Read Part One HERE
In this post I will focus on a woman named Perpetua who lived from appr 181 A.D. - 203 A.D.in Carthage, Africa, which was then under the dominion of Rome and its emperor Severus.
Perpetua's mother was a Christian, but her father was a pagan who worshipped the Roman gods.
In this era, Christians were being persecuted in Roman Carthage and Africa.
Perpetua was literate and well-educated. She married as a young woman and had a son.
In 203 she was moved to begin the process of converting to Christianity, despite its risks. Some time later she was baptised into the faith. She was afterwards arrested together with two slaves Felicitas, who was pregnant at that time, and Revocatus. They, together with other imprisoned believers, were brought before the Roman governor of the region, Hilarianus, when they confessed their faith.
Conditions in the prison were dark, crowded and hot and the soldiers in charge often physically mistreated or negleted the prisoners. Perpetua was separated from her child upon her arrest and left him to the care of her mother and brother, who had so far escaped notice. After a pair of deacons bribed the prison guards, the Christians were moved to a better part of the prison and permitted visitors, including Perpetua's family.
When it came time for the Christians to go before the judge, Perpetua's father followed them, begging Perpetua to recant and begging the judge for mercy. Upon seeing this, the judge also tried to convince Perpetua to change her stance, but she refused and, like the others, was sentenced to death.
During their time in prison the slave girl Felicitas was heavily pregnant and concerned that she would be left behind when her friends were martyred as pregnant women could not be executed. She did, however, give birth a few days prior to the scheduled executions, and her daughter was taken in and adopted by a Christian woman in Carthage.
Perpetua and her fellow Christians began to impress the guards at the prison. Perpetua was recognised as the spiritual and emotional leader of the group. Eventually, the warden became a Christian himself due to Perpetua's influence.
On the day of the execution, Perpetua and the others were in good cheer and secure in their belief that they would soon receive a heavenly reward. Both Perpetua and Felicitas were attacked by a female cow, but they eventually died by the sword of a gladiator.
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