Hi Catherine –
I didn’t see Andrew Marr’s programme – but hope to see the repeat. It is an extraordinarily moving story and I’m glad it was aired on a popular history programme.
The thing about the post mortem salvation/healing of Perpeptua’s brother is that, according to Augustine’s doctrine of ECT –and Augustine was the architect of EC T in its ‘hard’ form and the major influence on the Protestant ECT of Calvin and Luther – anyone who died ‘unsaved’ goes to hell. And for Augustine this meant anyone dying without the saving grace of water baptism rather that the saving grace of accepting Christ as saviour which meant that babies who died unbaptised, and indeed new Christians who died during the period of instruction before baptism were destined for eternal damnation (although I understand he did waver about this sometimes). SO Perpetua’s vision of the post mortem salvation of her brother differed from official Church teaching two centuries later and does seem t be an example of a more flexible and merciful strand of expectation in the earlier church.
I obviously don’t know what Andrew Marr had to say about Perpetua – but I do know that she is of special interest to Christian feminists. It seems that her ‘vision diary’ narrative is the only real intimate glimpse we get into the mid of a woman in the patriarchal classical world – so she s enormously important to feminist historians. Her dictated account shows her real tenderness for her brother, for her baby, and for her fellow martyrs (and tenderness is a quality often lacking in the male church fathers). But as well as tender hearted she was also incredibly, incredibly brave. She was obviously only in her early twenties – but it was her who kept the other martyrs from her household in good heart during their hour of trial – including her household’s Christian priest who was hysterical with terror at the prospect of being gored by a wild boar. So her story gives the lie to all of the gender stereotyping of Christian patriarchy goons by showing a woman giving real leadership in the early Church.
Her visions are incredible. The one of her brother’s healing in the next world that creatively combines the baptismal font and the chalice of sacrament is haunting. Also – and I’m sure Andrew Marr probably mentioned this – her vision of herself as turned into a man and being greased up for gladiatorial combat against a giant Ethiopian gladiator – representing both Satan and Roman cruelty – is very striking (of course she defeats the giant with Christ’s help and is crowned victor).
I know that on the day of her martyrdom, she and her servant girl St Felicity entered the arena together naked. Perhaps they chose to do this to shame the crowd (as a protest against the barbarity of the games and of Roman power). Felicity had just had a baby herself and was lactating - and this did indeed shame the crowd; both martyrs had to be clothed for their ordeal at the crowds demand.
The last astonishing detail I know of is that when Perpetua was tethered to a stake and the beast made its first onslaught, her hair fell down freely over her shoulders. She defiantly secured her it again with a pin – because for a Roman matron wearing your hair down was a sign of mourning, not appropriate for Perpetua on her day of triumph.
I think we can say ‘peace brave soul – you will rise in glory’.
Blessings
Dick