 and develops a theology that martyrs are the greatest athletes of God. They are gladiators for God. And Perpetua believes it, and so does her young friend Felicity, who is an enslaved person, and they die together. The five members of this small church die in one day to the entertainment of the crowd. However, there's a detail here that Emma works very carefully into the story. The Romans believe, remember, that the honorable way to die is poison, to destroy yourself.