The Acts of Paul and Thecla is part of a larger apocryphal work called the Acts of Paul. A church elder in Asia wrote it in the late second century AD. The early Christian writer Tertullian said that this man wrote the story out of "love of Paul" (On Baptism 17.19–21). However, the church removed him from his position for creating this document. It is not clear whether he was removed because he falsely claimed that an apostle had written it or because the church thought the ideas in his work were incorrect (heretical).
The Story of Paul and Thecla
The story is written in the style of a folk tale. The apostle Paul travels to Iconium after escaping from Antioch. A man named Onesiphorus meets him and invites him to stay in his home. Soon, a group gathers there to listen to Paul’s message.
A young woman named Thecla lives in a nearby house. She cannot see Paul, but she listens carefully to his words from her window. Her mother, Thecleia, says, “My daughter, like a spider, is bound by his words to the window, seized by a new craving and a terrible passion.” Paul teaches that to "see God," a person must live a pure life and avoid sexual activity.
Thecla was already engaged to be married, but she was so moved by Paul’s teaching that she decided to end her engagement to Thamyris. Thamyris became very upset and went to the city governor for help. The governor ordered Paul to be arrested and put in prison.
Thecla gave the jailer her bracelets and a silver mirror as a gift so she could visit Paul in his cell. When she entered the prison, she listened to Paul again and was deeply drawn to his message.
At her trial, Thecla firmly refused to marry Thamyris. The city officials forced Paul to leave Iconium and sentenced Thecla to be burned to death. However, a miracle saved her life. Afterward, she met Paul again, and together they traveled to Antioch.
In Antioch, Thecla refused the advances of a nobleman named Alexander. Because of this, the authorities sentenced her to death again. She was thrown into an arena with wild animals, but instead of attacking her, the beasts licked her feet and guarded her. Later, Thecla jumped into a pool of water to baptize herself, and her life was once again spared.
When lightning struck the water, all the fish died and floated to the surface. Queen Tryphaena, who had become Thecla’s friend, fainted in fear as people tried many times to kill Thecla. Seeing these events, Alexander finally asked the governor to set her free.
After being set free, Thecla searched for Paul. She dressed in men’s clothing so that people would not recognize her. When she arrived in Myra, she found Paul and told him she was returning to Iconium. Paul commands her to “teach the word of God.” After teaching for a while in Iconium, Thecla travels to Seleucia.
Thecla's Later Life and Death
The later years of Thecla’s life are not well known. Some manuscripts say that she became afraid of the people in Seleucia, so she went to live in a mountain cave. There, she lived a simple and disciplined life, teaching the women who came to visit her and healing those who were sick.
Later, Thecla traveled to Rome to look for Paul, but he had already died. She herself died at about ninety years old, and people buried her near the tomb of her beloved teacher.
Comparison with Paul's Teachings in the New Testament
This writing is apocryphal (a set of ancient texts not included in the Hebrew Bible but accepted by some Christian groups) and is not part of the New Testament canon (the official list of books recognized as Scripture). Even so, some early Christian writers held it in high respect.
Origen and Hippolytus spoke positively about the Acts of Paul, which includes this story. The early church historian Eusebius believed the story was not true, but he said it was not as harmful as other writings that were considered false or heretical (against accepted Christian teaching).
In two manuscripts of 2 Timothy (3:11; 4:19), a copyist wrote a note in the margin that links these verses to events described in the Acts of Paul. This shows that the story was likely well known among early Christians. The document probably reflects popular traditions that were widely shared in the second century AD.
On the other hand, the church father Tertullian argues that the document does not agree with Paul’s teachings found in the New Testament. He claimed that Paul would never have allowed a woman to teach or to baptize (On Baptism 17.21–23). While the Acts of Paul and Thecla may differ from Paul's letters, the disagreement is not exactly as Tertullian described. The main difference is that the Acts of Paul and Thecla seem to support the Encratite belief, the idea that a person must remain unmarried and avoid sexual activity to receive salvation.
In the New Testament, Paul teaches salvation is not obtained by works, but is through faith and a gift of grace. When Paul writes about celibacy, he explains that it is a special calling for some believers, not a command for everyone (1 Corinthians 7:1–7). The Acts of Paul and Thecla suggest that a woman must dress like a man and remain unmarried in order to serve as a leader. In contrast, Paul taught that women who prophesy should dress in a way that is appropriate for women (1 Corinthians 11:4–6). He also spoke positively about the ministry of married women, such as Priscilla (Romans 16:3).
The Acts of Paul and Thecla present Thecla as a woman deeply devoted to the apostle Paul himself. However, Paul warned against showing personal allegiance to any Christian leader (1 Corinthians 1:12–17). Instead, he urged believers to find their devotion and motivation for ministry in Christ alone.
A Description of Paul
The Acts of Paul and Thecla includes a rare description of the apostle Paul: “a short man with a bald head and crooked legs, healthy, with joined eyebrows and a slightly hooked nose, full of friendliness; sometimes he looked like a man, and other times he had the face of an angel.” This description is probably not reliable in any historical sense. Except for the phrase "the face of an angel," it likely reflects what people of that time thought an ordinary Jewish man looked like. Even so, since no other early document describes Paul’s appearance, this account has influenced how artists have imagined him for centuries.