The example that early martyrs played in both the shaping and formation of the early church has been key. From such stories, readers have learned of the trials and tribulations of wrestling with both God and man with regards to ones faith. There are two stories of martyrdom that have played a significant role in society's understanding of this great feat, which few endure. The first, The Martyrs of Lyons, was recorded by Eusebius of Caesarea. This narrative makes reference to the persecutions of Christians in 177 A.D. The second story, The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity by Quinus Tertullianus refers to the persecution of Christians in Carthage in 203 A.D.. These two Christian narratives regarding martyrdom assist this present age in understanding how early Christians challenged the traditional ideologies of family, gender and power.
Each of these texts were composed and passed down in different ways. When Eusebius published his work in the Ecclesiastical History, it was considered to be a Passiones. One of the earliest stories available to us, The Martyrdom of Lyons, is the compellation of eyewitness accounts. Tertullians had the opportunity to utilize a different method of compilation with The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity. Tertullian makes it clear that the majority of the text comes from a self account by Perpetua herself. In addition to the words of Perpetua, Tertullian assists in portions where the text was either incomplete or lacking.
Although each text provides a dynamic approach to its collection and reproduction, further examination of the text should cause one to question the reliability of the text. For the text of E ...