hed at so prodigious a
miracle, and had no power to detain
the servant of God; but only
catching hold of her veil (or hood),
they tore off a piece of it;

14 And even that was by the
permission of God, for the
confirmation of their faith,
who should come to see this
venerable place; and to convey
blessings to those in succeeding
ages, who should believe on our
Lord Jesus Christ from a pure heart.

15 Thus suffered that first
martyr and apostle of God, and
virgin, Thecla, who came from
Iconium at eighteen years of age;
afterwards, partly in journeys and
travels, and partly in a monastic
life in the cave, she lived seventy-
two years; so that she was ninety
years old when the Lord translated
her.

16 Thus ends her life.

17 The day which is kept sacred
to her memory, is the twenty-fourth
of September, to the glory of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost, now and for evermore. Amen.

REFERENCES TO THE ACTS OF ST. PAUL AND THECLA.

[Tertullian says that this piece was forged by a Presbyter of Asia, who
being convicted, "confessed that he did it out of respect to Paul," and
Pope Gelasius, in his Decree against apocryphal books, inserted it among
them. Notwithstanding this, a large part of the history was credited and
looked upon as genuine among the primitive Christians. Cyprian,
Eusebius, Epiphanius, Austin, Gregory, Nagianzen. Chrysostom, and Severus
Sulpitius, who all lived within the fourth century mention Thecla or
refer to her history. Basil of Seleucia wrote her acts, sufferings and
victories, in verse; and Euagrius Scholasticus an ecclesiastical
historian, about 590, relates that "after the Emperor Zeno, had
abdicated his empire, and Basilik had taken possession of it, he had a
vision of the holy and excellent martyr Thecla, who promised him the
restoration of his empire; for which, when it was brought about, he
erected and dedicated a most noble and sumptuous temple to this famous
martyr, Thecla, at Seleucia, a city of Isauria, and bestowed upon it very
noble endowments, which (says the author) are preserved even till this
day." Hist. Ecel. lib. 3 cap. 8.--Cardinal Barenius, Locrinus, Archbishop
Wake, and others; and also the learned Grabe, who edited the Septuagint,
and revived the Acts of Paul and Thecla, consider them as having been
written in the Apostolic age; as containing nothing superstitious, or
disagreeing from the opinions and belief of those times; and, i