Perpetua And Felicitas: A Comparative Analysis

Plato, in his Symposium, suggests that love of the highest spiritual degree is only found in relationships between men, and that relationships with women are merely physical and fraught with vice and lust. From Plato’s discussion of love and relationships, one can see how in ancient Greek society and religion women were viewed as substantially inferior to men. This perspective of women is consistent, in varying degrees, with many of the ancient religions of western civilization, including those of the Byzantines, Egyptians, and Hebrews. While Christianity drew greatly from the teachings of the Old Testament, it introduced a new religion which offered women a chance at greater equality and opportunity. Women were not barred from sanctuary any
Both Perpetua and Felicitas are burdened in their quest for martyrdom by child bearing, but with prayer and faith they overcome these obstacles and can fulfill their passion. When Perpetua’s infant son is taken away from her as she is prepared for her passion, she worries about her son’s reliance on his mother, “because my child had been used to suckling from me” (234). Prayer frees Perpetua from this hindrance, “And even as God willed it, the child no longer desired my breasts, nor did my breasts cause me uneasiness” (234). A similar problem arose with Felicitas, who was eight months pregnant at the time when she was supposed to be martyred, “was in great grief lest her martyrdom be delayed on account of her pregnancy” (236). Prayer by Felicitas, Perpetua, and several other martyrs resulted in Felicitas giving birth early to a girl, allowing Felicitas to be martyred with her fellow companions as scheduled. The ability of Felicitas and Perpetua to free themselves of their biological restraints provide greater evidence that the women in this text posses great autonomy and
Christianity was meant to be a religion of inclusion. Jesus focused much of his efforts on aiding the poor, sick, and disabled. This sense of inclusion was also applicable to women, and many women capitalized on the opportunity to be part of something where they would matter. In Perpetua’s first image she ascends a golden staircase up to heaven, where she is greeted by a, “white haired man sitting in the dress of a shepherd, milking sheep”, who is presumably God (233). The man offered Perpetua some cheese and said, “Child, you are welcome here” (233). In this scene Perpetua is given no preferential treatment because she is a woman, and welcomed into heaven just like a man would be. This equality in the eyes of God is one reason why women were attracted to early Christianity. Perpetua and Felicitas were both catechumens with several men, showing how the solidarity among Christians was spread between both men and women. This is quite different than the pagan religions of Greece and Rome in which women were intellectually inferior and would rarely study alongside men. The ability of Perpetua to refuse her father’s request and to stand up to the patriarchy in accordance with her faith shows a strong sense of autonomy that would be envied by many women, and may have lead them to convert to