The Cult of Saint Thecla: A Tradition of Women's Piety in Late Antiquity

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.


Author: Stephen J. Davis
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 11/15/2008
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780199548712

About the Author

Stephen J. Davis is Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Yale University.

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