The Passio Perpetuae in the Labyrinth of Ancient and Modern Literature [Review]

0554032 - FLÚ 2022 RIV CZ eng R - Book Review
Kitzler, Petr
The Passio Perpetuae in the Labyrinth of Ancient and Modern Literature [Review].
[COBB, L.S., ed.: The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity in Late Antiquity. Oakland (Ca.): University of California Press, 2021. ISBN 978-0-520-37903-9]. Eirene. Filosofický ústav AV ČR, v. v. i. Roč. 57, 1/2 (2021), s. 394-399. ISSN 0046-1628
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-02741S
Institutional support: RVO:67985955
Keywords : early Christian literature * martyrdom * hagiography * cult of saints * Passio Perpetuae
OECD category: Religious studies
Method of publishing: Metadata only

This review essay is dedicated to the English written collection of all extant textual and material evidence relating to the famous martyr text, the Passio Perpetuae, in late Antiquity. While noting some minor imperfections and suggesting a couple of improvements, the book is assessed in a positive way: by bringing together the later textual evidence of Perpetua in original languages with accompanying English translations, the book supersedes the hitherto best collection of testimonia of the Passio Perpetuae, and since it also features all of the extant versions of the Perpetua martyrdom account itself, the reader can, first-hand, follow the fascinating interpretative path from the pre-text to its later adaptations, reinterpretations and appropriations, to unravel Perpetua’s dynamically changing picture in the cultural memory.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0328721