Perpetua and Felicity

her. She begins to write in some folders while I read a picture book and, in awkward silence, wait for something to do. “You know what I need?” she says quickly as I jump up from my chair, “I need one of those blue carts that they have in the St. Perpetua Room.” I respond with a slightly nervous and reluctant,

The document, The Passions of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, shows how brave the Christian faith was in Rome. During Diocletian’s ruling, Christianity was not a common religion. In fact, most Romans practiced polytheism. Under these circumstances, many Christian followers were publicly persecuted for their faith. The Roman government assumed that if the executions were public, it would discourage others from becoming Christians and shift away from the Roman life traditions, in which would guarantee

not in the context of the modern federal government and the Roman Catholic Church, but in the context of ancient texts like “The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity” and the “Crito” by Plato. Both text hold the theme of the unpopular opinion, which is their personal belief, verses the popular opinion, the state’s belief. For “The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity” the five Christians executed for not denying their faith in God lead them to become martyrs within the Christian community not just in Carthage

The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity 203 is an account of Perpetua’s story, a story in which she rejected her Roman identity in order to further pledge her Christian faith. At the time, Romans feared the spread of Christianity due to the conflicting interest in the worship of Gods and the circulating rumors that Christians were cannibals. Not only did Romans think Christianity was odd for those factors but also that Christians feared their potential experiences in the afterlife more than

see her concept of self, even in what may seem like the worst times. Perpetua, a well-educated mother from a small North African village, wrote a journal called, The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, which is the oldest surviving material to be written by a Christian woman. (Tilley, Maureen A.) Perpetua is in prison because she refuses to listen to the Romans and go against her Christian values. While in prison, Perpetua saw herself as the martyr and God as the director of her “drama.” The

The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity The document, “The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity,” shows just how mighty and fearless the faith of the martyrs were in Rome around 203 A.D. in which our story takes place. During the rule of Diocletian, Christianity was not the religion of popular belief. Many of Romans practiced polytheism. As a result, numerous Christian believers were persecuted for their divine faith in God. Surprisingly, the Christian martyrs did not care that

Perpetua and Felicity: Weighing the Cost of Choosing between Family or Faith Church History CHHI 520 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….3 What Did Jesus Mean in Matthew 10:37 and Luke 14:26? ………………………3-9 The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitias………………………………………… 9-16 Conclusion......………………………………………………………………………16-19 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………

1. The primary text mentions that audience was displeased and even a bit disturbed to see that the two stripped women, Perpetua and Felicity, before them because of their young age and recent motherhood (The Passions of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, 10). The exposure of them, meant for embarrassment, brings them pity and favor among the audience; their appearance of being weak and vastly outmatched makes them become more victims of the law, instead of criminals. They are proven to be the perfect

Perpetua was a bright, an intelligent young mother who was prosecuted for her religious beliefs. Perpetua would not renounce her religion so in turn was thrown in prison. The document talks about her dream of a golden ladder with weapon on it, and a dragon guarding the bottom. Perpetua has this dream right after she is given permission to keep her baby with her in her cell. She tells her brother about the dream, and they conclude that this dream means that they are going to die for what she believes

“The prison was made a palace for me.” Vibia Perpetua (ca. 180–ca. 202), in Acts of the Martyrs. She was born in 182 and died at age 22, on March 7th in 182, which is now her feast day. Before she died, she was married and had a baby boy with her husband, who is not mentioned in her journals. Unfortunately, she did not get to see her son grow up due to the results of her strong Christian faith. Vibia Perpetua, a martyr of the 3rd century, was under a death sentence so young with the sole crime of