#st thecla

[vigilantkilliforniakatholixxx]

[iustuspeccator]

This is a short essay on The Acts of Paul and Thecla that I wrote for history class and got really good feedback on.😊 I wanted to share it because I love Thecla, everyone read The Acts of Paul and Thecla (pdf) and then talk to me about The Acts of Paul and Thecla thank youuu Early Christians had an appetite for stories not covered in the Gospels. What was Jesus like as a child? Or even Mary? What were Paul’s travels like? These questions led to the circulation of non-canonical texts such as infancy Gospels and “The Acts of Paul,” but you won’t read them with your Bible study group, because they’re not in the Bible. Can modern Christians find any value in them? While these tales might have little theological use, they do connect us to our faith ancestors. Let’s consider, for instance, “The Acts of Thecla.” “Thecla” is an excerpt of a larger work, “The Acts of Paul,” which told tales of Paul’s travels in the style of popular fiction. It was probably written in the second century and claims connection with Paul the Apostle. It wasn’t included in the canon, though, likely because that transmission from Paul was in doubt. While it doesn’t have the merit and use of canonical stories, it does contain the fascinating tale of Thecla, known itself as “The Acts of Thecla.” This story demonstrates an early thirst for stories of women in the faith.

In the story, Thecla is a young Roman woman, betrothed to a young man. When Paul comes to her city to preach, Thecla is entranced by his message, and vows chastity. She is condemned to death for refusing her marriage, but she is miraculously rescued. Thecla then follows Paul to Antioch where a man, Alexander, takes an interest in her. Thecla rejects him and he “embraces her on the street.” Outraged, Thecla fights back, ripping his cloak. Alexander reports her to the governor, and she is sentenced to face the beasts in the arena, a common method of martyrdom.

The animals in the arena miraculously do not harm her. A lioness protects her from other animals. An audience of women in the arena comes to Thecla’s defense, crying out “A wicked judgment!” The queen of the city, who had taken an interest in Thecla’s wellbeing, faints when she believes Thecla is dead. The outrage of the crowd and fear for the safety of the queen forces the governor to free Thecla.

It’s interesting that Thecla is condemned for her refusal of men, which is the result of her Christianity, but not for her Christianity itself. It seems that this is what rallies the other women of the city to Thecla’s case. The story seethes with the anger of women at men’s sexual control. Thecla’s story is thus one of both a woman hero of the faith and of women’s solidarity. It’s easy to see why her story would become popular among very early Christians, a community that “longed for greater inclusion of women in community" (Irvin and Sundquist).

This story has parallels to the modern day, as well. “A wicked judgment” may not be the language we use today, but it is often our cry all the same. I think immediately of the many sexual assault cases like Thecla’s go untried, unanswered, and unresolved. The story of Thecla may be only a story, but it reveals a long-held Christian knowledge: Our God hears our cries and our neighbors’ cries for justice, and when we speak in faith, we can never be destroyed.

Resources: John W. Coakley & Andrea Sterk, “Acts of Paul and Thecla,” in Readings in World Christian History Volume 1: Earliest Christianity to 1453, (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books 2006).

Dale T. Irvin & Scott W. Sunquist, History of the World Christian Movement Volume 1: Earliest Christianity to 1453, (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books 2009) 50-53.

[fierysword]

Beyond the fact that the heroine is a woman, the role of women in the ATh [Acts of Paul and Thecla] is underscored by numerous references to female supporters of [St] Thecla during her imprisonment and her trials in the arena. Thecla’s association with female characters extends even to her confrontation with the wild animals in the arena. Among all the beasts Thecla faces, a ‘fierce lioness’ befriends her, licking her feet during the procession before the games. Later in the arena, that same lioness defends Thecla against two male animals, a bear and a lion. The lioness’s battle with the bear and lion serves as a metaphor for Thecla’s own struggles against the opposition and antagonism of male characters in the story. By punctuating the battle between the lioness and the male beasts with the supportive responses of the anonymous ‘crowd of women,’ the story incorporates the lioness into that community of female supporters, and portrays the animal herself as a martyr for Thecla’s cause.

The Cult of Saint Thecla: A Tradition of Women's Piety in Late Antiquity by Stephen J. Davis

[portraitsofsaints]

Happy Feast Day Saint Thecla of Iconium 1st Century AD Feast Day: September 23

Saint Thecla, a virgin and native of Iconium was popular in the early Church. She was so impressed by St. Paul the Apostle’s preaching that she became his follower and a perpetual virgin. Legend has it that because she was a Christian, attempts were made to torture her by fire, rape, and eaten by wild beasts, yet she was miraculously protected all three times showing a martyr’s heroic faith. Eventually she lived as a hermit though persecuted until her death. She is called the protomartyr among women. {website}

[busy-with-little-things]

All Saints' Day Novena: Day 4

Litany of the Saints | EWTN

EWTN is a global, Catholic Television, Catholic Radio, and Catholic News Network that provides catholic programming and news coverage from a

Time for my patron saint, Mar Taqla, aka St. Thecla!

Here's an image I painted of her! Do me a favor and don't look at the lion. What did I just say

There isn't very much writing attributed to St. Thecla. She was a friend of St. Paul, and she is called "Equal-to-the-Apostles." The book The Acts of Paul and Thecla is an apocryphal book because it promotes essentially female priesthood, and normally an apocryphal book is an apocryphal book to me, but, like. That's it? Idk I think it's something I'll check out in the future. It's linked below if you are curious.

I relate to St. Thecla in that she is delivered from many trials that would otherwise end in death. I feel like while I am not being persecuted, I get anxiety about my suffering before it even happens. But I've been trying to surrender to God's will before I undergo something, and most of the time, the thing I'm dreading doesn't happen. Not to say that they never will, but rather that I am warmed by the fire without having to step on hot coals. And that must have been something she experienced a lot. Mar Taqla, pray for me not only to be ready to give up comfort but to live in discomfort when I need to.

St. Thecla, pray for us!

[catholic-saint-tournament]

Suggestion for the saint tournament: St Thecla and St Teresa of Avila!

Another vote for St Teresa of Avila!

As for St Thecla, she's a brand new nominee! She'll need a lot more propaganda to get her to the bracket!

[fierysword]

O God . . . you who have saved me from fire, who did not hand me over to Thamyris, who did not hand me over to Alexander, who saved me from beasts, who delivered me from the deep, who always has worked together with me and has glorified your name in me, now rescue me from these lawless men

St Thecla

[mysticismmess]

I feel like we don't talk enough about St Thecla. I love her.