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The Cult of St Thecla: A Tradition of Women's Piety in Late Antiquity
Author(s): Stephen J. Davis (Author)
- Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
- Publication Date: 15 Nov. 2008
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 274 pages
- ISBN-10: 0199548714
- ISBN-13: 9780199548712
Book Description
Thecla, a disciple of the apostle Paul, became perhaps the most celebrated female saint and "martyr" among Christians in late antiquity. In the early church, Thecla's example was associated with the piety of women - in particular, with women's ministry and travel. Devotion to Saint Thecla quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world: her image was painted on walls of tombs, stamped on clay flasks and oil lamps, engraved on bronze crosses and wooden combs, and even woven into textile curtains. Bringing together literary, artistic, and archaeological evidence, often for the first time, Stephen Davis here reconstructs the cult of Saint Thecla in Asia Minor and Egypt - the social practices, institutions, and artefacts that marked the lives of actual devotees. From this evidence the author shows how the cult of this female saint remained closely linked with communities of women as a source of empowerment and a cause of controversy.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This is a welcome study in English of a widespread early
Church tradition, most of whose scholarship is in German.
This is a fascinating addition to our knowledge of the
Thelca cult...a valuable contribution."--Journal of Early
Christian Studies
"This is a welcome study in English of a widespread early
Church tradition, most of whose scholarship is in German.
This is a fascinating addition to our knowledge of the
Thelca cult...a valuable contribution."--Journal of Early
Christian Studies
"This is a welcome study in English of a widespread early
Church tradition, most of whose scholarship is in German.
This is a fascinating addition to our knowledge of the
Thelca cult...a valuable contribution."--Journal of Early
Christian Studies
About the Author
Stephen J. Davis is Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Yale University.
