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The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity

3rd century · AD 203 · Western · 4 passages

Background on The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity

In his own words on 2 Maccabees

  • 2 Maccabees 12:43-45

    [T]hat very night, this was shown to me in a vision: I saw Dinocrates going out from a gloomy place, where also there were several others, and he was parched and very thirsty, with a filthy countenance and pallid color, and the wound on his face which he had when he died. This Dinocrates had been my brother after the flesh, seven years of age, who died miserably with disease... For him I had made my prayer, and between him and me there was a large interval, so that neither of us could approach to the other... and [I] knew that my brother was in suffering. But I trusted that my prayer would bring help to his suffering; and I prayed for him every day until we passed over into the prison of the camp, for we were to fight in the camp-show. Then... I made my prayer for my brother day and night, groaning and weeping that he might be granted to me. Then, on the day on which we remained in fetters, this was shown to me. I saw that that place which I had formerly observed to be in gloom was now bright; and Dinocrates, with a clean body well clad, was finding refreshment... He went away from the water to play joyously, after the manner of children, and I awoke. Then I understood that he was translated from the place of punishment.

    Chapter 2, Paragraphs 3-4

Quoted verbatim from public-domain English translations of the fathers — Aquinas's Catena Aurea, the Ante-Nicene and Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, and related editions. Each quotation links to its source.