Tecla di Iconio e le donne alla finestra

Abstract

An apocryphal tale, the Acta Pauli et Theclae, tells that at the beginning of the Christian Era, a young girl, Thecla, peeping at her window hears Paul the Apostle preaching and is converted to Christianity. Has Thecla’s attitude a specific significance in the tale? And how was evaluated a woman staying at a window in the ancient world? The article searches for an answer to these questions through the analysis of episodes representing women at the window in the Old Testament and in Greek and Latin literature.