Perpetua's Journey: Faith, Gender, and Power in the Roman Empire

by Jennifer A. Rea, Liz Clarke

Examining issues of power, gender, and religion in the ancient world, Perpetua's Journey: Faith, Gender, and Power in the Roman Empire is a graphic history set in Roman Africa in 203 CE that tells the story of the Christian martyr Perpetua.

The Passio Sanctarum Perpetuae et Felicitatis, also known as The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, is the first extant diary authored by a Christian woman. Vibia Perpetua was a young mother who lived in Roman Africa and, at the age of twenty-two, chose to publicly proclaim her Christian faith. She died as a result of her actions, though she did not die alone; she was part of a group of Christian martyrs, including several slaves, who were placed in prison and then executed in Carthage during the birthday celebrations of Emperor Septimius Severus's son in 203 CE. Perpetua's diary contains her account of the days leading up to her martyrdom.

Perpetua's Journey occupies a space between the many works designed primarily for specialists and advanced scholars, who already know a great deal about Perpetua and the history of the Roman Empire, and lives of saints that are intended for general readers. Perpetua's Journey is unique because it combines both sequential art and historical and social commentary, and it places Perpetua's diary in the context of life in Roman North Africa in 203 CE.

Genres: History, Religion, Graphic Novels, Gender, Comics

232 pages, Paperback

Published July 17, 2017

Reviews

[Ava]

As a Catholic, I've always loved St. Perpetua
ever since I first met her, and this book presented a very interesting representation.
It has some beautiful illustrations and interesting facts. Some of them I didn't exactly agree with, but it was fun to learn. I would recommend this if you are interested and want to know more about the early Church.

[Melody Schwarting]

Perpetua's Journey vividly imagines the Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas in the form of a graphic novel, with supplementary scholarship and a new translation of the full text. I can't recommend this highly enough, to all readers, especially non-academics. Perpetua's Journey expects a basic familiarity with Christianity and antiquity, but explains enough to satisfy the beginner; it's not intended to be a high-falutin' secondary resource for academics, but an introductory book on the Passion. After the graphic novel, there's a portion that explains the Roman world of the text, the new translation of the Latin text, and explanatory notes.

Because I've been digging into the Passion lately, my standards for the graphic novel were very high, but I did not dare to hope that my expectations would be met--even exceeded!--by this excellent book. The detail!!! Rea and Clarke* had a collaborative relationship, sharing visual primary resources to create the world of Perpetua and Felicitas. It shows, so, so beautifully.

- The womens' hair is done properly, in accurate hairstyles, except when appropriate (baptism, when Perpetua's hairdo comes down in the arena)
- The. Visions. Were. Splendid. I can't speak highly enough of how well they were drawn, how respectfully yet vividly Clarke imagined them! Full of symbols, too, ones that were meaningful to society in that era even if they weren't mentioned in the text (e. g., peacocks in paradise symbolizing eternal life)
- Perpetua's vision of fighting the gladiator (when she "became a man" yet still called herself "she" and was called "daughter") was pictured so responsibly and wonderfully. For anyone who has trouble understanding that part of the text, I highly recommend looking at this to understand it better.
- The glory of the martyrs is so evident on their faces at key moments, it brought me to tears
- Perpetua and Felicitas look like real women, especially like real mothers

I could go on and on and on. Anything I had a minor quibble with (such as the portrayal of baptism) was explained in the final portions of the book. Based on other literature, I'm of the opinion that the catechumens' baptism was full nude immersion, which was the norm at the time. The text shows Perpetua's upper arm and head, with hair down, being touched by a dripping finger. She can be interpreted as naked, and perhaps the finger is making the sign of the cross over her after dunking. Or, she could be clothed and receiving a sprinkling of water. Since she was under house arrest at the time, it's reasonable to assume the normal form of baptism could not be practiced anyway.

Heartily recommended to anyone who wants to learn more about Perpetua and Felicitas and to anyone interested in religious graphic novels. I would like many, many more books like this, please, OUP and other publishers. Eager to add this one to my shelves someday.

Content warnings: while the Passion itself is very violent, I'd rate this around PG-13. No nudity is shown, and the violence is bloody, but not gory. High schoolers would likely get a lot from this book, though it seems to be intended for college students.

*Liz Clarke is a South African graphic novelist, and not the late, great Elizabeth Clark of early Christian studies fame.

[Danyuhl Mackuh]

I read this book for my university Ancient Greece and Rome history class. I appreciated the graphic adaption of the historical text, and although I am normally not a huge fan of comics, I found the images to be well-drawn and very effective at conveying Perpetua's historical surroundings and visions. In this particular case, I found the graphic adaption made the historical text much easier to understand and appreciate, helping me overcome what is hardest for me - especially when it comes to ancient documents - which is to remember that the author and characters were real human beings who had emotions and thoughts like myself. I finish this short graphic novel with a deeper appreciation for Perpetua and am horrified at the thought of dying in the mouth of wild beasts while thousands cheered for my death.

Also, the historical and social background provided at the back of the book was very approachable and exceptionally thorough, and I think anyone could learn a lot about the historical circumstances of the Roman Empire by attentively reading through them.

[Courtney B]

3.5. I learned a lot about the ancient world from the academic text portion of the book and loved reading the Passio in its entirety. Having named one of my daughters after Saints Felicity and Perpetua, this will certainly be a book that stays on the shelf as she gets old enough to handle the content.

The scholar in me is fine with the footnotes that somehow have to justify that Perpetua existed, what a martyr is etc. while the trad Catholic in me balks a bit. It is rare to read a book that pulls at both sides of my identity. I would probably recommend to both scholars and Catholics with minor caveats.

As for the graphic novel portion, I liked the art but thought it could have been executed better. It was a bit odd to read the primary source and then see it directly repeated in art form. I think the authors could have simply integrated the story into the art, as a traditional comic would, especially given that we have significant analysis of the text and the text itself later in the volume.

[Brett Folkman]

I found Perpetua's story fascinating on so many levels. When the book arrived, I didn't know what to think about the Graphic History - or "comic book" style presentation that accompanied the historic chapters. But I found I grew to really enjoy the visual content of the story and Liz Clarke did an amazing job with her presentation. It actaully added substantially to trying to understand Perpetua's experience and those who suffered martyrdom with her. What a powerful example Perpetua is of a female Christian Saint and martyr, I studied many lives of the the female mystics and Perpetua's life is nothing short of miraculous. There is much for the modern reader to glean from Perpetua's faith, dedication, charity and example. Highly Recommend!

Brett Folkman, Doctor of Ministry

[Logan]

Overall i'm glad my professor assigned me to read Perpetua's Journey: Faith, Gender, and Power in the Roman Empire by Jennifer A. Rea. I would've never picked It up on my own, but I enjoyed the read. The use of visions in the comic made it enjoyable due to being able to put a picture to the words they are describing. At times the dialogue confused me and I had a hard time remembering characters, but the overall story and how it was laid out kept me reading. I felt there was a lot of repetition between the conversations of characters, and what was laid out on a whole page before. Perpetua's journey needed to be shared so this comic has great purpose.

[Tina]

This book tells the story of Perpetua in a comic book-like format and I love it. It made it interesting and the visuals helped when you read things that you can’t exactly picture in your head which happens a lot when reading historical pieces. Reading this was like reading a fun story or comic book out of enjoyment, not just because it was assigned by my professor. I never would have picked it up, and I did not want to start reading it for my class assignment. Once i started, I finished it all in one sitting. Makes learning history more entertaining.

[Crystal R]

Perpetua's Journey: Faith, Gender, and Power in the Roman Empire, speaks about religion, age and gender reformation is the Roman Empire. It's about a Christian woman to keep a diary of the events that led up her martyrdom in The Roman Empire. The book combines a graphic narrative with historical and social commentary that explores the female perspective on the relationship between gender and power in the Roman world. It's a great book to read, and it teaches you about how far you'll go to honor your religion, in a world that didn't accept it especially being a woman in that time.

[Angelica Golebiewski]

The graphic novel portion to Perpetua's Journey was a really easy read and I would really recommend it to someone who wants to learn about the spread of Christianity and the empowerment of women. The graphic novel portion told them story in detail. Perpetua can be viewed as either a hero or as very selfish depending on how the reader responds to the story. The only downfall was some may get confused with the way the pictures line up and who said what.

[Hershley Bertrand]

I enjoyed reading "Perpetua's Journey Faith, Gender, and Power in the Roman Empire." Not only was Perpetua a loving sister and a daughter she was a mother. Perpetua was important to many and every decision she's made greatly impacted them. It takes great courage to go against roman rule and be willing to accept the consequences that come with it.

[Josh42]

Fun format and thorough contextual research that doesn't stray too far from main subject. I might have liked a bit more content on various interpretations of the visions. But if you're looking for an idea of feminism and faith in the midst of adversity in imperial Rome, this is at least a very solid introduction.

[LeeAnn]

Utilizing historical documents and graphic novel artistry, the authors of this book have a lot going on. Part historical memoir, part textbook, part graphic novel, this book has a strong message. It has a mix of facts and commentary that will draw in those who are curious and keep those who are serious.

[Kendall Wienecke]

The commentary in this book was insightful-- specifically helpful to me regarding modern adaptation and for making connections between Early Christianity and religious queerness (see Perpetua turning into a man, maintaining female pronouns). The comic, however, is not necessarily clear if you haven't read the translation already. Good illustrations.

[Rachel Williams]

This is my first experience reading a graphic history book, and I really enjoyed it! The illustrations were gorgeous and evocative, and the essays of historical context afterwards were really helpful as well. Perpetua isn't a martyr that I've heard of before, but her story was moving. It's interesting to take a look at what feminine strength and resilience would look like during this time.

[Cappy]

I can't say enough good things about the format of this book. Primary source, commentary, graphic depiction, footnotes, bibliography, appendices - it's not hard to imagine a world where this becomes the standard way of telling and teaching history.

[Alexia Allagreen]

got into a very heated religious debate in class over this book. 10/10 would read again and the guy who sat in front of me in ST: Ancient Rome if you're reading this not everything is mystical, there could be other explanations for her seeing things

[Elizabeth]

I love it

[Mary Foxe]

Skimmed

[Kevin Nobel]

Great resource for an introduction to her story and to the late Roman empire. Would recommend for a middle schooler

[Jean Kelly]

An unusual format, but illustrations bring the incredible life and faith of this singular holy woman, alive. Historical context enhances, with scholarship, maps, and timelines

[Galina Krasskova]

excellent commentary

[Briana Grenert]

Gift from Professor Conybeare; very interesting!