The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity

Research Paper Instructions:

Research Paper | The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity

Basic Guidelines

Value: 300 points (30% of the overall grade)

Due Date

Format of the Paper: 12-point font, Times New Roman, double-spaced, name on top of the first page.

Length: 5–6 pages.

Learning Objective: To encourage students to engage in analysis of a historical document in the Early Christian tradition by integrating one or more scholarly writings (as provided by the instructor) in advancing a focused assessment of The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity. By engaging in a careful reading of excerpts from The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, students will – to one extent or another – explore the role of gender in this well-known historical document. The question of gender with all of its contestations and possibilities is a perennial one throughout religious traditions discussed in this course. This research and writing assignment, in part, is intended to create space for students to reflect upon how gender is written into, negotiated, problematized and transcended within this classic text from the Early Christian tradition.

Primary Source Document: The Primary Source Document, which includes an introduction, guided reading questions, and excerpts from The Martyrdom of Perpetua along with explanatory footnotes, will be provided as a separate document, titled: Martyrdom of Perpetua_Primary Source Document.

Expectations for the Writing of the Essay: Essays will be evaluated with these 4 expectations in mind:

Focus of the Essay: Essay should have a focal point that is clearly defined in the opening paragraph and then elaborated upon and analyzed throughout the essay. So, first thing you need, is a topic, theme, issue, particular biblical passage which you would like to focus on for 5–6 pages.

Synthesize 1–2 Scholarly Secondary Sources: Essay should be enriched and deepened by including 1–2 secondary sources on The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity. You should explore the secondary sources provided by the instructor and choose 1–2 of the scholars as conversation partners throughout the essay. You should integrate and synthesize scholarship in a constructive manner that builds upon scholarship, in a cogent (demonstrate clear understanding of scholars) and cohesive (use sources in seamless manner) way.

Analysis with Description/Summary: Part of the essay will be descriptive meaning the essay will recount parts of The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity. In addition to describing and summarizing key moments, the essay needs to include analysis of the primary source document (= The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity), which means, you should strive to bring your interpretive voice, reflections, questions and arguments alongside the descriptions and summary portions of the essay.

Grammar, Mechanics, Structure and Prose: The essay should be edited so that it is free of grammar spelling and punctuation errors. The essay should have clear structure, including: (1) an introduction that clearly establishes what the focal point of the essay will be (the more focused your essay is on a particular issue, and/or biblical passage, etc., usually means the better the essay will be); (2) well-defined paragraphs (which means having clear topic sentences for each paragraph); (3) the writing style should be clear and straightforward (avoid unnecessary words, generalizations, and using the same words and phrases repeatedly).

Citation of Sources: When citing a source, include the last name of the author and page number in parenthesis after the sentence(s) that warrant citation. Her is an example of how to cite sources within the essay:

In her reassessment, Dunn argues that Perpetua affirms and transcends gendered expectations in her martyrdom by identifying with the suffering of Jesus Christ. (Dunn, p. 202).

Bibliography: Provide the full bibliographic details for the secondary sources cited at the end of your essay. See examples below for the proper way to cite secondary sources at the end of your essay. Also, take a look at the pattern followed in the citation of the journal articles in the last section of this document titled “Themes and Secondary Sources.” I have highlighted/coded each part that belongs in the three types of sources usually cited: books, journal articles and book chapters.

Research Paper Sample Content Preview:

The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity
Student’s Name
Class
Date
The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity
The martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity is one of the early church's accounts of Christian martyrs who lived during the sporadic arrest, trial, and persecution of early Christians. The document narrates the story of Saint Perpetua, a noble young woman, and her servant, Felicity, who were martyred in 203 under the rule of Emperor Septimus Severus (The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, p. 1). The two women resisted the impossibly intense pressure to renounce their faith, choosing death than turning their back on God. They were part of a group of five catechumens arrested in Carthage for their faith. At the time of their arrest, Perpetua was a well-educated woman with an infant son, while Felicity was a pregnant enslaved person (The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, p. 1). Despite the obstacles, they continued to fight for their beliefs. Early Christians preserved the memories of the respected martyrs in the narrative accounts, which they crafted to encourage Christians to maintain their faith regardless of rejections and possible persecutions.
This document reflects women's unique roles and values during the third century and their desires to enter martyrdom, similar to men who have followed this experience for centuries. It emphasizes how some shifts in gender occurred for specific reasons. Gender roles have played a significant role in society since the beginning of written history, and it would be hard to transcend the particular gender roles in third-century Roman society. However, the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity manages disregards this view. The story shows how women took a traditionally masculine role on several occasions. From the account, the reader can see how the female martyr’s courage, in many instances, shifts them from being perceived as a woman to being on a man’s level. The uniqueness and significance of this document is that it is partly written by a Christian woman who experiences suffering and hardships.
From the beginning, women were perceived as weak, unable to perform similar duties as men. Livy’s mythical Rome creation account involved Sabine’s’ rape, whereby Emperor Romulus forcibly removed women from surrounding areas hoping to bear legitimate Roman citizens. Scholer contends that women were passive vessels for transforming citizenship biologically (Scholer, p. 12).Women were given little respect as capable individuals. Perpetua seemed to uproot these precedents. One of the first gender shifts is seen between Perpetua and her father. Perpetua’s father demonstrated how easy it is to reverse the roles. He was extremely frustrated and concerned while attempting to convince Perpetua to renounce her faith (The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, p. 2).
According to Perpetua, his father’s reaction indicated that he was making a switch in his masculine role. Rather than remaining steadfast and firm, her father feared that Perpetua would lose her life if she maintained her faith. Ironically, Perpetua’s bravery could be seen in her more than in her father, a man who society expected to face difficulties. Although Perpetua’s father admired her courage, he feared the consequences due to the sporadic persecution of Christians at the time. In this instance, Perpetua took a muscular while his father took a feminine role. In his article, Scholer mentioned that women could still look beautiful on the outside but lay a man's thoughts on the inside through words and physical actions (Scholer, p. 13). Scholer’s perception demonstrates a shift in gender roles described in the relationship between Perpetua and her father.
During Perpetua’s time in prison, she had various visions. In her final vision in a dream, she described a scene where she was brought out to an amphitheater getting ready for a war with an Egyptian. In that vision, Perpetua was brought up into an open, prepared to tackle her rival. Surprisingly, the vision shifted, and Perpetua was transformed into a ma...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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