The Incredible Story of Two Women Martyred in the Amphitheater

Perpetua and Felicity In 203 Perpetua and Felicity were two of several Christians killed in the amphitheater in Carthage, the leading city in Roman North Africa (modern Tunisia). Their story is told in The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, which starts by mentioning several young unbaptized believers (catechumens) who were arrested: Saturinus and Secundulus, the slaves Revocatus and Felicity, and the noble-born aristocrat Vibia Perpetua. What makes Perpetua’s story so remarkable is not only her inspiring heroism but the fact that it is her story (up to the point of her death). It is extremely rare to have a record from the ancient world of a woman’s story in her own voice. The story of Perpetua and Felicity is a uniquely feminine story, replete with concerns about caring for children, nursing infants, and female modesty. Scholars estimate that perhaps 10 percent of the ancient world could read and write, which means the literacy rate for women must have been minuscule. Nevertheless, Perpetua was not only literate but also spoke both Latin and Greek, and she was well connected to church officials. She must have come from an extremely privileged background. Perpetua was twenty...