The Apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla (Studies on Early Christian Apocrypha)

1996, Kok Pharos Publishing House P.O. Box 5016, 8260 GA Kampen, the Netherlands Cover by Geert de Koning, Kampen ISBN 90 390 0152 9 / CIP NUGI 631 All rights resewed. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means. electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Contents

Preface Notes on contributors List of abbreviations

I.

J. Bolldk, The description of Paul in the Acta Pauli

11.

M. Misset-van de Weg, A wealthy woman named Tryphaena: patroness of Thecla of Iconium

111.

J.N. Brernrner, Magic, martyrdom and women's liberation in the Acts of Paul and Thecla

IV.

T. Adarnik, The baptized lion in the Acts of Paul

V.

G. Luttikhuizen, The apocryphal correspondence with the Corinthians and the Acts of Paul

VI.

J. Bolyki, Events aper the martyrdom: missionary transformation of an apocalyptical metaphor in Martyrium Pauli

CONTENTS

VII. I. Czachesz, The Acts of Paul and the Western text of Luke's Acts: Paul between canon and apocrypha VIII. P.J. Lalleman, The resurrection in the Acts of Paul IX.

P. Herczeg, New Testament parallels to the Acta Pauli documents

X.

A. Hilhorst, Tertullian on the Acts of Paul

XI.

M. Pesthy, Thecla in the Fathers of the Church

XII. I. Karasszon, Heroism in the Acts of Paul and in the Bible XIII. P.J. Lalleman and M. Misset-van de Weg, Bibliography of Acts of Paul Index of names, subjects and passages

Preface

After the fall of the Berlin Wall the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen decided to intensify contacts with universities in Eastern Europe. In 1991 the then Head of the Department of Church History, Professor Hans Roldanus, took this opportunity to forge links with the Karoli Gaspar University of Budapest. In the search for a common research project, which would also prove to be attractive to classicists working at the Lorant-Eotvos University of Budapest, it was decided to focus on the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles. This particular choice hardly needs to be defended. The world of early Christianity is currently the recipient of an ever increasing attention from New Testament and patristic scholars, as well as from ancient historians. Various Apocryphal Acts have recently been re-edited or are in the process of being re-edited, but the contents of these Acts are still very much under-researched. It is the object of the Dutch-Hungarian cooperation to study the major Apocryphal Acts in a series of yearly conferences, of which the proceedings are published in the series, Studies in the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles. The editors envisage in principle publishing five volumes, but they are open to further suggestions. Whereas the first volume of the new series contained the fruits of the conference on the Acts of John (1995), the present study centres on the Acts of Paul. The first chapters analyse various persons or passages of the Acts: the description of Paul, Queen Tryphaena, Thecla, the baptized lion, the Corinthian correspondence and the martyrdom of Paul. There follow then some analyses of different aspects: the relation of the Acts of Paul to the Western text of the Acts of Luke, the resurrection of the dead and

11

PREFACE

the problem of the New Testament parallels. Thirdly, two studies discuss the still largely unexplored reception of the Acts: its use by Tertullian and the Church Fathers. A final contribution examines the Acts from a certain distance, viz. as one example of the application of narrative techniques of the Old Testament to the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles. The volume is rounded off by a bibliography and an index. The conference which formed the starting-point of this book took place at the KBroli Ghsphr University of Budapest in the autumn of 1995. Our 'theological' colleagues and the classicists of the Lorhnt-Eotvos University made our stay in Hungary a most memorable event through their warm hospitality. During our discussions we greatly profited from the presence of Willy Rordorf, whose new edition of the Acts of Paul is eagerly awaited. For their share in the success of the conference we would also like to thank the then Dean JBnos Phsztor, Bishop Lorhnt Hegediis, Phl NCmeth, who gave an illuminating talk about a contemporary Thecla monastery in Syria. We are also grateful to the Faculty of Theology and Science of Religion of the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen for its financial support towards the conference. Tjalling de Vries of the Computer Department of the Faculty of Arts readily prepared the camera-ready copy of this book. Stijn ten Hoeve, Alasdair MacDonald, Janneke Wayer and, especially, Pieter Lalleman assisted in various ways. Without their generous help it would have been impossible to prepare this volume in such an efficient manner.

Jan N. Bremmer

Groningen, I October 1996

Notes on Contributors

Tamais Adamik b. 1937, is Professor of Latin at the LorlntEotvos University of Budapest. He is the author of the following studies in Hungarian: A Commentary on Catullus (1971), Martial and His Poetry (1979), Aristotle 's Rhetoric (1982), Jerome 's Selected Works (1991), A History of Roman Literature I-IV (199396). He is also the editor of a new Hungarian translation of The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (1996). JBnos BolMk b. 1944, is Associate Professor of Latin at the Lorhnt-Eotvos University of Budapest. He is the author of the following studies in Hungarian: Firmicus Maternus: Astrology. The Error of Pagan Religions (1984), co-author of A Commentary on Vergil's Aeneid I-VI (1988) and Philo of Alexandria: The Life of Moses (1995). JBnos Bolyki b. 1931, is Professor of New Testament Studies at the Khroli Ghsphr University of Budapest. He is, in Hungarian, the author of The Questions of the Sciences in the History of Theology in the 20th Century (1970), Faith and Science (1989), Principles and Methods of New Testament Interpretation (1990) and The Table Fellowships of Jesus (1992), and co-author of Codex D in the Book of Acts (1995) Jan N. Bremmer b. 1944, is Professor of History and Science of Religion at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. He is the author of The Early Greek Concept of the Soul (1983) and Greek Religion (1994), co-author of Roman Myth and Mythography (1987), editor

iv

CONTRIBUTORS

of Interpretations of Greek Mythology (1987), From Sappho to de Sade: Moments in the History of Sexuality (1989) and The Apocryphal Acts of John (1995), and co-editor of A Cultural History of Gesture (1991), Between Poverty and the Pyre. Moments in the history of widowhood (1995) and A Cultural History of Humour (1997). Istvin Czachesz b. 1968, teaches Biblical Studies at the School for Diaconal Workers in Budapest and prepares a dissertation on the Books of Acts at the Kiroli Gaspar University of Budapest. He is, in Hungarian, the author of Gaia's Two Faces (1996) and coauthor of Codex D in the Book of Acts (1995). Pi1 Herczeg b. 1939, is Professor of History of Religion at the Karoli Gaspk University. He is the author of the following studies in Hungarian: The History of the New Testament (1979), The Plot of the Theology of the New Testament (1986), "Do you understand what you are reading?" (1990) and History of Religions (1993).

A. Hilhorst b. 1938, is Associate Professor of Early Christian Literature and New Testament Studies at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. He is the author of Skmitismes et latinismes duns le Pasteur dlHermas (1976) and co-author of Apocalypse of Paul: a new critical edition of three long Latin versions (1996), editor of De heiligenverering in de eerste eeuwen van het Christendom (1988), and co-editor of Fructus Centesimus. Me'langes G.JM Bartelink (1989), The Scriptures and the Scrolls. Studies A.S. van der Woude (1992), Early Christian Poety (1993) and Evangelie en beschaving. Studies Hans Roldanus (1995). Istvin Karasszon b. 1955, is Professor of Old Testament Studies at the Karoli Gaspar University of Budapest. He is the author of the following studies in Hungarian: The Methodology of Old Testament Interpretation ( 1 99 l), The History of Ancient Israel (1992) and Religion in Ancient Israel (1995).

CONTRIBUTORS

V

Pieter J. Lalleman b. 1960, is Research Associate at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and prepares a dissertation on the Acts of John. Magda Misset-van de Weg b. 1943, is Research Associate at the Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht and prepares a dissertation on women as models of faith in I Peter and the Acts of Thecla. Gerard Luttikhuizen b. 1940, is Professor of Early Christian Literature and New Testament Studies at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. He is the author of The Revelation of Elchasai (1985) and Gnostische Geschriften I (1 986). Monika Pesthy b. 1954, is Research Fellow at the Center of Jewish Studies at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. She is the author of the following study in Hungarian: Origen and the Prophets (1995).

List of abbreviations

AAA ANRW Bremmer, AAJ CIL JAC JTS NTA PG PL RAC RE SEG TRE TWNT VigChris ZNW ZPE

Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles Aufitieg und Niedergang der romischen Welt Jan N. Bremmer (ed), The Apocryphal Acts of John (Kampen, 1995) Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum Jahrbuch f i r Antike und Christentum Journal of Theological Studies W. Schneemelcher, New Testament Apocrypha, tr. and ed. R. McL. Wilson, 2 vols (Cambridge, 1992) Patrologia Graeca Patrologia Latina Reallexikon fir Antike und Christentum Realencyclopadie des classischen Altertumswissenschafr Supplementum Epigraphicurn Graecum Theologische Realenzyklopadie Theologisches Worterbuch zum Neuen Testament Vigiliae Christianae Zeitschrifr fir die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft Zeitschrzj? firr Papyrologie und Epigraphik

All translations, if not otherwise indicated, are from NTA I1 (by K. Schaferdiek).

I.

The description of Paul in the Acta Pauli

In one of the first parts of the Acta Pauli (AP), entitled The Acts of Paul and Thecla (AThe), we read that a certain Onesiphorns, when he had heard that Paul would come to Iconium, went to see him with his wife and children. Onesiphorns did not know the apostle personally, but Titus had described to him what Paul was like, so he had to recognize the apostle among the passers-by on the basis of this description. Onesiphorns waited in the street, taking a close look at everyone approaching to see if he was similar to the description given by Titus. Finally he noticed Paul coming towards him: 'a man small of stature, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the face of an angel.'' This description of the AP listing eight external features of the apostle is unparalleled in ancient Christian literature. There is no other surviving similarly detailed description of Christ's or his relatives' or the apostles' appearance, either in canonical or in apocryphal writings. An author of the Byzantine period, whose Philopatris has survived among Lucian's works, probably had this description in mind when he described Paul as a bald man from Galilee with a big nose.2 The AP might therefore have offered the

1 AThe 3: &v6pa p l ~ p 6 vrQ p q t e ~ l ,~ I M rfj V KEQ~~ &yci3hov T~, Kvflpal