Oxford University Press has published Perpetua Athlete of God by Edward North Professor of Classics Emerita Barbara K. Gold. This major new investigation of an important early Christian martyr confronts contemporary questions of gender, religion, and martyrdom, according to the publisher.
A day-long colloquium will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in Sadove Center honoring Gold and the publication of her book. Panel discussions will be held throughout the day with professors of history, religion, literature and the classics from Hamilton College as well as Princeton and Syracuse Universities, University of St. Joseph, and Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. A reception will follow the colloquium. The event is free and open to the public.
“Perpetua was an early Christian martyr who died in Roman Carthage in 203 CE, along with several fellow martyrs, including one other woman, Felicitas,” according to the publisher. “She has attracted great interest for two main reasons: she was one of the earliest martyrs, especially female martyrs, about whom we have any knowledge, and she left a narrative written in prison just before she went to her death in the amphitheater…Her story is steeped in mystery, and every aspect of her life and death has generated much controversy.”
