A useful volume for students and non-specialists interested in exploring arguably the most famous early martyr narrative from Late Antiquity. The editors and the contributors should be commended for their efforts to enable students and teachers of these texts to situate them not only in their own historical context, but also in the broader context of the development of the Christian theological and literary tradition.

The Catholic Historical Review

This volume of essays throws open a window onto the ancient Roman world, where we see two brave women and their companions, armed with the light of Christ, break through walls of class and gender to disarm “principalities and powers” (Col 2:15). The authors root real spiritual insight in academic rigor.

Peter A. Heasley, Saint Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie

This book brings a fresh new look to Perpetua’s texts. First, it offers accessible new translations of the accounts of the martyrdom. Second, it features seven essays that analyze the texts from various perspectives from philosophy to psychology and many other fields in between. These essays offer interdisciplinary views while also looking at the contemporary relevance of the texts. This book is a welcome addition to studies of Perpetua’s famous experience.

Joyce E. Salisbury, professor emerita, author of Perpetua's Passion: Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman

This volume of essays offers a satisfying range of fresh perspectives on a rich and fascinating text. By devoting particular attention to the Passion’s Greco-Roman context, its theological implications, and its relationship to current events, this welcome contribution advances our understanding of martyrdom’s significance in the early Church and beyond.

Katherine E. Milco, assistant professor of classics and early Christian studies, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology

This volume offers a new translation of The Passion of Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity and a number of impressive essays dealing with a variety of perspectives on this early African patristic text. It is an invaluable and readable resource for a number of audiences who seek new understandings of this martyrdom and the development of the early church. Future scholarship on this subject will be in its debt.

William G. Rusch, formerly faculty of The Divinity School, Yale University

This volume offers not only fresh translations of the accounts of the martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity. It also contains valuable essays which contextualize events around and after the martyrdom which illuminate its enduring significance.

Kenneth J. Howell, Director of the Eucharist Project and formerly Director of the Institute of Catholic Thought at the University of Illinois