Not much is known about Perpetua’s early life. She was born around AD 182 and at some point, she became a Christian. She was a noblewoman, married, with a baby son. She lived in Carthage, which is part of modern-day Tunis in Tunisia. We know more about her imprisonment and martyrdom for the name of Christ because she kept a journal during her time in prison and entrusted it to a friend who wrote about her martyrdom.
Around AD 202, Emperor Septimus Severus wanted to stop Christianity from spreading (he believed that all of Rome’s issues sprung from people not worshiping the Roman gods), so he forbade conversion to Judaism and Christianity. While there was no large-scale persecution of Christians at this time, there were local persecutions, and one of the strongest took place in North Africa, a major centre of Christianity at that time. This led to Perpetua and four other new Christians being arrested as they were preparing for baptism (they were later joined by a fifth prisoner, Perpetua’s slave Felicitas).
Perpetua’s father was a pagan and begged her to deny that she was a Christian. Perpetua’s diary records for us two visits he made before her trial:
While we were still under arrest my father out of love for me was trying to persuade me and shake my resolution. ‘Father,’ said I, ‘do you see this vase here, for example, or waterpot or whatever?’
‘Yes, I do’, said he.
And I told him: ‘Could it be called by any other name than what it is?’
And he said: ‘No.’
‘Well, so too I cannot be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.’
On a later visit:
‘Daughter,’ he said, ‘have pity on my grey head–have pity on me your father, if I deserve to be called your father, if I have favoured you above all your brothers, if I have raised you to reach this prime of your life. Do not abandon me to be the reproach of men. Think of your brothers, think of your mother and your aunt, think of your child, who will not be able to live once you are gone. Give up your pride! You will destroy all of us! None of us will ever be able to speak freely again if anything happens to you.’
This was the way my father spoke out of love for me, kissing my hands and throwing himself down before me. With tears in his eyes he no longer addressed me as his daughter but as a woman. I was sorry for my father’s sake, because he alone of all my kin would be unhappy to see me suffer.
I tried to comfort him saying: ‘It will all happen in the prisoner’s dock as God wills; for you may be sure that we are not left to ourselves but are all in his power.’
Perpetua’s faith was strong, even when she and the others were sent to a more dank and dreary part of the prison with little light. She wrote in her diary about being comforted by the other Christian prisoners and her experiences of God’s comfort. Perpetua’s main concern was for her baby as the prison was not healthy for him, and she rejoiced when they were moved to a better part of the prison.
When the time came for the trials of the believers, Perpetua was the last to be seen. Her friends had all refused to deny Christ and to sacrifice to the emperor. Finally, it was her turn and her father again came to plead with her. In her words:
Then, when it came my turn, my father appeared with my son, dragged me from the step, and said: ‘Perform the sacrifice–have pity on your baby!’
Hilarianus the governor, who had received his judicial powers as the successor of the late proconsul Minucius Timinianus, said to me: ‘Have pity on your father’s grey head; have pity on your infant son. Offer the sacrifice for the welfare of the emperors.’
‘I will not’, I retorted.
‘Are you a Christian?’ said Hilarianus.
And I said: ‘Yes, I am.’
The governor then ordered Perpetua’s father beaten with rods even though he was not a Christian and had come to persuade her to recant. After the brutal order was carried out, Perpetua and the others were sentenced to death, to be carried out as part of the birthday celebration for the emperor’s son.
On the appointed day, the believers were taken to the arena. They were initially instructed to put on the clothing worn by priests of the Roman deities Saturn and Ceres as part of the celebration’s pageantry, but they refused, citing their faith (and their reason for being there) as a reason to not wear clothing connected to other gods; in the end, the tribune agreed that they could wear their own clothing. Perpetua and Felicitas were brought out first and faced a wild heifer who first threw Perpetua and then attacked Felicitas. Perpetua got up, tidied her clothing and hair, and went to help Felicitas up. After that, the men faced a bear and a leopard; one of them was killed by the leopard. Finally, the group was lined up and put to death by the sword.
Perpetua died around AD 202 or 203, when she was only around 20 years old. Despite her youth and all that she had to live for, she knew that God was worth far more than her family, baby, and very life. She bravely and willingly faced death rather than deny her God.
~ Miss Dorothy
