Passion Of Perpetua Research Articles

The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity by Thomas J. Heffernan (review)

The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity by Thomas J. Heffernan (review)

‘I, Who Knew that I was Privileged to Converse with the Lord…’: Christian Women and Religious Authority in Third-Century North Africa

This article considers the authority of female confessors in the early church. Beginning with a discussion of the role of Perpetua as portrayed in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas, it then places the evidence relating to Perpetua in the context of the correspondence of Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage during the Decian persecution, fifty years later. It concludes that female confessors could and did exercise authority, and that they were considered capable of granting absolution. However, in North Africa, the authority of female confessors seems to have been distinct from that of deacons and presbyters.

Flesh Made Word: Saints' Stories and the Western Imagination (review)

Reviewed by: Flesh Made Word: Saints' Stories and the Western Imagination Virginia Burrus (bio) Aviad Kleinberg. Flesh Made Word: Saints' Stories and the Western Imagination. Jane Marie Todd. Cambridge: Belknap/Harvard UP, 2008. 340 pp. ISBN 978-06740-2647-6, $29.95. The quintessentially Christian biographical genre known as the Lives of Saints has not lacked scholarly attention in recent decades. Indeed, prevailing interests in gender, sexuality, asceticism, narrative, and popular piety have made hagiography a hot topic for an entire generation of cultural and literary historians of Christianity. Aviad Kleinberg's recent book, Flesh Made Word, does not directly engage that scholarly conversation, but instead seeks to reach a broader audience. A Professor of History at Tel Aviv University and a specialist in the medieval period, Kleinberg has published earlier on a closely related topic—Prophets in Their Own Country: Living Saints and the Making of Sainthood in the Later Middle Ages (Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1992), and more recently, Flesh Made Word has been joined by another popularizing work issued [End Page 516] by Harvard University's Belknap Press, Seven Deadly Sins: A Very Partial List, translated by Susan Emanuel (2008). Saints' stories, argues Kleinberg, are powerful sites of cultural memory, imagination, and creativity; they may tell us far more about the religious experiences and aspirations of pre-modern Christians than can be gleaned from theological treatises, canon law, or even liturgical texts. The celebrities of their day, saints take the stage in narratives that are shaped, and reshaped, by the needs and desires of their audiences. This process unfolds within the tension not only between popular religiosity and the ecclesial hierarchy, but also between the lure of the exotic and the desire for conformity. Admittedly, saints' stories can be used by the elite to manipulate the masses, but the elite cannot control how the stories are interpreted or retold, nor is the elite itself a monolith. The ambiguity and ambivalence seemingly inherent in hagiography renders it productively malleable and unstable, capable of conveying "experiences and feelings as conflict-ridden and contradictory as life itself is," concludes Kleinberg (297). The book is comprised of twelve fairly easily digestible chapters, framed by an introduction and concluding reflections. In the introduction, Kleinberg, who professes himself "a skeptic by nature," recounts an experience he had while viewing Mother Teresa on television: "I believed her." As he represents it, the momentary overcoming of his own "usual cynicism" opens a window onto the world of medieval Christians, for whom faith was a necessity and life without saints unimaginable: "the saint offered a window of hope, a consolation, and an antidote" (ix–x). In the first chapter, Kleinberg briefly extends his introductory musings on the nature of sainthood, emphasizing "charisma" as a potentially subversive, socially constituted phenomenon. Seven subsequent chapters focus on Mediterranean antiquity, interleaving broad historical discussions with readings of particular texts. An initial overview of the history of Christianity in the Roman period emphasizes martyrdom and the rise of the cult of the saints (chapter two), thereby setting up discussion of a well known early third-century martyrology, The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas (chapter three). An account of asceticism in the early church (chapter four) is followed by a reading of the fourth-century Life of Antony, generally lauded as the first Christian biography (chapter five). Further reflection on the social role of the ascetic saint (chapter six) is followed by readings of two more late ancient hagiographies—Jerome's Life of Paul (chapter seven) and Antonios's Life of Simeon the Stylite (chapter eight). The ninth chapter is an ambitious hinge essay, bridging the considerable gap between the fifth and thirteenth centuries: it covers the development of monasticism in the early medieval west, with emphasis on the growing rift between the monastic elite, who continued to [End Page 517] produce hagiographies, and the rest of the (less than thoroughly Christianized) population, for whom a saint's cult was far more important than his or her literary Life. It also traces the broad impact of the eleventh-century reform movements on both saints' cults and hagiography, leading up to the explosion of hagiographical literature in the thirteenth century. The last...

Perpetua

Perpetua was martyred with her fellow catechumens in Carthage in 203. Her story is told in the Passion of Perpetua and Felicity , a composite document made up of Perpetua's prison diary, her catechist Saturus' account of his own dream, and a wraparound narrative describing the exemplary deaths of the whole group. The writing illustrates the pouring out of the Spirit on young men and women, slaves male and female, and youngsters and elders (cf. Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17—18). It may have Montanist connections, though these should not be overstated.

The New Prophecy & “New Visions”: Evidence of Montanism in “The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas” ‐ by Rex D. Butler

<i>The New Prophecy &amp; “New Visions”: Evidence of Montanism in “The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas”</i> ‐ by Rex D. Butler

The New Prophecy &amp; "New Visions": Evidence of Montanism in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas (review)

Reviewed by: The New Prophecy & "New Visions": Evidence of Montanism in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas Maureen A. Tilley The New Prophecy & "New Visions": Evidence of Montanism in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas. By Rex D. Butler. [Patristic Monograph Series, 18.] (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press. 2006. Pp. xx, 211. $44.95 paperback.) The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas is, for good reason, a fascinating document. This early third-century document contains the diary of an early North African Christian woman marty—the first such surviving writing—supplemented by a firsthand account of one of her male companions in prison, both enfolded into a larger editorial framework. Its dating and the vitality of the accounts make it a real treasure. Its influence on other martyrdoms such as The Passion of Marian and James is unmistakable. In the history of scholarship of this document, the question of the identity of the editor has long been raised. Many commentators hoped to prove that the editor was Tertullian. Attributing it to a famous person whom history already knows seems to anchor the document more securely in literary and religious history. Locating it in his "Montantist" period raises the hopes of some iconoclasts and modern Pentecostals who wish to claim her as their own and the hackles of those who seek to rescue Perpetua for an orthodox narrative of African Christianity. Most scholars deny a secure identity to the editor of the document or at least that it was Tertullian. Without assigning a personal identity to the editor, Rex D. Butler revives the question of the Montanist sympathies of the entire document. This volume represents a revision [End Page 320] of Butler's dissertation directed by James T. Spivey, Jr., at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The central thesis of the book is that "the Passion evinced Montanist influence throughout all its sections" (p. 2). Butler's first chapter surveys the characteristics of Montanism, based heavily on Eusebius and nineteenth-century scholarship, but conspicuously lacking direct reference to securely identified Montantist materials—though Labriolle and Tabbernee do figure in his bibliography. The second chapter collects arguments on the identity of the author but breaks no new ground. Butler accepts Tertullian as editor but rightly grants that this is not essential to his argument; merely the Montanist identity of the editor suffices. Chapter 3 examines the Passion for evidence of Montanism, specifically "prophecy, women's authority, eschatological expectation, rigorism and the exaltation of martyrdom" (p. 2). What makes Butler's reading interesting, though not entirely convincing, is his careful attention to currents and texts influential in Africa which influence the Passion and may link it to Montanism. This part of the book is weakened by his failure to distinguish "Montanist" characteristics from the distinguishing marks of North African Christianity generally. With the exception of women's leadership, his "Montanist" characteristics represent all of the strands of African Christianity from its origins to Augustine. He never proves a "schism" in Africa, although schism is vital to his analysis (e.g., p. 105). His overreaching conclusions, e.g., the Passio as warranting a belief in the treasury of merits (p. 131), and Perpetua as mediator between Montantists and Artotyrites (p. 130) do not help his case. He fails to recognize that the actions in Perpetua's and Saturus's dream are dream material and not historical occurrences. Rather than mounting a convincing argument , Butler details copious evidence for possible literary influences on the Passion from Hermas to 4 Ezra. Original to Butler's work is his extensive attention in Chapter 4 to the history of the appropriation of and revisions of the Perpetua story to tame it and keep it out of the exclusive clutch of Montanist sympathizers, but even here he cannot maintain a clear distinction between Catholics and Montanists. Because of significant lapses in logic and failure to attend to detail, e.g., the slave Felicity as married and named as wife of Christ (p. 89), and overreliance on dubious secondary material, this book cannot be recommended. [End Page 321] Maureen A. Tilley Fordham University Copyright © 2008 The Catholic University of America Press

The New Prophecy and New Visions: Evidence of Montanism in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas (review)

The New Prophecy and New Visions: Evidence of Montanism in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas (review)

The New Prophecy and “New Visions”: Evidence of Montanism in the Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas – By Rex D. Butler

The New Prophecy and “New Visions”: Evidence of Montanism in the Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas – By Rex D. Butler

Perpetua's Husband

The identity of the husband of Vibia Perpetua, the young mother martyred at Carthage with her companions in 203 C.E. and immortalized in the Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas, 1 has remained a mystery. Perpetua is said to be about twenty-two years old, of the upper social stratum (honeste nata), with a baby son still being nursed. She has a surviving mother, father and two brothers (2), an aunt (5) plus a younger brother who died in childhood (7). She is arrested with two slaves, Revocatus and Felicitas, 2 and two others, Saturninus and Secundulus, of undetermined social status (2), and is baptized while under apparent house arrest and before being committed to prison (3). One of her brothers is like her a catechumen at the time of her arrest but is not himself arrested (20). Her mother, father, and brother are able to visit her in prison and for a while she is able to keep her baby with her (3). Her father, adamantly against her Christian commitment, takes the lead among family members in trying to dissuade her, admitting that she is his favorite child above her brothers (5, 6, 9). Finally, he takes the baby away and refuses to give him back to his daughter (6).

Hinduism and Mimetic Theory: A Response

HINDUISM AND MIMETIC THEORY: A RESPONSE Julia W. Shinnick Austin, Texas i: Introduction "would like to thankProfessor Clooney for his thorough presentation .ofthe enormously complex and layeredtreatment ofviolence within Hindu religious traditions. In his paper I found many aspects of Hinduism that directly engage the mimetic theory, and I hope that I can articulate some of these in such a way as to initiate discussion during the next hour or so this afternoon. As one of the so-called "Girardians," my first impression in response to Professor Clooney's paper is that the complexity of Hindu attitudes toward violence and sacrifice seem to indicate an awareness of the ritualization and control of violence, as developed over a very long period of time. I. Language of Avoidance/Denial: The Horse I would like to start with a small detail, but one which seems to me key to many larger issues in light of the mimetic theory: the ritual directions and prayers [1.1] in which the words "to kill" and "to die" are carefully avoided through the substitutions of such words as "he takes hold of and "he makes consent." I might add here also, that the avoidance ofusing "real" words for what is "really" being doneDkilling the animalDreminds me to some extent of the use of language by contemporary torturers as analyzed in the book The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking ofthe World by Elaine Scarry. Scarry argues that the language used by torturers avoids any acknowledg- Julia W. Shinnick141 ment of the real actions they are committing, as well as any acknowledgment of the very real pain they are causing their victims; furthermore, it is a dehumanizing language, referring to the victims as, for example, submarines, in one particular type of torture. This discrepancy between language and actual action is intriguing in both cases. Granted, the sacrificers in the Rg Veda do not deny that they are sacrificing the horse, and the "apology" (the words to the horseD"Do not let the axe linger in yourbody...") is not part ofan act oftorture, but the words have in common with Scarry's report a certain denial or avoidance of the reality of both the actions ofkilling and/orharming and the result ofthese actions, pain and/or death. Furthermore, the avoidance of the words "to kill" and "to die" would fit in with the mimetic theory's idea ofprohibiting the ritual from bringing actual facts of the founding murder to consciousness. II.Sacrificial Instructions The words addressed to the horse in the Rg Veda [I.l]and the instructions for the treatment of animals to be sacrificedO'The axe penetrates the thirty-four ribs of the swift horse...so that the limbs may be unperforated, and recapitulating, joint by joint "Dseem to me to intersect with the mimetic theory in terms of ritual sacrifice as a reenactment of the founding conflict. As I understand it, in the mimetic theory, one reason for careful, detailed ritual instructions and the sense ofgreatdangerin sacrifice (the sense that if the ritual is not carried out exactly and correctly, something horrible might happen) has to do with a non-conscious fear of unleashing the mimetic crisis all over again. I see aspects of this in the minutely detailed instructions to the priest such as the importance of leading the horse but not holding on to it, and the desire to pacify the animal to be sacrificed. These kinds of details are of course also present in other sacrifice rituals. For example, in Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman, Joyce Salisbury speaks of the simultaneous sacrifice of hundreds of children in ancient Carthage during the Punic Wars. The children had to be (appear) "willing" to be sacrificed. Ifthey cried out, the sacrifice was considered invalid. The parents also had to be (appear) "willing;" ifthe mother shed a tear, the sacrifice was invalid. Thus, immediately before the fatal knife thrust, the sacrificing parents would caress their children and tickle them to make them laugh. III.Violence and Kings According to James Williams in his introduction to chapter 6 of The 142Hinduism and Mimetic Theory: A Response Girard Reader, one of...

The Passion of Perpetua and the Development of Early Christian Afterlife*This article is the abbreviated, annotated version of the fourth of the six Read Tuckwell Lectures, which I had the privilege to deliver at the University of Bristol in May 1995 and which will appear in the near future under the title The Rise and Fall of the Afterlife. I

In this article it is shown that the outlines of the Christian view of the afterlife were already fully developed around AD 200 in the Passion ofPerpetua. The main focus of this view was heaven, whereas hell received much less attention. Some of the basic elements, such as heaven and the resurrection, derived from the New Testament, which, in turn, was influenced by contemporary Jewish traditions, especially by apocalypses. Others, such as the prominence of light and the soulbody opposition, derived from Greco-Roman traditions. Finally, a few ideas, such as the multitude of blessed and the affectionate relationship with Christ, were typically Christian. The main stimulus for the development of these ideas must have been the persecutions and discussions with heterodox traditions.

Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman

Introduction. 1. Rome: Home and Hearth, Empire and Emperor, Longing for the Divine 2. Carthage: The City, Life and Culture, Sacrifice and Suicide 3. Christian Community: Origins, Presence of the Divine, Christian Life, Confrontation with Authority 4. Prison: Prison and Trial, Dreams and Visions, The Confessors' Dreams, Final Preparations 5. The Arena: The Amphitheater, The Spectator, The Martyrs 6. Aftermath: Rome and Carthage, The Christian Community, Memory and the Text, Bibliography. Index.

Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman

Reviewed by: Perpetua’s Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman Michael Heintz Joyce E. Salisbury. Perpetua’s Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman. New York: Routledge, 1997. Pp. 228. $19.95 (paper). Salisbury examines martyrdom as a paradigm for understanding the conflict of cultures and ideas. She accomplishes this through a close reading of the Passio of Perpetua and her companions. The book is structured in “ever-narrowing” concentric circles of context: “Rome,” “Carthage,” and “The Christian Community” [End Page 304] make up the three chapters which form the first half of the book. Salisbury discusses Roman religion in the late second-century, with particular reference to the imperial cult of Septimius Severus. She treats the history and religious culture particular to Carthage, notably the recurring phenomena of human sacrifice and sacrificial suicide. She then describes how the unique claims of the nascent Christian communities would have attracted the attention of a young woman like Perpetua. In so doing, Salisbury paints a vivid picture of the young Roman matron from Carthage who embraces Christian faith. Chapters four and five are largely an interpretive essay on the text of the Passio in light of the context established in chapters 1–3. Salisbury offers her own reading of the text. She seems quite aware of the inherent ambiguities of historical reconstruction, and her insights are both tentative and reasonable. Salisbury draws on the recent work of Brent Shaw, J.B. Rives, and Patricia Cox Miller (among others), and while departing at times from their interpretation, she is never doctrinaire. It is, however, in her last chapter, “Aftermath,” in which she examines the nachleben of the Passio, that she is perhaps most open to criticism; this is necessarily the case, as it is here that she is most speculative. She relies largely on Augustine’s sermons on Perpetua, collected and edited earlier this century by W.H. Shewring, to demonstrate how the account was reinterpreted by Augustine (and others), due to their differing (and later) presuppositions. A number of names are misspelled: Antoninus Pius (16,39,40), Ederatus (42), Quintus (136), and Quodvultdeus (172 and passim); Lucian of Samosata is called “Lucius” on p. 32 (he is also given two distinct entries in the index). “Imminence” and “immanence” are used incorrectly (31 and 116, respectively). “Paschal” (72) and “pharaoh” (94 and 95) are also misspelled, and there is an obvious printing error involving the plural possessive of “martyrs” (168 and 170). Ignatius of Antioch wrote to a number of churches but not to the Corinthians (69), and Jacob of Voragine was a Dominican, not a Franciscan (91). Students of Augustine might find it curious to claim that he “was raised in the Roman religion” (9), and the suggestion that “he saw no incompatibility between Neoplatonism and Christian wisdom” (27) is too facile. Her bibliography is good, though apparently the book was already completed before she could take advantage of Jacqueline Amat’s critical edition of the Passio (Sources Chretiennes, 1996); she might also have benefitted from Christine Trevett’s careful sifting of the data regarding the New Prophecy (1996) and David Rankin’s nuanced discussion of Tertullian’s ecclesiology (1995). This relatively inexpensive book is attractively produced, and contains a number of illustrations (photographs, maps, drawings) which enrich the text; it also has both a bibliography and an index. Michael Heintz St. Matthew Cathedral, South Bend Copyright © 1999 The Johns Hopkins University Press

Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman

Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman

Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman. By Joyce E. Salisbury. New York: Routledge, 1997. 228 pp. $70.00 cloth; $19.99 paper.

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The World of the Early Christians By Joseph F. Kelly

726book reviews Batriq) and John of Nikiou. A key figure in the Monophysite controversy, Pope Timothy II Aelurus, receives rather perfunctory treatment. Other omissions include Emperor Anastasius and Barsauma the monk, an important figure at the "Robber Synod" of Ephesus. Bar Hebraeus is there, but not Michael the Syrian. The article on the Secret Gospel ofMark, already outdated, is a mere historical curiosity in view of recent research. But these few negative remarks pale in light of the overall achievement of this comprehensive source. It is a testimony to the vitality and breadth of early Christian studies in North America. It is also testimony to the perceptive editing and revising skills of Everett Ferguson and his associate editors, Michael McHugh and Frederick Norris. David Johnson, SJ. The Catholic University ofAmerica The World ofthe Early Christians. ByJoseph F. Kelly. [Message ofthe Fathers of the Church, Volume 1.] (Collegeville, Minnesota: A Michael Glazier Book, The Liturgical Press. 1997. Pp, xviii, 23 1 . $22.95 paperback.) The World of the Early Christians is an attempt to provide an introductory text to the student of historical theology. The bulk of this treatment deals basically with the cultural life ofthe Christian within the early Church. The last section includes a tightly written history of major writers and events in the East and West for the first six centuries. The author delves into such issues as the view of the physical world as seen by Christians, entertainments presumed to be morally licit, such aspects of daily life as slavery,wealth and poverty,women, church and state, and war and peace. Kelly is careful in his use of terminology, bearing in mind that he has written for the novice student of church history. He writes into his text origins for such terms as martyr and manuscript. He is also quick to point out the fallacy of such beliefs that persecution was continuous for the first three hundred years rather than the sporadic nature of such persecutions,which depended entirely on the whim of the person in authority. In his treatment of women, Kelly cites primary texts but at times relies on secondary references. He would have been better informed if he had relied more readily on the primary sources. A text providing a sweeping view of the life ofthe early Christian is necessarily given to generalities. He draws a general statement, "Most Church Fathers saw the temptress Eve in all women." One might wonder where this author would place the correspondence ofJerome to women who are consecrated virgins, the writings of Ambrose of Milan on virginity , or the dialogue of Gregory of Nyssa with his sister Macrina on the soul and resurrection. The last chapter of the text is a well written, concise, very readable narrative of significant people and events of the first six centuries of the Church. Kelly book reviews727 brings a vibrancy to this volume in highlighting the roles of churchmen counteracting heretical movements and thus in turn writing theology that is called upon so readily today. Kelly writes his World ofthe Early Christians with the premise that most students have "no knowledge of the ancient world." He has thus produced an engaging and readable study of the ancient Christian culture and history. Bearing in mind that the author is at times given to general statements which may sometimes be challenged, this edition is a worthwhile contribution to adult education programs and to the novice studying church history. Sister Madeleine Grace, CVI. University ofSt. Thomas Houston, Texas Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman. By Joyce E. Salisbury. (New York: Routledge. 1997. Pp. ix, 228. $19.95 paperback .) The martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas (not "Felicity," please!) has been the subject of many scholarly editions and analyses. So why bring out a new book on this very old subject? The answer lies perhaps in the author's method of approaching historical problems through such disciplines as sociology and psychology . The result is a brief but compact treatment of all those historical, religious, and communal experiences which may have molded Perpetua's character and prepared her for voluntary, sacrificial death. The book is very well organized around the central event...

Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman by Joyce E. Salisbury

Perpetua's Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman by Joyce E. Salisbury

Prophecy in Carthage: Perpetua, Tertullian, and Cyprian by Cecil M. Robeck, Jr.

494 BOOK REVIEWS spective or orthogonal drawings of buildings, and mosaic floors. The first four chapters are devoted to the evidence of synagogues, while the last six describe the finds relative to churches. Thus the survey is tipped in favor of church remains . The author explains that the purpose of the book is to fill out the reader's understanding of ancient Judaism and Christianity by showing how Jewish and Christian beliefs came to expression in the construction ofplaces of worship. Not only does the author lead the reader through the architectural remains of these buildings,but he introduces the reader to preliminary issues in synagogue and church building research. The issues for synagogue research include theories of the origins of the synagogue,"activities" in the sense of worship, and theories of synagogue design. He introduces the reader to recent studies of the effect of"regionalism" on religious practice. This is one of the few places in the book where the author opens the door to understanding Judaism—and therefore Christianity—as a multiplex entity with various expressions in various places. The issues for church building research include theories of the origins of the church building, the architectural style of the church building, typical features of a church building, the regional distribution of churches before Constantine, and churches before Constantine (caves, private homes, and synagogues, none of which are extant). The book is equipped with a glossary and a brief bibliography. The "Sources of Illustrations" on pages 140-141 serves as an adjunct to the bibliography, which is noticeably obsolescent. For instance, one should not list M. Avi-Yonah and E. Stern (editors),Encyclopedia ofArchaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (1977), but its successor: E. Stern et al. (editors), The New Encyclopedia ofArchaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (4 vols;Jerusalem, 1993). In all fairness to the author, it is listed on page 140 as the source for illustration 6. This is a very valuable little book and should be required reading for students embarking upon the study of churches and synagogues, be they undergraduate or graduate students. It is also valuable for scholars not conversant with the material culture of either ancient Judaisms or Christianities who hope to update their knowledge in this area. James E Strange The University ofSouth Florida, Tampa Prophecy in Carthage:Perpetua, Tertullian, and Cyprian. By Cecil M. Robeck, Jr. (Cleveland, Ohio: The Pilgrim Press. 1992. Pp. xii,329. $29.95.) The phenomenon of prophecy in the New Testament and early Christian literature has not always received its due. That imbalance is beginning to receive correction through such good research as that by David Aune, David Hill, and BOOK REVIEWS 495 Christopher Rowland. We may now also add the name of Cecil Robeck, who in this book undertakes the task of providing a historical and theological account of prophetic gifts in North African Carthage during the first half of the third century. Robeck investigates the Passion ofPerpetua and the writings of Tertullian and Cyprian to determine what factors gave rise to the visions and oracles reported by these authors, what backgrounds account for their symbolism, and what factors influenced their interpretations and applications. Robeck, wisely (I think), eschews any attempt to explain psychologically the prophetic gifts mentioned in these signal figures of early North African Christianity. In his introduction he distinguishes between "prophetic function" (interpretation, application , and effect on other Christians) from the "prophetic person," and he makes clear that this book concerns itself only with "prophetic function" (p. 4). In the conclusion, however, Robeck contends that certain psychological factors were at work in the visions and oracles and that further work"in psycho-history and/or psychoanalysis would be helpful." Having read a little ofthat already,I am not so sure. Overall Robeck presents an insightful and balanced analysis of the prophetic material found in the writings of Perpetua,TertuIlian, and Cyprian. He evinces a thorough familiarity with the primary sources and the secondary scholarship and is judicious in his own argument and conclusions. While he certainly at times engages other scholars in debate, a strength of the book is Robeck's concentration on the texts themselves. Since the author declares himself to be...