Perpetua of Carthage : portrait of a third-century martyr / William Farina.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Farina, William, 1955- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Perpetua, Saint, -203.

Perpetua.

Felicity, Saint, -203.

Felicity.

Passio SS. Perpetuae et Felicitatis.

Christian saints--Tunisia--Biography.

Christian saints.

Christian martyrs--Tunisia--Biography.

Christian martyrs.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (276 p.)

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This is a study of the life and times of Saint Perpetua, Saint Felicity and their companions, all martyred at Carthage in A.D. 203. Unlike most early Christian saints, whose lives are often shrouded in legend and myth, Perpetua left an authentic prison diary, later completed by an anonymous eyewitness to her execution, that is now considered a classic of Christian, Latin and feminist literature. Perpetua was also unusual in that she was wealthy, educated, married, and a young mother. The book includes the first English translations of French archaeological scholarship covering the discovery of

Contents:

Cover; Acknowledgments; Table of Contents; Overview; Part I: Persuasion as Courage; 1. "I was not to fight with beasts, but against the devil"; 2. The Christian Aeneid; 3. A Middle Road for Martyrs?; 4. Africa Conquers Rome; 5. "Their courage astonished the pagans"; 6. A Family Feud; 7. Blood of Martyrs Became Seed of the Church; Part II: Persuasion as Justice; 8. "What victory a more glorious than this?"; 9. Jewish Apocalypse; 10. The Great Leveler; 11. Universal Divine Favor; 12. Empire within Empire; 13. Guarded by Poverty and Ignorance; 14. "Injustice acknowledged justice"

Part III: Persuasion as Hope15. "As I was merry in the flesh, so I am still merrier here"; 16. Yearning for Metamorphosis; 17. Saint Augustine, Male Chauvinist?; 18. The Illusion of Prosperity; 19. "Pleased to play, as children will"; 20. Contempt for the Gods; 21. "The flower of perpetual felicity"; Part IV: Tolerance as Virtue; 22. The Weapon of Empathy; 23. Guilty of Inflexible Obstinacy; 24. The Montanist Heresy; 25. Religious Laissez-Faire, or Agreeing to Disagree; 26. Vandal Plunder and Byzantine Extortion; 27. A Devout Persecution; 28. "My prison suddenly became a palace to me"

SummationAppendix I: Christian Archeology in Carthage; Appendix II: A Guide to Pagan Worship in Roman Carthage; Appendix III: Tunisian Historical and Religious Timeline; Appendix IV: Maps; Chapter Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-7864-8263-X