A Commentary on the Shorter Text of the Acts of Thecla and its New Testament Parallels Submitted by the Reverend Theresa Angert-Quilter Bachelor of Arts in Theology, Carlow University, 1975 Sacred Theological Bachelor in Scripture, University of Louvain, 1978 Masters of Arts in Theology, University of Louvain, 1978 Sacred Theological Licence in New Testament, Catholic Institute Sydney, 1983 Masters of Theology in New Testament, Catholic Institute Sydney, 1983 A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology School of Theology Faculty of Theology and Philosophy Australian Catholic University Date of Submission: 20 April 2014 Research Services Office Australian Catholic University PO Box 968 North Sydney NSW 2059 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP AND SOURCES This thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. This thesis has not been submitted and no part of this thesis has been submitted towards the award of any other degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis. All translations are my own unless otherwise specified and credited. The nature of the work required no ethics approvals. ____Rev’d T. A. Angert-Quilter_______ __5 June 2015__ Signature of Candidate Date ABSTRACT The thesis is a study of the shorter Greek text of the Acts of Thecla edited by Constantine Tischendorf in 1851. In 1891 R. A. Lipsius re-edited the Tischendorf text and dramatically changed the principles on which the text was chosen. This led him to support the longer text of the Acts of Thecla. The longer text of the Acts of Thecla was available to Tischendorf, though he decided against it. This thesis argues in detail that R. A. Lipsius has not followed the accepted scholarly methods for choosing a more original text and he has not demonstrated that he has convincing reasons for the choice of the longer text. Dennis MacDonald and others have posited an early oral tradition of the Acts of Thecla, without recommending the Tischendorf text as evidence of a written text earlier than that of Lipsius. This thesis recommends returning to the Tischendorf Greek text until a scholarly twenty first century version of the shorter text is available. As a written text, the Tischendorf edition reads earlier than the commonly accepted Lipsius text, perhaps by as much as almost one hundred years. This thesis also offers a new translation of the Acts of Thecla and a commentary on the narrative exploring its theology. The theology of this text is an important witness to the early Christian faith; in particular it is an important witness to the theological understanding of salvation and pastoral care of women. The thesis argues that the return to the Tischendorf text presents the Acts of Thecla in a form theologically compatible with New Testament narrative and theology. Although the thesis does not argue for, or defend, the historicity of Thecla’s story, it also does not argue against the possibility of an historical basis and oral tradition of St. Thecla. It leaves open historical possibilities compatible with the New Testament tradition of the missionary journeys of St. Paul. The thesis is a contribution to the recent scholarly movement toward a greater acceptance of the importance of Thecla in early Christianity. STATEMENT OF APPRECIATION I record here my thanks to Dr. Mary Sheather, of the Signadou Campus of Australian Catholic University, who has been my supervisor in this research. It is rarer and rarer these days to find someone who reads Greek and Latin as well as Dr. Sheather. Her attention to detail and her patience are exceptional. Dr. Sheather has been a faithful companion and steadying influence during my time of research on this text. During this time, my mother, my father, and my mother-in-law died and I changed the Christian denomination in which I hold Holy Orders. It was not an easy time to complete a research project that is so dependent on ancient language facility and insight. I also wish to thank my husband, Dr. John Quilter, lecturer in Philosophy at Australian Catholic University. His knowledge of the Greek language and the ancient world has made him an invaluable dialogue partner. The practical help in everyday life tasks which he provided made the completion of the thesis possible. I have completed this work while in full time employment with first the Uniting Church of Australia and then the Anglican Church of Australia. I wish both communions continued joy in their service of the Gospel. I am grateful for the many prayers, good wishes and encouragement of my friends and colleagues. Especially, I pray for strength for those women who follow St. Thecla in their service as leaders in the Christian Churches and those who continue to appreciate the Jewish heritage to which emerging Christianity in general, and this ancient text in particular, are indebted. I thank my women colleagues for their stalwart example as this thesis, and others like it, continue to recover women’s ancient heritage and mandate in ordained ministry. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction p. 1 Preliminary Matters The Endings of the Acts of Thecla p. 7 The Shorter Text edited by Tischendorf p. 7 Introduction to Textual Matters The Nineteenth-century Editions of the Acts of Thecla p. 11 Summary of New Testament Textual Matters p. 14 The Text and Manuscripts of the Acts of Thecla p. 16 A Discussion of How the Acts of Thecla (the Tischendorf and Lipsius texts) has been Received in the Scholarly Community p. 22 Some Considerations Concerning the Voyages of Saint Paul p. 31 Verse One p. 40 Verse Two p. 63 Verse Three p. 73 Verse Four p. 84 Verse Five p. 95 Verse Six p. 113 Verse Seven p. 127 Verse Eight p. 137 Verse Nine p. 147 Verse Ten p. 156 Verse Eleven p. 163 Verse Twelve p. 171 Verse Thirteen p. 177 Verse Fourteen p. 185 Verse Fifteen p. 192 Verse Sixteen p. 201 Verse Seventeen p. 209 Verse Eighteen p. 220 Verse Nineteen p. 228 Verse Twenty p. 236 Verse Twenty-one p. 246 Verse Twenty-two p. 255 Verse Twenty-three p. 266 Verse Twenty-four p. 275 Verse Twenty-five p. 284 Verse Twenty-six p. 293 Verse Twenty-seven p. 302 Verse Twenty-eight p. 308 Verse Twenty-nine p. 318 Verse Thirty p. 324 Verse Thirty-one p. 329 Verse Thirty-two p. 336 Verse Thirty-three p. 340 Verse Thirty-four p. 348 Verse Thirty-five p. 360 Verse Thirty-six p. 368 Verse Thirty-seven p. 375 Verse Thirty-eight p. 383 Verse Thirty-nine p. 390 Verse Forty p. 396 Verse Forty-one p. 402 Verse Forty-two p. 408 Verse Forty-three p. 413 Conclusions p. 419 Bibliography p. 437 A Commentary on the Shorter Text of the Acts of Thecla and its New Testament Parallels I. Introduction: The Main Aims and Context This commentary presents a study of the shorter Greek text of the Acts of Thecla which for many years has been neglected. The longer text edited by R.A. Lipsius1 has become the standard and most scholarly discussions of the Acts of Thecla today are based on it.2 Regrettably a number of scholars who are putting forth positions that the Acts of Thecla should be taken more seriously in terms of its historical or theological content have not realised that the shorter text would be a great support to their positions. The shorter text was edited by Constantine Tischendorf. This commentary cannot proceed under the ordinary model of New Testament commentaries because it is arguing for a text while at the same time translating and commenting on the narrative. The argument that the the shorter (i.e. Tischendorf text) is the primary written text is the main thesis of this study. I also argue that the Tischendorf text is appropriately situated in a New Testament time frame; from the end of the first century to the first part of the second century. I do this by comparing the shorter text of the Acts of Thecla to its New Testament parallels, showing that the theology is comparable and that the Acts of Thecla does not copy the New Testament. In this commentary it will be argued, case by case, that the Tischendorf text is the earlier written text. Overall, it is less polished, edited by fewer scribes and contains an earlier theology. The Lipsius text is the accepted text at this time, so it is not proper simply to assume that this is a mistake and work only with the Tischendorf text. The Lipsius text will be measured against the standard criterion for an early text as well as against Lipsius’ own thesis that the abridged text removes heretical material. The standard criteria for determining which reading is more original, case by case, may include the following: 1. The “lectio difficilior”: Texts were routinely corrected by scribes. Later texts show these corrections. Earlier texts contain spelling, 1 Richard Adelbert Lipsius, ed. Acta Petri, Acta Pauli, Acta Petri et Pauli, Acta Pauli et Theclae, Acta Thaddaei, in the collection Acta Apostolorum Apocrypha, revision and second edition of the work by Constantine Tischendorf, Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim, Zürich, New York, 1990 originally published by Hermann Mendelssohn, Leipzig, 1891. This edition will be referred to as “Lipsius” and in footnotes cited without the author’s first initial. 2 Among these see the most recent by Jeremy Barrier, The Acts of Paul and Thecla, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, 2009.