Acta Pauli et Theclae

The Bible does not preserve all stories about Paul. The Acts of Thecla originated in the 2nd century and did not become part of the biblical canon. Nevertheless, they shaped the image of Paul for many generations. They show: Tradition does not only preserve history. It also interprets it.

The *Acts of Paul and Thecla* tell the story of the young Thecla, who is converted by a sermon of the Apostle Paul. She radically changes her life and becomes the first Christian martyr and missionary.

The records also preserve the oldest description of Paul’s appearance, demonstrating that our image of the Apostle is not derived solely from biblical writings.

Biblical texts themselves are also subject to changes in the course of their transmission. One example is Junia, whom Paul identifies as a significant figure in the Letter to the Romans: "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who were in prison with me; they are outstanding among the apostles and came to Christ before I did" (Romans 16:7).

The original Greek text contains the female name "Junia." Later readings sometimes rendered this as "Junias," leading to her long being perceived as a man. Only recent scholarship has recognized the female form once again; the 2016 *Einheitsübersetzung* (Standard German Translation) refers to her as Junia. This illustrates that biblical texts remain influenced by transmission, translation, and interpretation to this day.