What Scripture says
The book of Acts describes Paul’s journeys, including his visit to Iconium (Acts 14:1–7), and ends with him under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30–31). Paul himself lists his sufferings and travels (2 Corinthians 11:23–28, ESV). The New Testament gives no story of Thecla.
On women’s roles, Paul names women co-workers such as Phoebe, Priscilla and Junia (Romans 16:1–7), but the canonical texts don’t describe a woman baptizing herself or others.
What the evidence says
History
What it is
The Acts of Paul is a 2nd-century romance about Paul’s travels, written around AD 160–190. It survives in pieces; its best-known section circulated separately as the Acts of Paul and Thecla.
The story of Thecla
In Iconium, a young noblewoman named Thecla hears Paul preaching on chastity from her window and listens for three days. She breaks her engagement to devote herself to God. Her fiancé and mother have Paul imprisoned and Thecla condemned to be burned, but a storm puts out the fire. In Antioch, she rejects the advances of a powerful man and is thrown to wild beasts; a lioness defends her, and she throws herself into a pool of seals, baptizing herself. She later travels as a teacher.
Other contents
- 3 Corinthians, an exchange of letters between Paul and the Corinthians, defending the resurrection of the body against early Gnostic ideas.
- The martyrdom of Paul in Rome under Nero.
- A famous description of Paul: “a man small in size, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the face of an angel.” It is the only ancient physical description of Paul, though its reliability is unknown.
Tertullian’s report
Around AD 200, Tertullian wrote that some people were using the example of Thecla to argue that women could teach and baptize. He replied that the elder (presbyter) in Asia who composed the book had been convicted, confessed he wrote it “out of love for Paul”, and was removed from office. In other words, the church already knew it was a recent composition, not an apostolic record.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When written? | c. AD 160–190 |
| By whom? | An elder in Asia Minor, according to Tertullian |
| Accepted as Scripture? | No; known to be a recent composition |
Reception
Despite this, the story of Thecla became very popular, especially in the East, and Thecla was venerated as a saint. Her cult centre at Seleucia, in modern Turkey, was a major pilgrimage site. The 3 Corinthians section was even included in the Armenian Bible for a time.
Where they meet
The Acts of Paul shows how early Christians honoured Paul with stories. The church judged it as fiction, however well meant, not Scripture.
What’s still open
Whether any of its traditions, such as Paul’s appearance or Thecla herself, go back to earlier memories.
Bottom line
The Acts of Paul is a romance about Paul’s travels. Tertullian (c. 200) says the elder who wrote it confessed and was removed from office, so leaving it out is rated Settled.