The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas Pt. 2© Michelle Powell-Smith
Jul 20, 1999
Perpetua's own account ends with this last dream. The story of the deaths of Perpetua and her companions is told by a Montanist editor. His additions to the story emphasize the role of the Holy Spirit in Perpetua's life and martyrdom, possibly a result of his own beliefs. This editor of Perpetua's story attempted to fit it within a traditional framework, or to fit Perpetua herself within a traditional framework. The editor has seen fit to include not only the details of the deaths of Perpetua and her companions, but also several aspects of their martyrdoms for which there is no evidence, including their trial and the experiences and martyrdom of Felicitas.
Felicitas is not mentioned in Perpetua's account, but does appear in the additions to the story written by its editor. He notes that she suffered greatly in childbirth, but did not fear death, for Christ would be with her in the arena.
Felicitas was Perpetua's slave, who was, at the time of their imprisonment, in her eighth month of pregnancy. Felicitas gave birth in prison. She went into labor just two days before the group was scheduled to be executed. The others in her group had prayed that she would give birth before the date of execution, so that she would not be condemned to die alone at a later date.
The editor of Perpetua's story seems to be ambivalent in his feelings toward her. While she is due respect as a martyr, it seems that her editor was both troubled by her less than appropriate behavior and able to alter her story to suit his own needs.
In some cases, his account does not seem to agree with what Perpetua's own account tells us. The editor, for instance, wrote that after being charged by the wild cow, Perpetua was concerned with the messiness of her hair, rather than with the situation at hand. This seems out of character for a woman who willingly accepted being sentenced to death in the arena, killed by wild animals.
There are, however, other instances that seem more in character with Perpetua's own words. When Perpetua entered the arena in which she would die, she resisted the gaze of the audience. In this, her faith again protected her, allowing her to resist the traditional role of a woman in her society. Rather than serving as an object of the gaze of the audience, she looked back at them. Perpetua's death was marked not so noticeably by her suffering as by her grace. Perpetua and her fellow martyrs entered the arena singing hymns, strong in their faith. It is clear in this account that Perpetua and her companions, among them Felicitas and three men, Reucatus, Saturninus, and Saturus, went enthusiastically to their deaths. Rather than wishing to avoid greater suffering, they desired it.
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