Overview of the Acts of Thecla
Monday we finished looking at the Thecla Cult in early Christianity. Today we will take stock of the actual text itself before looking at the tides of rhetoric it employed.
The textual tradition of the Acts of Thecla effectively co-opted and modified established patterns rhetoric for its own ends. We will explore one of these pre-existing [...]
Devotees of Hagia Thekla
Last Friday, we looked at the physical shrine of Hagia Thekla and what it said about gender roles in early Christianity. Today, I wanna look at the actions and attitudes of the real people who lived and traveled there. We will see that the devotees that worshiped, vistied, and lived at Hagia Thekla were from [...]
The Shrine of Hagia Thekla
Previously, I talked about the cult of Thecla in general. Today, I wanna look briefly at the physical shrine to Thecla at Seleucia. We will see, through its physical development and imperial patronage, its popularity and subsequent influence on the minds of second through seventh century Christians.
As referenced Wednesday, Hagia Thekla, the main shrine dedicated [...]
Pressure from Below: The Thecla Tradition and Early Christian Expectation
Only three nights from Tarsus, in Isauria, is the martyr shrine of Saint Thecla. Since it was so close we were pleased to travel there… Around the holy church there is a tremendous number of cells for men and women… There are a great many cells on that hill, and in the middle a great [...]