Story Time with Uncle Jimmy: The Acts of Paul and Thecla

There we go, my name is James White and Rich is operating remotely we went and picked up the

RV today and I pulled it over to a RV park so we can have it, you know, the

Refrigerators cooling down and the air conditioners are running and making sure stuff works.

I Forget how long ago it was now a month and a half ago. We pulled the same spot Hooked up the hose to start the water and it just all poured out the underside

You know, and it was the providence of God it really was I mean,

I really missed having it on that trip. But wow the weather Would have been really bad

So, you know the Lord has ways of doing something because you think about it The the guy that was working on the RV is really good really sharp guy.

He does good work and And to just leave it was obviously it was a you know, a clamp on a hose just hadn't been tightened down and It's unusual for someone to do something like that God has ways of doing things.

It really does and so anyways the the waters on and it's working it's not pouring out the bottom and So Yeah, this will be the first big trip with the shock absorbers and stuff like that and I'll be you know

Keeping a close eye on it. See how things how things go. We head out on Saturday morning.

I head out Saturday morning and Some people ask why doesn't your wife go with you? She's taking care of her mom her mom, for example is in the hospital most of last week and So she just has to be here to look after things

Take her to doctor's appointments. It's that time of our life and those of you you know boomers, it's a

Don't know where that term came from. But anyway Well, I do historically but it's rather negative application over the past number of years

You you know what it's like I honor her for taking care of her her parents

And you know my mom passed away in 2010 It's been a long time now and my dad passed away just over three years ago now but he had moved away, so I wasn't nearby for that and But her mom lives nearby and their dad lives up in California, unfortunately

And but she goes up there and helps him with stuff so she's she's doing what she needs to do and That's sort of her job right now,

I mean she does my wife does continue to work a little bit She worked for the airlines for years and years and years

Then got fired during kovat like 40 ,000 other people did just for one airline. But anyways,

I Won't mention her age but she teaches five six aerobics classes a week and Yesterday morning set a new

PR in deadlifting She's in great shape she's she's something else she's

Identical twin and her identical twins in town right now. And so anyways, how'd he get on all that?

Well, yeah So that when I say I'm traveling alone, that's that's why and the other reason is

And all the guys all the guys are gonna get this. I Know where absolutely everything is in the

RV And So, you know, you have to be able to find things, you know, you got to fix something something goes wrong you know and you got a and I know where everything in the

RV is and I just know that if my wife traveled with me I Would not know where everything

When I when I die the kids are gonna find three or four Versions of the same thing in my possessions and the reason will be that while I was on a trip my wife

Put one of those things in a good place Never crossed my mind to look there

And there's a bunch of guys going Anyway, so the next dividing line will probably be

Monday or Tuesday You know unless Weird stuff happens

And there's a real need to do a program. I mean literally if there was a need

The units already set up. I think rich is going to get most of the technical stuff because we pull the electronic stuff out

This time primarily because rich wanted to be doing some sound stuff But especially during the summer

We you know, we're in Phoenix you don't leave anything slightly perishable or that could be damaged by being cooked

Because that's that's what happens in the Sun in Phoenix and it gets really hot really hot in there.

So I think he's gonna be getting most of the stuff put together so that the cameras will be in there and because I I Don't see the camera out there so he may have already grabbed all that stuff

I'm not sure it may already be in the unit, but he's gonna be setting all that stuff up So, you know if worst -case where something happened and we need to do something on Friday The unit's sitting there

Got 5g. I can throw the Starlink out and and get it hooked up probably need to do that Anyways, I should do that anyways because we always have to reactivate it after it's been off for a while So we could do that but otherwise

Probably as I'm traveling and then we've put a bunch of stuff on the calendar and I keep forgetting to mention this and I apologize

For that we do have a calendar at a omen org So when I go on these trips rich does what he can poor guy

Without a whole lot of cooperation from me normally and tries to put what we're gonna be doing there.

So You know the churches I'll be preaching at I'm gonna be stopping again in the

Lafayette area Before I end up in Livingston for the for the debate and so there's a lot of places

I'll be stopping around The Louisiana Loop shall we say I'm coming and going so prayers for safe travel, obviously.

I Can You know, there's only so much you can do you have to share the road with other human beings and The reality is

Yikes Sometimes you see people and you know, they're driving down the road like this

They see anything Lord Lord has to take care of me

I can only go I can only contribute so much and then it's keeping the crazy people off of you after that So prayers appreciated

Travel fund at a men org helps with all the gas and everything goes with it, and of course, we just you know handed the repair place another check because Pretty much every time

I come back. We've got to do something not because there's something wrong with the unit but because Louisiana's a good distance from here a lot of bouncy roads between here and there stuff happens.

All right, so today is Story time with Uncle Jimmy. We haven't done this in a long long time and Once in a while we what we will do is we'll just read through some we've done the

Protevangelium of James and the Gospel of Thomas and all sorts of interesting stuff from church history

Some of which had major impact in church history when we read the

Protevangelium of James, I mean Large portion of Roman Catholic theology even orthodox theology of Mary Doesn't come from the

New Testament doesn't come from any semi fair reading in the New Testament It comes from external sources like the

Protevangelium of James Ascension of Isaiah passages, you know books like this

Literature was being produced in You know, yeah late first century and especially into the second century and Most the time you cannot have any idea

Who produced these things where it was produced what their connection was to the church were they

Orthodox unorthodox? Was it even a period of time where they lived where you'd have any idea what orthodoxy was?

And I'm not talking about orthodoxy as an Eastern Orthodox. That's one of the problems with that terminology But even when you look at the

Apostolic Fathers that particular, you know again, that's a Anachronistic description of Basically the literature that was produced during a period of time where someone might have had some first -hand contact with the

Apostles Or maybe their immediate successors Her followers,

I guess anyway wide variety of quality Between Clement and the

Epistle to Diognetus and Shepherd of Hermas or Epistle of Barnabas wide variety there

So it it I've often used the illustration, you know, what if what if there is a massive natural disaster

That's not let's not say a nuclear war Let's say let's say it was a massive natural disaster the the earth shook in its orbit or something a massive earthquakes that buried much of what exists today just in one shot and 2 ,000 years from now archaeologists are discovering things and they

They discover a Christian bookstore Rare as they are today and They Start pulling out random books from the remains of this

Christian bookstore What conclusion are they going to come to about the theology of our day?

You know you pull out some Joel Osteen and some

Kenneth Hagen and Kenneth Copeland and some Paula White and Then you pull out some

Puritans Goodluck putting all that together. And that's one of the funny things about church historians is sometimes they try to put that together when in reality there wasn't really much of a connection at all other than you know, similar terminology, but belief systems very very different and So that's what you're what you're looking at when we look at some of these early writings and What I want to read you today is

The Acts of Paul and Thecla What's interesting is if you go to OCA .org,

which is the Orthodox Church in America OCA .org and Under the

Orthodox faith you look for Thecla Thecla CLA won't pull anything up strangely, but Thecla CLA You will find an article called proto -martyr and equal of the

Apostles Thecla So Thecla is a woman who has been

Canonized and that's a different process between Rome and the East but she is considered a saint

And it starts the holy proto -martyr and equal of the

Apostles Thecla Was born in the city of Iconium. So this is the terminology they use equal of the

Apostles and The holy proto -martyr and there is a day, you know that just like in Roman Catholicism you have days of commemoration and so on and so forth and You can read the whole thing that they have here.

It's not very long about Thecla It says the last paragraph is the

Holy Church glorifies proto -martyr Thecla as The glory of women and guide for the suffering opening up the way through every torment

From of old many churches were dedicated to her one of which was built in Constantinople by the holy equal of the

Apostles Constantine So they call Constantine. This is why I mentioned this yesterday in the program.

This is why the Orthodox try to Modify the history of Constantine and the reality that he was baptized by an

Arian bishop Because he's equal to the Apostles Historically he not only wasn't but He was a politician and he held whatever theological views would be politically useful

Sort of like President Trump Let's just be honest about that Remember he's the one that chose

Paula White and I'll be honest with you. The only reason he chose Paula White is because she's pretty and He has made comments like that.

I mean, he's he has made comments about reporters I would never even give you a second look blah blah blah blah blah. Well, I Think the only reason she's there is because she's the prettiest one in the room and all the other guys look ugly

So that's all there is to it Which is sad, which also by the way connects in with Yesterday's topic as well because there's been some discussion about the video and about how later on in the program they were talking about how the magistrate should be able to go around and close down all the heretical churches all the churches that have a rainbow flag and give their property to Orthodox churches and again if if we're talking about a day where a massive work of the

Spirit has come and 85 % of the population is Christian. There's massive unity in the church

That would make that would make sense. That's not where we are and Until that happens if you adopt that then you need to realize that hey if the magistrate

Donald Trump Who they also said could have had that woman preacher removed from the pulpit and kicked out of the church

Remember the crazy woman preacher that went after her and Vance Instead of them just getting up and walking up what you need to realize is that theory

Could also go the other direction so if he wants to apply

Paula White's theology, then he can come along and take

Joel Webbins church and give it to a word -faith preacher and There's nothing you can be done about it and you can't complain about it because you said that that's what the

Christian magistrate does and you see the Christian magistrate has to have an objective standard and that objective standard has to be the law of God and that means there has to have been a massive move of the

Spirit and the nation's expecting God's Torah and That's revivalism according to Stephen Wolfe's, you know, there you go

So many holes in that whole theory going on there. Anyway So Look it up for yourself the role of Thecla in Orthodox theology and You will see

The problem is there's no historical reason to believe that Thecla ever existed This is an apocryphal work the first Documented evidence we have of its existence is from Tertullian and In fact,

I looked up what he had to say and Tertullian in his book on baptism chapter 17, so this is written

And again, it'd be nice Some sometimes we have a specific date

Very very rarely sometimes you'll have a reference to a rulers to have some general idea idea

But Tertullian is writing late 2nd century into the beginning of the 3rd century depending on which phase of his life and stuff like that and so He writes quote but if certain acts of Paul which are falsely so named

Claim the example of Thecla for allowing women to teach and to baptize because she baptized herself

By the way Let men know that in Asia The presbyter who compiled that document so he's talking about they were put together the entire acts of Paul acts of Paul and Thecla is a sub section of this larger apocryphal work from Let's just for the sake of convenience say that Paul's martyred and again that depends on which theory you have of did he end up going to Spain or did he get out of after you know in 2nd.

Timothy. Does he is he released? There's all sorts of theories Discussions, which are sort of fun as I get older and have time for him, but Let's say

AD 60 just for a nice round number And let's say that the acts of Paul and Thecla Are the acts of Paul which include the acts of Paul?

were written at least 100 years later Okay, at least a hundred years maybe a hundred and ten 115 years after these events.

They're they're apocryphal there's no evidence they existed prior to that and so Tertullian says let men know that in Asia the presbyter who compiled that document thinking to add of his own to Paul's reputation

So he may have had so many of these documents Were often written by someone who you could say had a good motivation was found out and Though he professed he had done it for love of Paul.

He was deposed from his position So he he he was a presbyter. He was removed from his position, even though he said he did it out of love of Paul Tertullian and that's the first reference to the acts of Paul and hence the acts of Paul and Thecla in that we have in history and The first reference is it's fraudulent.

It's falsely so named it was made up At least a century or more after the time of the death of Paul so that's what you have historically speaking in regards to This particular subject so there's some background ready for Reading now and I know you could do this you could just you know, but man these days

If I write more than four sentences in a row on Twitter you get too long didn't read

A Text wall and I'm just like oh boy the future is not good for these folks anyways

So let's get to it the acts of Paul and Thecla as Paul was going up to Iconium after the flight from Antioch his fellow travelers were

Demas and Hermogenes full of hypocrisy and They were importunate with Paul as if they loved him

But Paul looking only the goodness of Christ did them no harm but loved them exceedingly So he made the oracles the

Lord sweet to them in the teaching both the birth and resurrection of the beloved and he gave them An account word for word of the great things of Christ how he had how he had been revealed to him in a certain man by name of Onesiphorus hearing that Paul had come to Iconium went out to meet him and His children

Silas and Zeno and his wife Electra in order that he might entertain him for Titus had informed him that Paul was like what what

Paul was like in appearance for he had not seen him in the flesh but only in the spirit and he went along the road to Lystra and stood waiting for him and kept looking at the passersby according to the description of Titus and He saw

Paul coming a man small in size bald -headed bandy -legged well -built with eyebrows meeting rather long nose full of grace by the way this is one of the earlier physical descriptions of Paul means

Zip but it it is pretty early for sometimes he seemed like a man and sometimes he had the countenance of an angel and Paul seeing on a sephirah smiled and on a sephirah said hail o servant of blessed

God He said grace me with you in your house and Demas and Hermogenes were jealous and showed greater hypocrisy

So that Demas said are not we of the blessed God That you have not saluted us and on a sephirah said

I do not see you I do not see in you the fruit of righteousness but if such you be come you also into my house and rest yourselves and Paul having gone to the house of on a sephirah

There was great joy and bending of knees and breaking of bread and the Word of God about self -control and the resurrection

Paul saying blessed the pure in heart for they shall see God blessed they have kept the flesh Flesh chaste they shall become the temple of God Blessed are they that control themselves for God shall speak with them

Blessed are they that have kept aloof from this world for they shall be called upright Blessed are they that have wives as not having them for they shall receive

God for their portion catching the origination within early monastic thought here

Um Blessed are they that have the fear of God for they shall become angels of God Let's say that have kept the baptism for they shall rest beside the

Father and the Son Blessed are the merciful They shall obtain mercy and shall not see the bitter day of judgment blessed are the bodies of the virgins

For they shall be well pleasing to God and shall not lose the reward of their chastity chastity for the word of the

Father shall become to them a work of salvation against the day of his Son and They shall have rest forever and ever

While Paul was thus speaking in the midst of the church in the house of on the syphilis a certain virgin

Thecla the daughter of Theoclius betrothed to a man named Tamarus sitting at the window close by actually have the

Greek right here, but I'm not looking at that right now and so I Did not take the time to double check pronunciations.

I'm just running with them in the English Betrothed to a man named

Tamarus sitting at the window close by listen night and day to the discourse of virginity and prayer and did not look away from the window, but paid earnest heed to the faith rejoicing exceedingly and When she still saw many women going in beside Paul She also had an eager desire to be deemed worthy to stand in the presence of Paul and to hear the word of Christ For never had she seen his figure but heard his word only remember

Tertullian said the guy that Compiled this he didn't say wrote it but compiled it did it for the love of Paul and as she did not stand away from the window her mother sends to Tamarus and he comes gladly as if already receiving her in marriage and Theoclius said

I have a strange story to tell you Tamarus for a surely for three days and three nights Thecla does not rise in the window neither to eat nor drink but looking earnestly as if upon some pleasant sight

She is so devoted to a foreigner teaching deceitful and artful discourses That I wonder how a virgin of such modesty is so painfully put about Tamarus this man will overturn the city of the

Iconians and your Thecla too besides For all the women and the young men go in beside him being taught to fear

God and live in chastity Moreover, also my daughter Tied to the window like a spider lays hold of what is said by Paul with a strange eagerness and awful emotion

The virgin looks eagerly at what is said by him and has been captivated But go near and speak to her for she has been betrothed to you and Tamarus going near and kissing her

But at the same time also being afraid of her overpowering emotion said Thecla my betrothed Why do you sit thus and what sort of feeling holds you?

empower overpowered Turn round to your Tamarus and be ashamed Moreover, also her mother said the same thing

Why do you sit thus looking down my child and answering nothing? But like a mad woman and they wept fearfully

Tamarus indeed But the loss of a wife and the Ecclesia of a child and the maidservants of a mistress

There was accordingly much confusion in the house of mourning and while these things were thus going on Thecla did not turn around but kept attending earnestly to the word of Paul And Tamarus starting up went forth into the street and kept watching those things

Watching those going into him and coming out and he saw two men bitterly contending with each other and he said men

Tell me who is who this is among you leading astray the souls of young men and deceiving virgins

So they do not marry but remain as they are I promise therefore to give you money enough if you tell me about him

For I am the first man of the city and Demas and Herogenes said to him Who this is indeed we do not know but he deprives young men of wives and maidens of husbands saying

There is for you a resurrection in no other way unless you remain chaste and pollute not the flesh, but keep it chaste

Of course it's not all taught and Tamarus said to them come into my house and rest yourselves and they went to a sumptuous dinner and Much wine and great wealth and a splendid table and Tamarus made them drunk made them drink

Sorry from his love to Thecla and his wish to get her as his wife and Tamarus said during the dinner you men

What is his teaching tell me that I also may know for I am no little distressed about Thecla because she thus loves the stranger

And I am prevented from marrying Demas and Herogenes said bring him before the governor

Castelius on the charge of persuading the multitudes to embrace the new teaching of the Christians And he will speedily destroy him and you shall have

Thecla as your wife And we shall teach you that the resurrection of which this man speaks has taken place because it has already taken place in the children which we have and we rose again when we came to the knowledge of the true

God and And Tamarus hearing these things being filled with anger and rage rising up early went to the house of Onesiphorus with archons and public officers and a great crowd with batons saying you have corrupted the city of the

Iconians and Her that was betrothed to me so that she will not have me Let us go to the governor

Castelius and all the multitude said away with the magician where he has corrupted our wives and altitudes have been persuaded to change their opinions and Tamarus standing before the tribunal said with a great shout

O proconsul this man Who he is we know not who makes virgins averse to marriage

Let him say before you on what account he teaches these things and Demas and Herogenes said to Tamarus Say that he is a

Christian and thus you will do away with him But the proconsul stayed his intention and called Paul saying who are you and what do you teach?

For they bring no small charges against you and Paul lifted up his voice saying Since I am to stay examined as to what

I teach listen O proconsul a living God a God of Retributions a jealous God a

God in need of nothing consulting for the salvation of men Has sent me that I may reclaim

Them from the corruption and uncleanness and from all pleasure and from death so that they may not sin

Wherefore God sent his own son whom I preach in whom I teach men to rest their hope Who alone has had compassion upon a world led astray that they may be no longer under judgment

O proconsul but may have faith and the fear of God and the knowledge of holiness and the love of truth if Therefore I teach what has been revealed to me by God wherein do

I do wrong and the proconsul having heard ordered Paul to be Bound and sent to prison until said he

I being at leisure shall hear him more attentively time to wet the whistle and only have so much that left and nobody to get me anymore and Thecla by night having taken off her bracelets gave them to the gatekeeper and the door having been opened to her

She went to the prison and having given the jailer a silver mirror She went in beside Paul and sitting at his feet she heard the great things of God and Paul was afraid of nothing but or it is life in the confidence of God and her faith also was increased and she kissed his bonds and When Thecla was sought for by her friends and Tamarus as if she had been lost

Was running up and down the streets one of the gatekeepers fellow slaves informed him that she had gone out by night and Having gone out.

They examined the gatekeeper and he said to them She has gone to the foreigner in the prison and having gone they found her as it were and chained by affection

Having gone forth thence They drew the multitudes together and informed the governor of the circumstance and he ordered

Paul to be brought to the tribunal But Thecla was wallowing on the ground in the place where he had where he sat and taught her in the prison and he ordered

Her to to be brought to the tribunal and she came exalting with joy and the crowd when

Paul had been brought Vehemently cried out. He is a magician away with him But the proconsul gladly heard

Paul upon the holy works of Christ and having called a council He summoned Thecla and said to her.

Why do you not obey Tamarus according to the law of the Iconians? But she stood looking earnestly at Paul and when she gave no answer her mother cried out saying burn the wicked wretch

Burn the midst of the theater her that will not marry in order that all the women that have been taught by this man may be afraid the governor was greatly moved and having scourged

Paul he cast him out of the city and condemned Thecla to be burned and Immediately the governor went away to the theater and all the crowd went forth to the spectacle of Thecla But as a lamb of the wilderness looks around for the shepherd so she kept searching for Paul and having looked upon the crowd she saw the

Lord sitting in the likeness of Paul and Said as I am unable to endure my lot

Paul has come to see me and She gazed upon him with great earnestness and he went up into heaven

Real imbalance here as you can tell But the maidservants and virgins brought the faggots in order that Thecla might be burned

And when she came in naked the governor wept and wondered at the power that was in her and the public

Executioners arranged the faggots for her to go on the pile on the pile and she having made the sign of the cross

Went up on the faggots and they lighted them and though a great fire was blazing It did not touch her for God having compassion upon her made an underground rumbling and a cloud

Overshadowed them from above full of water and hail and all that was in the cavity of it was poured out so so that many were in danger of death and the fire was put out and Thecla saved and Paul was fasting with an asiferis and his wife and his children in a new tomb as they were going from Iconium to Daphne and When many days were passed the fasting children said to Paul we are hungry and we cannot buy loaves for an asiferis had left the things of the world and followed

Paul with all his house and Paul having taken off his cloak said go my child Buy more loaves and bring them when the child was buying he saw

Thecla their neighbor and was astonished He said Thecla were it with her are you going and she said I have been saved from the fire and I'm following Paul The boy said come

I shall take you to him for he is distressed about you and is praying six days And she stood beside the tomb where Paul was with bended knees and praying and saying

Oh Savior Christ Let not the fire touch Thecla but stand by her for she is yours and she standing behind him cried out

Oh father who has made the heaven the earth the father of your holy son I bless you to have saved me that I may see

Paul and Paul rising up saw her and said Oh God That know the heart the father of our

Lord Jesus Christ. I bless you that you having heard me have done quickly what I wished and They had five loaves and herbs and water and they rejoiced in the holy works of Christ and Thecla said to Paul I shall cut my hair and follow you wherever you may go and he said it is a shameless age and you are beautiful I'm afraid lest another temptation come upon you worse than the first and that you withstand it not but be cowardly and Thecla said only give me the seal in Christ and temptation shall not touch me and Paul Paul said

Thecla wait with patience and you shall receive the water and Paul sent away on a syphilis and all his house to Iconium and thus having taken

Thecla he went into Antioch and as they were going in a As they were going in a certain

Syriac Alexander by name seeing Thecla became enamored of her and tried to gain over Paul by gifts and presents

But Paul said I know not the woman whom you speak of nor is she mine But he being of great power himself embraced her in the street and she would not endure it but looked about for Paul and she cried

Out bitterly saying do not force a stranger. Do not force the servant of God I am one of the chief persons of the

Iconians and and because I would not have Tamarus I have been cast out of the city and taking hold of Alexander She tore his cloak and pulled off his crown and made him a laughingstock

And he at the same time loving her at the same time ashamed what had happened Led her before the governor and when she had confessed that she had done these things he condemned her to the wild beasts and The women were struck with astonishment and cried out beside the tribunal evil judgment impious judgment and she asked the governor that That said she

I may remain pure until I shall fight with the wild beasts and a certain Trephana whose daughter was dead took her into keeping and had and had her for a consolation

And when the beasts were exhibited they bound her to a fierce lioness and Trephana accompanied her but the lioness with Thecla sitting upon her licked her feet and all the multitude was astonished and The charge on her inscription was sacrilegious and the women cried out from above an impious sentence has been passed in the city

And after the exhibition Trephana again receives her for her daughter Falconia had died and said to her in a dream mother

You shall have this stranger Thecla in my place in order that she may pray concerning me that I may be transferred to the place of the just Okay, interesting

Eschatology in that particular phrase and when after the exhibition

Trephana received her at the same time indeed She grieved that she had to fight with wild beasts on the day following at the same time loving her as much as her daughter

Falconia she said my second child Thecla come and pray for my child that she may live forever

For this I saw in my sleep and she nothing hesitating lifted up her voice and said

God most high granted this woman according to her wish that her daughter Falconia may live forever and When Thecla had thus spoken

Trephana lamented considering so much beauty thrown to the wild beasts And when it was done

Alexander came to take her for it was he that gave the hunt saying the governor is sitting and the crowd is in an uproar against us allow me to take her away that is to fight with the wild beasts and Trephana cried out cried aloud so that He even fled saying a second morning for my

Falconia has come upon my house And there was no one to help neither child for she is dead nor kinswomen for I'm a widow

God of Thecla help her and immediately governor sends an order that Thecla should be brought and Trephana Taking her by the hand said my daughter

Falconia. Indeed. I took away to the tomb and you Thecla I am taking to the wild beast fight and Thecla wept bitterly saying

Oh Lord the God in whom I believe to whom I have fled for refuge who delivered me from the fire

Grant a recompense to Trephana who has had compassion on your servant and because she has kept me pure Then a tumult arose and a cry of the people and the women sitting together

The one saying away with the sacrilegious person the other saying let the city be raised against this wickedness take off all of us

O proconsul cruel sight evil sentence and Thecla having been taken out of the hand of Trephana was stripped and given and received a girdle and was thrown into the arena and Lions and bears and a fierce lioness were let loose upon her and the lioness having run up to her feet lay down and the multitude of the women cried aloud and a bear ran upon her but the lioness meeting the bear tore her to pieces and Again a lion that had been trained against men which belonged to Alexander ran upon her and she the lioness

Encountered the lion was killed along with him and the women made great lamentations since also the lioness her protector was dead

I wonder if people today would talk about ancient feminism

I Don't know just it just reminds me of that scene in that Avengers movie where all the women get together to save the

Silly weak men superheroes. Anyway, then they send in many wild beasts

She's standing and stretching forth her hands and praying and when she had finished her prayer She turned and saw a ditch full of water and said now it is time to wash myself

And she threw herself in saying in the name of Jesus Christ. I am baptized on my last day.

Here's ding ding there's this is the specific Element that Tertullian makes reference to okay

She's baptizing herself I am baptized on my last day and the women seeing in the multitude web saying do not throw yourself into the water

So that also the governor shed tears because the seals were going to devour such beauty She then threw herself in in the name of Jesus Christ but the seals having seen the glare of the fire of lightning floated about dead and There was around her as she was naked a cloud of fire

So that neither could the wild beasts touch her nor could she be seen naked You know,

I think of these seals floating around it I just wonder if you gave this as a prompt to an AI and they were to generate an image

Be pretty weird and the women when other wild beasts were being thrown in wailed and some through sweet sweet sweet smelling herbs others gnarred others casea others ammum so that there was abundance of perfumes and all the wild beasts that had been thrown in as If they had been withheld by sleep did not touch her

So Alexander said of the governor I have bowls exceedingly terrible Let us bind to them her that is to fight with the beasts and the governor looking gloomy turned and said do what you will and They bound her by the feet between them and put red -hot irons under the privy parts of the bowls

So they being rendered more furious might kill her they rushed about therefore

But the burning flame consumed the ropes and she was as if she had not been bound

But try Fina fainted standing beside the arena so if the crowd said Queen Trophina is dead and the governor put a stop to the games and the city was in dismay and Alexander intrigued the governor saying have mercy both on me in the city and release this woman

For Caesar here of these things he will speedily destroy the city also along with us because his kinswoman

Queen Trophina has died beside the Abaci and the governor summoned

Thecla out of the midst of the wild beasts and said to her who are you and What is there about you that not one of the wild beasts touches you and she said

I indeed am a servant of living God And as to what there is about me I believe in the

Son of God in whom he is well pleased and Wherefore not one of the beasts has touched me for he alone is the end of salvation and the basis of immortal life

Where he is a refuge of the tempest tossed a solace to the afflicted and a shelter to the despairing and once for all

Whoever shall not believe in him shall not live forever Negative way of putting it and the governor having heard this

Ordered her garments to be brought and to be put on and Thecla said He that clothed me naked among the wild beasts will in the day of judgment clothed you with salvation

Taking the garments she put them on the governor therefore immediately issued an edict saying I release you the

God -fearing Thecla the servant of God And the women shouted aloud and with one mouth returned Thanks to God saying there is one

God the God of Thecla so the foundations of the theater were shaken by their voice And Trophina having received the good news went to meet the holy

Thecla and said now I believe the dead are raised now I believe that my child lives come within and I shall assign to you all that is mine

She therefore went in along with her and rested eight days having instructed her in the Word of God so that most even of the maidservants believed and there was great joy in the house and Thecla kept seeking

Paul. It's not too much more right about Ten minutes maybe and Thecla kept seeking

Paul and it was told her that he was in Myra of Lycia and Taking young men and maidens.

She girded herself and having sewed the tunic so as to make a man's cloak She came to Myra and found

Paul speaking the Word of God And Paul was astonished at seeing her in the crowd with her thinking that some new trial was coming upon her and when she saw him

She said I have received the baptism Paul For he that wrought along with you for the gospel has wrought in me also for baptism and Paul taking her led her to the house of Hermaeus and Here's everything from her so those that heard greatly wondered and were comforted and prayed over Trophina and She rose up and said

I'm going to Iconium and Paul said go and teach the Word of God and Trophina sent her much clothing with gold so that she left to Paul many things to the service of the poor

So just note in passing you have Again Tertullian's issue was women teaching and baptizing and If this is true, then

Paul accepted Thecla's baptism by jumping into a pool with floating seals in it

And That has Some fairly major theological ramifications that Tertullian's going yeah, no and She went to Iconium and she goes into the house of an

Ossiphorus and fell upon the pavement where Paul used to sit and teach Her and wept saying God of myself and of this house

Where you made the light to shine upon me? Oh Christ Jesus the Son of the Living God my help in the fire my help among the wild beasts you are glorified forever

Amen, and she found Tamarus dead But her mother alive and having sent for her mother she said they a client my mother

Can you believe that the Lord lives in the heavens for whether you desire wealth God gives it to you through me or your child?

I am standing beside you and having thus testified she departed to Seleucia and dwelt in a cave 72 years living upon herbs and water and She enlightened many by the

Word of God again Happens to be the same time period of the burgeoning of the

Desert Fathers in Egypt and There's a lot of that Ceticism that is

Included in this type of material. It certainly didn't exist in days of Paul, but that's part of the issue in certain man the city being

Greeks by religion and And physicians by profession sent to her insolent young men to destroy her for they said she is a virgin and serves

Artemis and From this she has virtue and healing and by the providence of God She entered into the rock alive and went underground and she

Departed to Rome to see Paul and found that he had fallen asleep and after staying there no long time

She rested in a glorious sleep and she is buried about two or three stadia from the tomb of her master

Paul She was cast into the fire when 17 years old and among the wild beasts when 18 and she was an ascetic in the cave as Has been said 72 years

So all the years of her life were 90 and having accomplished many cures She rests in the place the

Saints having fallen asleep on the 24th of the month of September in Christ Jesus our

Lord to whom be the glory and strength forever and ever. Amen now this particular version says instead of the last two sections the manuscript, you know,

I think this is Hold on a second. Yeah. Okay. This is the version

I could have just grabbed the book, but it's easier to read on the screen this is the version that comes out of the

NF 38 volume Schaff edited

Church Fathers, that's like I said, it was a little bit older language and It says instead the last two sections the manuscript which dr.

Grabe used has the following so this is a Major variant in the story and this is how it's pretty long ending here, but and a cloud of light guided her and having come into Seleucia she went forth outside of the city one stadium and She was afraid of them also for they worshipped idols and it guided her to the mountain called

Kalamon or Odeon and having there found a cave she went into it and she was there many years and underwent many and grievous trials by the devil and Bore them nobly being assisted by Christ and some of the well -born women

Having learned about the Virgin Thecla went to her and learned the oracles of God Many of them bade adieu to the world and lived an ascetic life with her and a good report was spread everywhere concerning here

Cures were done by her all the city therefore and country round having known this brought their sick to the mountain and Before they came near the door they were speedily released from whatever disease they were afflicted by and The unclean spirits went out shrieking and all received their own in health glorifying

God who had given such grace to the Virgin Thecla the physicians there of the city of the solutions were thought nothing of having lost their trade and No one any longer had regard to them and being filled with any envy and hatred

They plotted against the servant of Christ that they should what they should do to her The devil then suggests to them a wicked device and one day being assembled and having taken counsel

They consult with each other saying this virgin is a priestess of the great goddess Artemis And if she asked anything of her she hears her as being a virgin and all the gods love her come then let us take men of disorderly lives and make them drunk with much wine and Let us give them much gold and say to them if you can corrupt and defile her

We shall give you even more money The physicians therefore said of themselves that if they should be able to defile her neither the gods nor Artemis Would listen to her in the case of the sick they therefore did so and the wicked men having gone to the mountain and Rushed upon the cave like lions knocked at the door and the holy martyr

Thecla opened emboldened by the God in whom she believed For she knew of their plot before him and she says to them.

What do you want my children? They said is there one here named Thecla and she said what do you want with her?

They say to her we want to sleep with her the blessed Thecla says to them I am a humble old woman

But the servant of my Lord Jesus Christ and even though you want to do something to me out of place you cannot They say to her it is impossible for us not to do what we want do to you what we want and having said this they laid fast hold of her and wish to insult her and she says to them with mildness wait my children that you may see the glory of the

Lord and Being laid hold of by them. She looked up into heaven and said God Terrible and incomparable and glorious to your adversaries who delivered me out of the fire

Who did not give me up to Tamarus who did not give me up to Alexandria Who delivered me from the wild beasts who saved me in the abyss?

who asked everywhere worked with me and glorified your name in me now also deliver me from these lawless men and Let me not insult and and let me not insult my virginity which through your name

I've preserved till now because I love you and desire you and adore you The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost forever

Amen, and there came a voice out of the heavens saying fear not Thecla my true servant for I am with you look and see where an opening has been made before you for for there shall be for you an everlasting house and there you shall obtain shelter and the blessed

Thecla regarding it saw the rock opened as far as to allow a man to enter and did according to what had been said to her and Nobly fleeing from the lawless ones entered into the rock and the rock was straightway shut together

So that not even a joining appeared and they beholding the extraordinary wonder became as it were distracted

And they were not able to detain the servant of God but only caught hold of her veil and were able to tear off a certain part and that by the

Permission of God for the faith of those seeing the venerable place and for a blessing in the generations afterwards

To those that believe in our Lord Jesus Christ out of a pure heart, so I imagine there's some Little piece of cloth somewhere that is supposed to be what's referred to there

Thus then suffered the first martyr of God and apostle and Virgin Thecla who came from Iconium at 18 years old and With the journeying and the going round and the retirement in the mountain

She lived another 72 years and when the Lord took her she was 90 years old And thus is her consummation and her holy commemoration is on the 24th of the month of September The glory of the

Father and the Son the Holy Ghost Holy Spirit now and forever and to the ages of ages Amen, so there is the acts of Paul and Thecla The majority of historical scholarship outside of Orthodoxy Considers this of course an apocryphal work that there was no

Thecla, Thecla didn't exist There is no historical foundation of this and if you remember

Well, of course, you probably don't remember but when we read Things like the protevangelium of James very very similar

Forms of mythology It's not that God couldn't have done all these things

God obviously could have God's able to do all these things but If you listen carefully you can

Get a good sense of what the author is attempting to promote and to push forward and it is important to recognize that the the

Desert Fathers The beginning of a Form of asceticism that Emphasized, you know that creates the idea that marriage is a lesser level of spirituality

Even though You know, I mean Paul addressed the Corinthians. He talked about virgins.

He talked about things like that However, let's not forget the vast majority of the exhortations in the

New Testament are to husbands and wives and families and The example of the relationship between Christ and the church is that of the bridegroom and the bride and It's the wedding.

It's the wedding feast of the Lamb and so on and so forth so Um What would eventually become just Horrifically imbalanced

Things where the Desert Fathers have told you story before but they would

Stories are told about how They would not Lay down to sleep.

They would if they slept there was sleep standing They would just absolutely abuse their bodies they were emaciated they would never wash and That there were some who

Would let their teeth rot so that bugs would you'd be talking to them that you'd come to their cave to receive spiritual insight and There would be bugs going in and out of holes their teeth while they're talking to you and this was considered to be a sign of their self -control

That they can they could allow that to happen Without being distracted and You know, of course there is monastic asceticism in all the world's religion amongst the

Buddhists and the Hindus and the Muslims and It's developed everywhere We you know, even when you find some

South Sea Island tribe there's very frequently those that are considered to have the greatest spiritual power or Engage in very similar types of activities

But yes, this this starts developing in the second century and Goes a lot of different directions the pillar

Saints That Simon's Deloitte's where they would build up these pillars and they'd live on these pillars out in the

Sun and in the rain and the snow and they'd have a possibly that have disciples that would come and they lower their excrement down to them and they would raise food up to them and You know,

I I read the New Testament go. Yeah, I don't see that anywhere. I see people living for Christ and You know

Peter Peter says when people ask you of the hope that's within you The idea is not because you're sitting on a pillar hiding in a cave

It's because you're living in the world and you're experiencing the same things they are but you do so with hope and they don't and so they ask you and you become a witness and Yeah Yeah, so it is pretty fascinating that The allegedly infallible

Orthodox Church has Elevated this apocryphal woman

To the position of equal not only a saint but equal to the Apostles Do the same thing with Constantine and We could we could

Expand upon the ramifications of that, but we won't be doing that today. So there you go.

Those are the the acts of Paul and Thecla Which you could have read online.

You could have read from the 38 volume early church fathers set but instead you listen to me

Read it for you Well, that's what story time with Uncle Jimmy's all about Is you get to read?

Fascinating cool stuff like like that. So so there you go. All right.

Well, like I said Travel fund at AOMin .org

helps us to do what we're gonna be doing two debates Preaching at 1 2 3 4 different churches

We've put that stuff on the calendar at AOMin .org, please play pray for traveling mercies and health obviously that's

Really helpful. I'm really looking forward to the debates Feeling pretty prepared for them and I hope they'll be useful to folks and we will see you as we are on the road probably starting early next week as we're on our way to Louisiana and We will see you then.