Saint Thekla, to whom a famous martyrium near Seleucia was dedicated in the time of Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was celebrated in the early Church as an archetypical virgin and martyr. In the two places where she is mentioned in Gregory of Nyssa's writings, this is how she is presented.
1. Homily 14 on the Song of Songs
(A commentary on Song of Songs 5:13, which reads: "His jaws are like bowls of spice pouring forth perfumes. His lips are lilies, dropping abundant myrrh.")
For the myrrh that flows from the mouth and fills the receptive soul is an image for the mortification of the body, since it is often observed that in the improper usage of the inspired text the term 'myrrh' signifies death. Therefore the pure and perfect eye, which makes of the jaw a bowl that pours and gushes perfumes out of itself, this eye blossoms with lilies in the form of words that proceed from the mouth of those who have been beautified by the divine radiance; for so does the text identify those who are pure and who breathe out the perfume of virtue, from whom there is unendingly distilled the drop of myrrh that fills the mind of its recipients — that is to say, disdain for the material life, which appears when everything that people work for in this life becomes inoperative and dead on account of their desire for transcendent goods.
Now Paul pours just such myrrh as this, mingled with the pure lily of temperance, into the ears of the holy virgin named Thekla. With her soul she received within herself the drops that poured out from the lily, and she treated her outward self to death by quenching her every fleshly thought and desire. Once she had received the good teaching, her youthful folly was dead, as was her outward show of beauty, and dead were all her corporeal senses. All that was alive in her was the word, through which the whole world died to her even as she, the virgin, died to the world (cf. Gal 6:14).
2. Life of Macrina
(Gregory describes a vision his mother had before giving birth to his sister Macrina, which indicated that Macrina would live a life of purity similar to that of Thekla.)
When the due time came for her pangs to be ended by delivery, she fell asleep and seemed to be carrying in her hands that which was still in her womb. And some one in form and raiment more splendid than a human being appeared and addressed the child she was carrying by the name of Thekla, that Thekla, I mean, who is so famous among the virgins. After doing this and testifying to it three times, he departed from her sight and gave her easy delivery, so that at that moment she awoke from sleep and saw her dream realized. Now this name was used only in secret. But it seems to me that the apparition spoke not so much to guide the mother to a right choice of name, as to forecast the life of the young child, and to indicate by the name that she would follow her namesake's mode of life.
1. Homily 14 on the Song of Songs
(A commentary on Song of Songs 5:13, which reads: "His jaws are like bowls of spice pouring forth perfumes. His lips are lilies, dropping abundant myrrh.")
For the myrrh that flows from the mouth and fills the receptive soul is an image for the mortification of the body, since it is often observed that in the improper usage of the inspired text the term 'myrrh' signifies death. Therefore the pure and perfect eye, which makes of the jaw a bowl that pours and gushes perfumes out of itself, this eye blossoms with lilies in the form of words that proceed from the mouth of those who have been beautified by the divine radiance; for so does the text identify those who are pure and who breathe out the perfume of virtue, from whom there is unendingly distilled the drop of myrrh that fills the mind of its recipients — that is to say, disdain for the material life, which appears when everything that people work for in this life becomes inoperative and dead on account of their desire for transcendent goods.
Now Paul pours just such myrrh as this, mingled with the pure lily of temperance, into the ears of the holy virgin named Thekla. With her soul she received within herself the drops that poured out from the lily, and she treated her outward self to death by quenching her every fleshly thought and desire. Once she had received the good teaching, her youthful folly was dead, as was her outward show of beauty, and dead were all her corporeal senses. All that was alive in her was the word, through which the whole world died to her even as she, the virgin, died to the world (cf. Gal 6:14).
2. Life of Macrina
(Gregory describes a vision his mother had before giving birth to his sister Macrina, which indicated that Macrina would live a life of purity similar to that of Thekla.)
When the due time came for her pangs to be ended by delivery, she fell asleep and seemed to be carrying in her hands that which was still in her womb. And some one in form and raiment more splendid than a human being appeared and addressed the child she was carrying by the name of Thekla, that Thekla, I mean, who is so famous among the virgins. After doing this and testifying to it three times, he departed from her sight and gave her easy delivery, so that at that moment she awoke from sleep and saw her dream realized. Now this name was used only in secret. But it seems to me that the apparition spoke not so much to guide the mother to a right choice of name, as to forecast the life of the young child, and to indicate by the name that she would follow her namesake's mode of life.
