Early Christian Saints: Perpetua and Felicity

Rambling Rose Perpetua & Felicity

St Perpetua and St Felicity are two of the most well-known early Christian martyrs. They were executed in Carthage on March 7, 203 AD. This was during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Septimius Severus.

Unusually the martyrs, much is known about their life compared to others, as they wrote down their experience in a diary.

St Perpetua was a 22-year-old noble-woman, from a local well off family. She was married with a single son. St the time of her arrest, she was a catechumen. This meant she was a Christian in training, and not yet baptized.

They were both arrested along with, several other Christians (including Saturus, Saturninus, Revocatus, and Secundulus). Their crime was they refused to sacrifice to Roman gods.

St Perpetua’s diary goes into great detail about her imprisonment, her family’s reactions, and her spiritual experiences. She recounts how her pagan father desperately tried to persuade her to renounce her faith. She had several visions during this time, including one of a ladder to heaven and another of her deceased brother.

The Passion of St Perpetua and St Felicity

I beheld a ladder of bronze, marvellously great, reading up to heaven; and it was narrow, so that not more than one might go up at one time. And in the sides of the ladder were planted all manner of things of iron. There were swords there, spears, hooks, and knives; so that big ant that went up took not good heed or looked not upwards, he would be torn and his flesh cling to the iron.

This ladder also had a serpent at its base who would scare anyone who’d dare to climb it.

As she looked upwards, she saw Saturus (a fellow martyr) who encouraged her to walk past the snake. Beyond him, she saw another person. It was Christ as a shepherd welcoming her.

Later in the text, she has a vision of her brother Dinocrates. He had died of a disfiguring skin infection. He was wearing dirty clothes, scarred and was very thirsty. There was a bowl of water in front of him, but it was too high for him to reach. So Perpetua prayed for her dead brother.

A little while later, she had another vision of Dinocrates. This time he was cleanly dressed, with the bowl at stomach height. He drank from the bowl with a golden cup.

Perpetua received another dream. In this one she was prepared by the Romans to be killed by animals. And as they didn’t finish her, a giant walked over the top of the amphitheatre and stood before her. They tussled and she defeated him, receiving a green branch. From this she realised that she was not fighting flesh and blood but the Devil. It was great encouragement.

St Felicity was a young slave girl, who was also a catechumen. At the time of her arrest, she was pregnant, giving birth just a few days before her execution. There were doubts whether she would be martyred, but with the birth, any reasons not to soon faded away. The child was subsequently adopted by a Christian woman.

The night before their death, there were offered a last meal. The martyrs all chose the Eurcharist.

Once they entered the amphitheatre, they were scourged in front of the crowd and then a wild cow was set upon the two women. They survived this ordeal, and were beheaded by the sword.

This story inspired early Christians, and many through the Church age. The text feels raw and real. It is a compelling read, as you feel an air of foreboding hangs over the story. Some hagiography seems to just tell the facts of the story, but here we get a sense of the thoughts a martyr might have before their death.

It reminds of 4 Maccabees, which retells a story of the death of 9 martyrs, a priest, a mother, and her seven sons. In both stories, it shows that martyrdom is rational, as eternal rewards outweigh earthly temporary relief. It is an act of loyalty to God. And encouraged those who heard the tales to accept God’s will, receiving martyrdom with courage.

I would encourage all Christians to read the Passion of Perpetua and Felicity, and be inspired to live for Christ.