About this episode

This episode explores the lives and faith of Perpetua and Felicity, two female martyrs from AD 203, through their prison diary and historical context.

What would you do if following Christ meant losing everything?In AD 203, two women from completely different backgrounds stood side by side in the Roman city of Carthage. Perpetua was a young noblewoman and new mother. Felicity was an enslaved woman who was eight months pregnant. Arrested for their Christian faith, they refused to deny Christ, even when faced with imprisonment, separation from their families, and ultimately death in the arena.In this episode of FACTS with Stephen Boyce and Pat May, we explore one of the earliest and most remarkable documents in Christian history—the Passion of Perpetua and Felicity. Part prison diary, part eyewitness account, this ancient text gives us a rare glimpse into the lives, faith, and courage of two women whose witness has inspired Christians for nearly eighteen centuries.We’ll examine the historical setting of Roman North Africa, the persecution under Emperor Septimius Severus, Perpetua’s emotional encounters with her father, Felicity’s childbirth in prison, the visions recorded in the diary, their trial before the governor, and the powerful legacy they left behind. We’ll also discuss what their story reveals about the early Church…

People in this episode

Host: Stephen Boyce

Guest: Pat May

Topics covered

• Christian martyrs
• faith and courage
• historical accounts
• early Church
• persecution
• women in history

Keywords

• Perpetua
• Felicity
• Christianity
• martyrdom
• Carthage
• early Church
• faith
• prison diary
• historical documents

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Roman Canon, Emperor Septimius Severus

Places: Carthage

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• Mary Had a Little Lamb—And He Takes Away the Sin of the World · June 20, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Women’s Orders: Why the SBC is Correct—But Can’t Defend It · June 14, 2026 · 1h 12m

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