth of the Ne ...
", through a character who shares her name.
See also
* Dorcas society, name used for philanthropic societies inspired by biblical Tabitha/Dorcas
* Sabil Abu Nabbut, Muslim fountain at Jaffa (c. 1815), pointed out to Western travellers as standing at the burial site of Tabitha/Dorcas
References
External links
{{Authority control
Christian saints from the New Testament
1st-century Christian female saints
People in Acts of the Apostles
Women in the New Testament
Resurrection
Anglican saints