The Passion of St. Perpetua and St. Felicitas is one of the earliest Christian works. Here, St. Perpetua tells her story, and her inability to live a life different than her faith.
Name: St. Perpetua Date: 203 CE Region: Madaura [modern Algeria] Citation: Passio Sanctarum Perpetuae et
Felicitatis 2.1 – 3.2 |
Some youths were arrested before they could get baptized. They were
Revocatus and Felictas (his coworker), Saturninus and Little Secundus. Among
them was also Vibia Perpetua, a well-born lady, well educated, married and a
mother. She had a mom, a dad, and two brothers (one of whom was also an
unbaptized Christian), and an infant son who had not yet been weaned. She was
about twenty-two years old. This is a story of her martyrdom, written by her
own hand, that she has left to us based on her own experience: When we were still among our
prosecutors, my father tried to talk me out of it, out of his love for me. I
told him, “Dad, do you see that vase lying over there. Is that a water jug or
something else?” He said, “I see it.” And I told him, “Can you call
it something other than its name?” And he said, “Nope.” And I said, “And I, too, cannot
be called anything except what I am. A Christian.” Then my father got mad at this, and attacked me, trying to tear my eyes out, but he was so upset he just left, not understanding. |
Apprehensi sunt
adolescentes catechumeni, Revocatus et Felicitas, conserva eius, Saturninus
et Secundulus. Inter hos et Vibia Perpetua, honeste nata, liberaliter
instituta, matronaliter nupta, habens patrem et matrem et fratres duos, alterum aeque
catechumenum, et filium infantem ad ubera. Erat autem ipsa circiter annorum viginti duo. Haec ordinem totum
martyrii sui iam hinc ipsa narravit sicut conscriptum manu sua et suo sensu
reliquit: “Cum adhuc, inquit, cum prosecutoribus essemus et me pater verbis vuertere
cupiret et deicere pro sua affectione perseveraret: “Pater,” inquam, “vides verbi
gratia vas hoc iacens, urceolum siue aliud?” Et dixit: “Video”. Et ego dixi ei: “Numquid alio nomine vocari potest quam quod est?” et
ait: “Non.” “Sic et ego aliud me dicere non possum nisi quod sum, Christiana.” Tunc
pater, motus hoc verbo, mittit se in me ut oculos mihi erueret, sed vexavit
tantum et profectus est victus cum argumentis diaboli...” |
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