We put on our front cover an artist's creative restoration of that frescoed point-counterpoint from the Cave of St Thecla and St Paul. Paul is in the centre under full spotlight, just as the church's post-Pauline tradition has always placed him. Thecla is of equal height, with open eyes intact and up-raised hand untouched, but she is on the very edge of the cover. She is half on and half off. But here are our questions. Is Thecla still departing or now returning? Does a search for Paul push female leadership, authority, and apostolicity off to the side and finally off that cover, or does a search for Paul bring Thecla, women, and equality back steadily and inevitably into the light until female and male stand together side by side in the full light of the centre? (In Search of Paul , page xiv)
The original frescoes are to be found in the Grotto of St Paul at Ephesus. Thecla's eyes and raised hand have been obliterated, deliberately. Crossan and Reed argue that the seven books all scholars agree were written by Paul, reveal to us a radical Paul in contrast to the other, conservative and reactionary, Pauls in the New Testament. I first read this in 2005 and have over the last five years preached on each chapter in turn. This book and another featured later have opened up Paul's theology for me.
Ironically, the church has obliterated Paul almost as effectively as it has obliterated Thecla. We need to hear what radical Paul was saying and so undo not only centuries of marginalisation of women but also centuries of violent distortion of the Christian faith. As always we should pray to be able to read Paul with fresh eyes and understand what he was saying.
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