Daphne and Thekla by Jonna-Lynn Mandelbaum Daphne and Thekla is an imaginative, well-researched, and beautifully written work of historical fiction based on the legendary Thekla, a Christian figure of the first century. Based on The Acts of Paul and Thekla, a scripture not accepted into the Bible, this book is a powerful portrait of friendship, of faith, and of women transcending the boundaries of their time and culture. In first-century Roman society, an arena that is particularly oppressive for women, Thekla has even more challenges than most. Her own mother wants her dead for fleeing an...