PASSIO PERPETUAE ET FELICITATIS AND THE “NEW PROPHECY” MOVEMENT AT THE TURN OF THE 2ND - 3RD CENTURIES

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