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As Paul was going up to Iconium after the flight from Antioch, his fellow-travellers were Demas and Ermogenes, full of hypocrisy; and they were importunate with Paul,²¹⁰⁶

2106 Or, persisted in staying with Paul.

2107 Or, how they.

And a certain man, by name Onesiphorus, hearing that Paul had come to Iconium, went out to meet him with his children Silas and Zeno, and his wife Lectra, in order that he might entertain him:  for Titus had informed him what Paul was like in appearance:  for he had not seen him in the flesh, but only in the spirit.  And he went along the road to Lystra, and stood waiting for him, and kept looking at the passers by according to the description of Titus.  And he saw Paul coming, a man small in size, bald-headed, bandy-legged, well-built,²¹⁰⁸

2108 Or, healthy.

And Paul having gone into the house of Onesiphorus, there was great joy, and bending of knees, and breaking of bread, and the word of God about self-control and the resurrection; Paul saying:  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God:²¹⁰⁹

2109 Matt. v. 8.

2110 Comp. 1 Cor. vi. 18, 19.

2111 Comp. Rom. xii. 2.

2112 Comp. 1 Cor. vii. 29.

2113 Comp. Luke xx. 36.

2114 Matt. v. 7.

2115 Some mss. add the following beatitudes:  Blessed are they that tremble at the words of God, for they shall be comforted:  blessed are they that have received the wisdom of Jesus Christ, for they shall be called the sons of the Most High:  blessed are they that through love of Christ have come out from conformity with the world, for they shall judge the angels, and shall be blessed at the right hand of the Father.

And while Paul was thus speaking in the midst of the church in the house of Onesiphorus, a certain virgin Thecla, the daughter of Theocleia, betrothed to a man named Thamyris, sitting at the window close by, listened night and day to the discourse of virginity and prayer, and did not look away from the window, but paid earnest heed to the faith, rejoicing exceedingly.  And when she still saw many women going in beside Paul, she also had an eager desire to be deemed worthy to stand in the presence of Paul, and to hear the word of Christ; for never had she seen his figure, but heard his word only.

And as she did not stand away from the window, her mother sends to Thamyris; and he comes gladly, as if already receiving her in marriage.  And Theocleia said:  I have a strange story to tell thee, Thamyris; for assuredly for three days and three nights Thecla does not rise from the window, neither to eat nor to drink; but looking earnestly as if upon some pleasant sight, she is so devoted to a foreigner teaching deceitful and artful discourses, that I wonder how a virgin of such modesty is so painfully put about.  Thamyris, this man will overturn the city of the Iconians, and thy Thecla too besides; for all the women and the young men go in beside him, being taught to fear God and to live in chastity.  Moreover also my daughter, tied to the window like a spider, lays hold of what is said by Paul with a strange eagerness and awful emotion; for the virgin looks eagerly at what is said by him, and has been captivated.  But do thou go near and speak to her, for she has been betrothed to thee.

And Thamyris going near, and kissing her, but at the same time also being afraid of her overpowering emotion, said:  Thecla, my betrothed, why dost thou sit thus? and what sort of feeling holds thee overpowered?  Turn round to thy Thamyris, and be ashamed.  Moreover also her mother said the same things:  Why dost thou sit thus looking down, my child, and answering nothing, but like a mad woman?  And they wept fearfully, Thamyris indeed for the loss of a wife, and Theocleia of a child, and the maidservants of a mistress:  there was accordingly much confusion in the house of mourning.²¹¹⁶

2116 Or, a great outpouring of lamentation in the house.

And Thamyris starting up, went forth into the street, and kept watching those going in to him and coming out.  And he saw two men bitterly contending with each other; and he said:  Men, tell me who this is among you, leading astray the souls of young men, and deceiving virgins, so that they do not marry, but remain as they are.  I promise, therefore, to give you money enough if you tell me about him; for I am the first man²¹¹⁷

2117 Or, a chief man.

Demas and Ermogenes said:  Bring him before the governor Castelios on the charge of persuading the multitudes to embrace the new teaching of the Christians, and he will speedily destroy him, and thou shalt have Thecla as thy wife.  And we shall teach thee that the resurrection of which this man speaks has taken place, because it has already taken place in the children which we have;²¹¹⁸

2118 i.e., we rise again in our children.

And Thamyris, hearing these things, being filled with anger and rage, rising up early, went to the house of Onesiphorus with archons and public officers, and a great crowd with batons, saying:  Thou hast corrupted the city of the Iconians, and her that was betrothed to me, so that she will not have me:  let us go to the governor Castelios.  And all the multitude said:  Away with the magician; for he has corrupted all our wives, and the multitudes have been persuaded to change their opinions.

And Thamyris, standing before the tribunal, said with a great shout:  O proconsul, this man, who he is we know not, who makes virgins averse to marriage; let him say before thee on what²¹¹⁹

2119 Or, whose.

And Thecla by night having taken off her bracelets, gave them to the gatekeeper; and the door having been opened to her, she went into the prison; and having given the jailor a silver mirror, she went in beside Paul, and, sitting at his feet, she heard the great things of God.  And Paul was afraid of nothing, but ordered his life in the confidence of God.  And her faith also was increased, and she kissed his bonds.

And when Thecla was sought for by her friends, and Thamyris, as if she had been lost, was running up and down the streets, one of the gatekeeper’s fellow-slaves informed him that she had gone out by night.  And having gone out, they examined the gatekeeper; and he said to them:  She has gone to the foreigner into the prison.  And having gone, they found her, as it were, enchained by affection.  And having gone forth thence, they drew the multitudes together, and informed the governor of the circumstance.  And he ordered Paul to be brought to the tribunal; but Thecla was wallowing on the ground²¹²⁰

2120 i.e., in sign of grief.

And the governor was greatly moved; and having scourged Paul, he cast him out of the city, and condemned Thecla to be burned.  And immediately the governor went away to the theatre, and all the crowd went forth to the spectacle of Thecla.  But as a lamb in the wilderness looks round for the shepherd, so she kept searching for Paul.  And having looked upon the crowd, she saw the Lord sitting in the likeness of Paul, and said:  As I am unable to endure my lot, Paul has come to see me.  And she gazed upon him with great earnestness, and he went up into heaven.  But the maid-servants²¹²¹

2121 One ms. has, boys.

2122 Or, virtue.

And Paul was fasting with Onesiphorus and his wife, and his children, in a new tomb, as they were going from Iconium to Daphne.  And when many days were past, the fasting children said to Paul:  We are hungry, and we cannot buy loaves; for Onesiphorus had left the things of the world, and followed Paul, with all his house.  And Paul, having taken off his cloak, said:  Go, my child, buy more loaves, and bring them.  And when the child was buying, he saw Thecla their neighbour, and was astonished, and said:  Thecla, whither art thou going?  And she said:  I have been saved from the fire, and am following Paul.  And the boy said:  Come, I shall take thee to him; for he is distressed about thee, and is praying six days.  And she stood beside the tomb where Paul was with bended knees, and praying, and saying:  O Saviour Christ, let not the fire touch Thecla, but stand by her, for she is Thine.  And she, standing behind him, cried out:  O Father, who hast made the heaven and the earth, the Father of Thy holy Son, I bless Thee that Thou hast saved me that I may see Paul.  And Paul, rising up, saw her, and said:  O God, that knowest the heart, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bless Thee that Thou, having heard me, hast done quickly what I wished.

And they had five loaves, and herbs, and water; and they rejoiced in the holy works of Christ.  And Thecla said to Paul:  I shall cut my hair, and follow thee whithersoever thou mayst go.  And he said:  It is a shameless age, and thou art beautiful.  I am afraid lest another temptation come upon thee worse than the first, and that thou withstand it not, but be cowardly.  And Thecla said:  Only give me the seal²¹²³

2123 2 Cor. i. 22; Eph. i. 13, iv. 30.

And Paul sent away Onesiphorus and all his house to Iconium; and thus, having taken Thecla, he went into Antioch.  And as they were going in, a certain Syriarch, Alexander by name, seeing Thecla, became enamoured of her, and tried to gain over Paul by gifts and presents.  But Paul said:  I know not the woman whom thou speakest of, nor is she mine.  But he, being of great power, himself embraced her in the street.  But she would not endure it, but looked about for Paul.  And she cried out bitterly, saying:  Do not force the stranger; do not force the servant of God.  I am one of the chief persons of the Iconians; and because I would not have Thamyris, I have been cast out of the city.  And taking hold of Alexander, she tore his cloak, and pulled off his crown, and made him a laughing-stock.  And he, at the same time loving her, and at the same time ashamed of what had happened, led her before the governor; and when she had confessed that she had done these things, he condemned her to the wild beasts.  And the women were struck with astonishment, and cried out beside the tribunal:  Evil judgment! impious judgment!  And she asked the governor, that, said she, I may remain pure until I shall fight with the wild beasts.  And a certain Tryphæna,²¹²⁴

2124 Some mss. add:  A widow, very rich.

And when the beasts were exhibited, they bound her to a fierce lioness; and Tryphæna accompanied her.  But the lioness, with Thecla sitting upon her, licked her feet; and all the multitude was astonished.  And the charge on her inscription was:  Sacrilegious.  And the women cried out from above:  An impious sentence has been passed in this city!  And after the exhibition, Tryphæna again receives her.  For her daughter Falconilla had died, and said to her in a dream:  Mother, thou shalt have this stranger Thecla in my place, in order that she may pray concerning me, and that I may be transferred to the place of the just.

And when, after the exhibition, Tryphæna received her, at the same time indeed she grieved that she had to fight with the wild beasts on the day following; and at the same time, loving her as much as her daughter Falconilla, she said:  My second child Thecla, come and pray for my child, that she may live for ever; for this I saw in my sleep.  And she, nothing hesitating, lifted up her voice, and said:  God most high,²¹²⁵

2125 One ms. has:  God of our fathers, Son of the Most High.  Another:  O Lord God, who has made the heaven and the earth, Son of the Most High, Lord Jesus Christ.

And when it was dawn, Alexander came to take her, for it was he that gave the hunt,²¹²⁶

2126 i.e., the exhibition of wild beasts.

And immediately the governor sends an order that Thecla should be brought.  And Tryphæna, taking her by the hand, said:  My daughter Falconilla, indeed, I took away to the tomb; and thee, Thecla, I am taking to the wild-beast fight.  And Thecla wept bitterly, saying:  O Lord, the God in whom I believe, to whom I have fled for refuge, who deliveredst me from the fire, do Thou grant a recompense to Tryphæna, who has had compassion on Thy servant, and because she has kept me pure.  Then a tumult arose, and a cry of the people, and the women sitting together, the one saying:  Away with the sacrilegious person! the others saying:  Let the city be raised²¹²⁷

2127 Or, be taken off, i.e., put to death.

And Thecla, having been taken out of the hand of Tryphæna, was stripped, and received a girdle,²¹²⁸

2128 Or, drawers.

Then they send in many wild beasts, she standing and stretching forth her hands, and praying.  And when she had finished her prayer, she turned and saw a ditch full of water, and said:  Now it is time to wash myself.  And she threw herself in, saying:  In the name of Jesus Christ I am baptized on my last day.  And the women seeing, and the multitude, wept, saying:  Do not throw thyself into the water; so that also the governor shed tears, because the seals were going to devour such beauty.  She then threw herself in in the name of Jesus Christ; but the seals having seen the glare of the fire of lightning, floated about dead.  And there was round her, as she was naked, a cloud of fire; so that neither could the wild beasts touch her, nor could she be seen naked.

And the women, when other wild beasts were being thrown in, wailed.  And some threw sweet-smelling herbs, others nard, others cassia, others amomum, so that there was abundance of perfumes.  And all the wild beasts that had been thrown in, as if they had been withheld by sleep, did not touch her; so that Alexander said to the governor:  I have bulls exceedingly terrible; let us bind to them her that is to fight with the beasts.  And the governor, looking gloomy, turned, and said:  Do what thou wilt.  And they bound her by the feet between them, and put red-hot irons under the privy parts of the bulls, so that they, being rendered more furious, might kill her.  They rushed about, therefore; but the burning flame consumed the ropes, and she was as if she had not been bound.  But Tryphæna fainted standing beside the arena, so that the crowd said:  Queen Tryphæna is dead.  And the governor put a stop to the games, and the city was in dismay.  And Alexander entreated the governor, saying:  Have mercy both on me and the city, and release this woman.  For if Cæsar hear of these things, he will speedily destroy the city also along with us, because his kinswoman Queen Tryphæna has died beside the Abaci.²¹²⁹

2129 A part of the ancient theatres on or near the stage.

And the governor summoned Thecla out of the midst of the wild beasts, and said to her:  Who art thou? and what is there about thee, that not one of the wild beasts touches thee?  And she said:  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 end²¹³⁰

2130 Or, way.

And the governor having heard this, ordered her garments to be brought, and to be put on.  And Thecla said:  He that clothed me naked among the wild beasts, will in the day of judgment clothe thee with salvation.  And taking the garments, she put them on.  The governor therefore immediately issued an edict, saying:  I release to you the God-fearing Thecla, the servant of God.  And the women shouted aloud, and with one mouth returned thanks to God, saying:  There is one God, the God of Thecla; so that the foundations of the theatre were shaken by their voice.  And Tryphæna having received the good news, went to meet the holy Thecla, and said:  Now I believe that the dead are raised:  now I believe that my child lives.  Come within, and I shall assign to thee all that is mine.  She therefore went in along with her, and rested eight days, having instructed her in the word of God, so that most even of the maid-servants believed.  And there was great joy in the house.

And Thecla kept seeking Paul; and it was told her that he was in Myra of Lycia.  And taking young men and maidens, she girded herself; and having sewed the tunic so as to make a man’s cloak, she came to Myra, and found Paul speaking the word of God.  And Paul was astonished at seeing her, and the crowd with her, thinking that some new trial was coming upon her.  And when she saw him, she said:  I have received the baptism, Paul; for He that wrought along with thee for the Gospel has wrought in me also for baptism.  And Paul, taking her, led her to the house of Hermæus, and hears everything from her, so that those that heard greatly wondered, and were comforted, and prayed over Tryphæna.  And she rose up, and said:  I am going to Iconium.  And Paul said:  Go, and teach the word of God.  And Tryphæna sent her much clothing and gold, so that she left to Paul many things for the service of the poor.

And she went to Iconium.  And she goes into the house of Onesiphorus, and fell upon the pavement where Paul used to sit and teach her, and wept, saying:  God of myself and of this house, where Thou didst make the light to shine upon me, O Christ Jesus, the Son of the living God, my help in the fire, my help among the wild beasts, Thou art glorified for ever.  Amen.  And she found Thamyris dead, but her mother alive.  And having sent for her mother, she said:  Theocleia, my mother, canst thou believe that the Lord liveth in the heavens?  For whether thou desirest wealth, God gives it to thee through me; or thy child, I am standing beside thee.  And having thus testified, she departed to Seleucia, and dwelt in a cave seventy-two years, living upon herbs and water.  And she enlightened many by the word of God.

And certain men of the city, being Greeks by religion, and physicians by profession, sent to her insolent young men to destroy²¹³¹

2131 Or, corrupt.

2132 i.e., that he was dead.

She was cast, then, into the fire when seventeen years old, and among the wild beasts when eighteen.  And she was an ascetic in the cave, as has been said, seventy-two years, so that all the years of her life were ninety.  And having accomplished many cures, she rests in the place of the saints, having fallen asleep on the twenty-fourth of the month of September in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and strength for ever and ever.  Amen.

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Instead of the last two sections, the ms. which Dr. Grabe used has the following:—

And a cloud of light guided her.  And having come into Seleucia, she went forth outside of the city one stadium.  And she was afraid of them also, for they worshipped idols.  And it guided her to the mountain called Calamon or Rhodeon; and having there found a cave, she went into it.  And she was there many years, and underwent many and grievous trials by the devil, and bore them nobly, being assisted by Christ.  And some of the well-born women, having learned about the virgin Thecla, went to her, and learned the oracles of God.  And many of them bade adieu to the world, and lived an ascetic life with her.  And a good report was spread everywhere concerning her, and cures were done by her.  All the city, therefore, and country round, having known this, brought their sick to the mountain; and before they came near the door they were speedily released from whatever disease they were afflicted by; and the unclean spirits went out shrieking, and all received their own in health, glorifying God, who had given such grace to the virgin Thecla.  The physicians, therefore, of the city of the Seleucians were thought nothing of, having lost their trade, and no one any longer had regard to them; and being filled with envy and hatred, they plotted against the servant of Christ, what they should do to her.  The devil then suggests to them a wicked device; and one day, being assembled, and having taken counsel, they consult with each other, saying:  This virgin is a priestess of the great goddess Artemis; and if she ask anything of her, she hears her as being a virgin, and all the gods love her.  Come, then, let us take men of disorderly lives, and make them drunk with much wine, and let us give them much gold, and say to them, If you can corrupt and defile her, we shall give you even more money.  The physicians therefore said to themselves, that if they should be able to defile her, neither the gods nor Artemis would listen to her in the case of the sick.  They therefore did so.  And the wicked men, having gone to the mountain, and rushed upon the cave like lions, knocked at the door.  And the holy martyr Thecla opened, emboldened by the God in whom she believed; for she knew of their plot beforehand.  And she says to them:  What do you want, my children?  And they said:  Is there one here called Thecla?  And she said:  What do you want with her?  They say to her:  We want to sleep with her.  The blessed Thecla says to them:  I am a humble old woman, but the servant of my Lord Jesus Christ; and even though you want to do something to me out of place, you cannot.  They say to her:  It is impossible for us not to do to thee what we want.  And having said this, they laid fast hold of her, and wished to insult her.  And she says to them with mildness:  Wait, my children, that you may see the glory of the Lord.  And being laid hold of by them, she looked up into heaven, and said:  God, terrible and incomparable, and glorious to Thine adversaries, who didst deliver me out of the fire, who didst not give me up to Thamyris, who didst not give me up to Alexander, who didst deliver me from the wild beasts, who didst save me in the abyss, who hast everywhere worked with me, and glorified Thy name in me, now also deliver me from these lawless men, and let me not insult my virginity, which through Thy name I have preserved till now, because I love Thee, and desire Thee, and adore Thee, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost for ever.  Amen.  And there came a voice out of the heaven, saying:  Fear not, Thecla, my true servant, for I am with thee.  Look and see where an opening has been made before thee, for there shall be for thee an everlasting house, and there thou shalt obtain shelter.  And the blessed Thecla regarding it, saw the rock opened as far as to allow a man to enter, and did according to what had been said to her: and nobly fleeing from the lawless ones entered into the rock; and the rock was straightway shut together, so that not even a joining appeared.  And they, beholding the extraordinary wonder, became as it were distracted; and they were not able to detain the servant of God, but only caught hold of her veil, and were able to tear off a certain part; and that by the permission of God for the faith of those seeing the venerable place, and for a blessing in the generations afterwards to those that believe in our Lord Jesus Christ out of a pure heart.

Thus, then, suffered the first martyr of God, and apostle, and virgin, Thecla, who came from Iconium at eighteen years old; and with the journeying, and the going round, and the retirement in the mountain, she lived other seventy-two years.  And when the Lord took her, she was ninety years old.  And thus is her consummation.  And her holy commemoration is on the twenty-fourth of the month of September, to the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to ages of ages.  Amen.

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