Can it Be Called By Any Other Name?

At the beginning of the third century in North Africa, persecution of Christians broke out in Carthage. One of the cate­chumens taken into custody was Perpetua, a noblewoman still nursing her son. When she was first incarcerated, her father came to her begging her to renounce her faith for the sake of her family, for him, and for her infant son. In the midst of his begging, Perpetua pointed to a pitcher and said, “Father, do you see this vessel lying here to be a little pitcher, or something else?” He replied that it was a pitcher, of course. Then Perpetua responded, “Can it be called by any other name than what it is?” When he said “No,” she continued, “Neither can I call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian.”