Paul Arrives in Iconium

1 When Paul went up to Iconium after he fled from Antioch, Demas and Hermogenes the coppersmith traveled with him, men full of hypocrisy who flattered Paul as though they loved him.⁠a But Paul, looking only to the goodness of Christ, did them no harm but loved them dearly, so that he tried to make all the sayings of the Lord sweet to them, and the teaching and the interpretation (of the Gospel), and the birth and resurrection of the Beloved, and told them word for word all the great works of Christ, how they had been revealed to him (Copt. adds: that Christ was born of Mary the virgin, and of the seed of David). 2 And a man named Onesiphorus, when he heard that Paul had come to Iconium, went out with his children Simmias and Zeno and his wife Lectra to meet him, so that he might welcome him into his house;⁠b for Titus had told him what Paul looked like, since he had not seen him in the flesh, but only in the spirit. 3 And he went along the royal road that leads to Lystra and stood waiting for him, and looked at those who came by, according to Titus' description. And he saw Paul coming, a man small in stature, with little hair on his head, bow-legged,⁠c of sound body, with eyebrows that met, and a somewhat hooked nose, full of grace; for sometimes he looked like a man, and sometimes he had the face of an angel. 4 And when Paul saw Onesiphorus he smiled, and Onesiphorus said: Greetings, servant of the blessed God. And he said: Grace be with you and with your household. But Demas and Hermogenes were envious, and showed their hypocrisy even more, so that Demas said: Are we not servants of the Blessed One, that you did not greet us in the same way? And Onesiphorus said: I do not see any fruit of righteousness in you, but if you are such men, come into my house as well and refresh yourselves.

The Beatitudes of Paul

5 And when Paul entered the house of Onesiphorus, there was great joy, and kneeling, and breaking of bread, and the word of God about abstinence (or continence) and the resurrection; for Paul said: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.⁠d Blessed are those who keep the flesh chaste, for they will become the temple of God. Blessed are those who abstain (or the continent), for God will speak to them. Blessed are those who have renounced this world, for they will be pleasing to God. Blessed are those who have wives as though they did not have them, for they will inherit God.⁠e Blessed are those who fear God, for they will become angels of God. 6 Blessed are those who tremble at the sayings of God, for they will be comforted. Blessed are those who receive the wisdom of Jesus Christ, for they will be called sons of the Most High. Blessed are those who have kept their baptism pure, for they will rest with the Father and with the Son. Blessed are those who have grasped the understanding of Jesus Christ, for they will be in light. Blessed are those who for love of God have left the ways of this world, for they will judge angels, and will be blessed at the right hand of the Father. Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy and will not see the bitter day of judgment. Blessed are the bodies of the virgins, for they will be pleasing to God and will not lose the reward of their continence (chastity), for the word of the Father will be to them a work of salvation on the day of his Son, and they will have rest forever and ever.

Thecla Listens at the Window

7 And while Paul was saying these things in the middle of the assembly (church) in the house of Onesiphorus, a virgin named Thecla, whose mother was Theocleia, and who was engaged to a man named Thamyris, sat at a window close by and listened night and day to the word about chastity spoken by Paul; and she did not move from the window, but was led onward (or pressed onward) by faith, rejoicing greatly; and moreover, when she saw many women and virgins going in to Paul, she also longed to be counted worthy to stand in Paul's presence and hear the word of Christ; for she had not yet seen what Paul looked like, but had only heard him speak. 8 Now since she did not move from the window, her mother sent for Thamyris, and he came with great joy as if he were already about to marry her. So Thamyris said to Theocleia: Where is my Thecla? And Theocleia said: I have something new to tell you, Thamyris; for three days and three nights Thecla has not gotten up from the window, either to eat or to drink, but gazing intently as if at a joyful spectacle, she is so devoted to a stranger who teaches deceitful and varied words, that I wonder how the great modesty of the girl can be so hard pressed. 9 Thamyris, this man is turning the whole city of the Iconians upside down, and your Thecla too, for all the women and the young men go in to him and are taught by him. You must, he says, fear one God only and live chastely. And my daughter too, like a spider at the window, bound by his words, is gripped by a new desire and a terrible passion; for she hangs on what he says, and the girl is captivated. But go to her and speak to her, for she is engaged to you. 10 And Thamyris went to her, both loving her and afraid of her distraction (ecstasy), and said: Thecla, my bride-to-be, why are you sitting like this? And what passion holds you in such amazement? Turn back to your Thamyris and be ashamed. And her mother also said the same: Thecla, why are you sitting like this, looking down, and answering nothing, but like someone stricken? And they wept bitterly, Thamyris for losing a wife, and Theocleia a child, and the maidservants a mistress; so there was great confusion and mourning in the house. And while all this was going on, Thecla did not turn away, but paid attention to Paul's words.

Thamyris Turns Against Paul

11 But Thamyris jumped up and went out into the street and watched those who went in to Paul and came out. And he saw two men arguing bitterly with each other, and said to them: Men, tell me who you are, and who is this man inside with you, who leads the souls of young men and young women astray, deceiving them so that there may be no marriages, but they should live as they are. I promise to give you a lot of money if you tell me about him, for I am a leading man of the city. 12 And Demas and Hermogenes said to him: We do not know who this man is; but he deprives young men of wives and young women of husbands, saying: You have no resurrection unless you remain chaste, and do not defile the flesh but keep it pure. 13 And Thamyris said to them: Come into my house, men, and refresh yourselves with me. And they went to a lavish banquet with much wine, great wealth, and a splendid table. And Thamyris gave them drink, for he loved Thecla and wanted to marry her; and at dinner Thamyris said: Tell me, men, what his teaching is, so that I may know it too; for I am greatly troubled about Thecla, since she loves the stranger so much, and I am deprived of my marriage. 14 And Demas and Hermogenes said: Bring him before Castelius the governor as someone who persuades the crowds with the new teaching of the Christians; and so he will destroy him, and you will have your wife Thecla. And we will teach you about the resurrection he speaks of, that it has already taken place in the children we have, and that we rise again when we have come to know the true God.

The Trial at Iconium

15 But when Thamyris heard this from them, he was filled with envy and anger, and got up early and went to the house of Onesiphorus with the rulers and officers and a large crowd with clubs, saying to Paul: You have destroyed the city of the Iconians and the woman engaged to me, so that she will not have me. Let us go to Castelius the governor. And the whole crowd said: Away with the sorcerer, for he has corrupted all our wives. And the crowd rose up together against him. 16 And Thamyris, standing at the judgment seat, cried out: Proconsul, this man (we do not know where he comes from) does not allow young women to marry. Let him explain to you why he teaches such things. And Demas and Hermogenes said to Thamyris: Say that he is a Christian, and so you will destroy him. But the governor kept his mind steady and called Paul, saying to him: Who are you, and what do you teach? For it is no light accusation that these men bring against you. 17 And Paul raised his voice and said: Since I am being examined today about what I teach, listen, Proconsul. The living God, the God of vengeance, the jealous God, the God who needs nothing but desires the salvation of humankind, has sent me to separate them from corruption and impurity and all pleasure and death, so that they may sin no more. That is why God has sent his own Child, whom I preach, and I teach that people should put their hope in him, who alone has had compassion on the world that had gone astray, so that people may no longer be under judgment, but have faith and the fear of God and the knowledge of self-control and the love of truth. If then I teach what has been revealed to me by God, what wrong am I doing, Proconsul? And when the governor heard that, he ordered Paul to be bound and taken to prison until he had time to hear him more carefully.

Thecla Visits Paul in Prison

18 But at night Thecla took off her bracelets and gave them to the doorkeeper, and when the door was opened for her she went into the prison, and gave the jailer a silver mirror, and so went in to Paul and sat at his feet and heard about the wonderful works of God. And Paul was not afraid at all, but lived in the confidence of God; and her faith also grew as she kissed his chains. 19 Now when Thecla was sought by her own family and by Thamyris, they searched for her through the streets as if she were lost; and one of the doorkeeper's fellow slaves reported that she had gone out at night. And they questioned the doorkeeper, and he told them that she had gone to the stranger in the prison; and they went as he told them and found her, as it were, bound to him in affection. And they went out from there, gathered the crowd, and reported it to the governor.

Thecla Condemned to the Fire

20 And he ordered Paul to be brought to the judgment seat; but Thecla rolled about on the place where Paul had taught while he sat in the prison. And the governor ordered her also to be brought to the judgment seat, and she went full of joy. And when Paul was brought in a second time, the people cried out more loudly: He is a sorcerer, away with him! But the governor listened gladly to Paul about the holy works of Christ; and he took counsel, and called Thecla and said: Why will you not marry Thamyris, according to the law of the Iconians? But she stood gazing intently at Paul, and when she did not answer, her mother Theocleia cried out: Burn the lawless one, burn her who refuses to be a bride in the middle of the theater, so that all the women who have been taught by this man may be frightened. 21 And the governor was deeply moved; and he had Paul flogged and sent him out of the city, but he condemned Thecla to be burned. And at once the governor got up and went to the theater, and the whole crowd went out to the dreadful spectacle. But Thecla, like a lamb in the wilderness that looks around for the shepherd, searched for Paul; and she looked at the crowd and saw the Lord sitting there in the likeness of Paul, and said: As if I were not able to endure, Paul has come to watch me. And she gazed intently at him, but he went up into the heavens. 22 Now the boys and girls brought wood and hay to burn Thecla; and when she was brought in naked, the governor wept and marveled at the power that was in her. And they laid the wood, and the executioner told her to climb onto the pyre; and she, making the sign of the cross, climbed up on the wood. And they set it alight, and although a great fire blazed up, the fire did not take hold of her; for God had compassion on her,⁠f and caused a rumbling under the earth, and a cloud above overshadowed her, full of rain and hail, and everything in it poured out, so that many were in danger of death, and the fire was put out, and Thecla was preserved.

Thecla Finds Paul Again

23 Now Paul was fasting with Onesiphorus and his wife and their children in an open tomb on the road from Iconium to Daphne. And after many days had passed while they fasted, the boys said to Paul: We are hungry. And they had nothing to buy bread with, for Onesiphorus had left the goods of this world and followed Paul with his whole household. But Paul took off his outer garment and said: Go, child, buy several loaves and bring them. And while the boy was buying them, he saw his neighbor Thecla, and was astonished, and said: Thecla, where are you going? And she said: I am looking for Paul, for I was preserved from the fire. And the boy said: Come, I will take you to him, for he has been mourning for you and praying and fasting for six days now. 24 And when she came to Paul at the tomb, he had knelt down and was praying, saying: Father of Christ, do not let the fire take hold of Thecla, but spare her, for she is yours. And she, standing behind him, cried out: Father who made heaven and earth, the Father of your beloved child Jesus Christ, I bless you for preserving me from the fire, so that I might see Paul. And Paul got up and saw her and said: God who knows hearts, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you that you have quickly done what I asked of you, and have listened to me. 25 And there was much love inside the tomb, for Paul rejoiced, and Onesiphorus, and all of them. And they had five loaves, and vegetables, and water (and salt), and they rejoiced over the holy works of Christ. And Thecla said to Paul: I will cut my hair short and follow you wherever you go. But he said: The times are bad and you are beautiful; be careful that another temptation does not come upon you, worse than the first, and you do not endure it but give in like a coward. And Thecla said: Only give me the seal in Christ, and temptation will not touch me. And Paul said: Be patient, Thecla, and you will receive the water.

Alexander Assaults Thecla at Antioch

26 And Paul sent Onesiphorus away with his whole household to Iconium, and so took Thecla and went into Antioch; and as they entered, a Syriarch named Alexander saw Thecla and fell in love with her, and tried to bribe (flatter) Paul with money and gifts. But Paul said: I do not know the woman you are talking about, and she is not mine. But being very powerful, he himself embraced her in the street; and she would not put up with it, but looked for Paul and cried out bitterly, saying: Do not force a stranger, do not force the servant of God. I am one of the leading people of the Iconians, and because I would not marry Thamyris, I have been driven out of the city. And she grabbed Alexander and tore his cloak and took the wreath from his head and made him a laughingstock.

Thecla in the Care of Queen Tryphaena

27 But he, both loving her and ashamed of what had happened to him, brought her before the governor; and when she admitted that she had done this, he condemned her to the beasts. But the women were greatly amazed, and cried out at the judgment seat: An evil judgment, an impious judgment! And Thecla asked the governor that she might remain a virgin until she fought the beasts; and a rich queen named Tryphaena, whose daughter had died, took her into her care, and had her as a comfort. 28 Now when the beasts were led in procession, they tied her to a fierce lioness, and Queen Tryphaena followed her; but the lioness, with Thecla seated on her, licked her feet, and all the people marveled. Now the inscription (title) of her charge was: Guilty of sacrilege. And the women with their children cried out from above: God, an impious judgment is taking place in this city! And after the procession Tryphaena took her back again. For her daughter Falconilla, who was dead, had said to her in a dream: Mother, take Thecla, the lonely stranger, in my place, so that she may pray for me and I may be moved to the place of the righteous. 29 So when Tryphaena received her after the procession, she grieved for her because she was to fight the beasts the next day, and also loved her dearly as her own daughter Falconilla; and she said: Thecla, my second child, come, pray for my child that she may live forever; for I have seen this in a dream. And without delay she raised her voice and said: My God, Son of the Most High who is in heaven, grant her what she desires, that her daughter Falconilla may live forever. And after she had said this, Tryphaena mourned for her, thinking that such great beauty was to be thrown to the beasts. 30 And when it was dawn, Alexander came to take her (for he was the one giving the games), saying: The governor has taken his seat and the people are pressing us; give me the one who is to fight the beasts, so that I may take her away. But Tryphaena cried out so that he fled, saying: A second mourning for my Falconilla is happening in my house, and there is no one to help, neither child, for she is dead, nor relative, for I am a widow. God of Thecla my child, help Thecla. 31 And the governor sent soldiers to bring Thecla; and Tryphaena did not leave her, but took her hand herself and led her up, saying: I brought my daughter Falconilla to the tomb; but you, Thecla, I bring to fight the beasts. And Thecla wept bitterly and groaned to the Lord, saying: Lord God in whom I believe, with whom I have taken refuge, who saved me from the fire, reward Tryphaena, who has had pity on your servant and has kept me pure.

Thecla Among the Beasts

32 So there was an uproar, and the roaring of the beasts, and shouting from the people and from the women who sat together, some saying: Bring in the sacrilegious one! and the women saying: Away with the city for this lawless deed! Away with all of us, Proconsul! It is a bitter sight, an evil judgment! 33 But Thecla was taken from Tryphaena's hand, stripped, and given a loincloth, and was thrown into the stadium; and lions and bears were set against her. And a fierce lioness ran to her and lay down at her feet, and the crowd of women cried out loudly. And a bear ran at her; but the lioness ran and met it, and tore the bear apart. And again a lion trained against men, which belonged to Alexander, ran at her, and the lioness wrestled with it and was killed along with it. And the women mourned even more, seeing that the lioness that had helped her was also dead.

Thecla Baptizes Herself

34 Then they sent in many beasts, while she stood and stretched out her hands and prayed. And when she had finished her prayer, she turned and saw a large pool full of water, and said: Now is the time for me to wash myself. And she threw herself in, saying: In the name of Jesus Christ I baptize myself on the last day. And when they saw it, all the women and all the people wept, saying: Do not throw yourself into the water! so that even the governor wept that such great beauty would be devoured by seals. So she threw herself into the water in the name of Jesus Christ; and the seals, seeing the light of a flash of fire, floated dead on the surface of the water. And there was a cloud of fire around her, so that the beasts did not touch her, and she was not seen naked. 35 Now when other more terrifying beasts were sent in, the women shrieked, and some threw leaves, others nard, others cassia, and some balsam, so that there was a great mass of scents; and all the beasts that were struck by them were held as if asleep and did not touch her. So Alexander said to the governor: I have some very fearsome bulls; let us tie the criminal to them. And the governor, frowning, allowed it, saying: Do what you want. And they tied her by the feet between the bulls, and put hot irons under their bellies to make them more enraged so that they would kill her. Then they leaped forward; but the flame that blazed around her burned through the ropes, and she was as if she were not tied. 36 But Tryphaena, standing beside the arena, fainted at the entrance, so that her maids said: Queen Tryphaena is dead! And the governor stopped the games and the whole city was frightened, and Alexander fell at the governor's feet and said: Have mercy on me and on the city, and release the condemned woman, so that the city does not perish with her; for if Caesar hears of this, he may well destroy us and the city, because his relative Queen Tryphaena has died at the entrance.

Thecla Released by the Governor

37 And the governor called Thecla from among the beasts, and said to her: Who are you? And what is it about you that not one of the beasts has touched you? But she said: I am the servant of the living God; and as for what is about me, it is that I have believed in his Son, in whom God is well pleased; for his sake not one of the beasts has touched me.⁠g For he alone is the goal (or way) of salvation and the substance of immortal life; for to those who are tossed about he is a refuge, to the oppressed relief, to those in despair shelter, and, in a word, whoever does not believe in him will not live, but will die forever. 38 And when the governor heard this, he ordered garments to be brought and said: Put on these garments. And she said: He who clothed me when I was naked among the beasts will clothe me with salvation on the day of judgment. And she took the garments and put them on. And the governor immediately issued a decree, saying: I release to you Thecla the godly, the servant of God. And all the women cried out with a loud voice and as with one mouth gave praise to God, saying: There is one God, who has preserved Thecla! so that the whole city shook with their voices. 39 And Tryphaena, when she was told the good news, met her with many people and embraced Thecla and said: Now I believe that the dead are raised! Now I believe that my child lives! Come inside, and I will make you heir of all my property. So Thecla went in with her and stayed in her house eight days, teaching her the word of God, so that most of the maidservants also believed, and there was great joy in the house.

Thecla Rejoins Paul at Myra

40 But Thecla longed for Paul and searched for him, sending messengers everywhere; and she was told that he was in Myra. And she took young men and young women, and belted her garment, and sewed her mantle into a cloak in the style of a man, and went to Myra, and found Paul speaking the word of God, and went to him. But when he saw her and the people with her, he was amazed, thinking to himself: Has some other temptation come upon her? But she perceived it, and said to him: I have received the washing, Paul; for he who worked with you in the Gospel has also worked with me for my baptism. 41 And Paul took her by the hand and brought her into the house of Hermias, and heard everything from her; so that Paul was greatly amazed, and those who heard were strengthened, and prayed for Tryphaena. And Thecla got up and said to Paul: I am going to Iconium. And Paul said: Go, and teach the word of God. Now Tryphaena had sent her a great deal of clothing and gold, so that she left some of it with Paul for the service of the poor.

Thecla Returns to Iconium

42 But she herself went to Iconium. And she entered the house of Onesiphorus, and fell down on the floor where Paul had sat and taught the sayings of God, and wept, saying: God of me and of this house, where the light shone on me, Jesus Christ the Son of God, my helper in prison, my helper before the governors, my helper in the fire, my helper among the beasts, you are God, and to you be the glory forever. Amen. 43 And she found Thamyris dead, but her mother alive. And she saw her mother and said to her: Theocleia my mother, can you believe that the Lord lives in the heavens? For whether you want money, the Lord will give it to you through me, or your child, here I am with you. And when she had testified this, she went to Seleucia, and after she had enlightened many with the word of God, she fell into a good sleep.