The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity

The document, "The Passion of Saints Perpetua and

Felicity," shows just how mighty and fearless the faith of

the martyrs were in Rome around 203 A.D. in which our story

takes place. During the rule of Diocletian, Christianity was

not the religion of popular belief. Many of Romans

practiced polytheism. As a result, numerous Christian

believers were persecuted for their divine faith in God.

Surprisingly, the Christian martyrs did not care that they

were sentenced to death. They believed that by dying for

what they believe, it would only bring them closer to God

and the Gates of Heaven. The document states, "For this

cause have we devoted our lives, that we might do no such

thing as this; this we agreed with you" (para. 18). To the

martyrs, nothing was more important than fulfilling God's

duties.

The martyrs in the document take on the role of

mediator between God and man, spreading the Word of God to

the masses of people and the relaying to them his holy

message, in a sense taking on the role of Jesus Christ, the

Son of God. Perpetua, one of the martyrs when confronted

about her faith by her father retorts, "I am Christian"

(para.6). Another martyr, Felicity, confidently defends

her faith and proclaims it openly by stating, "Stand fast in

the faith, and love you all one another; and be not offended

because of our passion" (para.20). This statement portrays

to the reader the martyrs general attitude towards their

faith and how they embraced the lifestyle of Christ and his

teachings with no fear for death.

The way these martyrs died is a crucial element in the

rise of Christianity. When Christian martyrs were sentenced

to death, they were not executed in a private manner, but

rather were tormented and killed publicly, allowing all the

citizens of Rome to witness the account. The official of