Virgins and rejected suitors? Dreamy-eyed girls listening to the apostle Paul? Rescued from the flames by a rainshower? Saved from the beasts in the arena? Baptizing yourself in an arena full of flesh-eating killer seals? For the early church, Thecla was all that and a bag of chips.
Who Was Thecla?
The second-century document called The Acts of Paul and Thecla tells the story of a young woman from Iconium (modern Konya, Turkey) named Thecla who was engaged to be married, as young women of her time were expected to do, until she met the apostle Paul. Mesmerized by his teachings about Jesus, she rejected her fiancé—declaring herself a virgin in service to Christ—and ran off to follow Paul. In a powerful expression of agency, she chose virginity over allowing herself to serve Rome by mothering and raising good little Romans. Instead, she became an evangelist known for converting many to the gospel of Christ.
But by rejecting her society’s expectations, Thecla became a target for the enemies of Christianity. No one in power wanted a young woman inspiring other young women to bow up to their law-abiding Roman parents. Thecla was defying social norms, destabilizing her part of society. She faced opposition from her family, endured persecution from the state, and survived multiple execution attempts through God’s miraculous saving. The story has her in Seleucia as an old woman, where today a chapel still stands dedicated to her ministry.
Thecla became a household name for her courage and determination to buck the system and follow Christ how she believed he was calling her to. Her story became so widely known that she was named a saint, churches were built in her honor, and her story was retold every year on her feast day.
The Big Question
Was Thecla a historical person? She is one of those persons whose origins are mysterious and wrapped up in many people. The Acts of Paul and Thecla are our only modern source of information about her, offering a storyline so complex and influential in the early church that scholars assume it had a basis in fact. But the original woman is less important than Thecla as a character who inspired generations of Christians. Though the original woman is lost to history, her impact on the early church was profound.
Thecla is considered a “protomartyr,” a term assigned to the first female martyr. Though she was likely not killed for her faith by enemies, she was tortured for her faith several times and did give her entire life to serving God, dying at an old age as a hermit in the hills. But her example was formative for the early church, both men and women looking to her as an example of faithful courage. Her feast day is September 23.
What Can We Learn from Thecla Today?
Thecla was single-minded for Jesus. May we all devote ourselves so passionately to the gospel.
Thecla’s courage prompted her to action in a world that expected women to be passive. She decided to take ownership of herself, her body, her future—in order to obey the call of Christ. Most of us live in a world where women get to make decisions for themselves, where we are considered fully human. What a privilege! Let’s not take it for granted.
Thecla’s autonomy defied social norms. Do you bump against cultural expectations because your desires or gifts don’t match stereotypes? If it honors Christ, what next step toward obedience can you take, even knowing you will stand out?
Remember Thecla’s declaration to the Roman governor who, astounded that she survived the many dangers of the arena, asked her, “Who are you?” May her reply be yours:
I indeed am a servant of the living God; and as to what there is about me, I have believed in the Son of God, in whom He is well pleased; wherefore not one of the beasts has touched me. For He alone is the end of salvation, and the basis of immortal life; for He is a refuge to the tempest-tossed, a solace to the afflicted, a shelter to the despairing; and, once for all, whoever shall not believe in Him, shall not live forever.
Enjoy this podcast episode from The Alabaster Jar, featuring host Lynn Cohick with guests George Kalanzis and Amy Brown Hughes—all three of them seminary professors specializing in New Testament and early church culture—as they explore the life of Thecla.
I’ve enjoyed these posts! Over and over i’m struck by how we’ve co-opted this message which was really from pagan Rome that women should be submissive and have babies and raise them to be good little citizens. How crazy! Not that can’t be part of our service as women but our service can and often does include so much more as followers and friends of Christ! Thanks for sharing Thecla’s feast day and story.
A wonderful note! I had heard about Thecla, but you really brought her to life here. Do you see anyone in Western societies paying a price for following their Christian calling in a way that somehow evokes Thecla? Where I live, people frown and maybe tease you a little when you try to put into practice some of the commitments that come from living a Christian life, but maybe I'm missing out on other, weightier dimensions. Very informative post! Thanks!