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CHAP. XXXIV.

Several Reafons for inferting these Acts: they were ranked among the Apocryphal Scriptures by the primitive Chriftians : feveral things contained in them were credited: they went under Paul's Name, and have been efteemed genuine by fe'veral modern Writers.

DOUBT not, but that it will feem ftrange to many readers, that a History so apparently fabulous fhould have any place in this collection, or be reckoned by me among the Apocryphal books of the New Teftament. But, to justify my infertion of it, I defire it may be observed:

(1.) That the primitive writers of Christianity were wont to reckon the Acts of Paul and Thecla among the Apocry phat books of the New Teftament. So,

1. Tertulliana in his Quod fi, qui Pauli perperam fcripta legunt, exemplum Theclæ ad licentiam mulierum docendi tingendique defendunt: fciant in Afia prefbyterum, qui eam fcripturam conftruxit, quafi titulo Pauli de fuo cumulans, convictum atque confeffum, id fe amore Pauli feciffe, et loco difceffiffe.

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treatise of Baptifm.

But if any read the Apocryphal books of Paul, and thence defend the right of women to teach and baptize, by the example of Thecla ; let them confider, that a certain prefbyter of Afia, who forged that book, and adorned his performance with the name of Paul, was convicted of the forgery, and confeffed that he did it out of respect to Paul; and fo left his place.

Life of Luke.

The Acts of Paul and Thecla, with the whole ftory of the

b Catal. Vir. Illuftr. in Luca. Cc 2

baptized

lam, inter Apocryphas fcripturas computamus. Quale enim eft, ut individuus comes Apoftoli, inter cæteras ejus res, hoc folum ignoraverit? Sed et Tertullianus vicinus eorum temporum refert, prefbyterum quendam in Afia, Ondash (i. e. amatorem) Apoftoli Pauli, convictum a Joanne, quod auctor effet libri, et confeffum fe hoc Pauli amore feciffe, et ob id loco excidiffe.

baptized Lion, I reckon among the Apocryphal Scriptures. For what fort of thing must it be, which the conftant companion of the Apostle fhould be ignorant of, and no other thing which he did? But Tertullian, who lived near those times, relates, that a certain presbyter of Afia, an admirer of Paul, being convicted by St. John, that he was the author of the book, confeffed that he did it out of love to Paul, and fo left his place.

3. Pope Gelafius in his Decree.

Liber qui appellatur Actus Thecla et Pauli, Apocryphus.

The book which is entitled The Acts of Thecla and Paul, is Apocryphal.

From these several writers it is evident, that in the first ages of Chriftianity, the Acts of Paul and Thecla were reputed among the Apocryphal books of the New Teftament; and this is of itself sufficient to justify my inserting it: but as a farther reason, I observe,

(2.) That though by the forementioned Fathers the Acts of Paul and Thecla were rejected among the Apocryphal Scriptures, yet many of its relations, or a large part of the hiftory, was credited, and looked upon as genuine by the primitive Chriftians. The name and history of Thecla is almost as frequent as any other in Chriftian antiquities. The learned Pamelius, and after him Mr. Du Pin, Dr. Grabe, and others, have given us a long lift of the places in the ancient

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writers where Thecla is mentioned, and her history referred to: I fhall think it fufficient to cite thofe only which I have met with, and which appear to me most confiderable; viz. the paffage of,

1. Cyprian, or whoever was the author of the Orat. pro

Martyr.

Affifte nobis, ficut Apoftolis in vinculis, Thecla in ignibus, Paulo in perfecutionibus, Petro in fluctibus.

Help us, O Lord, as thou didft help the Apostles in their imprisonments, Thecla amidst the flames, Paul in his perfecutions, and Peter amidst the waves of the fea.

2. That under the name of Cyprian, intitled, Orat. quam fub die paffionis fuæ dixit.

Libera me de medio hujus feculi, ficut liberafti Theclam de medio amphitheatro, &c.

Deliver me, O Lord, as thou didft deliver Thecla, when in the middle of the amphitheatre She was to conflict with wild beafts.

3. Eufebius de Martyr. Palaftin. c. 3. (who is supposed by Valefius, and Du Pin, to have referred to this Thecla in the following paffage.) Τετῷ δ ̓ ἅμα γενναιοτάτην ἔνςασιν ἐπιδειξάμενοι Αγάπιος, καὶ ἡ καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς Θέκλα, θηρίοις εἰς βορὰν κατεδικάσε θησαν.

Agapius allo, and Thecla, who lived in our time (or country), having thewn a prodigious refolution of mind,

were condemned to the beasts.

On which Valefius notes, that it was not without defign that Eufebius added those words, xa pas; for hereby he intended to intimate, that the Thecla, whom he was fpeaking of, was a different perfon from that ancient Thecla, who was the companion of the Apostle Paul. And fo Du Pin: Eufebius makes mention of this Thecla in the third book of Martyrs (lo the English translator has aukwardly rendered it, inftead of b Loc. jam cit.

a Annot. in loc. Eufeb.

Cc3

the

the third chapter of his book of the Martyrs of Palestine), and diftinguished her from one of the same name, who was exposed to wild beafts in the perfecution raised by Diocletian: against which conjecture I fee nothing which can be reasonably objected.

દે

4. Epiphanius, Hæref. lxxviii. §. 16. Καὶ Θέκλα μὲν συναντᾷ Παύλῳ τῷ ἁγίῳ, καὶ διαλύ εται γάμε, ὁρμαςὸν ἔχεσα εὐειδέςατον, πρωτεύοντα δὲ πόλεως, πλέσιον ἄγαν, εὐγενέσατον δὲ ἐν τῷ βίῳ, καὶ διαφανέςατον. Καὶ περιφανεῖ τῶν ἐπιγείων ἡ ἁγία, ἵνα τῶν ἐπερανίων ἐγκρατής γένηται.

So Thecla, when the met
with St. Paul, determined
againft marriage, although the

was at that time under en-
gagements (or betrothed) to a
moft agreeable young gen-
tleman, who was the chief
perfon of the city, both very
rich, of a noble family, and
every way valuable.
that holy virgin thus con-

But

temned the enjoyments of this life, that she might obtain thofe of a better.

5. St. Auftin (lib. 30. cap. 4. contra Fauft. Manich.) brings in Fauftus thus difputing:

quoque

Si vere favere huic
propofito, et non reluctari
volenti id quoque doctrinam
putatis effe dæmoniorum, ta-
ceo nunc veftrum periculum:
ipfi jam timeo Apoftolo, ne
dæmoniorum doctrinam intu-
liffe tunc Iconio videatur,
cum Theclam oppigneratam
jam thalamo in amorem, fer-
mone fuo perpetuæ virgini-
tatis incendit.

But if you conclude our opinion to be the doctrine of devils, and that it is not lawful to encourage a perfon to be a virgin, who has a mind to continue fo: I shall say nothing of the hazards you run by fuch an affertion; only cannot but be in pain for your own Apostle, left he himself fhould be found to have eftablished the doctrine of devils at Iconium, when by a difThecla to a refolution of per

course of his there, he incited petual virginity, although at that time he was actually engaged to marry.

Befides

Besides thefe, there are many others of the antient writers who have mentioned Thecla, or referred to her history; viz. Gregory Nazianzen 2, Chryfoftom, Severus Sulpitius, who all lived within the fourth century d. In the following ages, the fubject became more known; the incomparable Photius tells us, that Bafil of Seleucia wrote, in verse, the acts and fufferings, and victories of the first martyr Thecla. I shall only add, that Euagrius Scholafticus, an Ecclefiaftical hiftorian, who wrote about the year 590, relates, that " after the "Emperor Zeno had abdicated his empire, and Bafilisk had "taken poffeffion of it, he had a vision of the holy and excel"lent martyr Thecla, who promised him the restoration of his "empire; for which, when it was brought about, he erected "and dedicated a moft noble and fumptuous temple to this fa

mous martyr Thecla, at Seleucia, a city of Ifauria, and be"ftowed upon it very noble endowments, which (fays the au"thor) are preserved even till this day f.

(3.) Thefe Acts, which I have above produced, require to be inferted here, because they went under the name of St. Paul, and pretended to be written by him. The fact is certain, from the place of Tertullian above cited, and from the current title the book has had in all ages; and there can be no history in which St. Paul was so much concerned, and acted fo confiderable a part, and pretending to be written by himself, but must very properly fall under confideration in this volume.

(4.) Several of the peculiar tenets of Popery are by the advocates of that party confirmed out of this book, as being authentick, genuine, and apoftolick. So, for inftance, the story, Ch. XX. of Falconilla (Trifina's daughter) coming after her death from the other world, and defiring her to ask Thecla to pray for her, that she might be tranflated from her ftate of mifery to

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