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Perpetua, one of the earliest female martyrs, lived in a time where gender limited her abilities to exert power and influence towards her family and society. The only place she found to exert any influence was in her new found religion, Christianity. Christianity was relatively new and mysterious and very much illegal in the third century of the Roman Empire. Being a daughter influenced Perpetua more than the other roles that she held. While under the direction and guidance of her father and then the heavenly Father, Perpetua’s decision making and visions to become a martyr were deeply rooted in being a daughter and following the guidance of that father to be placed where she wanted to be, heaven.
Perpetua’s father gifted her with an education
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Perpetua’s family did not convert with her, and their beliefs were at odds with her’s. Conversion divided families, and so the church created familial bonds based on faith, instead of blood relation. Through the love and teaching of Christ, the leaders became fathers to the faithful who became children. Perpetua would have entered into the Christian community knowing that she was a daughter of Christ. This new family would support and teach her the ways, and she in turn would provide that support back to them. To be faithful to her new Father, Perpetua would have to claim and defend her new religion at all costs, even if it meant dying. Dying for the Father meant that you were truly a daughter of …show more content…
In the Christian Church, being arrested was a sign from God and meant that He had chosen that individual to become a martyr. Just as her father had given her the opportunity to marry late and receive a great education, her heavenly father had also given her an amazing opportunity; to be martyred in his name. She believed that God had placed her in this situation, and she was going to dutifully follow. Even after being in prison and talking with her father, Perpetua was able to calmly claim her faith and punishment during trial. In addition, Perpetua was given the gift of the Spirit through visions. In her first dream, Perpetua writes that God, a shepherd, says, “I am glad you have come, my child.” Perpetua believed that God, her father, had chosen this path, and with him calling her his child, her beliefs were cemented. In her dream, she sees an elderly God, replacing her father with one that offers an eternal reward for faithfulness. Making the Shepard an old man was not common for the time. She had already rejected her own father in such a painful way, and she eagerly accepted the father figure that was going to embrace her choice, God. She would, with His guidance, choose the path that would place her in the care of an eternal
For the author, the fact that Perpetua is a woman strengthens her sacrifice for her faith. This is due to the societal norms and customs she disobeys and overcomes to become a martyr. In ancient Rome, they lived in a patriarchal society. This will make her disobedience of her father more noteworthy as it violates the cultural custom. In her writing, Perpetua talks of her father coming to her in the prison. She says “He came up to me to cast down my faith saying: Have pity, daughter, on my grey hairs; have pity on your father, if I am worthy to be called father by you” (The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas 5). Multiple times, her father comes to her in prison, begging that she say she is not a Christian so she may live. Through this interaction with her father, we can see his fatherly love as he tries to prevent her death. We also see a sort of disgrace that comes from a daughter’s disobedience, she writes that her father says “give me not over to the reproach of men” (The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas 5). This show of direct disobedience of her father portrays Perpetua as a stronger martyr. She is not only giving her life for her faith, but going against society and customs, saying her beliefs are more important than both. This is a strong example to encourage conversion to Christianity. When Perpetua is in prison, her father tells her to “look upon your son, who will not endure to live after you” (The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas 5). This leads to another point concerning Perpetua as a woman. If she dies for her faith, she will abandon her child and give up being a mother. In ancient times, much of a women’s identity was in her ability to be a good mother. With her martyrdom, Perpetua will choose faith over this key part of her life and legacy. This, yet again, shows why, by being a woman, Perpetua is a strong example in the author’s purpose to convert
One theory is that Tekakwitha’s uncle opposed Christianity, and that she learned the ways and teachings of the Catholic Church in secret. Other clan members scorned her, but her uncle finally came to realize her passion for Christ and gave her his blessing to be baptized, as long as she stayed in the clan’s village. After a while, th...
The study of religion is often a rigorous process because the central tenets of the subject: image, ritual, and myth are often copious in their complexity. For example, consider the multiple meanings that are inherent in the image of a crucifix. Some Christians might view it as an image of suffering, whilst others would reject that notion and instead perceive it to be one of love. These differences may seem inconsequential at first, but they can overtime shape the beliefs of an individual and by extension a community. To understand this dynamic better one only has to analyze the Christo Aparecido (Christ Appeared), an authentic Mexican crucifix with a fascinating history from the colonial era to the present. This history is made known by the text, Biography of a Mexican Crucifix: Lived Religion and Local Faith from the Conquest to the Present by Jennifer Hughes, from which I contend that over the life of the Christo Aparecido there continues to be an understanding among devotees that this crucifix is sacred because it displays animus while being a vestige for the sacred to occupy. To support my position I will attempt to relate the moments where the Christo Aparecido is said to show signs of life, in particular his stay in Mexico City during the colonial era and his role in more modern times with rival groups clashing over its efficacy in the village of Totolapan.
Caroline Walker Bynum raised several thought-provoking claims in her book Holy Feast and Holy Fast, but her main argument of the mindset of medieval women with regards to their status in society was the most intriguing. Rather than simply agreeing with most traditional medievalists, she analyzes the male/female difference in terms of which symbols each gender used, and how these symbols tied in to their distinct religious concerns. She maintains that women accepted their place in society and religion, and instead of succumbing to the misogyny, they used their association with the flesh and humanness to connect themselves to the humanity of God. Her arguments regarding medieval women and their practices also implies that she is accepting of the idea of gender as a valuable category of historical analysis.
In The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas we see how Christianity was a very poor and uncommon religion. The emperors decided to put laws against Christianity, imposing penalties to those who wish to convert to that religion, so that it can die. One of the main responsibilities of Christianity is to have faith. It testifies God’s grace and produce the edification of man. As we saw with the people who were arrested and decided to die in the arena, they had faith. They believed that by being thrown to the beast, God would help them and they would get a victory. As Saturus mentioned, “Farewell. Remember me, and remember the faith. And do not let these things disturb you, but rather strengthen you.”(Ch. 6, 28) demonstrate the importance of faith.
Born in the year 1412, Jeanne d'Arc was a singularly pious child, grave beyond her years, and showed an intense and ever-increasing devotion to things holy. Even as a young girl, she never wearied of visiting the nearby churches in and about her native village, and she passed many an hour “in a kind of rapt trance before the crucifixes and saintly images in these chapels.”1 If at dusk the evening bells sounded across the fields, Jeanne would kneel devoutly, communing in her heart with her divine Master and adored saints. “She loved above all things these evening bells, and, when it seemed to her that the ringer grew negligent, would bribe him with some gift to remind him in the future to be more instant in his office.”2 That this trait in Jeanne is true, we have the testimony of the bell ringer himself to attest.
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.
In the early stages of Catherine's life the surfacing modern age was bringing with it social turmoil which spread throughout Europe (Giordani 3). During Catherine's lifetime, according to Mary Ann Sullivan in her essay “St. Catherine of Siena,” the center of Catholic rule fluctuated between Rome and Avignon and contributed to a schism between popes in Italy and France (1). Catherine was born 23rd in a line of 25 children and, according to Sullivan “even at a young age, [she] sensed the troubled society around her and wanted to help” (1). While her parents were not exceptionally religious, St. Catherine's biographer Blessed Raymond of Capua discusses Catherine's early zeal for Catholic practices: “When she was about five she learned the Hail Mary, and repeated it over and over again as often as she could…she was inspired by heaven to address the Blessed Virgin in this way whenever she went up and down stairs, stopping to kneel on each step as she did so” (24). Her devotion to the Virgin Mary would become especially important in a vision she had around this time while walking with her brother to visit one of her sisters.
“‘I am the Holy Church,’ She replied, ‘You should recognize me, for I received you when you were a child and first taught you the Faith. You came to me with godparents, who pledged you to love and obey me for all your life.’” (Langland, p. 34)
Lucretius, a famous Epicurean poet, took a stand against the superstitions and fears that the Romans had toward the state religion. He claimed that religion and the fear of gods was what caused unhappiness. Lucretius wrote a story where the Greek princess Iphigeneia was killed by her father Agamemnon, with the hope that he could win the favor of the gods by sacrificing his own daughter. In this case 'religion stood with all that power for wickedness . . .too many times /religion mothers crime and wickedness'; (Lucretius 452). The Romans at that time saw themselves as 'laying foully groveling on earth, weighed down /by grim religion looming from the skies, threatening mortal men';(Lucretius 451). Epicureanism offered some Roman people something that they could seek in order to escape the fears of the gods and religion in general.
This paper seeks to look at the relationship of Jesus and the women he encountered as well as those he used as examples to reveal the principles by which women should be treated.
As previously stated Saint Augustine wasn’t always a Saint. Before he fully converted to Christianity, Saint Augustine encountered numerous acts, in which his decisions were not always that of a righteous Saint. The first noticeable co...
The depiction of the Greek and roman myths are given unique insights from different authors. The Hymn to Demeter and Ovid's Metamorphosis provide and insight to Demeter's love for her daughter, Persephone, and explores its affect on the surrounding environments. The theme of separation and isolation is present in both of these myths, however, in Ovid's Metamorphosis, he symbolizes the environment in important events, has characters playing different roles, and empowers female deities.
...gth in self and faith to stand up with the power of God knowing already that she was going to die. Burning at the stake for what she believed fueled her country and now her heroism lives on in art and writings.
When the Indian children in Quivi teased and bullied her for her religious beliefs, she was not scared or frightened by them, but instead felt very sorry for them and had a very strong desire to help the poor souls. One time she heard a woman screaming. Rather than running away from the terrible scream, she fearlessly ran out to help the poor woman and took her to her home to try to help her. When Saint Rose grew older, many people in her hometown took ill in a horrible and contagious disease. In spite of the great risk of getting this terrible illness herself, she set up a room called "the Infirmary," for the poor sick people and tried to help them to the best of her ability. When Saint Rose found out about how she would die, she was very brave and looked forward to her afterlife in heaven with our Lord. Saint Rose demonstrated her fearless and undying love for God in many ways.