Courage in the Face of Violence
Perpetua and her fellow Christians are unwittingly placed in an impossible dilemma after the emperor's edict. They have converted to Christianity as a true statement of faith, the religion becoming their primary value system. Unwilling to renounce said faith, they are senteced to imprisonment and inevitably execution. Despite receiving multiple opportunities to escape this fate, she and her companions remain steadfast and courageous. They bravely accept their death. In fact Perpetua helps guide the sword of her executioner when it appears to miss her vital organs.
The Misuse of Political Power
The leaders of Rome outlaw Christianity for entirely political reasons. The emperor desires no rival to his throne, the preservation of which is his primary purpose. Despite possessing no personal malice for the Christians, he signs an order which seals their deaths. He willfully and knowingly allows people to die for no ideological reason, simply because it serves his political agenda. Similarly, the governor acts as a pawn within the system. He condemns the Christians, though he cares little for their religious convictions one way or the other. He just wants to keep his job and is willing to be responsible for deaths to preserve it.
Loving the Enemy
The defining characteristic of the Christians is their abundant love. They draw upon their love for one another and for Jesus who taught them to access this love in order to remain hopeful and at peace despite their turbulent circumstances. Even as they face the awful violence of the gladitorial games, they refuse to hate their captors and executioners. They pray for their enemies, as their religion has taught them to do. In the end, they all die, but they do so in a manner which inspires wonder and even fear in the hearts of those witnessing the deaths.
