Perpetua
The Woman, the Martyr
$35.98
- Hardcover
208 pages
- Release Date
18 October 2025
Summary
An intimate and human portrait of Perpetua, a third-century woman author who was idealized as a Christian martyr
On March 7, 203, in the monumental amphitheater at Carthage, Vibia Perpetua was one of five Christians who met their deaths after refusing to venerate the Roman emperor Septimius Severus and his son. Perpetua stood out from the other four, and in fact from all the other martyrs of her era and before: she was an aristocratic married woman with an infant son,…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780300273717 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0300273711 |
| Author: | Sarah Ruden |
| Publisher: | Yale University Press |
| Imprint: | Yale University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 208 |
| Release Date: | 18 October 2025 |
| Weight: | 398g |
| Dimensions: | 216mm x 140mm |
| Series: | Ancient Lives |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
“[Ruden’s] fresh, engaging translation of the Perpetua dossier captures the nuances of the Latin with remarkable skill. She has an eye for fine but crucial distinctions of meaning. It is a pleasure to read something with such a sensitive guide.”—George Woudhuysen, Wall Street Journal
“Sarah Ruden does justice to Perpetua’s remarkable prison diary in a way that few writers could. Ruden is one of our outstanding translators of ancient literature, and this lively and fascinating study draws on a rich understanding of Perpetua’s imaginative landscape.”—Kate Cooper, author of Queens of a Fallen World
About The Author
Sarah Ruden
Sarah Ruden is an award-winning classics scholar, a poet, and a writer on religion and culture. She is the author of Vergil: The Poet’s Life and numerous translations of Greek and Roman works. She lives in Hamden, CT.
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