St Peter’s Anglican Church

St Perpetua and her Companions - March 7

Martyrs at Carthage

Vibia Perpetua, a young married woman of good family, her personal slave Felicity, and three other young Christians, were executed by being thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre in Carthage in March 203. In many respects they represent a sharp confrontation between the old Roman paganism and Christianity as it emerged on the world scene.

Under the emperor Septimius Severus (193-211), the Roman Empire reached its zenith, with relative prosperity and the vulgarity that often accompanies such success. A significant symbol of loyalty to the empire was the celebration of the imperial cult, often vigorously encouraged by the emperors themselves. The state found Christians disturbingly non-conformist...
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