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Gender and Power in Perpetua's Passion

Better Essays

“Perpetua’s Passion” is one of the only few records of the life of a female martyr Vibia Perpetua. This record is very special because it contains Perpetua’s own narrative of her last days before her execution, along with an editor’s comments. Most of Perpetua’s narrative is about her experience after the capture, and her dreams, or visions, or the “revelations” of the divine to Perpetua. In this paper, I will discuss the presentation the symbols in her dreams, in order to exam the power balance of female and male presented in her voice, and reveal the struggle of Perpetua’s voice under the editor’s manipulation. Perpetua’s background already highlights her significance in the Christian community and even among the Christian women. Since we now have her own narrative of her days in the prison, we as readers can conclude that she was very likely to be literate and maybe well educated. According to W.V. Harris, Perpetua knew Latin, and maybe Greek also. Brent D. Shaw says in his article that Vibia Perpetua’s family name indicates that this was a locally prestigious family that had obtained their Roman citizenship for generations. The high social status of Perpetua is an advocating point in reinforcing the unconditioned devotion to God among Christians, especially among Christian women. As a woman with Perpetua’s significant background, Perpetua became more powerful in delivering the message of her dramatic life experience and her faith. More women in the Christian

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