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Document Details :

Title: The Acts of Paul and Thecla
Subtitle: Ecclesial, Social and Political Context
Author(s): ZAMFIR, Korinna
Journal: Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses
Volume: 92    Issue: 3   Date: 2016   
Pages: 355-380
DOI: 10.2143/ETL.92.3.3170052

Abstract :
The essay re-examines the ecclesial and social realities mirrored by the Acts of Paul and Thecla [APTh] and explores the community behind the text on the hypothesis that the writing reflects practices that had to be known by the author and the readers. The APTh reveals realities of the community and its social environment, Roman traditions and judicial practices, and even invokes historical characters. In spite of the novelistic and hagiographic features, and the legendary and sometimes fantastic details, the APTh is not mere fiction. It is a witness to the life, beliefs, structures and practices of an early Christian community.

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