Chapter XI
1 Thecla is attempted to be ravished,
12 escapes by a rock opening,
17 and closing miraculously.
THE devil then suggested bad
advice to their minds; and
being on a certain day met together
to consult, they reasoned among
each other thus: The virgin is a
priestess of the great goddess
Diana, and whatsoever she requests
from her, is granted, because she
is a virgin, and so is beloved
by all the gods.
2 Now then let us procure some
rakish fellows, and after we have
made them sufficiently drunk, and
given them a good sum of money,
let us order them to go and debauch
this virgin, promising them, if
they do it, a larger reward.
3 (For they thus concluded among
themselves, that if they be able
to debauch her, the gods will no
more regard her nor Diana cure
the sick for her).
4 They proceeded according to
this resolution, and the fellows
went to the mountain, and as fierce
as lions to the cave, knocking at
the door.
5 The holy martyr Thecla relying
upon the God in whom she believed,
opened the door, although she was
before apprised of their design,
and said to them, Young men,
what is your business?
6 They replied, Is there any
one within, whose name is Thecla?
She answered, What would you
have with her? They said, We
have a mind to lie with her.
7 The blessed Thecla answered,
Though I am a mean old woman,
I am the servant of my Lord Jesus
Christ; and though you have a
vile design against me, ye shall
not be able to accomplish it. They
replied, Is it impossible? but we
must be able to do with you what
we have a mind,
8 And while they were saying
this, they laid hold on her by main
force, and would have ravished her.
Then she with the (greatest)
mildness said to them: Young men
have patience, and see the glory
of the Lord.
9 And while they held her, she
looked up to heaven and said: O
God most reverend, to whom none
can be likened; who makest thyself
glorious over thine enemies; who
didst deliver me from the fire,
didst not give me up to Thamyris,
and didst not give me up to
Alexander: who deliveredst me
from the wild beasts; who didst
preserve me in the deep waters;
who hast everywhere been my
helper, and hast glorified thy
name in me;
10 Now also deliver me from
the hands of these wicked and
unreasonable men nor suffer them
to debauch my chastity which I
have hitherto preserved for thy
honour; for I love thee, and long
for thee, and worship thee,
O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
for evermore. Amen.
11 Then came a voice from
heaven, saying, Fear not Thecla,
my faithful servant, for I am with
thee. Look and see the place
which is opened for thee; there thy
eternal abode shall be; there thou
shalt receive the (beatific) vision.
12 The blessed Thecla observing,
saw the rock opened to as large
a degree as that a man might enter
in; she did as she was commanded,
bravely fled from the vile crew,
and went into the rock, which
instantly so closed, that there
was not any crack visible where
it had opened.
13 The men stood perfectly
astonished at so prodigious a
miracle, and had no power to detain
the servant of God; but only
catching hold of her veil (or hood),
they tore off a piece of it;
14 And even that was by the
permission of God, for the
confirmation of their faith,
who should come to see this
venerable place; and to convey
blessings to those in succeeding
ages, who should believe on our
Lord Jesus Christ from a pure heart.
15 Thus suffered that first
martyr and apostle of God, and
virgin, Thecla, who came from
Iconium at eighteen years of age;
afterwards, partly in journeys and
travels, and partly in a monastic
life in the cave, she lived seventy-
two years; so that she was ninety
years old when the Lord translated
her.
16 Thus ends her life.
17 The day which is kept sacred
to her memory, is the twenty-fourth
of September, to the glory of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost, now and for evermore. Amen.
REFERENCES TO THE ACTS OF ST. PAUL AND THECLA.
[Tertullian says that this piece was forged by a Presbyter of Asia, who being convicted, “confessed that he did it out of respect to Paul,” and Pope Gelasius, in his Decree against apocryphal books, inserted it among them. Notwithstanding this, a large part of the history was credited and looked upon as genuine among the primitive Christians. Cyprian, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Austin, Gregory, Nagianzen. Chrysostom, and Severus Sulpitius, who all lived within the fourth century mention Thecla or refer to her history. Basil of Seleucia wrote her acts, sufferings and victories, in verse; and Euagrius Scholasticus an ecclesiastical historian, about 590, relates that “after the Emperor Zeno, had abdicated his empire, and Basilik had taken possession of it, he had a vision of the holy and excellent martyr Thecla, who promised him the restoration of his empire; for which, when it was brought about, he erected and dedicated a most noble and sumptuous temple to this famous martyr, Thecla, at Seleucia, a city of Isauria, and bestowed upon it very noble endowments, which (says the author) are preserved even till this day.” Hist. Ecel. lib. 3 cap. 8.—Cardinal Barenius, Locrinus, Archbishop Wake, and others; and also the learned Grabe, who edited the Septuagint, and revived the Acts of Paul and Thecla, consider them as having been written in the Apostolic age; as containing nothing superstitious, or disagreeing from the opinions and belief of those times; and, in short, as a genuine and authentic history. Again, it is said, that this is not the original book of the early Christians; but however that may be, it is published from the Greek MS. in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, which Dr. Mills copied and transmitted to Dr. Grabe.]