E05837: The Miracles of Saint Thekla recounts how *Thekla (follower of the Apostle Paul, S00092), at her shrine at Seleucia, strengthened a certain woman's ascetic rigour by spending a night in the same bed with her. Written in Greek at Seleucia ad Calycadnum (southern Asia Minor) in the 470s.

Miracles of Saint Thekla, 46

Τῇ δὲ Διονυσίᾳ ὥς φασιν ἀρξαμένῃ τοῦ ἀποτάττεσθαι καὶ ἀνδρὶ καὶ παισὶ καὶ οἴκῳ καὶ πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς, καὶ ἐπ’ αὐτῷ τούτῳ καταλαβούσῃ τὸν νεών, συγκαθευδῆσαί τε τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην ὅλην τὴν μάρτυρα καὶ περιδεδρᾶχθαι αὐτὴν ταῖς ἀγκάλαις, ὡς τὴν τότε σύγκοιτον τῆς Διονυσίας—Σωσάννα δὲ ἦν αὕτη, ἡ καὶ νῦν ὅτε ταῦτα ἔγραφον ἔτι τε περιοῦσα καὶ πάσας τῷ βίῳ παριοῦσα καὶ αὐτὰ ταῦτά μοι διηγουμένη—θαυμάζειν τε ταύτην τότε καὶ πολλάκις ἐπανισταμένην τῆς κοίτης καὶ ἐπωθουμένην τῷ ἀγκῶνι ἐνορᾶν τε τὴν μάρτυρα καὶ καταπεπλῆχθαι τῷ δέει καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἀναλογίζεσθαι πῶς μὲν δύο ἤστην τὴν ἀρχήν, νυνὶ δὲ καὶ τρίτη καὶ μέση τις αὐταῖς συγκαθεύδει. Ὡς δὲ πρὸς τούτοις ἦν τοῖς λογισμοῖς, ὁρᾷ τὴν αὐτήν—καὶ γὰρ ἐπιμελὲς ἐπεποίητο τὸ φυλάττειν αὐτήν, ἥτις ἦν—ἀποπτᾶσαν ἐκ μέσου, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἀναστᾶσαν ᾗ νόμος τοὺς καθεύδοντας· καὶ δὴ καὶ ὑποδραμοῦσαν ὁρᾷ πάλιν τὸν αὐτῆς θάλαμον, εἰς ὃν καὶ καταδῦναι λέγεται.

Τοιγάρτοι μετὰ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐπέδωκεν ἀρετῆς καὶ ἀσκήσεως ἡ Διονυσία, ὡς θαῦμα γενέσθαι τῇ πάσῃ γῇ τὸ γύναιον ἐκεῖνο, ὡς ἂν καὶ ὑπὲρ γύναιον πολιτευσάμενον. Καὶ ἀπελθοῦσα δὲ ἐκ τῆς γῆς οὐκ ἀπῆλθε, τὸ θυγάτριον ἡμῖν καταλείψασα, τὴν Διονυσίαν, ἴσα βιοῦσαν, ἴσα φρονοῦσαν, ἴσα βαίνουσαν, ἔχουσαν δέ τι καὶ περιττότερον τῆς μητρός, τὴν παρθενίαν ἁγνὴν καὶ ἀμόλυντον.


'It is said that Dionysia had begun to renounce her husband, children, and home, simply everything, and for this reason she had taken herself to the church [of Thekla in Seleucia]. There the martyr spent the whole night with her and embraced her in her arms, so that Dionysia's bedmate (Sosanna was her name, who even now as I write this is still alive and surpasses all women in her lifestyle; it is who told me this story) marveled at her and, after raising herself up in the bed several times and leaning on her elbow, she observed the martyr, while shaking in fear; and she thought to herself how there were originally [just] the two of them, but now some third woman was sleeping between them. While Sosanna was absorbed in these thoughts, she watched the martyr – for she was keeping a careful watch over this woman, whoever she was – fly up from between them, without getting up [from the bed] like most sleepers. Sosanna saw the martyr slip back into her bedchamber, where it is said that she sank down [into the earth].

Therefore, after that night, Dionysia dedicated herself to such a high degree of virtue and ascetic rigor, that this woman became herself a marvel to the whole land, and someone whose mode of life was superior to that of a woman. And when she departed from earth, she did not truly depart, since she left us a daughter, [also named] Dionysia, who led the same life, thought the same thoughts, and conducted herself in the same manner, but surpassed her mother in one respect: her virginity, pure an undefiled.'

Text: Dagron 1978. Translation: Johnson 2012.