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Rhetoric of Martyrs: Listening to Saints Perpetua and Felicitas
- Journal of Early Christian Studies
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 14, Number 3, Fall 2006
- pp. 283-327
- 10.1353/earl.2006.0052
- Article
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The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas has often been read as a factual account of early Christian martyrs. Without denying its historicity, I nonetheless reconsider this important narrative in light of its own emphases on rhetorical sophistication and contemporary Christian education. Reviewing the literary work as a whole, rather than preferring "authentic" sections attributed to Perpetua, I find an inherent sense of logic guided by oratorical notions. Sequential, progressive, beautifully argued, the Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas is not only about rhetorical contests but is itself a subtle and intriguing rhetorical work that rewards attentive reading.