Reclaiming Thecla: An Introduction to the Acts of Thecla by Vincent Skemp and Gina Christ (review)

Reviewed by: Reclaiming Thecla: An Introduction to the Acts of Thecla by Vincent Skemp and Gina Christ Jeremy Wade Barrier vincent skemp and gina christ, Reclaiming Thecla: An Introduction to the Acts of Thecla (Claremont, CA: Claremont, 2022). Pp. xi + 190. Paper 19. 99. Vincent Skemp is a professor in the Theology Department of St. Catherine University, Saint Paul, Minnesota, while Gina Christ is a former student and present adjunct professor at St. Catherine. The book stems from both (a) a 2009 course taught by S. and (b) C. 's 2013 master's thesis on Thecla (p. vii). The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine with the Catholic Biblical Association of America "provided a generous sabbatical grant to promote Catholic biblical literacy and interpretation" (p. xi), while St. Catherine University also provided two additional research grants (2016 and 2020). The contents include the preface, acknowledgments, five chapters, a conclusion, two appendixes, a bibliography, and three indexes (i. e. , subjects, authors, ancient sources). The audience is identified as Catholic (p. xi) and, more generally, as (university? ) "small groups or classrooms" (p. viii). The methodological approach of the book demonstrates a broad interpretive range. Methods that seem to be utilized with greatest frequency are of a historical nature infused with a deep appreciation for feminist, literary, and post-colonial methods (e. g. , pp. viii–x, 102, 106–7, 123–25, 128–33). The interpretative lens is explicitly "textual and dialogical" (p. ix). In doing this, the authors "focus predominantly on the voices and roles of women in the text and the struggles women likely faced in that End Page 396 ancient context, the Greco-Roman world, " while simultaneously attempting to illuminate how the text can engage readers today (p. ix). There are two English translations (by S. ) of the Acts of Thecla recorded in the latter third of chap. 1 (pp. 23–36) and Appendix 1. The first is a translation from the Greek text of Richard A. Lipsius and Maximilian Bonnet, Acta Apostolorum apocrypha (1891), while the second is from Willy Rordorf's French translation, the "Actes de Paul, " in Écrits apocryphes chrétiens (Paris: Gallimard, 1997). Chapter 1, "Introduction and Translation" is just as it implies. A summary of the entire book is followed by a summary of the Acts of Thecla. This is followed by a selection of introductory thoughts pertaining to historical concerns (i. e. , original language, date, composition, genre of the "apocryphal acts of the apostles, " comparisons to canonical texts, etc. ). The authors doubt the historicity of Thecla, and so a narrative approach is recommended. An overview of the major "characters and their significance" follows. This chapter might have been a good place to offer an explanation for the alteration of the name of the Acts of Paul and Thecla to the Acts of Thecla, yet none is offered. A possible explanation is implied in the title of the work, while the conclusion notes explicitly that this introduction is an effort to "reclaim Thecla today" (p. 135). The material on "characters and their significance" in the first chapter dovetails nicely with the second chapter, where a literary comparison between the Acts of Thecla and the Greek romance is offered. The chapter summarizes some of the key elements of the ancient Greek romance, while demonstrating how the Acts of Thecla can be understood through this lens. While the framework of a prolegomenon is of primary importance for structuring this volume, chap. 3 appears to culminate with a centering thesis that is seen as a small thread woven lightly throughout the entire work. The cultural-anthropological theme of patronage is elucidated as an effective interpretative model for understanding the Acts of Thecla. The most important arguments center on interpreting the Alexander–Thecla confrontation in Acts of Thecla 26 (or 4. 1 in Rordorf). In short, "theologically crucial to the narrative is that God is Thecla's patron" (p. 69). Chapter 4 offers a comparison and contrast of the Acts of Thecla with the Pastoral Epistles, noting the high level of overlap in names, places, values, and theological themes shared between the two. Consistent with the overall stated objectives by the authors, special attention is drawn to the overlap and tensions. . .