The Acts of Thecla

The “Acts of Thecla” is a legendary account of the adventures of Thecla, a woman converted to the Christian faith through the preaching of the apostle Paul.1 Paul himself appears on the fringes of the story, as a socially disruptive evangelist who converts women to a life of strict asceticism and sexual renunciation, much to the chagrin of their husbands and ﬁancés. Thecla is portrayed here as the daughter of a woman named Theocleia and the ﬁnancée of a prominent citizen of the city of Iconium, Thamyris. Listening to Paul preach his message of chastity, Thecla becomes enthralled and decides to become Paul’s follower, renouncing her family and abandoning her ﬁancée. In response, Thamyris has Paul arrested. When Thecla then refuses to fulﬁll her social obligation of marriage, she is condemned (at her mother’s own instigation) to be burned at the stake. But she is miraculously delivered from martyrdom, and joins up with Paul on his journeys. When they arrive in Antioch, however, another series of setbacks occurs, in which Thecla is arrested for humiliating a leading aristocrat of the city while refusing his sexual advances. But once more, in a remarkable series of episodes (in which, among other things, Thecla baptizes herself in a pool of ravenous seals), God intervenes on Thecla’s behalf, preserving her from death. She is eventually then reunited with her beloved apostle, Paul, who authorizes her to share fully in his ministry of teaching the word. The Acts of Thecla was evidently in circulation near the end of the second century, along with the other narratives found in the “Acts of Paul” (see above, and below on 3 Corinthians). Thecla herself, largely based on this text and the legendary accounts that it then generated, became an enormously important saint and object of devotion, especially for women, down through the Middle Ages.2

See Ehrman, Lost Christianities, 31–35. 2See Stephen J. Davies, The Cult of Saint Thecla: A Tradition of Women’s Piety in Late Antiquity (New York: Oxford, 2001); and Cartlidge and Elliott, Art and the Christian Apocrypha, chap. 5.

Translation by Bart D. Ehrman, based on the Greek text in E. A. Lipsius and M. Bonnet, Acts Apostolorum Apocrypha; part 1 (Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1959), with several textual alterations based on manuscript evidence.

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great hypocrisy, so that Demas said, “Do we not also belong to the one who is Blessed? For you did not greet us like this!” Onesiphorus replied, “I did not see any fruit of righteousness in you. But if that is what you are, then come to my house as well, and be refreshed from your journey.”

As Paul was going to Iconium after his escape from Antioch, his fellow travelers were Demas and Hermogenes the bronze-smith, who were ﬁlled with hypocrisy. They kept entreating Paul earnestly, as if they loved him. But Paul was looking only at the goodness of Christ, and so did them no harm; instead, he loved them very much, giving them sweet discourses about all the Lord’s sayings, involving the teaching and interpretation of the gospel, and the birth and resurrection of God’s Beloved. And he was telling them word-for-word how the majestic character of Christ had been revealed to him.

There was a certain man named Onesiphorus who heard that Paul was coming to Iconium. He went out to meet him to give him welcome, taking along his children Simmias and Zenon and his wife Lectra. For Titus had told him what Paul looked like; for Onesiphorus had never seen him in the ﬂesh, but only in the spirit.

He went out to the Royal Road that leads to Lystra and stood there waiting for him, observing those who were coming along in light of Titus’s description. Then he saw Paul coming: a man short in stature, with a bald head, bowed legs, in good condition, eyebrows that met, a fairly large nose, and full of grace. At times he seemed human, at other times he looked like an angel.

When Paul saw Onesiphorus he smiled; and Onesiphorus said, “Greetings, servant of the Blessed God.” Paul replied, “Grace be with you and your house.” But Demas and Hermogenes became jealous and stirred up a

When Paul entered Onesiphorus’s house there was great joy, the bending of knees in prayer, the breaking of bread, and a proclamation of the word of God concerning self-control and the resurrection, as Paul said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are those who have kept the ﬂesh chaste, for they will become a temple of God. Blessed are those who are selfcontrolled, for God will speak to them. Blessed are those who have renounced this world, for they will be pleasing to God. Blessed are those who have wives as if they did not have them, for they will be the heirs of God. Blessed are those who have the fear of God, for they will become the angels of God.

“Blessed are those who tremble at the sayings of God, for they will be comforted. Blessed are those who have received the wisdom of Jesus Christ, for they will be called sons of the Highest. Blessed are those who have kept their baptism, for they will ﬁnd their rest in the Father and the Son.

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Blessed are those who have a full understanding of Jesus Christ, for they will be in the light. Blessed are those who have departed from the shell of this world because of the love of God, for they will judge angels and be blessed at the right hand of the Father. Blessed are those who show mercy, for they will receive mercy and will not see the bitter day of judgment. Blessed are the bodies of the virgins, for these will be pleasing to God and will not lose the reward for their chastity; for the word of the Father will be an accomplished act of salvation for them on the day of his Son, and they will receive an eternal rest.”

While Paul was saying these things in the midst of the church in Onesiphorus’s house, there was a certain virgin named Thecla, daughter of Theocleia and engaged to a man named Thamyris, who was sitting at the window of the house next door. Day and night Thecla heard what Paul said about chastity, and she did not budge from the window, but was drawn to faith with great joy. Yet when she saw many wives and virgins going in to see Paul, she also wanted to be found worthy to stand in Paul’s presence to hear the word of Christ. For she had not yet seen what Paul looked like, but had only heard his word.

Since she would not rise up from the window, her mother sent word to Thamyris. He gladly came, as if already taking her to their wedding. Then

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Thamyris said to Theocleia, “Where is my Thecla?” Theocleia replied, “I have some news to tell you, Thamyra. Thecla has not gotten up from the window for three days and nights, not even to eat or drink; but she is gazing out as if watching a festival. For she has grown attached to a foreign man who is teaching various deceitful words, so that I am amazed at how the virgin’s sense of modesty can be so badly disturbed.

“Thamyris, this man is stirring up the city of the Iconians as well as your own Thecla. For all the wives and youth are going in to see him, learning from him that, ‘You must fear the one and only God and live a chaste life.’ Even my daughter is bound to the window like a spider, seized by a new desire and fearful passion through his words. For she gazes at the words he speaks; and so the virgin has been captured. But you come and speak with her; for she is your ﬁancée.”

So Thamyris went in, loving Thecla yet fearing that she had gone mad. He said to her, “Thecla, my future wife, why are you sitting like this? What kind of mad passion has overwhelmed you? Turn around to see your Thamyris and be ashamed.” And her mother was also saying the same things, “Child, why do you sit like this looking down without answering, as if you were paralyzed?” And they were weeping bitterly: Thamyris for missing out on a wife, Thecleia for a child, and the servants for a mistress. And the household was thrown into a great confusion because of their mourning. Yet while these things were happening, Thecla did not turn aside, but continued gazing toward the words spoken by Paul.

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Thamyris ran outside and went to the street, and began observing those who were going in to see Paul and those coming out. He saw two men having a bitter quarrel, and he said to them, “Men, tell me who you are, and who this one is who is inside with you, leading astray the youths and deceiving the virgins by telling them not to get married but to remain as they are. I promise to reward you handsomely if you tell me about him. For I am the leading citizen of the city.”

Demas and Hermogenes said to him, “We do not know who he is. But he is depriving young men of their wives and virgins of their husbands, by saying that ‘You will not be raised from the dead unless you remain chaste, abstain from polluting the ﬂesh, and guard your chastity.’ ”

Thamyris said to them, “Men, come to my house and enjoy some refreshment with me.” They went off to a lavish dinner with ample wine, a great abundance, and a splendid spread. Thamyris was plying them with drink because he loved Thecla and wanted to have her as his wife. Over dinner Thamyris said, “Men, tell me what he teaches, so I can understand it. For I am in no small agony over Thecla, because she is in love with the stranger and I am being deprived of my marriage.”

Demas and Hermogenes said, “Make him stand trial before the governor, Castelius, for leading the crowds astray with the new teaching of the Christians. Then he will destroy him and you will have Thecla as your wife. And we will teach you that this resurrection which he claims is about to happen has already occurred in the children we have had.

When Thamyris heard these things from them, he was ﬁlled with jealousy and anger. Early the next morning he went off to the house of Onesiphorus with the leaders, public servants, and a large crowd carrying clubs, and he said to Paul, “You have corrupted the city of the Iconians and my own ﬁancée, so that she no longer desires me. Come, we are going to the governor Castelius.” And the entire crowd was saying, “Take the magician away; for he has corrupted all our wives.” And the crowds were persuaded.

When he stood before the governor’s judgment seat, Thamyris called out with a loud voice, “O Proconsul, we do not know where this man comes from. But he does not allow virgins to be married. Let him tell you why he is teaching these things.” But Dema and Hermogenes said to Thamyris, “Say that he is a Christian, and you will destroy him.” But the governor had already decided what to do; he called Paul and asked him, “Who are you, and what are you teaching? For they are making no small accusation against you!”

Paul raised his voice and said, “If today I am to defend what I teach, listen to me, O Proconsul. The living God, the God of vengeance, the jealous God, the God who stands in need of nothing—this God has sent me to provide people with salvation by dragging them away from corruption and impurity and every pleasure and death, that they may no longer sin. This is also why God sent his own child, whom I proclaim, teaching that everyone must place their hope in him. For he alone has felt sympathy for this world while it was going astray, that people may no longer fall under judgment but have faith and the fear of God, along with the knowledge

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of holiness and the love of the truth. If, then, I am teaching what God has revealed to me, O Proconsul, how have I done anything wrong?” When the governor heard these things, he ordered Paul to be bound and taken off to prison, until he had greater leisure to listen to him more carefully.

But that night Thecla removed her bracelets and gave them to the gatekeeper; and when the door was opened for her, she went away to the prison. She then gave a silver mirror to the prison guard and came in to Paul. Sitting at his feet, she heard about the majestic character of God. Paul showed no sign of fear but was ﬁlled with the boldness of God. And Thecla’s faith increased as she was kissing Paul’s bonds.

But members of Thecla’s own household, along with Thamyris, were looking for her, searching for her on the roads as if she were lost. Then one of the gatekeeper’s fellow slaves disclosed that she had gone out at night. They examined the gatekeeper, who told them, “She has gone to the foreigner in prison.” They went out just as he told them and found her, in a manner of speaking, bound together with Paul in affection. Coming out from there they roused the crowds and revealed what had happened to the governor.

He commanded Paul to be brought before the judgment seat. But Thecla was rolling around on the place where Paul had been teaching while sitting in the jail. The governor ordered her to be brought to the judgment seat as well. She came gladly, ﬁlled with joy. When Paul was brought forward again, the crowd began crying out more fervently, “He is a magician; away with

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him!” But the governor was glad to hear Paul speak of the holy deeds of Christ. When the governor had consulted his advisors, he summoned Thecla and said, “Why do you not marry Thamyris, in accordance with the law of the Iconians?” But she stood gazing at Paul. When she did not answer, her mother Theocleia cried out, “Burn the lawless one! Burn the one who will not be a bride, burn her in the midst of the theater! Then all the wives who have been taught by this one will fear!”

The governor was in great agony over the case. He had Paul ﬂogged and cast out of the city; but he ordered Thecla to be burned at the stake. Immediately the governor got up and left for the theater. And the entire crowd went out, since they too had to observe the spectacle. But Thecla was like a lamb in the wilderness looking around to see its shepherd—so was she trying to catch a glimpse of Paul. Looking intently into the crowd she saw the Lord sitting there, in the appearance of Paul. And she said, “Since I am unable to endure my fate, Paul has come to watch over me.” And she continued to gaze upon him. But he departed into heaven.

The children and virgins brought wood and hay for Thecla’s burning. When she was brought into the arena naked, the governor wept, marveling at the power he saw in her. They spread out the wood, and the leaders of the people ordered her to mount the pyre. Making the shape of the cross she went up onto the wood. And they lit it. But when it roared into a great ﬁre, the ﬂames did not touch her. For God out of his compassion caused a great roar underground, and overhead a cloud full of water and hailstones overshadowed the

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place; and there was an immense cloudburst so that many people were in danger of dying. The ﬁre was extinguished and Thecla was saved.

But Paul was fasting with Onesiphorus and his wife and children in an open tomb on the path they were taking from Iconium to Daphne. After many days had passed and they were still fasting, the children said to Paul, “We are hungry.” They had no money to buy bread, because Onesiphorus had left the things of the world in order to follow Paul, along with his entire household. So Paul took off his outer garment and said, “Go, child, buy plenty of bread and bring it back here.” As the child was making his purchases, he saw his neighbor, Thecla. He was amazed and said to her, “Where are you going?” She replied, “I have been saved from the ﬁre and am looking for Paul.” The child said, “Come, I will take you to him. For he is mourning you, praying and fasting for six days already.”

As she approached the tomb, Paul was kneeling and praying, “Father of Christ, do not allow the ﬁre to touch Thecla, but be present with her, because she is yours.” But she, standing behind him, cried out, “Father, maker of heaven and earth, Father of your beloved child Jesus Christ, I bless you because you have saved me from the ﬁre, that I might see Paul.” When Paul rose up he saw her and said, “O God who knows the heart, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you because you have so quickly heard what I had to ask.”

There was great love inside the tomb, with Paul, Onesiphorus, and everyone ﬁlled with joy. They had ﬁve loaves, vegetables, and water, and

they rejoiced in the holy deeds of Christ. Thecla said to Paul, “I will cut off my hair and follow you wherever you go.” He replied, “The time is shameful and you are beautiful; another temptation may overtake you worse than the ﬁrst, and you may not be able to endure but behave like a cowardly man.” Thecla said, “Only give me the seal in Christ, and no temptation will touch me!” Paul replied, “Thecla, be patient and you will receive the water.”

Paul sent Onesiphorus and his entire household back to Iconium, and took Thecla with him into Antioch. As they were entering the city, a certain leader of the Syrians named Alexander saw Thecla and was inﬂamed with passion for her, and began entreating Paul with money and gifts. But Paul said, “I do not know the woman you are speaking of, nor is she mine.” Since Alexander was a powerful man, he began embracing her in the street. But she resisted him and was looking for Paul. Bitterly she cried out, “Do not force yourself on a stranger, do not force yourself on a slave of God. I am a leading citizen of the Iconians, and since I did not wish to marry Thamyris, I have been exiled from my city.” She grabbed hold of Alexander, ripped his mantle, and pulled the crown from his head, making him an object of derision.

Even though Alexander loved her, he was ashamed of what had happened to him; and so he led her to the governor. When she admitted she had done these things, he condemned her to the wild beasts. But the women there were astonished and cried out before the judgment seat, “A wicked judgment! An unholy judgment!” Thecla asked the governor to be allowed to remain chaste until

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she had to ﬁght the wild beasts. A certain wealthy queen named Tryphaena, whose daughter had died, took her into her care and was comforted by her.

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us problems. Hand over the one who is to ﬁght the beasts and I will take her away.” But Tryphaena put him to ﬂight by crying out: “Our household has mourned a second time for my Falconilla; and there is no one to help us—not my child, for she has died, nor a relative, for I am a widow. O God of my child Thecla, help her!”

For the procession of the wild beasts, they bound Thecla to a ﬁerce lioness; and Queen Tryphaena followed her. But while Thecla was sitting on the lioness, it began licking her feet, to the amazement of the entire crowd. The charge against her was inscribed: “Sacrilegious.” The women with their children were crying out again, “O God, what an unholy judgment has occurred in this city!” Tryphaena then took her home from the procession; for her daughter Falconilla had died and appeared to her in a dream, and said to her, “Mother, you should take this desolate stranger, Thecla, in my place, that she may pray for me and I be moved to the place of the righteous.”

The governor then sent soldiers to bring Thecla. But Tryphaena did not leave her but led her out by the hand, saying, “I took my daughter Falconilla away to the tomb; but you, Thecla, I take away to ﬁght the wild beasts.” And Thecla wept bitterly and moaned to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, in whom I believe, to whom I have ﬂed for refuge, the one who saved me from the ﬁre: Give Tryphaena her reward for showing sympathy to your servant and for keeping me chaste.”

And so, when Tryphaena took her from the procession, she both grieved that she had to ﬁght the wild beasts the next day and loved her deeply just as her daughter Falconilla. She said, “My second child Thecla, come, pray for my child, that she may live forever. For I saw her in a dream.” And without a moment’s delay, Thecla raised her voice and said, “O my God, Son of the Highest, you who are in heaven: Give her what she desires, that her daughter Falconilla may live forever.” When Thecla said these things, Tryphaena began to mourn realizing that such beauty was to be cast to the wild beasts.

When early morning arrived, Alexander came to take her away, for he was staging the hunting games. He said, “The governor has taken his seat and the crowd is starting to cause

Then there was a disturbance, a roaring of the wild beasts and a cry of the people and of the women who were sitting together, some of them saying, “Bring in the one who has committed sacrilege,” and others saying, “Let this city be destroyed for this lawless act. Destroy us all, O Proconsul. This is a bitter sight, a wicked judgment!”

Thecla was then taken from the hand of Tryphaena and stripped, given an undergarment to wear, and cast into the stadium. Lions and bears were cast in to attack her. And a ﬁerce lioness ran up and lay down at her feet. The crowd of women uttered a great cry. A bear ran up to attack her; but the lioness ran up, met the bear, and ripped him apart. Then a lion owned by Alexander and trained to ﬁght humans ran up

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to attack her; the lioness tangled with the lion and was destroyed along with it. The women were even more grief stricken, since the lioness that had been protecting her died.

Then they cast in a large number of wild beasts, while she stood, reaching out her hands and praying. When she ﬁnished her prayer she turned and saw a large vat ﬁlled with water, and said, “Now is the time for me to be cleaned!” She threw herself in, saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ, on this ﬁnal day I am baptized!” When the women and the entire crowd saw what she was doing, they wailed aloud and said, “Do not throw yourself into the water!” Even the governor began to weep, because seals were about to devour such beauty. But she threw herself into the water in the name of Jesus Christ; and the seals saw a lightning bolt and ﬂoated on the water, dead. Then a cloud of ﬁre surrounded her, so that the beasts could not attack her and no one could see her naked.

When yet more fearsome beasts were cast in, the women cried aloud; and some tossed leaves into the arena, others threw in nard, others cassia, and others cardamon, so that the whole place was ﬁlled with the sweet smell of perfume. All the beasts that had been cast in appeared to be overcome with sleep and did not touch her. Then Alexander told the governor, “I have some truly fearful bulls; let us bind her to them.” The governor sullenly gave his consent, saying, “Do what you want.” They bound her between the bulls by her feet and put red-hot irons under their genitals so that they would tear about and kill her. And they did begin to leap about, but the ﬂame rose up around them and burned the

wooden bindings, so that she was no longer bound.

Tryphaena, however, passed out on the walkway beside the arena, so that her female slaves said, “The Queen Tryphaena has died.” The governor stopped the festivities and the entire city was terriﬁed. Alexander fell before the governor’s feet and said, “Have mercy on me and the city, and set the prisoner free, lest the entire city be destroyed. For if Caesar hears about this, he will quickly destroy both us and the city, because his relative, the Queen Tryphaena, died on the walkway.”

The governor called Thecla over from the midst of the wild beasts and asked, “Who are you? And what is there about you that none of the wild beasts has touched you?” She replied, “I am a slave of the living God. As to what there is about me: I have believed in God’s Son, in whom he is well pleased. That is why none of the beasts has touched me. For this one alone is a boundary marker of God’s salvation and a foundation of life immortal. For he is a refuge to those caught in the storm, a rest for those who are afﬂicted, a shelter for those who have despaired, and to put it most simply: whoever does not believe in him will not live but will die forever.”

When the governor heard these things he ordered her clothes brought, and he said, “Put on your clothes.” But she replied, “The one who clothed me when I was naked among the wild beasts will clothe me with salvation on the day of judgment.” Then she took her clothes and put them on. The governor immediately sent forth an edict, saying, “I release to you Thecla, the pious

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slave of God.” All the women cried out with a great voice and with one accord gave praise to God, “The One God! The One who saved Thecla!”—so that the entire city shook from their cry.

When Tryphaena was told the good news she went out and met the crowd and embraced Thecla, and said, “Now I believe that the dead are raised; now I believe that my child lives. Come inside, and I will bequeath to you all that is mine.” So Thecla went in with her and rested in her house for eight days, instructing her in the word of God, so that even most of Tryphaena’s female servants believed; and there was great joy in that house.

Thecla began to long for Paul and was trying to ﬁnd him, sending around for news of him everywhere. It was reported to her that he was in Myra. She took some young men and some female servants and prepared for her journey by sewing her outer garment to make it look like a man’s cloak. And so she went away to Myra and found Paul speaking the word of God; and she stood beside him. But he was astonished when he saw her and the crowd with her, wondering whether some other temptation was coming upon her. When she realized what he was thinking she said to him, “I have received my cleansing, Paul; for the one who has worked with you for the spread of the gospel has worked with me for my own cleansing.”

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Paul took her hand and led her away to the house of Hermias, and heard everything from her, so that he was greatly amazed; and those who heard were strengthened, and they prayed for Tryphaena. Thecla then rose up and told Paul, “I am going to Iconium.” Paul replied, “Go and teach the word of God.” And so Tryphaena sent Thecla a large amount of clothing and gold to leave for Paul’s ministry to the poor.

And Thecla came away into Iconium. She entered Onesiphorus’s house and fell on the dirt ﬂoor where Paul had sat, teaching the sayings of God. And she wept aloud, saying: “O my God and God of this house, where the light shone upon me, Christ Jesus, the Son of God, my helper in prison, my helper before governors, my helper in the ﬁre, my helper among the wild beasts— you yourself are God. To you be the glory forever. Amen.”

She found that Thamyris had died but that her mother was living. She called to her mother and said to her, “Theocleia, my mother, are you able to believe that the Lord in heaven lives? For if you desire riches, the Lord will give them to you through me; if you desire your child, see, here I am!” After testifying these things she went away to Seleucia and after enlightening many there with the word of God, she lay down to her glorious rest.