Preface
1If ancient examples of faith that testify to God's grace and build up believers are collected in writing, so that by reading them — as if reliving the events — God may be honored and people may be strengthened, why should not new examples also be collected, equally suitable for both purposes? If only on the ground that these modern examples will one day become ancient and useful for those who come after, although in their present time they are considered less authoritative because of the assumed reverence for antiquity. Let people consider whether the power of the Holy Spirit changes according to the times and seasons, since some things of later date must be considered of greater account as being nearer to the very last times, in accordance with the abundance of grace given to the final ages of the world. For "in the last days," says the Lord, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and their sons and their daughters shall prophesy. And upon my servants and my handmaidens will I pour out of my Spirit; and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." And thus we — who both acknowledge and reverence modern visions as equally promised to us, just as we do the prophecies, and consider the other powers of the Holy Spirit as an instrument of the Church for which he was also sent, administering all gifts in all, even as the Lord distributed to every one — collect them in writing as needed and commemorate them in reading to God's glory, so that no weakness or discouragement of faith may suppose that divine grace dwelt only among the ancients, whether in respect of the favor that raised up martyrs, or that gave revelations; since God always carries into effect what he has promised, as a testimony to unbelievers and a benefit to believers. And we therefore declare to you also, brothers and sisters, what we have heard and witnessed, that you who were involved in these matters may be reminded of them again to the glory of the Lord, and that you who know them by report may have fellowship with the blessed martyrs, and through them with the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and honor, for ever and ever. Amen. 2 The young catechumens Revocatus and his fellow-servant Felicitas, Saturninus and Secundulus, were arrested. And among them also was Vivia Perpetua, of respectable birth, well educated, a married woman, having a father and mother and two brothers, one of whom, like herself, was a catechumen, and a son still nursing at the breast. She herself was about twenty-two years of age. From this point onward she shall herself narrate the whole course of her martyrdom, as she left it described by her own hand and in her own words.
Perpetua's Account: Arrest and First Vision
2"While," she says, "we were still under guard, and my father, out of his affection for me, kept trying to turn me away and shake me from the faith — 'Father,' said I, 'do you see, let us say, this vessel lying here — is it a pitcher, or something else?' And he said, 'I see it to be so.' And I replied to him, 'Can it be called by any other name than what it is?' And he said, 'No.' 'Neither can I call myself anything other than what I am, a Christian.' Then my father, provoked at this answer, threw himself upon me as if he would tear my eyes out. But he only upset me, and went away overcome by the devil's arguments. Then, after I had been without my father for a few days, I gave thanks to the Lord; and his absence became a source of comfort to me. In that same interval of a few days we were baptized, and the Spirit directed me that in the water of baptism nothing else was to be sought except bodily endurance. After a few days we were taken into the dungeon, and I was terrified, because I had never experienced such darkness. What a dreadful day! The fierce heat, the packed crowds, the rough treatment from the soldiers! I was especially distressed by my anxiety for my infant. Tertius and Pomponius, the blessed deacons who ministered to us, were present there and had arranged through a payment that we might be sent out for a few hours to a more comfortable part of the prison. Then going out of the dungeon, everyone attended to their own needs. I nursed my child, who was now weakened with hunger. In my anxiety for him, I spoke to my mother and comforted my brother, and entrusted my son to their care. I was wasting away because I had seen them wasting away on my account. I endured such worry for many days, until I obtained permission for my infant to stay in the dungeon with me; and immediately I grew strong and was relieved from distress and anxiety about my infant; and the dungeon became to me like a palace, so that I preferred being there to being anywhere else." 2 "Then my brother said to me, 'My dear sister, you are already in a position of great honor, and you may ask for a vision, so that it may be revealed to you whether this will result in martyrdom or release.' And I, who knew that I was privileged to speak with the Lord, whose kindnesses I had found to be so great, boldly promised him, and said, 'Tomorrow I will tell you.' And I asked, and this was what was shown to me. I saw a golden ladder of marvelous height, reaching up to heaven, and very narrow, so that only one person could climb it at a time; and on the sides of the ladder was fixed every kind of iron weapon. There were swords, lances, hooks, and daggers; so that if anyone went up carelessly, or without looking upward, he would be torn to pieces and his flesh would cling to the iron weapons. And beneath the ladder itself crouched a dragon of enormous size, who lay in wait for those who climbed and frightened them from the ascent. Saturus went up first — he who had later given himself up voluntarily on our account, not having been present at the time we were arrested. He reached the top of the ladder, and turned toward me, and said, 'Perpetua, I am waiting for you; but be careful that the dragon does not bite you.' And I said, 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall not hurt me.' And from beneath the ladder itself, as if afraid of me, the dragon slowly lifted up his head; and as I stepped on the first rung, I stepped on his head. And I went up, and I saw a vast garden, and in the middle of it a white-haired man sitting in the clothing of a shepherd, tall in stature, milking sheep; and standing around him were many thousands dressed in white robes. He raised his head, and looked at me, and said, 'You are welcome, daughter.' And he called me over, and from the cheese he was making he gave me what seemed like a small cake, and I received it with folded hands; and I ate it, and all who stood around said 'Amen.' At the sound of their voices I woke up, still tasting a sweetness I cannot describe. I immediately told this to my brother, and we understood that it meant martyrdom, and from then on we ceased to have any hope in this world."[1]
Perpetua Before the Tribunal; Vision of Dinocrates
3"After a few days, a report spread that we would be given a hearing. My father came to me from the city, worn out with anxiety. He approached me, trying to shake my resolve, saying, 'Have pity, my daughter, on my grey hairs. Have pity on your father, if I am worthy to be called a father by you. If with these hands I have brought you up to this prime of your life, if I have favored you above all your brothers, do not deliver me up to the scorn of others. Think of your brothers, think of your mother and your aunt, think of your son, who will not be able to live without you. Set aside your stubbornness, and do not bring us all to ruin; for none of us will speak freely if you should suffer anything.' These things my father said out of his love, kissing my hands and throwing himself at my feet; and with tears he called me not 'Daughter,' but 'Lady.' And I grieved over the grey hairs of my father, that he alone of all my family would not rejoice in my suffering. And I comforted him, saying, 'On that platform, whatever God wills shall happen. For know that we are not placed in our own power, but in that of God.' And he departed from me in sorrow." 2 "Another day, while we were at dinner, we were suddenly taken away for a hearing, and we arrived at the town hall. At once the rumor spread through the surrounding area, and an immense crowd gathered. We climbed the platform. The others were questioned and confessed their faith. Then they came to me, and my father immediately appeared with my boy, and pulled me from the step, and said in a pleading tone, 'Have pity on your child.' And Hilarianus the procurator, who had just received the power of life and death in place of the deceased proconsul Minucius Timinianus, said, 'Spare the grey hairs of your father, spare the infancy of your boy; offer sacrifice for the well-being of the emperors.' And I replied, 'I will not do so.' Hilarianus said, 'Are you a Christian?' And I replied, 'I am a Christian.' And as my father stood there trying to shake me from the faith, he was ordered by Hilarianus to be thrown down, and was beaten with rods. My father's misfortune grieved me as if I myself had been beaten — I grieved so much for his wretched old age. The procurator then passed judgment on all of us, and condemned us to the wild beasts, and we went down cheerfully to the dungeon. Then, because my child had been accustomed to nursing from me, and to staying with me in the prison, I sent Pomponius the deacon to my father to ask for the infant, but my father would not hand him over. And as God willed it, the child no longer wanted the breast, nor did my breasts cause me discomfort, so that I was not tormented by worry for my child and the pain of my breasts at the same time." 3 "After a few days, while we were all praying, suddenly in the middle of our prayer a name came to me, and I spoke the name Dinocrates; and I was amazed that that name had never come into my mind until then, and I was grieved as I remembered his misfortune. I felt myself immediately to be worthy and called to pray on his behalf. And for him I began earnestly to plead, and to cry out with groaning to the Lord. Without delay, that very night, this was shown to me in a vision. I saw Dinocrates coming out from a dark place, where there were also several others, and he was parched and very thirsty, with a dirty face and pale complexion, and the wound on his face that he had when he died. This Dinocrates had been my brother by blood, seven years of age, who died miserably of disease — his face so eaten away by cancer that his death caused horror in all who saw him. For him I had made my prayer, and between him and me there was a great distance, so that neither of us could approach the other. Moreover, in the same place where Dinocrates was, there was a pool full of water, but its rim was higher than the boy could reach; and Dinocrates stretched himself up as if to drink. I was grieved that, although the pool held water, the rim was too high for him to drink from. And I was distressed, and knew that my brother was in suffering. But I trusted that my prayer would bring help to his suffering; and I prayed for him every day until we were transferred to the military prison, for we were to fight in the games held there. It was then the birthday of Geta Caesar, and I prayed for my brother day and night, groaning and weeping that he might be granted to me."[2]
Second Vision of Dinocrates
4"Then, on the day we remained in chains, this was shown to me. I saw that the place I had previously seen in darkness was now bright; and Dinocrates, with a clean body and well dressed, was finding refreshment. Where there had been a wound, I saw a scar; and the pool I had seen before now had its rim lowered to the boy's waist. Someone was drawing water from the pool continuously, and on its rim stood a goblet filled with water; and Dinocrates came forward and began to drink from it, and the goblet never ran dry. When he had drunk his fill, he went away from the water to play happily, as children do, and I woke up. Then I understood that he had been released from the place of punishment."
Perpetua's Vision of the Egyptian
5"Again, after a few days, Pudens, a soldier who served as an assistant overseer of the prison, began to hold us in great esteem, perceiving that the great power of God was in us. He admitted many of the brothers and sisters to see us, so that we might encourage one another. As the day of the games drew near, my father came to me, worn out with suffering, and began to pull out his beard, and to throw himself on the ground, and to lie face down, and to curse his old age, and to say such things as might move all of creation. I grieved for his unhappy old age." 2 "The day before we were to fight, I saw this in a vision: Pomponius the deacon came to the gate of the prison and knocked urgently. I went out to him and opened the gate for him; and he was clothed in a richly decorated white robe, wearing elaborate sandals. He said to me, 'Perpetua, we are waiting for you; come!' He took my hand, and we began to walk through rough and winding paths. We had barely arrived, breathless, at the amphitheater, when he led me into the middle of the arena and said to me, 'Do not be afraid. I am here with you, and I am working alongside you.' And he departed. I gazed in astonishment at the immense crowd. And because I knew that I had been condemned to the wild beasts, I was surprised that no beasts were let loose against me. Instead, a certain Egyptian came out against me, horrible in appearance, together with his supporters, to fight me. And there came to me, as my helpers and encouragers, handsome young men; and I was stripped and became a man. My helpers began to rub me with oil, as is the custom before a contest; and I saw the Egyptian on the other side rolling in the dust. Then a man of extraordinary height came forward, so tall that he towered above the top of the amphitheater; he wore a loose tunic and a purple robe with two stripes across the chest, and elaborate sandals of varied design made of gold and silver. He carried a rod, like a trainer of gladiators, and a green branch on which hung golden apples. He called for silence and said, 'If this Egyptian overcomes this woman, he shall kill her with the sword; but if she conquers him, she shall receive this branch.' Then he withdrew. We closed with one another and began to exchange blows. He tried to grab my feet, while I kicked at his face with my heels; I was lifted up into the air and began to strike at him as if pushing off from the ground. When I saw there was a pause, I clasped my hands together, interlocking my fingers; I seized his head, and he fell on his face, and I stomped on his head. The crowd began to shout, and my supporters cheered. I approached the trainer and received the branch; he kissed me and said, 'Daughter, peace be with you.' And I began to walk triumphantly toward the Gate of the Living. Then I woke up, and understood that I was not going to fight against beasts, but against the devil. Still, I knew that the victory was waiting for me. This much I have written several days before the games; as for what happened at the games themselves, let whoever wishes write the account."
Vision of Saturus
6The blessed Saturus also recorded this vision of his, which he himself put into writing: "We had suffered," he says, "and we had departed from the body, and we were beginning to be carried by four angels toward the east; and their hands did not touch us. We did not float on our backs looking upward, but as if ascending a gentle slope. And once free, we finally saw the first boundless light; and I said, 'Perpetua' (for she was at my side), 'this is what the Lord promised us; we have received the promise.' And while we were being carried by those same four angels, a vast space appeared before us, like a pleasure garden, with rose bushes and every kind of flower. The trees were as tall as cypresses, and their leaves fell continuously. There in the garden four other angels appeared, brighter than the first, who when they saw us honored us and said to the other angels with admiration, 'Here they are! Here they are!' The four angels who carried us, greatly awed, set us down; and we crossed on foot a distance of about two hundred yards along a broad path. There we found Jocundus and Saturninus and Artaxius, who had suffered the same persecution and been burned alive; and Quintus, himself also a martyr, who had died in prison. We asked them where the others were. The angels said to us, 'Come first, enter and greet your Lord.'" 2 "We came near to a place whose walls seemed built of light; and before the gate of that place stood four angels, who clothed those who entered with white robes. Once clothed, we entered and saw the boundless light, and heard a united voice saying without ceasing, 'Holy! Holy! Holy!' In the middle of that place we saw what appeared to be an old man sitting, with snow-white hair but a youthful face; his feet we could not see. On his right hand and on his left were twenty-four elders, and behind them a great many others were standing. We entered with great wonder and stood before the throne; and the four angels lifted us up, and we kissed him, and he passed his hand over our faces. The other elders said to us, 'Let us stand.' And we stood and exchanged the kiss of peace. The elders said to us, 'Go and rejoice.' And I said, 'Perpetua, you have what you wished for.' And she said to me, 'Thanks be to God — as happy as I was in the flesh, I am even happier here.'" 3 "We went out and saw before the entrance Optatus the bishop on the right hand, and Aspasius the presbyter and teacher on the left, standing apart and looking sad. They threw themselves at our feet and said, 'Make peace between us, because you have gone away and left us like this.' We said to them, 'Are you not our bishop, and you our presbyter? Why do you throw yourselves at our feet?' We bowed down and embraced them; and Perpetua began to speak with them, and we drew them aside in the garden under a rose tree. While we were talking with them, the angels said to them, 'Leave them alone so they may rest; and if you have any disagreements between you, forgive one another.' And the angels sent them away, and said to Optatus, 'Correct your people, because they come to you like fans returning from the races, arguing over rival factions.' Then it seemed as if they were about to close the gates. And in that place we began to recognize many of our brothers and sisters, and martyrs as well. We were all nourished by an indescribable fragrance that satisfied us. Then I woke up joyfully."
Felicitas and the Last Days
7These were the most notable visions of the blessed martyrs Saturus and Perpetua themselves, which they themselves committed to writing. God called Secundulus out of the world by an earlier death while still in prison, not without grace, so as to spare him the beasts. Nevertheless, even if his soul did not acknowledge cause for gratitude, surely his body did. 2 As for Felicitas — for the Lord's favor came to her in a similar way — she had already been eight months pregnant when she was arrested. As the day of the games drew near, she was in great anguish that her pregnancy might cause her to be held back, because pregnant women were not allowed to be publicly executed, and she feared she might shed her sacred and innocent blood alongside common criminals at a later date. Her fellow martyrs were also deeply saddened at the thought of leaving behind so fine a friend and companion, alone on the road of their shared hope. So, joining together in a united plea, they poured out their prayer to the Lord three days before the games. Immediately after their prayer, her labor pains began. When she was suffering through the difficulty of an eighth-month delivery, one of the prison guards said to her, "You who are in such pain now — what will you do when you are thrown to the beasts, which you scorned when you refused to sacrifice?" She replied, "Now it is I who suffer what I suffer; but then there will be another in me who will suffer for me, because I too am about to suffer for him." And so she gave birth to a baby girl, whom a fellow Christian woman took in and raised as her own daughter. 3 Since the Holy Spirit permitted — and by permitting, willed — that the events of the games be recorded in writing, although we are unworthy to describe so great a glory, we obey what amounts to the command of the most blessed Perpetua — indeed, her sacred charge — and add one more testimony to her steadfastness and strength of mind. The prisoners were being treated with unusual severity by the tribune, because certain dishonest informants had made him fear that they might be smuggled out of prison through some kind of magic spells. Perpetua confronted him directly, saying, "Why do you not at least allow us to be properly fed, seeing that we belong to the most noble Caesar and are to fight on his birthday? Is it not to your credit if we are brought out in better condition on that day?" The tribune was shaken and embarrassed, and ordered that they be treated more humanely, so that their brothers and sisters and others were allowed to visit and take meals with them; even the prison keeper himself now trusted them. 4 On the day before the games, at that last meal — which they call the "free meal" — they partook of it as far as they could, treating it not as a free banquet but as a love-feast. With unwavering resolve, they spoke such words as these to the people, warning them of the judgment of God, testifying to the joy of their suffering, and mocking the curiosity of those who had gathered to watch. Saturus said, "Is tomorrow not enough for you, that you must stare with pleasure at what you claim to hate? Friends today, enemies tomorrow. Yet study our faces carefully, so that you may recognize them on the day of judgment." At this, everyone departed in astonishment, and because of these words, many came to believe.
The Martyrdom
8The day of their victory dawned, and they marched from the prison into the amphitheater as if going to a feast, with joyful and radiant faces; if they trembled at all, it was with joy, not fear. Perpetua followed with a calm expression, walking with the step and bearing of a woman devoted to Christ and beloved of God, lowering her bright eyes from the gaze of the crowd. Felicitas too was rejoicing that she had safely given birth, so that she could now face the wild beasts — going from the blood of childbirth and the hands of the midwife to the arena, to be washed after delivery in a second baptism. When they were brought to the gate and forced to put on costumes — the men dressed as priests of Saturn, the women as priestesses of Ceres — that courageous woman resisted to the very end. She said, "We came here of our own free will, precisely so that our freedom would not be violated. We surrendered our lives so that we would not have to do anything like this — that was our agreement with you." Injustice yielded to justice; the tribune allowed them to enter dressed simply as they were. Perpetua was singing psalms, already trampling the head of the Egyptian underfoot in spirit; Revocatus, Saturninus, and Saturus shouted warnings to the watching crowd about their martyrdom. When they came within sight of Hilarianus, they began to say to him by gesture and word, "You judge us, but God will judge you." At this, the enraged crowd demanded that they be scourged as they passed along the line of beast-fighters. And indeed they rejoiced that they had shared in something of their Lord's sufferings. 2 He who had said "Ask, and you shall receive" granted to each of them the death they had wished for. Whenever they had discussed among themselves what kind of martyrdom they preferred, Saturninus had declared that he wished to be thrown to every kind of beast, so that he might win a more glorious crown. Accordingly, at the start of the games, he and Revocatus first faced the leopard, and then on the platform they were mauled by the bear. Saturus, however, dreaded nothing more than a bear; he expected to be finished off with a single bite from a leopard. So when a wild boar was brought out, it was the hunter who had supplied the boar who was gored by the beast, and the hunter died the day after the games. Saturus was merely dragged along; and when he was tied to the floor near a bear, the bear refused to come out of its den. And so Saturus was led away unharmed for the second time. 3 For the young women, however, the devil had prepared a particularly savage cow — an unusual choice, selected to match the sex of the victims with that of the beast. Stripped and wrapped in nets, they were led out. The crowd was horrified when they saw one young woman of delicate build, and another with milk still dripping from her breasts after recently giving birth. So they were called back and given loose robes to wear. Perpetua was brought in first. She was tossed and fell on her back; and when she noticed her tunic had been torn along her side, she pulled it over to cover herself, more concerned with her modesty than her pain. She was then summoned again, and she tied up her loose hair; for it was not fitting for a martyr to suffer with her hair disheveled, since that might make her look as though she were mourning in her moment of glory. She stood up, and when she saw that Felicitas had been knocked down, she went over and gave her a hand and helped her to her feet. The two of them stood side by side; and once the crowd's bloodlust had been satisfied, they were recalled to the Gate of the Living. There Perpetua was met by a catechumen named Rusticus, who stayed close to her; and she, as if waking from a deep sleep — so completely had she been caught up in the Spirit and in ecstasy — began to look around and said, to everyone's amazement, "When are we going to be led out to that cow?" When she heard what had already happened, she did not believe it until she noticed the marks of injury on her body and clothing, and recognized the catechumen. Then, calling the catechumen and her brother to her, she said to them, "Stand firm in the faith, and love one another, all of you, and do not be shaken by my sufferings." 4 Saturus meanwhile, at the other entrance, was encouraging the soldier Pudens, saying, "Here I am, just as I promised and predicted, for up to this moment I have felt no beast. Now believe with all your heart. Watch — I am going out to face that beast, and I will be finished with one bite from the leopard." And indeed, as the games were ending, he was thrown to the leopard; and with a single bite he was drenched in such a flood of blood that the crowd cried out to him as he came back, bearing witness to his second baptism: "Saved and washed! Saved and washed!" Truly saved was the one who had been glorified in such a way. Then he said to the soldier Pudens, "Farewell, and remember my faith. Let these things not trouble you, but strengthen you." At the same time he asked for a small ring from Pudens's finger, dipped it in his own wound, and returned it to him as a keepsake and a reminder of his blood. Then, now lifeless, he was thrown down with the rest in the usual place of slaughter.[3] 5 When the crowd called for the martyrs to be brought into the open, so that their eyes could witness the sword entering the bodies, the martyrs rose of their own accord and moved to where the people wanted them; but first they kissed one another, to seal their martyrdom with the kiss of peace. The others received the death-blow without moving and in silence. Saturus, who had been the first to climb the ladder and the first to give up his spirit — for he had been waiting for Perpetua — died first. Perpetua, however, so that she might experience some of the pain, was pierced between the ribs and cried out loudly; then she herself guided the trembling right hand of the young gladiator to her own throat. Perhaps such a woman could not have been killed unless she herself had willed it, because the evil spirit feared her. 6 O most brave and blessed martyrs! O truly called and chosen for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ! Whoever honors and glorifies and worships him ought to read these accounts for the building up of the Church, no less than the ancient ones, so that these new deeds of courage may also testify that one and the same Holy Spirit is always at work, even to this day, along with God the Father Almighty and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, whose is the glory and boundless power for ever and ever. Amen.