[This may have originally been included in the Acts of Paul.]

Date of composition

• Late 100s, or perhaps earlier.

Type of Apocrypha (heretical or in error (made up))

• Error; no heretical ideas.

Length

• 8 pages.

Summary

• The writing focuses on Thecla, such that some scholars have jested that it should be called the Acts of Thecla. Thecla was a beautiful woman who was betrothed. After hearing Paul preach, she became a devout Christian and rejected marriage. Her fiancé became angry and had Paul arrested. Paul was scourged and forced to leave. Thecla was placed on a wood pile to be burned, but God sent a storm to quench the fire. Later, wild animals were set on her, but none harmed her (one lioness even protected her by attacking some of the other animals). She was eventually released and found Paul.

Noteworthy from the book

1. The writing emphasized chastity (no sexual intercourse), with Paul stating that one cannot be resurrected unless he or she is chaste.
2. A dead woman spoke to her mother in a dream and said that if Thecla prayed for her, she would go to heaven.
3. While in the arena awaiting animals to kill her, she baptized herself in a pool of water; baptizing oneself is known as being a se-baptist.
4. Includes a physical description of Paul: "And he walked by the king's highway that led into Lystra and watched the crowd for Paul, according to the description of Titus. And he saw Paul coming, a man little of stature, thin-haired upon the head, crooked in the legs, of good state of body, with eyebrows joining, and nose somewhat hooked, full of grace: for sometimes he appeared like a man, and sometimes he had the face of an angel. (https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/actspaul.html)