So, I finally had my chance to read about this 2000-year-old heroine. Thecla is a young woman who converted to Christianity after listening to Paul of Tarsus. I find no reason why this should be considered a banned book. In fact, I found much in here that reaffirms the teachings of Jesus. The story of Thecla also provides an interesting perspective on how the general population viewed Christian teachings.
The story begins when Paul visits his friend Onesiphorus. Paul of Tarsus was a staunch celibate. His views on celibacy can be seen in his Letter to Romans and his two letters to the Corinthians. At this house, Paul of Tarsus gave a toast and said:
Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.Thecla was a young woman engaged to marry. After hearing Paul speak, she decided not to marry and to live a virginal lifestyle. Quite a lot of women enjoyed listening to what Paul of Tarsus said about celibacy and chastity. The other people considered chasity abhorrent. Thecla's fiance Thamyris protests her changing religious views. What I find interesting is that Thamyris does not consider Thecla to be a intelligent individual with her own mind and reasoning who can make her own decisions. In fact, the townspeople do not consider their wives at all and only think of themselves when they protest celibacy and chastity.
Blessed are they who keep their flesh undefiled; for they shall be the temple of God
The people say
[Paul of Tarsus] deprives young men of their wives, and virgins of their husbands.No one considers that perhaps these women listened to him and made their own decisions. In this society, the men believed that women existed for men's sexual pleasure and had no say or willpower about their own bodies. Paul of Tarsus was expelled from the city, and Thecla's own mother insisted she be burnt on a stake for desiring to keep her virginity. God miraculously saves her.
(Thamyris) Thou hast perverted the city of Iconium, and among the rest, Thecla who is betrothed to me, so that now she will not marry me.
(multitude) he has perverted the minds of our wives
Another interesting snippet is that when Thecla meets with Paul again, Paul voices suspicion that she cannot keep herself pure and that she would commit sexual sin. Paul's suspicions about women are mirrored in his comments from 1 Timothy 5:11-14. Thecla, however, asserts that no temptation will affect her due to her faith in Jesus.
So, Thecla and Paul travel together. In Antioch, a young man named Alexander grabs her and attempts to rape her. Thecla cries out for him to stop "Force me not!" but he refuses to stop. Thecla thoroughly beats him up. In just a few decades after the death of Jesus, here is a book in which a young woman rescues herself from attempted rape and beats her attacker. Now, how is this for a strong, empowered woman, hm?
Thecla is captured and thrown into a pit full of wild animals. At first the female animals defend her, but they are killed. Then, God rescues Thecla and baptizes her.
Thecla returns to Paul. Shortly afterward, she settled down near Seleucia where she preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I found nothing in the book of Thecla that contradicts the Bible. No one can use this manuscript as an argument against the Christian faith. Even so, the history of the past 2000 years would have been radically different if the people who compiled these works into the Bible had included Thecla.
A more general note: More often than not, Thecla could not save herself and needed divine intervention to rescue her out of trouble. I do not see this as sexist or demeaning. This places her on an equal level with the male apostles who were always being rescued and freed by the angels throughout the book of Acts. Actually, God Himself - not angels - saved Thecla.
After being rescued from the pit of animals, the manuscript begins to call Thecla "blessed", "martyr" and "apostle."
I'm going to do some more reading on this! Thanks for the fascinating info on Thecla!
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