Pyre-extinguishing rain 523
by Kleitos. Sithon, perceiving his daughter's guile, made a great
Pyre and placed upon it the body of Dryas. He was about to slay
Pallene as well, when a divine apparition1 was seen and a sudden
deluge fell from the sky. Thereupon he changed his mind, gave a
Wedding-feast to all the Thracians present, and suffered Kleitos to
marry his daughter. We are not here told that the rain was due to
^eus, the agency of the god being vaguely implied, not definitely
expressed2.
There were, therefore, mythical antecedents to a miracle recorded
ln the Acts of Paul and Thekla*. According to this romantic
^arrative—one section of a much longer document, the Acts of
originally drafted by an Asian presbyter before the close of
e second century A.D.4—Thekla the daughter of Theokleia, a
*°rnan of rank at Ikonion, was betrothed to a young noble named
arnyris, but becoming a convert to Paul was filled with zeal for
gmity. Thamyris brought both Paul and Thekla before the
Save 1'^'CCord'ng to Konon narr. 10, Aphrodite visited all the townsfolk by night and
2 *e girl from her doom.
^ 0), e w°rds of Parthenios are : <pavTa.ffp.aTos Se $elov yevop.e'vov Kai ii;<nrivaLws vSaTos
^Aoy ' ^ 7ro^0^ KaTappayevTos fxeTeyvw re Kai ydp.0Ls apeaafievos tov wapbvTa QpqKwv
3 J<PLyl°~t- t$ KXei'xw rijv Koprjv ayeffdai.
&tKpa C a ^>au^' el Theclae 20—21 Tischendorf Tjjs Se p.ij diroKpivop.ivqs, t\ p-r/rrip avTrjs
"c<*TPou^ ^"^KPaZev cod. C.) \eyovffa Kardrate rr\v avop.ov, rard/cate tt]v avvp.<pov p.iaov
^y&Kio LI/<1 7r^aat al l-'7r° t°vtov SiSaxdetcrai cpofirjd&fftv yvvalKes. Kai b r)yep.ij)v 'iiraQev
^b/ca"' TW ^v naOXoK <ppaye\\utras IfSaXev <f|w ttjs rciXews, tt)v be QeK\av tKpivev
^ To ^KaT^KPlvev TrvptKavarov cod. G.). /cat evffews b rjyepwv dwtei (dwijXdev cod. G.)
Cod, q . fov' ° Se 7ras o^Xos e!~Tp\dev eiri ttjv deoiptav 04k\tjs (els tt}v dvdyKijv tt\s dias
K^ ^Mi9X^ 1 WS djxvbs £v iprjpq) TrepLffKoiret tov iroLfj.eva, ovtojs eKeiv-q rbv Hav\ov ^TjTei.
^^opou T°1' °X^0V We8' eiSev) tov Kvpiov Ka6r}p.evov cos UavXov, Kai eitrev 'iis
S's "^pav ' Vfv oVo'V* y\8ev llaOXos BeduaaBai p.e. Kai Trpoffetxev avrw dreWfovffa • b Se
8e(opo6cr]s avTrjs cod. G.). ai be -rraiSiffKai Kai TrapBe'voL ijveyKav to.
c°d. Q i *aiX°prov cod. G.) tva 9^-Xa KaTaKajj. us 5c eloijXBev (elarivixBv cod. C. elarix^V
^f"aP.iv coc](j^' ^"'KPvae" ° yye/j-uv Kai edai/xaaev tt\v eir' ai/rij Svvafuv (iiri ti£ k&Wei. airTjs
^'^Ka; ^ ' ^" ^' S6vaiJ.1v tov koXKovs aiiTrjs cod. G.). ecrTpaffav Se to. $u\a oi Sti/moi
T&v c>'\ V rP^a-v a^'TV eiri[37)vai cod. B.) Trj irvpa- t) Si tvttov ffravpov iroi-qaap-ivi}
"^"■yXv(&() • W» 01 bipTjijjav. Kai pieydXov Trvpbs Xd/ii/'acros ouxvi/aTO oWJ*" b yap debs
"f^fi/s, Ka^ ^X-°v vwoyawv eiroi-qaev, Kai veipiXtj ILvoidev iireaKlaaev vSaTos ir\i)pr\s Kai
T° o-flp pt^6^-0®7! w^-v to kvtos {leg. kvtos), us ToWovs KLvSvvevaai tov diroQavelv Kai
M-2^896 and f bapt' See further J- Gwynn in Smith—Wace Diet. Chr. Biogi: iv.
nchen ,n ' . more recent criticism, W. Christ Geschichte der griechischeii Litleralur6
■ The Pyre-4 "■' *' 1203 f'
/l.th 'he marteX!'nSUishing rain recurs in a modified form at Nikomedeia in connexion
bort" °fthe Sat™ °f SS- Adrian> Natalia, and others (304 A.D.). S. Baring-Gould The
s °f the n"/SS Edinburgh 1914 x. 116 : 'According to the orders of Maximian, the
J tl>e bUrninlartyrs Were placed 011 a pile of wood to be burnt, but they were so many
^'"guished the 1101 perfectly carried out, and a heavy rain during the night having
ttyrs before jhSmouldering pyre, the Christians were able to recover the remains of the
ley were completely reduced to ashes.'
by Kleitos. Sithon, perceiving his daughter's guile, made a great
Pyre and placed upon it the body of Dryas. He was about to slay
Pallene as well, when a divine apparition1 was seen and a sudden
deluge fell from the sky. Thereupon he changed his mind, gave a
Wedding-feast to all the Thracians present, and suffered Kleitos to
marry his daughter. We are not here told that the rain was due to
^eus, the agency of the god being vaguely implied, not definitely
expressed2.
There were, therefore, mythical antecedents to a miracle recorded
ln the Acts of Paul and Thekla*. According to this romantic
^arrative—one section of a much longer document, the Acts of
originally drafted by an Asian presbyter before the close of
e second century A.D.4—Thekla the daughter of Theokleia, a
*°rnan of rank at Ikonion, was betrothed to a young noble named
arnyris, but becoming a convert to Paul was filled with zeal for
gmity. Thamyris brought both Paul and Thekla before the
Save 1'^'CCord'ng to Konon narr. 10, Aphrodite visited all the townsfolk by night and
2 *e girl from her doom.
^ 0), e w°rds of Parthenios are : <pavTa.ffp.aTos Se $elov yevop.e'vov Kai ii;<nrivaLws vSaTos
^Aoy ' ^ 7ro^0^ KaTappayevTos fxeTeyvw re Kai ydp.0Ls apeaafievos tov wapbvTa QpqKwv
3 J<PLyl°~t- t$ KXei'xw rijv Koprjv ayeffdai.
&tKpa C a ^>au^' el Theclae 20—21 Tischendorf Tjjs Se p.ij diroKpivop.ivqs, t\ p-r/rrip avTrjs
"c<*TPou^ ^"^KPaZev cod. C.) \eyovffa Kardrate rr\v avop.ov, rard/cate tt]v avvp.<pov p.iaov
^y&Kio LI/<1 7r^aat al l-'7r° t°vtov SiSaxdetcrai cpofirjd&fftv yvvalKes. Kai b r)yep.ij)v 'iiraQev
^b/ca"' TW ^v naOXoK <ppaye\\utras IfSaXev <f|w ttjs rciXews, tt)v be QeK\av tKpivev
^ To ^KaT^KPlvev TrvptKavarov cod. G.). /cat evffews b rjyepwv dwtei (dwijXdev cod. G.)
Cod, q . fov' ° Se 7ras o^Xos e!~Tp\dev eiri ttjv deoiptav 04k\tjs (els tt}v dvdyKijv tt\s dias
K^ ^Mi9X^ 1 WS djxvbs £v iprjpq) TrepLffKoiret tov iroLfj.eva, ovtojs eKeiv-q rbv Hav\ov ^TjTei.
^^opou T°1' °X^0V We8' eiSev) tov Kvpiov Ka6r}p.evov cos UavXov, Kai eitrev 'iis
S's "^pav ' Vfv oVo'V* y\8ev llaOXos BeduaaBai p.e. Kai Trpoffetxev avrw dreWfovffa • b Se
8e(opo6cr]s avTrjs cod. G.). ai be -rraiSiffKai Kai TrapBe'voL ijveyKav to.
c°d. Q i *aiX°prov cod. G.) tva 9^-Xa KaTaKajj. us 5c eloijXBev (elarivixBv cod. C. elarix^V
^f"aP.iv coc](j^' ^"'KPvae" ° yye/j-uv Kai edai/xaaev tt\v eir' ai/rij Svvafuv (iiri ti£ k&Wei. airTjs
^'^Ka; ^ ' ^" ^' S6vaiJ.1v tov koXKovs aiiTrjs cod. G.). ecrTpaffav Se to. $u\a oi Sti/moi
T&v c>'\ V rP^a-v a^'TV eiri[37)vai cod. B.) Trj irvpa- t) Si tvttov ffravpov iroi-qaap-ivi}
"^"■yXv(&() • W» 01 bipTjijjav. Kai pieydXov Trvpbs Xd/ii/'acros ouxvi/aTO oWJ*" b yap debs
"f^fi/s, Ka^ ^X-°v vwoyawv eiroi-qaev, Kai veipiXtj ILvoidev iireaKlaaev vSaTos ir\i)pr\s Kai
T° o-flp pt^6^-0®7! w^-v to kvtos {leg. kvtos), us ToWovs KLvSvvevaai tov diroQavelv Kai
M-2^896 and f bapt' See further J- Gwynn in Smith—Wace Diet. Chr. Biogi: iv.
nchen ,n ' . more recent criticism, W. Christ Geschichte der griechischeii Litleralur6
■ The Pyre-4 "■' *' 1203 f'
/l.th 'he marteX!'nSUishing rain recurs in a modified form at Nikomedeia in connexion
bort" °fthe Sat™ °f SS- Adrian> Natalia, and others (304 A.D.). S. Baring-Gould The
s °f the n"/SS Edinburgh 1914 x. 116 : 'According to the orders of Maximian, the
J tl>e bUrninlartyrs Were placed 011 a pile of wood to be burnt, but they were so many
^'"guished the 1101 perfectly carried out, and a heavy rain during the night having
ttyrs before jhSmouldering pyre, the Christians were able to recover the remains of the
ley were completely reduced to ashes.'