#the acts of paul and thecla

[vivisecti]

[acts-of-paul-and-thecla]

rahhh i probably need a new username

[ktempestbradford]

I forget how I even came across this video. Once I watched it, I was so mad that this was the first time I had ever heard of the Apostle Thecla or this book. The early church has so much to answer for. Ugh.

Also, none of this improves my opinion of Paul, and my opinion of him was already in the toilet.

Thecla is pretty awesome, though!

[aelstudies]

Monday

Another Monday, another schoolwork session. It’s been forever since I posted (sorry!) because I have been dealing with some health issues. Thankfully I seem to be on an upturn, so that’s good. It’s sunny here today, so I am at the library in the beaches to take advantage of the nice weather.

On todays docket is a Shakespeare critical article analysis, and a research essay on the apocryphal acts of Paul and Thecla. Lots of writing today.

I hope your week is starting off good!

[asinglesock]

Die Robben

[cymorilcinnamonroll]

What if Mary of Bethany's brainrot phase of my writing, but worse

NaNoWriMo project count: 5 now

WAIT. BUTCH MARY MAGDALENE, FEMME YOUNG GNOSTIC MARY SALOME, AND YOUNG THECLA LESBIAN MINISTRY FIC

HELP ME HELP ME I ALREADY AM 4K WORDS INTO MY NANO

[sisterdivinium]

Warrior Nun truly is the most fucked up fucking show in the whole fucking world isn't it

Thecla (Ancient Greek: Θέκλα, Thékla; Greek: Θέκλα; Turkish: Tekla) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla.

In one scene, female beasts, particularly lionesses, protected her against her male aggressors.

It is also said that Thecla spent the rest of her life in Maaloula, a village in Syria. There, she became a healer and performed many miracles...

...but remained constantly persecuted.

In one instance, as her persecutors were about to get to her, she called out to God, a new passage was opened in the cave she was in, and the stones closed behind her.

Around AD 280, Thecla features as one of the characters in Methodius of Olympus' Symposium, in which she displays considerable knowledge of profane philosophy, various branches of literature, and eloquent yet modest discourse. Methodius states that she received her instruction in divine and evangelical knowledge from Paul, and was eminent for her skill in sacred science ("Logos 8").

According to some scholars, Thecla's story inspired many later stories of women saints who dressed as men

All of these women were empowered by Thecla, a woman who did things that not many women would ever dare to do

In Spanish-speaking countries, she is also facetiously counted as the patron saint of computers and Internet, from the homophony with the Spanish and Catalan word tecla ("key").[citation needed]

(text on Thecla of Iconium taken from Wikipedia)

[wolfythewitch]

i don’t know if you like podcasts much, but the show apocrypals is a great biblical one that talks about normal bible, plus a lot of very fun apocryphal texts!! i recently started listening to it from the beginning and just reached their episode on the infancy gospels of thomas the other day.

if you want more crazy apocryphal texts, i really really enjoy their episodes on the acts of peter and paul, and the acts of paul and thecla (most especially thecla. shes very cool!)

(they are also on tumblr, @apocrypals!)

Listening to episode 0 while working on hw! I love the vibes so far haha

[itsaskingquestions]

...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. 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.

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.

The Acts of Paul and Thecla, Chapter 9 (trans. Jeremiah Jones, c. 1693-1724)

[apocrypals]

Today I listened to episode 12b of the Saga Thing podcast and was reminded of your episode about the Acts of Paul and Thecla, so I made this meme:

Ahahah

[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

[egoschwank]

al things considered — when i post my masterpiece #1231

first posted in facebook october 25, 2023

julia thecla -- "mary in blue shoes" (1939)

"THE MAGIC POOL go in bowed silence to the dark pool others are there, heads bare it is holy water stare into the magic circle … sleep the hypnotic sleep from which the word will awaken you … the word forgotten by the hypnotist" … julia thecla

"her ethereal and sensuous portrayal of dreams, fairytales, and planetary realms were extraordinary explorations of alternative social orders" … depaul art museum

"julia thecla is the mystery girl of chicago art — shy, self-effacing, seldom saying more than half a dozen words to anyone, gliding abruptly but quietly away after briefly acknowledging an introduction to a stranger. she is almost as evasive an enigma, as the original thecla for whom she is named – that st. thecla who became infatuated with the eloquence of st. paul and followed him everywhere disguised as a boy, possibly acting as his secretary" … c.j. bulliet

"look deep into my eyes mary in your blue shoes … deeper … deeper … you are getting drowsy … very drowsy … sleep mary sleep" … bunny rabbit [i.e., al janik]

[arctic-hands]

The real reason I hate the Church is because I can never find a damn copy of the Acts Of Paul And Thecla in english

[bottheologian]

Uncovering the Hidden World of Early Christianity: Exploring Secret Books

Have you ever heard of secret books in Christianity? These mysterious texts have fascinated scholars and enthusiasts alike for centuries, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the hidden world of early Christianity.

Secret books, also known as apocryphal or hidden books, are writings that were not included in the canon of the Bible. While the Bible contains 66 books in total, including the Old and New Testaments, there are many other texts that were written around the same time and offer different perspectives on Christian teachings and traditions.

Some of the most well-known secret books include the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and the Acts of Paul and Thecla. These texts were discovered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hidden away in ancient libraries or buried in the sands of Egypt.

So why were these books excluded from the Bible? There are a few possible reasons. Some were considered heretical by early church leaders, who sought to establish a unified and orthodox version of Christianity. Others simply didn't make the cut for various reasons, such as being too obscure or not having enough widespread support among early Christian communities.

Despite their exclusion from the official canon, secret books have continued to captivate readers and scholars alike. They offer a unique window into the diversity of early Christian thought and practice, revealing a rich tapestry of beliefs and traditions that were not always reflected in the dominant narratives of the time.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of secret books is their potential to challenge our preconceived notions about Christianity. Many of these texts feature unconventional or subversive ideas, such as the suggestion that women played a more prominent role in early Christian communities than previously thought. Others offer a more mystical or esoteric understanding of Jesus and his teachings, providing a fascinating counterpoint to the more literal interpretations found in the Bible.

Of course, not everyone is convinced of the value of secret books. Some argue that they are simply the work of fringe groups or heretical sects, and that their exclusion from the Bible was justified. Others suggest that they are little more than historical curiosities, offering little insight into the core tenets of Christian faith.

Regardless of your perspective, there is no denying the allure of secret books in Christianity. Whether you view them as heretical texts or valuable insights into the diversity of early Christian thought, they offer a fascinating glimpse into a world that is both familiar and yet strangely different from our own.

Christianity #Secret Books #Apocryphal Books #Gospel of Thomas #Gospel of Mary Magdalene #Acts of Paul and Thecla #Early Christianity #Heretical Texts #Diversity of Thought #Women in Christianity #Mystical Christianity

[sainthekla]

The Acts of Paul and Thekla: Utilized Themes

The Acts of Paul and Thecla is an alternate name for a second-century apocryphal writing also known as The Acts of Thecla. In this work, a young woman named Thecla hears Paul preaching in Iconium and becomes a zealous convert. After listening to his sermons for three days without food or water, she breaks off her engagement, and follows Paul to jail where she bribes the jailers and spends a night listening to him describe Christian doctrine. She is then sentenced to death by burning at the stake for refusing her then-fiancé. Brought to her pyre, Thecla sees Jesus Christ in the form of Paul in the crowd, wherein he blesses her with his favor and compassion. Before the governor, Thecla is saved from the fire by a miraculous downpour of rain. She escapes to find Paul again, and they travel to Antioch. After Paul tells her to wait for baptism, Thecla is nearly raped by a nobleman in Antioch, arrested for fighting off her attacker, and again sentenced to death. This time, she is thrown naked into an arena full of wild animals. One of the beasts meant to kill her, a lioness, instead protects her. Then faced with even more beasts, Thecla prayers for her God's deliverance and jumps into a pool full of man-eating seals, declaring herself baptized. Nearly attacked by the seals, Thecla is then covered by heavenly fire that kills the animals, a bolt of lightning rising their corpses on the water. A third and final attempt is made to kill her. The governor ties her between two feral bulls, but she is once again saved by supernatural fire that spares her body and burns her bindings. At this point, the locals give up trying to kill her. Thecla converts many people through her testimony and then, dressed as a man, goes in search of Paul once more. When she finds him in Myra, he commissions her as a teacher. Thecla takes a vow of absolute celibacy and encourages women to follow the Lord and remain unmarried. She becomes a hermit, living in cave, which supernaturally closes around her to protect her from another attempted rape. According to The Acts of Paul and Thecla, her life is spent in prayer, teaching, and performing healing miracles. After 72 years as a hermit, Thecla leaves to see Paul again, in Rome, but he is executed before she arrives, and she lies down by his grave and God takes her.

Thecla is regarded as the first proto-martyr of Christianity, and I find the parallel to Karl's death in DA2 to be fascinating, as it is, without doubt, Anders' final straw. Though the teachings of Paul and Anders' manifesto are obviously incredibly different, I think the intent of a preacher-follower dynamic was clear in Karl's namesake. As such, I will be writing Karl as a mage radicalized by Anders within the Circle.

Specifics I will be taking from Thecla's story:

━ Just like Thecla, Karl comes from a noble background ━ Compassion is the specific term used in the Acts of Paul for the moments wherein God performs miracles to save Thecla, so therefore in any "lives AU," I will use a Spirit of Compassion to save Karl's life ━ Thecla becomes a teacher of Christ's doctrine after her baptism; I will take "baptism" as an indirect parallel for Karl's Tranquility and aim to have him "preach" for mages subsequently, in the form of following Anders as Thecla follows Paul and eventually helping the mage-templar conflict in his own ways, verse dependent, as Thecla spread the word by herself ━ Just as Thecla was saved by Christ a handful of times, so will I infuse Karl's story with moments of his near-capture by Templars, where his Spirit of Compassion passenger saves his life post-Tranquility

[busy-with-little-things]

All Saints' Day Novena: Day 4

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!