Apocrypha
Acts of Paul and Thecla
Apocryphal Acts
1 chapter · read and listen
Reading note
Thecla hears Paul, breaks off her engagement, survives the fire and the beasts and goes out preaching. It was required reading among Christian women of the 2nd century.
Chapters
Dossier
The story of a young woman in Iconium who hears Paul preaching through a window, leaves her fiancé, is condemned to the fire and to the beasts, survives both, and goes off preaching on her own.
Where this text comes from
Greek, 2nd century AD, part of the Acts of Paul. Tertullian records that a presbyter in Asia confessed to writing the work out of admiration for Paul — and was deposed for it, which makes this one of the rare apocrypha with a documented author and motive.
Why it is not in the Bible
Rejected, and for an explicit reason: Tertullian cites it in order to argue against women who invoked Thecla as a precedent for teaching and baptising.
What you will find
- Thecla baptises herself in a tank of seals when she believes she is about to die.
- A lioness defends her in the arena against the other animals and dies fighting for her.
- The physical description of Paul — short, bald, bow-legged, with meeting eyebrows — is the oldest that exists.
- The cult of Thecla was enormous in antiquity, with its own shrine at Seleucia.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Thecla a recognised saint?
- She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, with an ancient and documented cult, even though the book telling her story is apocryphal.