![[St. Pachomius Library]](title.gif)
Tertullian (A.D. 160-230) says that the Acts of Paul and Thecla were forged by a presbyter of Asia, who "confessed that he did it out of respect for Paul," and Pope Gelasius, in his Decree against apocryphal books, inserted it among them.
Notwithstanding this, a large part of the history was credited, and looked upon as genuine among the primitive Christians. Cyprian, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Austin (Augustine), Gregory Nazianzen, Chrysostom, and Severus Sulpitius, who all lived within the fourth century, mention Thecla, or refer to her history.
Basil of Seleucia wrote her acts, sufferings, and victories in verse; and Euagrius Scholasticus, an ecclesiastical historian about 590, relates that "after the Emperor Zeno had abdicated his empire, and Basilik had taken possession of it, he had a vision of the holy and excellent martyr Thecla, who promised him the restoration of his empire; for which, when it was brought about, he erected and dedicated a most noble and sumptuous temple to this famous martyr Thecla, at Seleucia, a city of Isauria, and bestowed upon it very noble endowments, which are preserved even till this day." (Hist. Eccl., IIb. 3, cap. 8)
Cardinal Baronius, Locrinus, Archbishop Wake, and also the learned Grabe, who edited the Septuagint and revived the Acts of Paul and Thecla, considered them as having been written in the Apostolic age and containing nothing disagreeing from the opinions and belief of those times, and for the most part as a genuine and authentic history.
What is presented here is not the original book of the early Christians; but however that may be, it is a translation from the Greek manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, which Dr. Mills copied and transmitted to Dr. Grabe.
Regardless of the merits of this book, we should remember that Thecla was a real person in Apostolic times, and for her story to have been so widely believed and written about, she indeed must have been a remarkably holy and outstanding woman.
The skepticism mentioned in the previous note has been partly occasioned by the rather extreme praise of celibacy found throughout the apocryphal Acts of Paul (of which the Life of St. Thecla forms a section). This language is often associated with the Encratites and other Gnostic groups. It is certainly possible that the present form of the text reflects the preferences or even the insertions of Gnostic editors; it is also possible that Orthodox editors toned down a text which was even more extreme. The only passages which explicitly condemn marriage (the Encratite heresy) are 2:16 and 4:2, and it will be noted that the speaker is not Paul himself but his accuser attributing this view to the Apostle.
In any case, the tradition of the Church is that the life of St. Thecla followed the course described in her acts, whether or not every word attributed to St. Paul was accurately recorded. The physical description of Paul in 1:7 is very famous, and in agreement with iconographic tradition. --- N. Redington
Translated probably by Jeremiah Jones, (1693-1724)
CONTENTS:
CHAPTER 1
1. Demas and Hermogenes become Paul's companions. 4. Paul visits
Onesiphorus. 8. Demas
and Hermogenes become envious. 11. Paul preaches to the household of
Onesiphorus. 12.
His sermon.
CHAPTER 2
1. Thecla listens anxiously to
Paul's preaching. 5.
Thamyris, her admirer, concerts with
Theoclia her mother to dissuade her, 12. in vain. 14. Demas and Hermogenes
vilify Paul to
Thamyris.
CHAPTER 3
1. They betray Paul. 7. Thamyris
and officers arrest
him.
CHAPTER 4
1. Paul accused before the
governor by Thamyris. 5.
Defends himself. 9. Is committed to
prison, 10. and visited by Thecla.
CHAPTER 5
1. Thecla sought and found by her relations. 4.
She
is brought with Paul before the governor.
9. She is ordered to be burned, and Paul to be whipped. 15. Thecla
miraculously saved.
CHAPTER 6
1. Paul with Onesiphorus in a cave. 7. Thecla
discovers Paul; 12. offers to follow him; 13. he
exhorts her not to for fear of fornication.
CHAPTER 7
1. Paul and Thecla go to Antioch. 2. Alexander,
a
magistrate, falls in love with Thecla; 4.
kisses her by force: 5. she resists him, 6. is carried before the governor
and condemned to be
thrown to wild beasts.
CHAPTER 8
2. Thecla entertained by Trifina; 3. brought out to the wild beasts; a
she-lion licks her feet. 5.
Trifina, upon a vision of her deceased daughter, adopts Thecla, 11. who is
taken to the
amphitheater again.
CHAPTER 9
1. Thecla thrown naked to the wild beasts; 2.
they
all refuse to attack her; 8. throws herself
into pit of water. 10. Other wild beasts refuse her. 11. She is tied to
wild
bulls. 13. She is
miraculously saved, 21. released, 24. and entertained by Trifina.
CHAPTER 10
1. Thecla visits Paul. 6. She visits
Onesiphorus. 8.
She visits her mother 9. who repulses her.
12. She is tempted by the devil; she works miracles.
CHAPTER 11
1. Thecla is threatened with rape. 12. She
escapes
by a rock opening, 17. and closing
miraculously.
CHAPTER 1
1. When Paul went up to Iconium after his flight from Antioch, Demas and
Hermogenes
became his companions, who were then full of hypocrisy.
2. But Paul looked only at the goodness of God and did them no harm, but
loved them
greatly.
3. Accordingly, he endeavored to make agreeable to them all the oracles
and
doctrines of
Christ, and the design of the Gospel of God's well-beloved Son,
instructing
them in the
knowledge of Christ as it was revealed to him.
4. And a certain man named
Onesiphorus, hearing that Paul was coming to Iconium, went out speedily
together with his
wife Lectra and his sons Simmia and Zeno, to meet him and invite him to
their house.
5. For Titus had given them a description of Paul's personage, for as yet
they did not know
him in person but were only acquainted with his character.
6. They went in the king's highway to Lystra and stood there waiting for
him, comparing all
who passed by with that description which Titus had given them.
7. At length they saw a man coming (namely Paul), of a small stature with
meeting
eyebrows, bald [or shaved] head, bow- legged, strongly built, hollow-eyed,
with a large
crooked nose; he was full of grace, for sometimes he appeared as a man,
sometimes he
had the countenance of an angel. And Paul saw Onesiphorus and was glad.
8. [New paragraph in the oldest extant manuscripts] And Onesiphorus said:
Hail, servant
of the blessed God. Paul replied, The grace of God be with you and your
family.
9. But Demas and Hermogenes were moved with envy, and under a show of
great
religion,
Demas said, And are not we also servants of the blessed God? Why did you
not
salute us?
10. Onesiphorus replied, Because I have not perceived in you the fruits of
righteousness;
nevertheless, if you are of that sort, you shall be welcome to my house
also.
11. Then Paul went to the house of Onesiphorus, and there was great joy
among the family
on that account; and they employed themselves in prayer, breaking bread,
and
hearing
Paul preach the word of God concerning temperance and the resurrection, in
the following
manner:
12. Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they shall see God.
13. Blessed are they who keep their flesh undefiled, for they shall be the
temple of God.
14. Blessed are the temperate, for God will reveal himself to them.
15. Blessed are they that abandon their
secular enjoyments, for they shall be accepted of God.
16. Blessed are they who have wives, as though they had them not, for they
shall be made
angels of God.
17. Blessed are they who tremble at the word of God, for they shall be
comforted.
18. Blessed are they who keep their baptism pure, for they shall find
peace
with the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
19. Blessed are they who pursue the
doctrine of Jesus Christ, for they shall be called the sons of the Most
High.
20. Blessed are they who observe the instructions of Jesus Christ, for
they
shall dwell in
eternal light.
21. Blessed are they, who for the love of Christ abandon the glories of
the
world, for they
shall judge angels, and be placed at the right hand of Christ, and shall
not
suffer the
bitterness of the last judgment.
22. Blessed are the bodies and souls of
virgins, for they are acceptable to God and shall not lose the reward of
their virginity, for
the word of their Father shall prove effectual to their salvation in the
day
of his Son, and
they shall enjoy rest forevermore.
CHAPTER 2
1. While Paul was preaching this sermon in the church which was in the
house of
Onesiphorus, a certain virgin named Thecla (whose mother's name was
Theoclia, and who
was betrothed to a man named Thamyris) sat at a certain window in her
house.
2. From where, by the advantage of a window in the house where Paul was,
she
both night
and day heard Paul's sermons concerning God, concerning charity,
concerning
faith in
Christ, and concerning prayer;
3. Nor would she depart from the window till with exceeding joy she was
subdued to the
doctrines of faith.
4. At length, when she saw many women and virgins going in to Paul, she
earnestly desired
that she might be thought worthy to appear in his presence and hear the
word
of Christ; for
she had not yet seen Paul's person, but only heard his sermons.
5. But when she would not be prevailed
upon to depart from the window, her mother sent to Thamyris, who came with
the greatest
pleasure, as he hoped now to marry her. Accordingly he said to Theoclia,
Where is my
Thecla?
6. Theoclia replied, Thamyris, I have something very strange to tell you.
Thecla, for the
space of three days, will not move from the window not so much as to eat
or
drink, but is so
intent in hearing the artful and delusive discourses of a certain
foreigner,
that I am
completely astonished, Thamyris, that a young woman of her known modesty
will suffer
herself to be so prevailed upon.
7. For that man has disturbed the whole city of Iconium, and even your
Thecla, among
others. All the women and young men flock to him to receive his doctrine;
who, besides all
the rest, tells them that there is but one God who alone is to be
worshipped, and that we
ought to live in chastity.
8. Notwithstanding this, my daughter
Thecla, like a spider's web fastened to the window, is captivated by the
discourses of Paul,
and attends upon them with prodigious eagerness and vast delight; and
thus,
by attending
to what he says, the young woman is seduced. Now you go and speak to her,
for she is
betrothed to you.
9. Accordingly Thamyris went, and saluted her with care not to surprise
her,
and said,
Thecla, my spouse, why are you sitting in this melancholy posture? What
strange
impressions are made upon you? Turn to Thamyris, and blush.
10. Her mother also spoke to her after the same manner and said, Child,
why
do you sit so
melancholy, like one astonished, and make no reply?
11. Then they wept exceedingly: Thamyris, that he had lost his future
spouse; Theoclia,
that she had lost her daughter; and the maids, that they had lost their
mistress; and there
was universal mourning in the family.
12. But all these things made no impression on Thecla to incline her so
much
as to turn and
take notice of them, for she continued to contemplate on the discourses of
Paul.
13. Then Thamyris ran into the street to observe who they were who went in
to Paul and
came out from him; and he saw two men engaged in a very warm dispute, and
said to them;
14. Sirs, what business have you here?
And who is that man within, belonging to you, who deludes the minds of
men,
both young
men and virgins, persuading them that they ought not to marry but continue
as they are?
15. I promise to give you a considerable sum if you will give me a just
account of him, for I
am the chief person of this city.
16. Demas and Hermogenes replied, We cannot so exactly tell who he is, but
we know that
he deprives young men of their intended wives, and virgins of their
intended
husbands, by
teaching, There can be no future resurrection, unless you continue in
chastity and do not
defile your flesh.
CHAPTER 3
1. Then Thamyris said, Come along with me to my house and refresh
yourselves. So they
went to a very splendid entertainment where there was wine in abundance
and
very rich
provision.
2. They were brought to a table richly spread, and made to drink
plentifully
by Thamyris,
on account of the love he had for Thecla and his desire to marry her.
3. Then Thamyris said, I desire you would inform me what the doctrines of
this Paul are,
that I may understand them; for I have no small concern about Thecla,
seeing
she so
delights in that stranger's discourses that I am in danger of losing my
intended wife.
4. Then Demas and Hermogenes
together answered and said, Let him be brought before the governor
Castellius as one who
endeavors to persuade the people into the new religion of the Christians,
and he, according
to the order of Caesar, will put him to death, by which means you will
obtain your wife;
5. While we at the same time will teach her that the resurrection that he
speaks of is
already come and consists in our having children, and that we then arose
again when we
came to the knowledge of God.
6. Upon getting this account from them, Thamyris was filled with hot
resentment,
7. And rising early in the morning he went to the house of Onesiphorus,
attended by the
magistrates, the jailor, and a great multitude of people with staves, and
said to Paul;
8. You have perverted the city of Iconium, and among the rest, Thecla, who
is betrothed to
me, so that now she will not marry me. You must therefore go with us to
the
governor
Castellius.
9. And all the multitude cried out, Away with this impostor, for he has
perverted the minds
of our wives, and all the people pay attention to him.
CHAPTER 4
1. Then Thamyris stood before the governor's judgment-seat and spoke with
a
loud voice
in the following manner.
2. O governor, I know not where this man comes from, but he is one who
teaches that
matrimony is unlawful. Command him therefore to declare before you for
what
reason he
publishes such doctrines.
3. While he was saying thus, Demas and Hermogenes whispered to Thamyris
and
said:
Say that he is a Christian, and he will presently be put to death.
4. But the governor was more deliberate, and calling to Paul, he said, Who
are you? What
do you teach? They seem to lay gross crimes to your charge.
5. Paul then spoke with a loud voice saying, As I am now called to give an
account of my
doctrines, O governor, I desire your audience.
6. That God, who is a God of vengeance, and who stands in need of nothing
but the
salvation of his creatures, has sent me to reclaim them from their
wickedness and
corruptions, from all sinful pleasures, and from death; and to persuade
them
to sin no
more.
7. On this account, God sent his Son Jesus Christ, whom I preach, and in
whom I instruct
men to place their hopes as that only person who had such compassion on
the
deluded
world, that it might not be condemned, O governor, but have faith, the
fear
of God, the
knowledge of religion, and the love of truth.
8. So that if I only teach those things which I have received by
revelation
from God, where
is my crime?
9. When the governor heard this, he ordered Paul to be bound and to be put
in prison till he
could be more at leisure to hear him more fully.
10. But in the night, Thecla took off her earrings and gave them to the
turnkey of the
prison, who then opened the doors to her and let her in;
11. And when she made a present of a silver looking-glass to the jailor,
she
was allowed to
go into the room where Paul was; then she sat down at his feet and heard
from him the
great things of God.
12. And as she perceived Paul not to be afraid of suffering, but that by
divine assistance he
behaved himself with courage, her faith so far increased that she kissed
his
chains.
CHAPTER 5
1. At length Thecla was missed and sought for by the family and by
Thamyris
in every
street as though she had been lost, but one of the porter's
fellow-servants
told them that
she had gone out in the night.
2. Then they examined the porter and he told them that she was gone to the
prison to the
strange man.
3. They therefore went according to his direction and found her there; and
when they came
out, they got a mob together and went and told the governor all that
happened.
4. Then he ordered Paul to be brought before his judgment-seat.
5. Thecla in the meantime lay wallowing on the ground in the prison, in
that
same place
where Paul had sat to teach her. Then the governor also ordered her to be
brought before
his judgment-seat. She received the summons with joy and went.
6. When Paul was brought there, the mob cried out with more vehemence, He
is a
magician, so let him die.
7. Nevertheless the governor attended with pleasure upon Paul's discourses
of the holy
works of Christ, and after calling together a council, he summoned Thecla
and said to her,
Why do you not, according to the law of the Iconians, marry Thamyris?
8. She stood still with her eyes fixed upon Paul, and finding she made no
reply, Theoclia
her mother cried out, Let the unjust creature be burned; let her be burned
in the midst of
the theatre for refusing Thamyris, so all women may learn from her to
avoid such
practices.
9. Then the governor was exceedingly concerned and ordered Paul to be
whipped out of
the city and Thecla to be burned.
10. So the governor arose and went immediately into the amphitheater; and
all the people
went forth to see the dismal sight.
11. But Thecla, just as a lamb in the wilderness looks every way to see
his
shepherd,
looked around for Paul;
12. And as she was looking upon the multitude, she saw the Lord Jesus in
the
likeness of
Paul, and said to herself, Paul has come to see me in my distressed
circumstances. And
she fixed her eyes upon him, but he instantly ascended up to heaven while
she looked on
him.
13. Then the young men and women brought wood and straw for the burning of
Thecla;
who, being brought naked to the stake, extorted tears from the governor,
who was
surprised to see the greatness of her beauty.
14. And when they had placed the wood in order, the people commanded her
to
go upon it,
and she did so, first making the sign of the cross.
15. Then the people set fire to the pile; though the flame was exceeding
large, it did not
touch her, for God took compassion on her and caused a great eruption from
the earth
beneath, and a cloud from above to pour down great quantities of rain and
hail;
16. So that by the rupture of the earth, very many were in great danger
and
some were
killed, but the fire was extinguished and Thecla preserved.
CHAPTER 6
1. In the meantime Paul, together with Onesiphorus, his wife and children,
was keeping a
fast in a certain cave which was in the road from Iconium to Daphne.
2. And when they had fasted for several days, the children said to Paul,
Father, we are
hungry and have nothing with which to buy bread; for Onesiphorus had left
all his
substance to follow Paul with this family.
3. Then Paul, taking off his coat, said to the boy, Go, child, and buy
bread, and bring it
back.
4. But while the boy was buying the bread, he saw his neighbor Thecla and
was surprised,
and said to her, Thecla, where are you going?
5. She replied, I am in search of Paul, having been delivered from the
flames.
6. Then the boy said, I will take you to him, for he is greatly concerned
on
your account,
and has been in prayer and fasting these six days.
7. When Thecla came to the cave, she
found Paul upon his knees praying and saying, O Lord Jesus Christ, grant
that the fire
may not touch Thecla, but be her helper, for she is your servant.
8. Thecla, standing behind him, cried out in the following words: O
sovereign Lord, Creator
of heaven and earth, the Father of your beloved and holy Son, I praise you
that you have
preserved me from the fire to see Paul again.
9. Paul then arose and when he saw her, said, O God, who searches the
heart,
Father of
my Lord Jesus Christ, I praise you that you have answered my prayer.
10. And there prevailed among them in
the cave an entire affection to each other; Paul, Onesiphorus, and all
that
were with them
were filled with joy.
11. They had five loaves, with some herbs and water, and they solaced each
other in
reflections upon the holy works of Christ.
12. Then said Thecla to Paul, If you be pleased with it, I will follow you
wherever you go.
13. He replied to her, Persons are now much given to fornication, and you
being handsome,
I am afraid you might meet with greater temptation than the former one,
and
would not
withstand it, but be overcome.
14. Thecla replied, Grant me only the seal of Christ, and no temptation
shall affect me.
15. Paul answered, Thecla, wait with patience, and you will receive the
gift
of Christ.
CHAPTER 7
1. Then Paul sent back Onesiphorus and his family to their own home, and
taking Thecla
along with him, he went to Antioch;
2. And as soon as they came into the city, a certain Syrian named
Alexander,
a magistrate
in the city, who had done many considerable services for the city during
his
magistracy,
saw Thecla and fell in love with her, and endeavored by many rich presents
to engage Paul
in his interest.
3. But Paul told him, I do not know the woman of whom you speak, nor does
she belong to
me.
4. But he, being a person of great power in Antioch, seized her in the
street and kissed
her; which Thecla would not bear, but looking about for Paul, cried out in
a
distressed loud
tone, Force me not, who am a stranger; force me not, who am a servant of
God; I am one
of the principal persons of Iconium, and was obliged to leave that city
because I would not
be married to Thamyris.
5. Then she laid hold on Alexander, tore his coat, and took his crown off
his head, and
made him appear ridiculous before all the people.
6. But Alexander, partly because he loved her and partly being ashamed of
what had been
done, led her to the governor; and upon her confession of what she had
done, he
condemned her to be thrown among the beasts.
CHAPTER 8
1. When the people saw this, they said: The judgments passed in this city
are unjust. But
Thecla desired only the favor of the governor that her chastity might not
be
attacked, but
preserved till she should be cast to the beasts.
2. The governor then inquired who would lodge her, and a certain very rich
widow named
Trifina, whose daughter was lately dead, asked that she might have the
keeping of her;
and she began to treat her in her house as her own daughter.
3. At length a day came when the beasts were to be brought forth to be
seen,
and Thecla
was brought to the amphitheater in the presence of a multitude of
spectators, and put into
a den in which was an exceeding fierce she-lion.
4. Trifina, without any surprise, accompanied Thecla, and the she-lion
licked the feet of
Thecla. The title written which denoted her crime was Sacrilege. Then the
woman [Trifina]
cried out, O God, the judgments of this city are unrighteous.
5. After the beasts had been shown, Trifina took Thecla home with her, and
they went to
bed. And behold, the daughter of Trifina, who was dead, appeared to her
mother and said:
Mother, let the young woman Thecla be reputed by you as your daughter in
my
place, and
ask her to pray for me, that I may be translated to a state of
happiness.
6. Upon which Trifina, with a mournful air, said, My daughter Falconilla
has
appeared to
me and ordered me to receive you in her place; wherefore I desire, Thecla,
that you would
pray for my daughter that she may be translated into a state of happiness
and to life
eternal.
7. When Thecla heard this, she immediately prayed to the Lord and said: O
Lord God of
heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High, grant that her
daughter Falconilla
may live forever. Trifina hearing this groaned again and said, O
unrighteous
judgments! O
unreasonable wickedness that such a creature should again be cast to the
beasts!
8. At daybreak the next morning,
Alexander came to Trifina's house and said, The governor and the people
are
waiting;
bring the criminal forth.
9. But Trifina ran in so violently upon him that he was affrighted and ran
away. Trifina was
one of the royal family; and she thus expressed her sorrow and said: Alas!
I
have trouble
in my house on two accounts, and there is no one who will relieve me,
either
for the loss of
my daughter, or for being unable to save Thecla. But now, O Lord God, you
be
the helper
of Thecla your servant.
10. While she was thus engaged, the governor sent one of his own officers
to
bring Thecla.
Trifina took her by the hand, and going with her, said: I went with
Falconilla to her grave
and now must go with Thecla to the beasts.
11. When Thecla heard this, she prayed weeping and said: O Lord God, whom
I have
made my confidence and refuge, reward Trifina for her compassion to me and
for
preserving my chastity.
12. Upon this there was a great noise in the amphitheater: the beasts
roared, and the
people cried out, Bring in the criminal.
13. But the woman [Trifina] cried out and said: Let the whole city suffer
for such crimes;
and order all of us, O governor, to the same punishment. O unjust
judgment!
O cruel sight!
14. Others said, Let the whole city be destroyed for this vile action.
Kill
us all, O governor.
O cruel sight! O unrighteous judgment!
CHAPTER 9
1. Then Thecla was taken out of the hand of Trifina, stripped naked, had
an
encircling
cloth put on, and was thrown into the place appointed for fighting with
the
beasts. Then the
lions and the bears were let loose upon her.
2. But a she-lion, which was of all the most fierce, ran to Thecla and
fell
down at her feet.
At that, the multitude of women shouted aloud.
3. Then a she-bear ran fiercely toward her; but the she-lion met the bear
and tore it to
pieces.
4. Again, a he-lion who had been accustomed to devour men, and which
belonged to
Alexander, ran toward her; but the she-lion encountered the he-lion, and
they killed each
other.
5. Then the women had a greater concern because the she-lion that had
helped
Thecla
was dead.
6. Afterwards they brought out many other wild beasts, but Thecla stood
with
her hands
stretched towards heaven and prayed. When she finished praying, she turned
about and
saw a pit of water and said, Now is a proper time for me to be
baptized.
7. Accordingly she threw herself into the water and said, In your name, O
my
Lord Jesus
Christ, I am this last day baptized. Upon seeing this, the women and the
people cried out
and said, Do not throw yourself into the water. And the governor himself
cried out to think
that the sea-calves were likely to devour so much beauty.
8. Notwithstanding all this, Thecla threw
herself into the water in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9. But when the sea-calves saw the lightning and fire, they were killed
and
floated dead on
the surface of the water, and a cloud of fire surrounded Thecla so the
beasts could not
come near her, and the people could not see her nakedness.
10. Yet they turned other wild beasts upon her, at which the women made a
very mournful
outcry. Some of them scattered spikenard, others cassia, others amomus,
others ointment;
so that the quantity of ointment was large in proportion to the number of
people; and upon
this all the beasts lay as though they had been fast asleep and did not
touch Thecla.
11. Whereupon Alexander said to the governor, I have some very terrible
bulls; let us bind
her to them. To which the governor, with concern, replied, You may do what
you think fit.
12. Then they put a cord around Thecla's waist, which bound also her feet,
and with it tied
her to the bulls, to whose privy- parts they applied red-hot irons so that
they, being even
more tormented, might more violently drag Thecla about till they had
killed
her.
13. The bulls accordingly tore about, making a most hideous noise; but the
flame which
was about Thecla burned off the cords which were fastened to the members
of
the bulls,
and she stood in the middle of the arena as unconcerned as if she had not
been bound.
14. But in the meantime Trifina, who sat upon one of the benches, fainted
away and died;
then the whole city was greatly concerned.
15. And Alexander himself was afraid and implored the governor, saying: I
entreat you,
have compassion on me and the city, and release this woman who has fought
with the
beasts; for fear that both you and I, and the whole city be destroyed:
16. For if Caesar should have any account of what has now taken place, he
certainly will
immediately destroy the city because Trifina, a person of royal extract
and
a relation of
his, is dead upon her seat.
17. Then the governor called Thecla from among the beasts to him and said
to
her, Who
are you? And what are your circumstances, that not one of the beasts will
touch you?
18. Thecla replied to him, I am a servant of the living God, and as to my
state, I am a
believer on Jesus Christ his Son, in whom God is well pleased. For that
reason none of the
beasts could touch me.
19. He alone is the way to eternal salvation and the foundation of eternal
life. He is a
refuge to those who are in distress, a support to the afflicted, a hope
and
defence to those
who are hopeless, and in a word, all those who do not believe on him shall
not live, but
suffer eternal death.
20. When the governor heard these
things, he ordered her clothes to be brought and said to her, Put on your
clothes.
21. Thecla replied, May that God who clothed me when I was naked among the
beasts, in
the day of judgment clothe your soul with the robe of salvation. Then she
took her clothes
and put them on; then the governor immediately published an order in these
words: I
release to you Thecla the servant of God.
22. Then the women cried out together with a loud voice, and with one
accord
gave praise
unto God and said: There is but one God, who is the God of Thecla; the one
God who has
delivered Thecla.
23. Their voices were so loud that the whole city seemed to be shaken, and
Trifina herself
heard the glad tidings and arose again, and ran with the multitude to meet
Thecla; and
embracing her, said: Now I believe there will be a resurrection of the
dead;
now I am
persuaded that my daughter is alive. Come home with me, my daughter
Thecla,
and I will
turn over all that I have to you.
24. So Thecla went with Trifina and was entertained there a few days,
teaching her the
word of the Lord, whereby many young women were converted. So there was
great joy in
the family of Trifina.
25. But Thecla longed to see Paul, and inquired and sent everywhere to
find
him; and when
at length she was informed that he was at Myra in Lycia, she took with her
many young
men and women. She dressed herself in the habit of a man and went to him
in
Myra in
Lycia. There she found Paul preaching the word of God, and she stood by
him
amid the
throng.
1. Demas and Hermogenes become Paul's companions. 4. Paul visits
Onesiphorus. 8. Demas
and Hermogenes become envious. 11. Paul preaches to the household of
Onesiphorus. 12.
His sermon.
1. Thecla listens anxiously to Paul's preaching. 5.
Thamyris, her admirer, concerts with
Theoclia her mother to dissuade her, 12. in vain. 14. Demas and Hermogenes
vilify Paul to
Thamyris.
1. They betray Paul. 7. Thamyris and officers
arrest
him.
1. Paul accused before the governor by Thamyris. 5.
Defends himself. 9. Is committed to
prison, 10. and visited by Thecla.
1. Thecla sought and found by her relations. 4. She
is brought with Paul before the governor.
9. She is ordered to be burned, and Paul to be whipped. 15. Thecla
miraculously saved.
1. Paul with Onesiphorus in a cave. 7. Thecla
discovers Paul; 12. offers to follow him; 13. he
exhorts her not to for fear of fornication.
1. Paul and Thecla go to Antioch. 2. Alexander, a
magistrate, falls in love with Thecla; 4.
kisses her by force: 5. she resists him, 6. is carried before the governor
and condemned to be
thrown to wild beasts.
2. Thecla entertained by Trifina; 3. brought out to the wild beasts; a
she-lion licks her feet. 5.
Trifina, upon a vision of her deceased daughter, adopts Thecla, 11. who is
taken to the
amphitheater again.
1. Thecla thrown naked to the wild beasts; 2. they
all refuse to attack her; 8. throws herself
into pit of water. 10. Other wild beasts refuse her. 11. She is tied to
wild
bulls. 13. She is
miraculously saved, 21. released, 24. and entertained by Trifina.