On this episode of The Alabaster Jar, Dr. Lynn Cohick and Sareen Musselman talk with Taylor Yoder and Sam Cho about the martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas, two Christian Saints who were martyred in the Roman Empire in 203 AD. The conversation covers the historical context of their lives and deaths as well as discusses the theological themes around motherhood, embodiment, and finding strength in the stories of the saints.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 – Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas
5:02 – Perpetua's visions and motherhood
10:06 – Martyrdom, motherhood, and grief
14:57 – Early Christian martyrs' embodiment of resurrection hope
21:00 – Parenting and identity through the lens of early Christian martyrs
25:53 – Ancient Christian martyrdom and its relevance to modern faith
31:06 – Early Christian women's stories and legacies

Episode Resources:

Christian Women in the Patristic World: Their Influence, Authority, and Legacy in the Second through Fifth Centuries by Dr. Lynn H. Cohick and Dr. Amy Brown Hughes

The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor by Kaitlyn Schiess

The Confessions of Saint Augustine

Visual Museum of Women in Christianity

Episode Sponsor:

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology. Learn more about The Center for Women in Leadership by going to: https://www.leadershipwithoutapology.org/.