Women's History Month, Day Five
Thecla
(Theocleia,
Paul, and Thecla, Fresco from the Grotto of Saint Paul at Ephesus (Thecla is in
the window) fromhttps://members.bib-arch.org/bible-review/21/3/6)
Thecla is a pretty impressive young woman and
the feminist figure from the Acts of Paul and Thecla. She baptizes herself and
proves that women could preach the word of God as well as men. The Acts adds to
this imagery by having the female lion in the arena save her from certain death
and the women of the arena cheering for her.
Biography:
Thecla
was a wealthy woman who was the daughter of Theoclia and she was engaged to be
married to a man named Thamyris when she heard Paul speak in Iconium at the
house of Onesiphorus. Paul was preaching about those who were blessed by God
for abandoning worldly things in pursuit of God. Part of his speech which would
certainly have had an impact on her later choices was the last bit in which
Paul said:
“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 (Jones).”
Thecla would listen day and night
from her window to Paul preach so much that it concerned her mother, Theoclia,
enough to call upon Thamyris to check on his betrothed. The two approached her
but she would not move from her window or acknowledge them and they claim she
was seduced by Paul’s teachings. Thamyris then went to find out who his would
be wife was listening too and when he heard what Paul was preaching he called
for Paul to go with him to the governor. After questioning Paul was thrown in
jail.
Thecla
visited Paul in prison that night by bribing the guards with a pair of earrings
and a looking glass in order to see Paul. They talk and Thecla was so touched
by his faith that as left she kissed the chains on his feet. Thamyris went to
find her and when he did she was locked in the same prison and Paul was taken
before the governor. Not long after Thecla was as well where the governor asked
her why she would not marry Thamyris, she didn’t reply but looked at Paul which
caused her mother to cry out that her daughter should be burned. The governor
ordered Paul to be whipped out of the city and Thecla to be burned. Thecla was
taken to be burned but when the people lit the fire it would not touch her because
suddenly God sent a huge storm of rain and hail to put out the fire which saved
her life. She fled the city to find Paul and Onesiphorus and his family. When
she did she found Paul praying for her and they were all happy to see her.
Onesiphorus
and his family returned home and Thecla and Paul went onto Antioch. While in
the city a man Alexander, who was a magistrate, fell in love with Thecla and
tried to convince Paul to let him have her but he responded that she did not
belong to him. This was not the answer that he had wanted and he sized her and
kissed her. She would not have it and
told him to stop and then proceeded to tear his coat and embarrass him in front
of all of the people. Alexander then
took her before the governor; she confessed to doing it and was sentenced to be
thrown in with the beasts. The people
were outraged but Thecla didn’t protest, her only request was that her chastity
not be attacked. Trifina, a rich widow and a member of the royal family,
offered to house Thecla until her execution to preserve her chastity. Trifina’s
daughter had recently died so she took Thecla in as her own.
At the end
of the day, Thecla was brought before a she-lion; Trifina went with her to the
den. The she-lion licked Thecla’s feet and then the two went back home. That
night Trifina saw her daughter who entreated her to take Thecla as her daughter
in her place. She told Thecla and they prayed her daughter. The next day
Alexander came to fetch Thecla and take her to the beast, but Trifina chased
him off. An officer brought Thecla to
the beast with Trifina escorting her. The two were pulled away from each other
and Thecla was stripped and thrown in with the beasts. The bears and lions were
released but the she-lion ran and fell down at Thecla’s feet which caused all
of the women in the amphitheater to shout. The she-bear ran to kill Thecla but
the she-lion killed the bear. When the he-lion ran to kill Thecla he was
stopped by the she-lion and the two killed each other. The woman cried out in
concern over the dead she-lion.
Thecla held
her hands to the heavens and prayed, when she finished she went to a pit of
water to baptize herself. The women and governor were concerned for the water
contained sea calves that were likely to kill her. Thecla jumped in and
lightning came from the sky and killed the sea calves. She was surrounded by
fire so that no other beasts could touch her. The women cried out again. With
none of this working Alexander asked the governor to take his bulls and tie her
to them, the governor agreed. They had her tied to the bulls but when they took
off the flames around Thecla burned away the rope. Trifina fainted and died
which caused the governor and Alexander to stop since she was a royal person.
The governor ordered everything to stop and shouted to Thecla “Who are you? And what are your
circumstances, that not one of the beasts will touch you (Jones)?” She
responded:
“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. 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 defiance to those who are hopeless, and in
a word, all those who do not believe on him shall not live, but suffer eternal
death (Jones).”
She was then clothed and the women
began to scream and shout for her which woke Trifina from her death. The two left together and Thecla spent some
time in her home but soon she would leave again to find Paul. When she left she
soon found him and told him that she had been baptized. She soon set off again
to preach the word herself. She tried
and failed to get her mother to convert and then proceeded to start teaching
the word to others after. After many years she had a whole group of women who
followed her and healed the sick. When she was going to be assaulted by some
men at the end of her life she was summoned away by God and saved.
Badass
Quotes:
“O Lord God, whom I have
made my confidence and refuge, reward Trifina for her compassion to me and for
preserving my chastity.”
“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.”
“O God most reverend, to
whom none can be likened; who makes yourself glorious over your enemies; who
delivered me from the fire, and did not give me up to Thamyris, or give me up
to Alexander; who delivered me from the wild beasts; who did preserve me in the
deep waters; who have everywhere been my helper and have glorified your name in
me; Now also deli
Books to
Read:
The Acts of
Paul and Thecla Translated probably by Jeremiah Jones, (1693-1724)
Documentaries
to Watch:
Banned from
the Bible Secrets of the Apostles by the History Channel
Works Cited:
Carter, Nancy . The
Acts of Thecla: A Pauline Tradition Linked to Women, Jan. 2000,
web.archive.org/web/20120213054326/http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/corinthians/theclabackground.stm.
Jones, Jeremiah . “The Acts of Paul and Thecla.” PBS,
Public Broadcasting Service, Apr. 1998,
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/thecla.html.
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