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Georgian · Apocrypha ·

Martyrium Theclae

Anonymous · titus

BothSourceEnglish
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machine-draft · no human review 1 passages · 121 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

The Martyrium Theclae is an anonymous apocryphon recounting the martyrdom of Thecla, a companion of Paul. The Old Georgian version survives in a single fragmentary manuscript dated paleographically to the 10th–11th centuries, with lacunae obscuring the full narrative. The Greek original likely dates to the 2nd–3rd century. The Georgian translation probably served liturgical reading, reflecting the adaptation of apocryphal Acts into local hagiographic tradition. The text opens with Paul's arrival in Iconium and introduces antagonists Demas and Hermogenes, figures otherwise unknown. The title 'camebay' (martyrdom) is standard for Georgian hagiography.

The Martyrium Theclae illustrates the transmission and adaptation of early Christian apocryphal Acts into regional hagiographic traditions, particularly in the Georgian Church. It attests to the cult of Thecla in the East and the liturgical use of such narratives. The text's fragmentary survival and uncertain dating highlight challenges in studying apocryphal literature and its vernacular translations.

Historical context

The Georgian version of the Martyrium Theclae is preserved in a single manuscript dated by paleography to the 10th–11th centuries, with no external witness fixing its composition earlier. The Greek original is generally assigned to the 2nd–3rd century, part of the broader apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla tradition. Thecla's cult was widespread in the East, and the Georgian translation likely served liturgical reading within a monastic or ecclesiastical community. No evidence places it in the canonical lists of the Georgian Church. The text's fragmentary state and lack of critical apparatus in the Titus edition hinder assessment of scribal errors or relationships to other witnesses. The Georgian term 'camebay' (martyrdom) is standard for hagiographic accounts, indicating the work's integration into local hagiographic corpora.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

5 commentary units 1 term1 background1 structure1 reception1 caution 0 derived notes 2 open questions 1 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: apocryphon in Old Georgian; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 1 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: titus — This text is part of the TITUS edition of Martyrium Theclae. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 27.5.2015. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder.

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
thecl:1 · narrativemedium
Source
წამებაჲ წმიდისა თეკლაჲსი: კ̃ნ: მი-რაჲ-ვიდოდა პავლე იკონია ქალაქსა შემდგომად დევნულებისა მისისა, თანამოგზაურად შეუდგეს დემა და ერმოგინე, პილენძის-მოქმედნი და მჭედელნი, რომელნი სავსე იყვნეს სიღრმითა მანკიერებისაჲთა; მდიდრად იტყოდეს და შესცხრებოდეს პავლეს ვითარცა საყუარელსა თჳსსა. ხოლო პავლე ხედვიდა მადლთა მათ წყალობისა ქრისტჱსთა და ზაკულებით არა ეტყოდა მათდა მიმართ, არამედ ჰყუარობდა მათ სწორად. და ეგოდენ ჰყოფდა სიყუარულსა (მათდა მიმართ), ვითარმედ ყოველთა (მათ სიტყუათა) უფლისათა მოძღურებითა გამოუთარგმანებდა, (სიტყუათა და) შობათა მათ და გამოცხადებათა საყუარელისა მისისათა მიუთხრობდა მათ. და განუსუენებდა მათ სიმდიდრითა ქრისტჱსითა, მოასწავებდა მათ სიტყუათა, ვითარ-იგი განეცხადა მას.
English
The Martyrdom of Saint Thecla: 20. When Paul came to the city of Iconium after his persecution, Demas and Hermogenes, coppersmiths and smiths, who were full of the depth of wickedness, accompanied him as fellow travellers; they spoke flatteringly and bowed down to Paul as to their beloved. But Paul, seeing the graces of Christ’s mercy, did not speak to them with guile, but loved them as equals. And he showed so much love (toward them) that he interpreted for them all (their words) by the Lord’s teaching, and recounted to them the (words and) births and revelations of his beloved. And he delighted them with the riches of Christ, and taught them the words, how it was revealed to him.
Citation. Tergwame, “Martyrium Theclae”, thecl:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/thecl#s1
Colophon. Source: titus · licence: This text is part of the TITUS edition of Martyrium Theclae. Copyright TITUS Project, Frankfurt a/M, 27.5.2015. No parts of this document may be republished in any form without prior permission by the copyright holder. · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0009 · generated 2026-11-15.