Description

Syriac manuscripts preserve the earliest extant complete copies of the Acts of Thekla . However, since the publication of four copies in 1871, the Syriac version has been largely neglected in favour of the Coptic fragments and Greek manuscripts. Jacob A. Lollar presents the first full monograph devoted to the Syriac text of the Acts of Thekla and its reception. Employing the methods of material philology, he offers an innovative assessment of the reception of Thekla's story and her cult in Syriac traditions by closely examining the materials (manuscripts, iconography, liturgy) in which they are embodied. Much like the text, the reception of Thekla in Syriac-speaking traditions has long been overlooked. In this volume, the author examines all known instances of the reception of the Acts of Thekla and the cult of St. Thekla in the Syriac tradition, covering the 6th to the 20th century.