E05694: The Miracles of Saint Thekla recounts how *Thekla (follower of the Apostle Paul, S00092) punished Dexianos, bishop of Seleucia and guardian of her shrine outside the city, for transferring treasures decorating it into the city for fear of robbers' attack. Written in Greek at Seleucia ad Calycadnum (southern Asia Minor) in the 470s.

Miracles of Saint Thekla, 32

Once, Dexianos, bishop of Seleucia ad Calycadnum and an attendant and guardian of the martyr Thekla's church there, experienced her anger and reproach. In that time, the city still remembered how it was enslaved and plundered by neighbouring pillagers. Thus Dexianos was concerned that the defensive walls surrounding the church might again fall to the enemies. So he removed all the gold and silver decoration from it and transferred it to the city which was a safer place.

Οὔπω δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς διαγενομένης ἡμέρας, νυκτὸς ἐκείνης ἐπιλαβούσης, θορύβου τε πλήρης ἦν ὁ νεὼς καὶ ταραχῆς καὶ βοῆς, τῆς μάρτυρος ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω διαθεούσης, καὶ καταφρονεῖσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Δεξιανοῦ λεγούσης, ὡς ἀσθενοῦς, ὡς ἀγεννοῦς, ὡς μηδὲ τῷ νεῲ μηδὲ τοῖς κατὰ τὸν νεὼν βοηθῆσαι δυναμένης· «Φθάσας γὰρ ὁ χριστιανός, ὁ ἱερεύς, ὁ ἐμὸς πάρεδρος, τὰ τῶν πολεμίων εἰς ἐμὲ διεπράξατο, καί με ἀπεκόσμησε καὶ ἀπεσύλησεν, ὃ μηδ’ ἄν τις τῶν πολεμίων ἐτόλμησε». Ταῦτα τῶν ἔνδον τινὲς τότε καθευδουσῶν παρθένων καὶ μαθοῦσαι, καὶ παρ’ αὐτῆς τῆς μάρτυρος ἀκούσασαι ὕπαρ, μικροῦ μὲν καὶ τῶν φρενῶν ἐξέπεσον ὑπὸ τοῦ δείματος, μήτε δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἀναμείνασαι τὸ προοίμιον, ἀπελθοῦσαι πάντα τῷ Δεξιανῷ καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν καὶ διηγήσαντο, ὡρακιῶσαί τε καὶ ἀλλοχροοῦσαι καὶ τρέμουσαι καὶ τὴν καρδίαν πάλλουσαι· ὡς τὸν Δεξιανὸν μηδὲ ὅσον ἀναβαλλόμενον ἀνασκευάσαι πάλιν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως εἰς τὸν νεὼν τόν τε κόσμον, τά τε ἱερὰ καὶ λειτουργικὰ σκεύη, καὶ οὕτω μόλις ἐκμειλίξασθαί τε καὶ παῦσαι τῆς ὀργῆς ταύτης τὴν μάρτυρα. Καὶ ὅσα μὲν ἡμερωτέρας τετύχηκε δίκης, τοιαῦτά τε καὶ τοσαῦτα, ὅσα γε εἰς ἡμᾶς ἦλθεν, ὡς τά γε λαθόντα ἄπειρά τε καὶ οὐκ ἀριθμητά. Ἃ δὲ ἐμβριθεστέρας τε λοιπὸν καὶ αὐστηροτέρας ἔλαχε τιμωρίας ἤδη λεκτέον.

'But not a day had passed when, during the subsequent night, the church was filled with an uproar, a disturbance, and shouting: the martyr was running back and forth saying that Dexianos has scorned her, as if she were weak, lacking in courage, and incapable of assisting either the church or those in the church. "This Christian, this priest, this attendant of mine has managed to act toward me like an enemy: he has stripped me of my ornament and robbed me, something not even an enemy would dare." Some virgins who were sleeping inside the church that night perceived this disturbance and heard the waking vision of the martyr, and almost went out of their minds from fear. They did not wait for daybreak, but went straight to Dexianos to announce and relate all that had happened, even while they were still fainting, pale, shaking, and trembling in their hearts. Dexianos, without the slightest delay, returned the ornaments from the city to the church, that is, the holy and liturgical objects, and thus he barely mollified the martyr and was able to quell her anger. Cases of her moderate punishment are of this sort and intensity, at least to the best of my knowledge, since those that have escaped my notice are infinite and innumerable.'

Text: Dagron 1978. Translation: Johnson 2012. Summary: J. Doroszewska.