The Martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas gives an account of the last days of a group of Christian martyrs in the Roman African city of Carthage. The historical account focuses mostly on its namesakes Perpetua, a young mother, and a little bit on Felicitas, an expecting mother. The text is a witness to the strength of their beliefs before their inevitable deaths.Through the experiences of Perpetua and Felicitas; one can derive information about early Christian women and mothers, the influence of Montanists, martyrdom and the place of visions within the third century church of Carthage.
The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas takes place 203 AD on March 7 . They were martyr during the military games in Carthage, which were being held for emperor Geta’s birthday . Carthage is located in Northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea from Sicily. In the third century, Carthage was a roman city that had a large Christian population that included Montanists and Catholics.
During this time in the North African province of the Rome Empire, Montanism was becoming more apparent. Montanism was founded by Montanus, though at the time of Perpetua and Felicitas martyrdom, the term Montanism was not in use yet. During the third century Montanus followers were called Cataphrygians, they view themselves as prophets and prophetesses. Montanism was a sect of Christianity that claimed to receive prophecies, which they held to be just as important as Jesus’ words. They welcome martyrdom freely to the point of wanting it .
Perpetua was young catechumen when she and four others were arrested under an edict issued by Septimius Severus forbidding the conversion of Christians. She was a 22 year old newlywed with a young infant child when she w...
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...author’s involvement in the text, the author uses words and phrases like "glorious story…, day of victory” ,"valiant and blessed martyrs" to mark the grand magnitude of the events in the text. To counter the almost joyous undertones, Perpetua’s father seems to bring in a non-believer’s view of the martyrs’ willingness to die for their God as a situation of grief and sorrow rather than joy.
One of the central events of the text is a chain of visions Perpetua and some of the others receive. Many of Perpetua visions had some familiar element to them, example familiar faces, such as the vision about her brother . In Perpetua’s last visions and throughout her persecution the author portrays Perpetua as a warrior. In the text, visions seem like a welcome element to Carthage’s Christian society. Also the visions seem to be a source of answers and comfort for the martyrs.
For the author, the fact that Perpetua is a woman strengthens her sacrifice for her faith. This is due to the societal norms and customs she disobeys and overcomes to become a martyr. In ancient Rome, they lived in a patriarchal society. This will make her disobedience of her father more noteworthy as it violates the cultural custom. In her writing, Perpetua talks of her father coming to her in the prison. She says “He came up to me to cast down my faith saying: Have pity, daughter, on my grey hairs; have pity on your father, if I am worthy to be called father by you” (The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas 5). Multiple times, her father comes to her in prison, begging that she say she is not a Christian so she may live. Through this interaction with her father, we can see his fatherly love as he tries to prevent her death. We also see a sort of disgrace that comes from a daughter’s disobedience, she writes that her father says “give me not over to the reproach of men” (The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas 5). This show of direct disobedience of her father portrays Perpetua as a stronger martyr. She is not only giving her life for her faith, but going against society and customs, saying her beliefs are more important than both. This is a strong example to encourage conversion to Christianity. When Perpetua is in prison, her father tells her to “look upon your son, who will not endure to live after you” (The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas 5). This leads to another point concerning Perpetua as a woman. If she dies for her faith, she will abandon her child and give up being a mother. In ancient times, much of a women’s identity was in her ability to be a good mother. With her martyrdom, Perpetua will choose faith over this key part of her life and legacy. This, yet again, shows why, by being a woman, Perpetua is a strong example in the author’s purpose to convert
The Lost Letters of Pergamum, by Bruce W. Longnecker, is a story of letters being exchanged between characters Antipas and Luke. Antipas is a civic leader of Rome and Luke is the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. This book was written to give the modern reader a glimpse into the context of Christianity and the first century church. Longnecker conveys the life of Christ through the letters and the effects of his life on the culture. Throughout the book we see clear differences between the Roman Empire and Christianity and by the end of the letters we witness Antipas go through a dramatic change in heart and character.
Throughout the entire memoir, multiple actions of sacrifice can be found, and these instances are frequen...
9. Trafton, Jennifer, et al., eds. "Justinian I and Theodora I." Christianity Today. Christian History, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. .
Born in the year 330 AD in the northern Asian minor, Basil the Great's Family reconized their ansestors as martyrs. Basil grew up with four brothers and five sisters. Gregory of Nyssa and Peter of Sebaste were among his brothers. He began his learning from his grandmother, who lectured him on the work and teachings of Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea Basil's Family distinguished themselves as martyrs. (Schaff, History of the Early Christian Church., 1910). Soon after, Basil began to learn rhetoric from his father. (Schaff, History of the Early Christian Church., 1910) Basil then moved on to Caesarea, Cappadocia to continue his studies. Later, Basil journeyed to Athens to continue rhetoric and philosophy (Schaff, History of the Early Christian Church., 1910). Notably, he studied for five years with his lifetime friend, Gregory of Nazianzus who became a theologian and Cappadocia father (Rousseau, 1998). Before Basil returned to Caesarea, he journeyed to countries such as Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria, where he studied the rise of ascetics, or the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention (Rousseau, 1998). Basil, fond of the aesthetics, gave away...
The story Persepolis uses the medium of graphic novel and the perspective of a child to convey her message. The events of Persepolis are very dark and in some
The depiction of the Greek and roman myths are given unique insights from different authors. The Hymn to Demeter and Ovid's Metamorphosis provide and insight to Demeter's love for her daughter, Persephone, and explores its affect on the surrounding environments. The theme of separation and isolation is present in both of these myths, however, in Ovid's Metamorphosis, he symbolizes the environment in important events, has characters playing different roles, and empowers female deities.
Atsma, Aaron J. “Persephone.” The Theoi Project, Aaron J. Atsma, 2000. Web 26 Nov. 2013
War from a child’s perspective in Persepolis is so unique compared to other literary works because it is giving the details from a young Iranian girl who is getting first hand accounts from not only her experiences, but also from her parents and other members of the family and the community. There is little information involving ‘’actual events’’ that had taken place, which makes it more so of a personal account of the historical time instead of other literary works that would be factual and more detailed on the actual events itself.
The Vicario brothers in Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold and Esteban Trueba of Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits are prime examples of vengeance not being sweet relief, but instead a bitter burden. Even if it is meant to protect personal morals and values, the act of escalating the anger into violence will never satisfy. The keen understandings of the Chronicle of a Death Foretold’s narrator and Alba give hope for the future to not be rot by the illogical thought that revenge is sweet because in reality, it eventually turns bitter.
The biblical references throughout the Chronicle of a Death Foretold help identify the characters, Bayardo San Roman, Maria Cervantes, Divina Flor, and the Vicario children, and add depth to the death of Santiago. Without the many religious symbols such as, the Divine Face, the murder of Santiago, the cocks crowing, and the characters, there would be little weight placed on the reactions of the townspeople towards the knowledge of Santiago’s impending death. The religious symbols solidify the idea that Christ has come again in many different forms and ideas, yet dies to renew the people’s covenant with the Lord. “Give me prejudice and I will move the world” (Márquez 100).
Have you ever wondered why so many people always choose to root for the underdog in a dramatic movie; or why so many people say, “What does not kill you only makes you stronger” when you are going through a rough patch in life? Well the answer to these ponderings is based in the thought that one can only achieve a triumph or victory when faced with struggles that make him/her sacrifice something important. The poem “Dream of the Rood” vividly exhibits a theme of triumph emerging as a result of tragedy; however, the query remains as to the elicitations of these remarkable occurrences. Ultimately, the transformation from tragedy to triumph requires a sacrifice on the part of the “defeated.” This poem perfectly demonstrates a parallel between the suffering and transformation of Christ and the suffering and glorification of the Rood. Humankind is faced with the same sacrificial choices if heaven is desired for eternal salvation. The poem “Dream of the Rood” exemplifies the features of sacrifice as seen by the Rood, Christ, the Dreamer and humanity. The sacrifices made by each are manifested in a different manner; however this does not affect the significance of any.
The ancient Roman tale known as the “Rape (or seizure) of Sabine Women” depicts women, taken against their will by Roman captures and married to Roman men. These women later, intervene in a battle between their new husbands and their angry brothers and fathers. The ancient tale depicts Roman ideology and practices of marriage. It shows how a bride was transferred from living under her father’s jurisdiction to being ruled by her husband. The capture of the Sabine women, the war that follows, and the final truce brought upon the Sabine women themselves are direct relation to the separation of a young bride from her maternal family, the transfer of authority, and her beginning in her new family. The tale is told by two philosophical figures of Roman history. Livy, whom writes about the events in 30 B.C.E and Ovid whom rights about them nearly a generation later1. Both have different views on the event, its meaning, and its relevance. The two men also share the same thoughts in regards to their view masculinity and power.
Clytemnestra’s peripeteia begins the moment Agamemnon sacrifices their daughter, Iphigenia. Heartbroken and grieving, Clytemnestra schemes, plotting vengeance for her daughter’s death. She obsessively plans her husband’s murder for so many years that it becomes a fait accompli. Clytemnestra greets his return with fa...