Abstract
The Life and Miracles of St. Thecle is the one of the monumental works of the community of Thecle shrine near the Seleucia in Cilicia. This work was written by an anonymous writer about the middle of the fifth century. The first part of the story is a recount of the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecle in the second century, and the second part is the Miracles. The Miracles is a collection of the miracles Thecle performed in her sanctuary and in the neighboring cities and villages. It is an important document recording the daily life in this area in the fifth century. Although a variety of characters is documented in Miracles, I examined the women's activities in it. Thecle's stories are distinguished from other saints' stories by the women's activities. The apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecle admires the independence of the heroine Thecle, and despite the condemnation by Tertulian, her Acts circulated throughout the Mediterranean world. Many people believed that this Acts was based on the true Apostle tradition, and it gave women an assurance of free choice in the religious sphere. The documents of Miracles allow us to examine whether this account of women's activities was based on social reality or not. According to the Miracles, a male priesthood existed in this community, but its authority was not so strong. Dexianos, the male leader of the priesthood, confronted the strong opposition of the revelation of Thecle related through the mouths of virgins sleeping at her shrine. This direct appearance of Thecle to the women believers suppressed the clergymen, who wanted to control the sacred acts as the only agents of the supernatural power. Due to this direct contact, Thecle was fond of women first. Men's priesthood and bureaucratic organizations were developed in the military and economic affairs, but they had never obtained dominant power in this female sanctuary. Women in the community were not limited in a narrow circle of virgin girls who often fall in trance. The women listed in chapter 44 were adult women and had leadership in the community. Xenarchis was a married woman, but because of her fondness for a celibate life, she decided to enter the community of the Thecle cult. She did not know how to read, but suddenly was able to read. The women surrounding her were astonished by this miracle. In this story, we found the existence of a female association for mutual education. A woman in chapter 20 complained of her husband's adultery to Thecle, and remarried here. Another poor woman carried on her metalwork job at the shrine after a fight with her family. In chapter 21, Thecle protected bridal furniture from a thief. In the Thecle shrine, even child bearing was guarded. An Isaurian lady had a baby here, and he, the baby, grew up to make an important contribution to the community. These accounts give the testimony that Thecle was not only the Christianizing virgin goddess, but also the protector of women in daily life. She was not an enclosed, purified, obedient nun as the ideal of the Church Fathers, but an active and independent woman struggling for herself. So, many women expected her to help them obtain freedom from social impositions. The cult of Thecle might have given them asylum and responded to their expectations.
