The theology of the “Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity” and the early martyrdoms

The article is devoted to the analysis of the Passio Perpetuae et Felicitatis (hereafter Passio), in many respects a unique monument of early Christianity. It considers the theological and mystical aspects of Passio against the background of other early Passions, especially the Martyrdom of Polycarp of Smyrna, the Epistles of the Martyrs Lugundus and Vienne, and the Martyrdoms of Carpus, Papylus and Agathonica, but also the Acts of Justin the Philosopher, the Passion of Potamiaena and Basilides and the earliest Christian texts on martyrdom—the description of the killing of the first martyr Stephen in Acts and the Epistle to the Romans by Ignatius of Antioch—are taken into account. The authors do not discuss the problems of influence and borrowing and other important parameters of the study of Christian antiquities. Following the course of PseudoCyprian of Carthage’s ‘Praise of Martyrdom’—we seek to identify what are the common features of the ancient Passion, and in what Passio is quite distinctive. The authors conclude that some features of the martyrdoms outlined in other texts become full and complete in Passio, while others appear in the studied text for the first time and constitute the originality of its theology.

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