RLST 152: Introduction to the New Testament History and Literature
Lecture 20 - The "Anti-household" Paul: Thecla. The Acts of Paul and Thecla has a narrative quite similar to those in ancient Greco-Roman novels: Thecla becomes enamored of Paul and they share a number of adventures. However, the Acts redirects eroticism towards a belief in a gospel of purity and asceticism. The Acts of Paul and Thecla present an ascetic, anti-marriage, anti-family message that would break the cycle of sex, birth, death, and decay that was so obvious in the ancient world. Given that Thecla emerges from the story as the true hero (and not Paul), is it possible to read the story as a feminist one? (from oyc.yale.edu)
| Lecture 20 - The "Anti-household" Paul: Thecla |
| Time | Lecture Chapters |
| [00:00:00] | 1. The Acts of Paul and Thecla in Its Literary Context |
| [00:15:10] | 2. The Gospel of Asceticism in the Acts of Paul and Thecla |
| [00:26:50] | 3. The Cultural Phenomenon of Sexual Hierarchy |
| [00:33:11] | 4. The Early Christian Answer to the Cycle of Birth and Death: Asceticism |
| [00:41:25] | 5. Thecla, the Heroine |
| References |
| Lecture 20 - The "Anti-household" Paul: Thecla Instructor: Professor Dale B. Martin. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov]. |
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