Thecla beyond Thecla

doi:10.1017/9781009008631.007

Chapter 5 - Thecla beyond Thecla

Secondary Characters in Syriac Hagiography

from Part I - An Act to Follow

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 May 2022

Flavia Ruani

Edited by

Ghazzal Dabiri and

Flavia Ruani

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Ghazzal Dabiri: Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park
Flavia Ruani: Affiliation:
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris

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Summary

In recent years, the reception of Thecla and her tale, the Acts of Paul and Thecla, in Syriac Christianity has been the object of scholarly attention. Indeed, the presence of Thecla in various cultural mediums (literature, cult/liturgy, manuscripts, etc.) throughout the Syriac world seems to have been explored exhaustively and at different levels. However, the impact of the Acts of Paul and Thecla on the process of writing Syriac hagiography still needs to be addressed. This chapter, therefore, focuses on a form of reception which is less direct than those that already have been identified: in other words, it is not concerned with Thecla herself, but with other characters. The chapter illustrates that secondary characters from a selection of Syriac hagiographical texts are constructed based on those of the Acts of Paul and Thecla. The analyses demonstrate that the reception of Thecla goes beyond direct references to the heroine and concerns the construction of stories in deeper, more structural ways.

Keywords

secondary characters Syriac hagiography Acts of Paul and Thecla Martyrdom of Febronia Life of John of Tella Persian Martyr Acts Martyrdom of Bassus and Susanna Martyrdom of Thecla and Her four Companions strategies of authentication

Type: Chapter
Information: Thecla and Medieval Sainthood
<I>The Acts of Paul and Thecla</I> in Eastern and Western Hagiography
, pp. 142 - 174

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009008631.007 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2022

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Chapter 5 - Thecla beyond Thecla

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