The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity

The martyrdom of these two women and their companions, an authentic and beautiful testimony, describes a glorious episode in the history of the Church. “It was in Carthage in the year 203 that, during the persecution initiated by the Emperor Severus, five catechumens were arrested.”[1] These catechumens were preparing themselves to receive the sacrament of baptism and their names were: Vibia Perpetua, Felicity, Saturninus, Revocatus, and Secundulus. “These five prisoners were joined by Saturus, who seems to have been their instructor in the faith.”[2] Perpetua was a 22-year-old noblewoman who belonged to a wealthy family. She was married and had a small child who was only a few months old. On the other hand, Felicity was a humble slave who was eight months pregnant.

Emperor Septimius Severus had banned conversions to Christianity, which is the reason the five catechumens remained under house arrest. Their faith was so powerful that they refused to recognize the divinity of the emperor. Therefore, they were deported to Carthage and thrown in jail where their true suffering was about to begin. Fortunately, all were baptized by their catechist Saturus before being thrown to the wild beasts and beheaded. “The record of the passion of St Perpetua, St Felicity and their companions is one of greatest hagiological treasures that have come down to us.”[3]

For Perpetua, her biggest concern was not her freedom, the unbearable heat, or the beatings she would receive from the soldiers. Perpetua's greatest pain was not being able to breastfeed and care for her child. Deacons Tertiuos and Pomponius bribed the guards in order to enter the prison and help the prisoners. Perpetua took advantage of this time to breastfeed the child whom they brought to her. In prison, Perpetua had a vision in which she ascends to heaven through a ladder passing over a dragon, and once she gets to heaven along with her friends, God receives her. The “initial impression of the Passion narrative was a traditional pious fiction but through critical analysis came to view the work as a memory of an actual event with a core historically verifiable reality."[4]

Later, the prisoners were called to the Court where Hilarian was procurator of Carthage. Perpetua's father was present there along with the small child. Her father was a pagan and did not understand why his daughter was acting in such an inexplicable way. Her father begged and reminded Perpetua about her duties as a mother. Only by denying the Christian faith and recognizing the emperor as divine could she obtain her freedom and return home. “Perpetua's answer was simple and clear. Pointing to a water jug, she asked her father, see that pot lying there? Can you call it by any other name than what it is? Her father answered, Of course not. Perpetua responded, neither can I call myself by any other name than what I am -- a Christian."[5] The prisoners were sentenced to death in the arena among the wild beasts and the teasing people. Before her death, Perpetua had more visions. For example, one of them was about her brother who died of cancer at the age of seven. She saw him in a place of torment and darkness. She began to pray for him and after a while, he was moved to a place of joy and peace.

Felicity was pregnant by the time she was arrested. She gave birth in prison in a painful way, and the soldiers used to ridicule her asking: How do you regret when the wild beasts are destroying you? “Felicity answered them calmly, Now I'm the one who is suffering, but in the arena another will be in me suffering for me because I will be suffering for him."[6] When the day of the final punishment arrived, Perpetua and Felicity showed courage and conviction for their faith. Moreover, Perpetua encouraged the others to avoid the shouting of the people and to sing the psalms. They were stripped naked and lined up to be flogged with leather straps. They endured this punishment with an immense patience because they felt that Christ was suffering with them. Felicity and Perpetua were humiliated because they were stuck in two fishing nets and displayed naked in the arena. Moreover, they were exposed to a furious cow that gored Perpetua and threw her to the ground and then attacked Felicity. Perpetua got up quickly and seeing her friend on the field helped her up and gave her the kiss of peace. After the two women had been beaten and bloodied by the attack of wild beasts, they were killed by the sword. Perpetua was executed by a gladiator who beat her three times without being able to cut off her head; she helped the gladiator so he would not fail again.

Perpetua herself wrote these events at the request of her fellow captives. “Perpetua’s eloquent and moving account of her imprisonment is the earliest surviving first person narrative written by a female.”[7] The writings were collected in a book called "The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity." However, Tertullian completed the story about how the two women were exposed to a wild cow and how they were gored before being decapitated. The Acts of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity were widely spread in the following centuries. Furthermore, "in the fourth century, these acts were publicity read in the churches of Africa and were in fact so highly esteemed that St. Augustine found necessary to issue a protest against their placed on a level with the Holy Scriptures.”[8] Finally, during the fourth century, the names of Felicity and Perpetua were included in the list of martyrs venerated by the Church and were assigned March 7 as their day of celebration. They were buried in Carthage and years later a basilica was built there known as Major Basilica.

[1] Alban Butler, Butler's Lives of the Saints, Ed. by Herbert J. Thurston & Donald Attwater, Vol. 1, Jan – Mar, (Christian Classics, 1988), 493.

[2] Butler, Butler's Lives of the Saints, Vol. 1, 493.

[3] Butler, Butler's Lives of the Saints, Vol. 1, 493.

[4] George P. Carras, “The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity - By Thomas J. Heffernan,” Religious Studies Review. Vol. 39. (2013) 106.

[5] “Sts. Perpetua and Felicity- saints and angels”, at Catholic Online ( 11 June 2016), at www. Catholiconline.org.

[6] “Sts. Perpetua and Felicity- saints and angels”, at Catholic Online ( 11 June 2016), at www. Catholiconline.org.

[7] Caroline Walker Bynum, “The passion of Perpetua and Felicity,” Common Knowledge. 20 (2014)134.

[8] ] Butler, Butler's Lives of the Saints, Vol. 1, 493.

Bibliography

Butler, Alban. Butler's Lives of the Saints, Ed. by Herbert J. Thurston & Donald Attwater, Vol. 1, Jan – Mar. Christian Classics, 1988.

Carras, George P. The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity - By Thomas J. Heffernan. Vol. 39. 2013.

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity- saints and angels, at Catholic Online.  11 June 2016, at    

            www.catholic.org/search/?q=Felicity+and+Perpetua

Walker Bynum, Caroline. The passion of Perpetua and Felicity. Common Knowledge. 20 2014.