Acts of Paul
This episode contains two stories recounting Paul's activities, given as examples of a genre of stories providing tales of the Apostles. It is impossible to identify the author or date of writing of these creative works, but they represent stories that may have been in the popular imagination of Christians in the Early Church period. This genre is similar to the modern-day video series `The Chosen`, as they both represent imaginative retellings of real stories with the theological worldview of the author underpinning the narrative.
The first tale is called ‘The Acts of Paul and Thecla’ and follows one of Paul’s disciples in her walk with Christ. Thecla was born in Iconium and, like the modern movies ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ or ‘The Flash,’ her journey takes place during Paul’s missionary activity with the hero, Paul, showing up at critical moments to drive the plot forward.
Upon meeting Paul, Thecla becomes entranced with his teaching. Unfortunately, her decision to pursue Paul’s instruction to remain a virgin began a series of persecutions which she miraculously survived. Through all her trials, she remained faithful to God, and chaste, ultimately living out much of her life as an ascetic in a cave. In order to avoid being raped, she was blessed with one final miracle that allowed her to escape to Rome, where she lived for a time before being buried in the same city as her master Paul.
While the work includes details about Paul, including a description of his physical appearance, the focus is clearly on Thecla. She is a paragon of virtue and exemplar of the Christian faith, particularly because of her choice to remain a virgin, and she ends up becoming a teacher in her later years.
The second story included here is called “The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena,” and follows two Spanish women who are called to believe in Christ because of the work of Paul and a number of other Apostles. In order to be baptized and hear Paul, Xanthippe must overcome her husband’s stubborn will while maintaining a chaste and austere life. Her sister, Polyxena, ends up on an adventure with all the great hallmarks of a true epic - cameos by Apostles, kidnapping, a daring escape, and a dramatic and miraculous deliverance from death by wild beasts. In the end, both are baptized and remain free to follow their faith, with many being converted in the process as they observe the work of God in the lives of these two women.
Throughout the story there are a number of supernatural events, including the appearance of demons, dreams and visions, and a talking lion. The work also claims to have been written by Onesimus who, like Luke in Acts, inserts his name towards the end of the story. The work is undoubtedly fictional, and could very well be the source of the tradition that Paul was able to successfully make a missionary journey to Spain.
Both stories, along with Justin Martyr’s Second Apology and the martyrdom of Perpetua, highlight how well-to-do women were able to glorify God in their positions. By following the teaching of the Church and rejecting the ways of the world, they demonstrated the Gospel to their families in a tangible, and unambiguous, manner. While some believed outright and others sought to persecute them, by being joined to Christ these women demonstrated that they were more than objects of sexual desire to be bought and sold to the highest dowry. Rather, they were free to serve God and honor him in their lives and conduct, being given an inheritance and name greater than any that could be offered in the Roman Empire to any man.
If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.
