From Women's Piety to Male Devotion
Gender Studies, the Acts of Paul and Thecla , and the Evidence of an Arabic Manuscript
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20290845 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stephen J Davis (Yale University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 108 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 579-593 |
| Publication date | 2015-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Harvard Theological Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0017-8160 • E-ISSN: 1475-4517 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0017816015000395 |
| OpenAlex | W2415063898 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
When we read early Christian narratives such as the Acts of Paul and Thecla , what is the relationship between the characters portrayed in the story and the “real-life” persons and groups who composed and transmitted the work? In the second-century Greek account, Thecla abandons her fiancé and family to follow Paul and his ascetic message. She endures a trial by fire in Iconium, resists sexual assault on the road to Antioch, and survives attacks by beasts in the Antiochene arena, all the while supported by a wealthy widow as her patron, a friendly lioness as her protector, and a chorus of women in the stadium who extol her perseverance and cry out to the governor for mercy. In the end, after baptizing herself, Thecla is released, dresses herself like a man, and begins preaching the gospel as an itinerant apostle
Art · Asceticism · Baptism · Gospel · Literature · Narrative · Piety · Theology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Philosophy · Religious studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |