Saint Thecla: Body Politics and Masculine Rhetoric (The Library of New Testament Studies Book 617)

This study questions the prevailing ‘female empowering’ interpretation of Thecla in the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Andrious examines the way that Thecla is voyeuristically paraded and subjected to a kind of sado-erotic torture, and shows how this clashes with any notion that she is presented as a positive role-model for a woman. Rather, Andrious sets this discourse about female ‘self-control’ and ‘chastity’ over against the wider narrative of Christian men struggling against the invasive violence of Rome and suggests that the victimized, voyeuristic female representation of Thecla has very little to do with women and is, rather, a complex literary text that represents a power struggle between men. The ideological function of Thecla is therefore, as a constructed body that transcends its ‘natural’ feminine weakness. This study thus provides an original interpretative framework for understanding Thelca’s representation and suggests a completely new way of seeing her. 9780567691774_web.pdf Cover Series Title Copyright Dedication Contents Figures Acknowledgements Abbreviations Overview 1 Introduction Thecla: The state of the question Women in the Apocryphal Acts Key issues of authorship, readership and liberation The Acts of Paul and Thecla Women’s resistance Masculinization A shift in the hermeneutical field Evolution in Thecla scholarship The Apocryphal Acts and the Hellenistic novel The distinctive nature of the Acts of Paul and Thecla Moving forward 2 The Acts of Paul and Thecla: Text and context The question of genre Classification of the Acts of Paul and Thecla Textual history and dating Social location of the authorial voice The question of origins and the Pauline tradition Relationship to the Pauline tradition A Pauline tradition empowering to women? 3 Methodology Feminist hermeneutics Problems of male textuality and women as a vehicle of rhetoric Gender theory My approach The gender specifics of my approach A word about the author and narrator 4 Female beheadings Introduction Becoming male Does Thecla cut her hair and become male? Setting the scene Textual evidence Contextual evidence Alternative traditions? Thecla: The sexy cross-dresser Women’s hair and heads Pleasurable viewing and disappearing men Conclusion 5 Naked truths: Pornography and violence in the Acts of Paul and Thecla Introduction Defining pornography Specifics of pornographic representation Martyrdom and spectacle Re-reading the Acts of Paul and Thecla Analysis and observations thus far Conclusion 6 Bewitched and bewitching women: Miracles and magical practices Introduction Defining miracle Spellbinding thaumaturge and enchanted maiden A baptism of fire: Miracle 1 Bound together: Miracle 2 Dreams can come true: Miracle 3 Animal magic: Miracle 4 A second baptism: Miracle 5a Hubble bubble toil and trouble: Miracle 5b Raging bulls: Miracle 6 Do miracles happen for the female gender? Conclusion 7 Violating the inviolate body Assessing gender construction in the Acts of Paul and Thecla Picturing female representation How does ego identification work? Roman visual representation Christians versus Empire, really? Authorial intention: Do I know something others don’t? Conclusion 8 Conclusion Thecla: This is my body Thecla: The Church Thecla: A man within and a man on top Thecla: Imagine my body Thecla: The myth of the perfect female body Bibliography Ancient sources Index "This volume questions the prevailing 'female empowering' interpretation of Thecla in the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Rosie Andrious examines the way that Thecla is voyeuristically paraded and subjected to a kind of sado-erotic torture, and demonstrates how this perception clashes with any notion that she is presented as a positive role-model for a woman. Rather, Andrious sets this discourse about female 'self-control' and 'chastity' over against the wider narrative of Christian men struggling against the invasive violence of Rome and suggests that the victimized, voyeuristic female representation of Thecla has very little to do with women and is, rather, a complex literary text that represents a power struggle between men. The ideological function of Thecla is therefore, as a constructed body that transcends its 'natural' feminine weakness. Andrious thus provides an original interpretative framework for understanding Thelca's representation, and suggests a completely new way of seeing the saint"-- Provided by publisher