Perpetua of Carthage

William Farina is a retired real estate consultant for the federal government, now living in Evanston, Illinois. He has written books on Arthurian legend, early Christianity, the American Civil War, Shakespeare and baseball.

• Table of ContentsOverview      PART I. PERSUASION AS COURAGE1. “I was not to fight with beasts, but against the devil”      2. The Christian Aeneid      3. A Middle Road for Martyrs?      4. Africa Conquers Rome      5. “Their courage astonished the pagans”      6. A Family Feud      7. Blood of Martyrs Became Seed of the Church      PART II. PERSUASION AS JUSTICE8. “What victory a more glorious than this?”      9. Jewish Apocalypse      10. The Great Leveler      11. Universal Divine Favor      12. Empire within Empire      13. Guarded by Poverty and Ignorance      14. “Injustice acknowledged justice”      PART III. PERSUASION AS HOPE15. “As I was merry in the flesh, so I am still merrier here”      16. Yearning for Metamorphosis      17. Saint Augustine, Male Chauvinist?      18. The Illusion of Prosperity      19. “Pleased to play, as children will”      20. Contempt for the Gods      21. “The flower of perpetual felicity”      PART IV. TOLERANCE AS VIRTUE22. The Weapon of Empathy      23. Guilty of Inflexible Obstinacy      24. The Montanist Heresy      25. Religious Laissez-Faire, or Agreeing to Disagree      26. Vandal Plunder and Byzantine Extortion      27. A Devout Persecution      28. “My prison suddenly became a palace to me”      Summation      Appendix I: Christian Archeology in Carthage      Appendix II: A Guide to Pagan Worship in Roman Carthage      Appendix III: Tunisian Historical and Religious Timeline      Appendix IV: Maps      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index