Publication Date

Fall 11-20-2024

School

College of Arts and Sciences; School of Divinity

Major

Education: Secondary; English

Keywords

Perpetua, Felicity, martyrs

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Abstract

Perpetua was a young, educated wife and mother who was martyred for her Christian faith. Because she was educated, she was able to record most of the events leading to her martyrdom in her diary. Her account was later supplemented by another author and narrator. The account also includes details about Felicity, a slave girl who was arrested with Perpetua. While Felicity is included in Perpetua’s story, most of the information about them focuses on Perpetua. Throughout history, and particularly in Medieval times, the Church has painted her as a perfect saint who rejected her family for unity with Christ. On the other hand, feminists and some egalitarians have used Perpetua as an example of a woman fighting for equality under the patriarchy. However, both of these views misinterpret Perpetua’s motives for the sake of their own gain when in reality, Perpetua was simply a faithful Christian who gave her life for the sake of Christ.

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