as a genre, the apocryphal acts tend to feature "travels, dangers, controversies, deliverances, thwarted sexual trysts, miraculous demonstrations of the power of god" within an episodic narrative. they bear a resemblance to the five surviving ancient greek novels and the two surviving ancient roman novels in latin ("the golden ass" and the "satyricon"). the overarching theme in these popular pagan "romances" is that heterosexual marital love is the basis for social peace and prosperity. the general plot is that a man and a woman from the upper classes fall in love, but become tragically separated before they can consummate their sexual love until the very end of the story, overcoming various hardships before being reunited. the christian apocryphal acts turn these characteristics on their heads, however: the wealth and beauty of this world are to be despised, and any sexual activity is condemned as 'impure', in favour of love for god and preparation for the coming heavenly afterlife.