This is the first modern book, which studies the most important aspects of this early Christian treatise, of which especially the Acts of Thecla and the Martyrdom of Paul were immensely popular in the Christian Church from Armenia to Anglo-Saxon England. The volume studies (1) the readership of the Acts, (2) important themes such as the resurrection, possible gnostic elements, the role of women (with a detailed study of the Acts of Thecla), Paul's encounter with the lion, his physiognomy, the events after Paul's martyrdom, the relationship with the canonical Acts and the text of the famous Codex Bezae, parallels with the Old and New Testament, and (3) the popularity of Thecla in later times. The wealth of episodes and details in these Acts makes the book of great interest to church historians, ancient historians, students of the New Testament, early Christianity, the ancient novel and of Women's Studies.

Presented here are two volumes of apocryphal writings reflecting the life and time of the Old and New Testaments. Stories told by contemporary fiction writers of historical Bible times in fascinating and beautiful style.

"Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study."—Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. This edition includes an introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology. "Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights."—Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian."—James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion "Fredriksen confronts her documents—principally the writings of the New Testament—as an archaeologist would an especially rich complex site. With great care she distinguishes the literary images from historical fact. As she does so, she explains the images of Jesus in terms of the strategies and purposes of the writers Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."—Thomas D’Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor

Saint Thecla was one of the most prominent figures of early Christianity who provided a model of virginity and a role-model for women in the early Church. She was the object of cult and of pilgrimage and her tale in the Acts of Paul and Thecla made a tremendous impact on later hagiographies of both female and male saints. This volume explores this impact on medieval hagiographical texts composed in Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopic, Greek, Irish, Latin, Persian, and Syriac. It investigates how they evoked and/or invoked Thecla and her tale in constructing the lives and story worlds of their chosen saints and offers detailed original readings of the lives of various heroines and heroes. The book adds further depth and nuance to our understanding of Thecla's popularity and the spread of her legend and cult.

This is the most complete translation of the Acts of Paul in English, together with a detailed commentary. The orientation is primarily literary, with detailed attention to the history of composition and revision. Unlike many studies, this commentary does not focus upon the story of Thecla.

Darrell L. Bock suggests the real lost gospel is the one already found in the Bible and reminds everyone of what it means: good news. --from publisher description.

The Apocryphal New Testament includes new translations of the most significant and famous of the non-canonical Christian works. These apocryphal texts reveal the popular legends of Christians after the New Testament era, and throw light on the origins of many later beliefs and practices.

This work gives a detailed survey of the rise and expansion of Christianity in ancient Lycaonia and adjacent areas, from Paul the apostle until the late 4th-century bishop of Iconium, Amphilochius. It is essentially based on hundreds of funerary inscriptions from Lycaonia, but takes into account all available literary evidence. It maps the expansion of Christianity in the region and describes the practice of name-giving among Christians, their household and family structures, occupations, and use of verse inscriptions. It gives special attention to forms of charity, the reception of biblical tradition, the authority and leadership of the clergy, popular theology and forms of ascetic Christianity in Lycaonia.