"Possibly such a woman could not have been slain unless she herself had willed it, because she was feared by the impure spirit."

This is the first-hand account of the events leading up to and including the martyrdom of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, documented by Perpetua herself while in prison. Alongside her testimony is another text written by one of her companions, Saturus, as well as an eyewitness account of the executions themselves.

Originally written in Latin, the document is considered to have been at least edited by Tertullian, though whether he composed the narrator portions himself or not remains unknown.

Additional narration provided by Karina Majewski.

Links

Full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1678&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2097575#

Way of the Fathers Ep. 15—Perpetua: A Rare Female Voice from Antiquity https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/perpetua-rare-female-voice-from-antiquity/

Catholic Culture Audiobooks: The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/martyrdom-st-polycarp/

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Theme music: "2 Part Invention", composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.