S
stradial
Guest
Even if you don't know much about the bible, chances are good that you know about the Apostle Paul.
After all, around half of the New Testament is made up his letters.
But how many people are familiar with a lady who was a follower of Paul and who at the time, and for some time afterwards, was as popular and in some ways would surpass Paul for popularity and miracles.
You could make a good case for this lady being the first feminist.
(That is if you don't count the story of Adam's first wife, Lilith. Otherwise Lilith, besides being the first woman, was definitely the first feminist.)
Thecla was not only a follower of Paul, she had some pretty cool miracles happen to her.
This includes a double header in which Thecla was sent to the arena to be eaten by lions.
However, the fiercest lioness instead of eating Thecla, goes to her and protects her from the other lions. Going so far as to lie at Thecla's feet.
After this miracle, Thecla decides that since Paul refuses to baptize her, that she will baptize herself.
So Thecla, still in the arena, goes to the large water tank in the arena, where they keep sharks to feed the unfortunate ones to, climbs into the tank and baptizes herself.
Ohhhhh, the sharks?
God sends a lighting bolt to kill the sharks so that Thecla is safe.
With that miracle, a queen in the audience faints and when she comes to, she pardons Thecla of all crimes.
In her time and for some time after that, Thecla was as well known in the Christian world as the Virgin Mary.
There are still churches in Europe that have statues or paintings of Thecla.
So why is she not that well known?
I personally blame Paul, about who we can say, at best, was a misogynist, along with the rest of the male church leaders who followed, who like Paul (and the men of that time) were very concerned with keeping the religious leadership all male.
Of course that all male thing was not just confined to the Christian religion, it was then and for a couple thousand years afterwords standard practice through the world.
And if my wife is to be believed, it still is an issue.
Anyway that is just a very small part of the story of Thecla.
I think it is interesting.
After all, around half of the New Testament is made up his letters.
But how many people are familiar with a lady who was a follower of Paul and who at the time, and for some time afterwards, was as popular and in some ways would surpass Paul for popularity and miracles.
You could make a good case for this lady being the first feminist.
(That is if you don't count the story of Adam's first wife, Lilith. Otherwise Lilith, besides being the first woman, was definitely the first feminist.)
Thecla was not only a follower of Paul, she had some pretty cool miracles happen to her.
This includes a double header in which Thecla was sent to the arena to be eaten by lions.
However, the fiercest lioness instead of eating Thecla, goes to her and protects her from the other lions. Going so far as to lie at Thecla's feet.
After this miracle, Thecla decides that since Paul refuses to baptize her, that she will baptize herself.
So Thecla, still in the arena, goes to the large water tank in the arena, where they keep sharks to feed the unfortunate ones to, climbs into the tank and baptizes herself.
Ohhhhh, the sharks?
God sends a lighting bolt to kill the sharks so that Thecla is safe.
With that miracle, a queen in the audience faints and when she comes to, she pardons Thecla of all crimes.
In her time and for some time after that, Thecla was as well known in the Christian world as the Virgin Mary.
There are still churches in Europe that have statues or paintings of Thecla.
So why is she not that well known?
I personally blame Paul, about who we can say, at best, was a misogynist, along with the rest of the male church leaders who followed, who like Paul (and the men of that time) were very concerned with keeping the religious leadership all male.
Of course that all male thing was not just confined to the Christian religion, it was then and for a couple thousand years afterwords standard practice through the world.
And if my wife is to be believed, it still is an issue.
Anyway that is just a very small part of the story of Thecla.
I think it is interesting.
