The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity

Heffernan, Thomas J.

doi:10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199777570.001.0001

Cited by 71 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…3 rd -cent. CE Passion of Perpetua and Felicity (4,7), where Perpetua tamed a dragon guarding the scala/κλίμαξ leading to heaven and used its head to climb "as if it were the first step" (et quasi primum gradum/ὡς εἰς τὸν πρῶτον βαθμόν; text from Heffernan, 2012).…”

Section: Olivier Dufaultmentioning

confidence: 99%

Was Zosimus of Panopolis Christian?

Dufault

2022

Arys

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Zosimus of Panopolis, the first identifiable author of Greek alchemy, wrote in late-3rd or 4th-century CE Egypt. For over a century, scholars have pictured him in turn as Christian or as pagan. A reconsideration of Zosimus’ On the Letter Omega and the treatise known as the Final Count or Final Abstinence (teleutaia apochē) and the First Lesson on Excellence demonstrates that he saw Jesus as a savior, that his citations of the Hermetica are not in contradiction with basic Christian notions and that believed that the gods of Egypt were evil divine beings. His Christology and anthropology shares characteristics with “Classic Gnostic” theology and other early Christian notions. Also characteristic of the soteriologies presented in some heresiological reports, Zosimus described Jesus as teaching humans to “cut off” their body. This last observation, which is dependent on recognizing Zosimus as a Christian, shed light on the symbolism of the First Lesson on Excellence.

show abstract

Section: Olivier Dufaultmentioning

confidence: 99%

Was Zosimus of Panopolis Christian?

Dufault

2022

Arys

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…106-31). For historical context, see (Heffernan 2012). 11 (Ling 1983 cites ta'ziyeh performances as the "most living form of mystery play that still exists".…”

Section: Acknowledgements: (Mis) Uses Of Theatrical Drama For Muslim-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward Witnessing the Other: Syria, Islam and Frans van der Lugt

Collins

2020

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article addresses issues and questions at the intersection of religion and theatrical drama from the perspective of Muslim-Christian comparative theology. A case study approaching an actual performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet from this disciplinary point of view also takes into account the Syrian context, develops a framework for “mutual witnessing”, and the practice of drama therapy. Accordingly, the case-method proceeds to address two interrelated challenges. The first is how to relate to the adaptive praxis and theological sensibilities of performers who inhabit a political and religious situation that is radically different from one’s own. The second regards in a more specific way of reframing a case of Christian martyrdom in terms of witnessing that remains open and hospitable to religious others, and particularly in this case to Syrian Muslims. As an exercise of comparative theology, this case-method approach focuses on notions of “witnessing truth” that appear and are cultivated in the work of liberation theologian Jon Sobrino and in Ibn ‘Arabī’s Fusūs al-Hikam, specifically the chapter on Shuayb. In conclusion, this exercise turns to the performance itself as a potential foundation for shared theological reflection between Muslims and Christians. As such, this article attempts to render how theatrical action creates a “religious” experience according to the structure and threefold sense that Peter Brook observes.

show abstract

“…The troop meets their end by having their throats cut, or in Perpetua's case, coming perilously close to suicide. 191 In a visionary state, the martyrs see themselves walking out of the arena through the Gate of Life, a triumphal passage to salvation perhaps echoed in the arched exits in the monumental curve of San Lorenzo (Fig. 22).…”

Section: Racetrack To Salvationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Racetrack to Salvation: The Circus, the Basilica, and the Martyr

Coon

Sexton

2020

Gesta

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Six basilicas constructed by Christians in fourth-century Rome relate purposefully to ancient athletic structures, namely the circus and the stadium. This relationship grew out of the shared cultural traditions of Classical athleticism and the cult of Christian martyrs materialized in the built environment and serving mixed religious audiences. These six "circus basilicas" mimicked the most iconic features of Roman racetracks, whether designed for sturdy horses or swift humans. The similarities in design between circus and basilica were not mere accidents of history bearing only "pseudo-resemblances" to pagan monuments. Rather, the architectural features of circus basilicas bear witness to an ancient Christianity practiced outside the city walls in the fourth century only to be eclipsed by newer styles of worship in subsequent epochs. Here, the martyr keeps company with the charioteer; the pagan dissolves seamlessly into the Christian; the godhead metamorphoses into the ultimate spectator at the games; and the athletic spaces of the later Roman Empire transmute into a racetrack to salvation. This subject is not new, but typically scholars have located the circus basilica within the context of Classical hero cults rather than the cult of Christian martyrs. This article brings together a wealth of sources-architectural, archaeological, artistic, and literary-combined with interdisciplinary methodologies to demonstrate how the Roman votaries of Jesus harnessed the cultural prestige and cosmological systems of the circus to promulgate the faith and exercise cultural dominion over the empire.

show abstract

The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity

Cited by 71 publications

References 0 publications

Was Zosimus of Panopolis Christian?

Was Zosimus of Panopolis Christian?

Toward Witnessing the Other: Syria, Islam and Frans van der Lugt

Racetrack to Salvation: The Circus, the Basilica, and the Martyr

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About