What type of study is this?

This is a Literature Review study.

September 10, 2025

Passio Perpetuae Et Felicitatis and the “New Prophecy” Movement at the Turn of the 2nd - 3rd Centuries

Key Points

The passion narrative illustrates the tension over new revelations within early Christian communities, emphasizing distinct practices and beliefs.
Contrary to prior assumptions, the work shows no significant connections to Montanism, despite shared themes of visions and martyrdom.
The analysis examines the widespread characteristics of Christian eschatology and the important roles of women across various communities.
Evident in North Africa, features like glorification of martyrdom and regard for prophecies were common in the 2nd – 3rd centuries.

Abstract

In the early Christian text “The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity” we can see the traces of polemic among Christians of the 2nd – 3rd centuries about the possibility and significance of new revelations of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, there is a widespread opinion among scholars that this martyrdom containing the descriptions of divine visions has been influenced by the “New Prophecy” movement – the so-called “Montanism”. The adherents of this movement honored new prophets who could receive new revelations of the Spirit more than members of the emerging church hierarchy, believed that the imminent end of the world was near, and demanded a strict and rigorous lifestyle from their followers. However, the paper shows that the visions of the martyrs Perpetua and Saturus do not resemble the ecstatic prophecies of the priest Montanus and his companions from Asia Minor, and the content of “The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity” does not show any other specific signs of this early Christian movement. The glorification of martyrdom, the great interest in eschatology, the high importance of women in the community, and the profound attention to visions and prophecies can be regarded as common features that were characteristic of many Christian communities in the 2nd – 3rd centuries and were especially evident in North Africa

Ask AI

Helpful

Bookmark