Oxford University Press Perpetua's Passions: Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Passio Perpetuae et Felicitatis

Perpetua's Passions is a collection of studies about Perpetua, a young female Christian martyr who was executed in 203 AD. Like her spiritual guide, Saturus, Perpetua left a diary, and a few years after their deaths a fellow Christian collected these writings and supplied them with an introduction and epilogue: the so-called Passion of Perpetua. The result is one of the most fascinating and enigmatic works of antiquity, which the present volume examines from a wide range of perspectives: literary, narratological, historical, religious, psychological, and philosophical viewpoints follow upon a newly edited text and English translation (by Joseph Farrell and Craig Williams). This innovative treatment by a number of distinguished scholars not only complements its unique subject, but constitutes a kind of laboratory of new approaches to ancient texts. Review All participants evidently took their brief with utmost seriousness, producing a rich and suggestive set of close engagements, demonstrating just how creative 'multidisciplinarity' can be. ― Judith Lieu, Ecclesiastical History. Vol. 64.2 Readers will find individual chapters engaging and thought-provoking ― L. Stephanie Cobb, Bryn Mawr Classical Review a treasure trove of diverse, intelligent and exciting comment on one of the slipperiest but most rewarding texts of antiquity. Its greatest value is in the capacity for sudden gems of insight from all angles. The skill, range and open-mindedness of its contributors mean this is a volume guaranteed to be evocative for any interested reader ― James Corke-Webster, sehepunkte About the Author Jan N. Bremmer is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Groningen. Marco Formisano is Research Fellow at Humboldt-Universitat, Berlin.