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It was while adding something to my diary for the month of March I noticed a little note saying that 7th March was the feast day of S Perpetua and her Companions MM. So who was this lady and her friends? I hadn't a clue (probably like lots of other people), but being of an inquisitive nature, I felt I had to find out. To start with, it all happened a long time ago. Nobody seems to know when Perpetua was born, but in 203AD it appears that she is 22 years old. This period of History was a dangerous time for Christians. The Roman Emperor Septimus Severus issued a decree that said that any imperial subjects who became Christians would suffer dire consequences. As a result of this, five catechumens at Carthage were seized and put under house arrest. They were Vibia Perpetua, a young married lady of noble birth with a son a few months old, Felicity, a slave with a child not yet born, her husband Revocatus, also a slave, and Saturninus and Secundulus. But it was not long before they were all cast into prison. Shortly after this, one Saturus deliberately declared himself a Christian before the judge, and was also incarcerated. The darkness and oppressive atmosphere of their prison seemed frightful to Perpetua, whose terror was accentuated by anxiety for her young son. Two deacons succeeded, by means of a judiciously applied bribe, in gaining admittance to the imprisoned Christians and alleviated somewhat their sufferings. Perpetua's mother and brother also visited them. Her mother brought Perpetua's little son, who, to her surprise and relief, she was allowed to keep with her. In a vision she saw herself ascending a ladder leading to green meadows where a flock of sheep was browsing. This, she felt, was a warning of her approaching martyrdom. Perpetua's father, a devout pagan, hearing a rumour that the trial of the imprisoned Christians would soon take place, visited their dungeon and tried to talk her into recanting so as not to disgrace the family name, but Perpetua remained steadfast to her faith. The next day the trial of the six prisoners took place before the Procurator Hilarianus. During the trial Perpetua refused to offer a sacrifice for the prosperity of the emperors. It is reported that, when the court asked "Are you a Christian?" she answered, "Yes, I am," thereby condemning herself to death. Perpetua's father, carrying her child in his arms (no doubt in an attempt to soften her resolve), approached her again and attempted to induce her to apostatize, and failed. The judge tried as well. But in vain. She refused to sacrifice to the gods. The Christians were then condemned to be torn to pieces by wild beasts, at which point they surprised everybody by giving thanks to God. In another vision Perpetua saw her brother Dinocrates, who had died when he was seven, at first seeming to be sorrowful and in pain, but shortly thereafter happy and healthy. Yet another vision, in which she saw herself fighting with a savage Ethiopian whom she conquered, made it clear to her that her real battle was not with wild beasts but with the Devil. Saturus wrote down these visions as well as his own, in which he saw himself and Perpetua transported by four angels towards the East to a beautiful garden, where they met four other North African Christians, Jocundus, Saturninus, Artaius, and Quintus, who had suffered martyrdom during the same persecution. Slowly and surely the day approached when the condemned Christians were to fight with wild beasts in the games. Secundulus died in prison. Felicity, who at the time of her incarceration was eight months pregnant, was apprehensive that she would not be permitted to suffer martyrdom at the same time as the others, since the law forbade the execution of pregnant women. Happily, two days before the games, she gave birth to a daughter, who was adopted by a Christian woman. It was on 7th. March that the five confessors were led into the amphitheatre. The guards attempted to force the captives to wear robes consecrated to Roman gods, but Perpetua resisted so fiercely that they were allowed to wear their own clothes. The three men threatened the spectators, including the procurator who had condemned them, with the judgement of God, which enraged those who had come to see some fun. This pagan crowd demanded that the prisoners should be scourged before anything else happened to them. One of the men, Saturnius, although prepared for martyrdom, was terrified of bears. He was first exposed to a wild boar, which turned upon its keeper, and killed him. He was then tied up, and exposed to a bear, which refused to come out of its den. Finally, a leopard was sent into the arena, which quickly killed Saturnius with a single bite. A wild heifer was sent against the women. The heifer tossed them, but Perpetua got up, straightened her hair, and helped Felicity to her feet. Absorbed in ecstasy, she was unaware that she had been thrown, and did not believe it until Felicity showed her the marks on her body. Having survived the animals, a gladiator was ordered to despatch them. The women exchanged a final kiss of peace. The gladiator, apparently unused to performing simple executions, nervously tried to kill Perpetua, but failed to finish the job until she guided the knife to her throat. These executions in the Coliseum were intended as entertainment, and were enjoyed as such by most of the jeering crowd. But some of the spectators, inspired by the martyrs' fearless behaviour, became converts. Nor were these spectators the last people who would be encouraged by Perpetua and Felicity. 'The Suffering of Perpetua and Felicity', the account of their martyrdom and courage, is one of the earliest historical accounts of Christianity, and was read in African churches for the next few centuries. Their lives are celebrated on 7th. March, the day on which they were sent into the arena to die for their faith. BILL HUTCHINGS |
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