Two Faithful Women

Mary Jones and Her Bible

Mary Jones and her Bible

Born 16th Dec 1784, daughter of a weaver - Calvinistic Methodist family

Calvinistic belief: the election (predestination) to grace of some.

Some unpredestined, but this is no injustice because they remain in the state they would be in if there were no election - in which circumstance none would be saved (better some saved than none!)

Educated in the Welsh circulating schools run by Revd Thomas Charles

Thomas Charles

Important figure in the history of modern Wales

Circulating schools:

Sunday teaching controversial – some believed it broke the Sabbath commandment!

A school would stay in a district for a few months, then move on

Held in winter months on Sundays (pupils worked on weekdays)

When she was 8 Mary became a Christian

Mary loved the bible (in Welsh)

The nearest bible was on a farm two miles away

At age 9 she started to save for her own bible

In 1800, when Mary was 15, she had saved enough money

Mary wanted a bible of her own

Available only from Revd Thomas Charles at Bala -

25 miles from Mary’s home in LLanfihangel-y-Pennant

Bibles hard to come by

Imagine walking from Worcester to Hereford

– but over Welsh hills!

Mary set off to walk to Bala

Look at Mary’s feet!

All the bibles for sale by Revd Thomas Charles were spoken for

Mary was so distressed that he sold her one of the bibles – a 1799 Welsh bible

In 1799 10,000 Welsh bibles were printed at Oxford under the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (SPCK)

Mary Jones’ own bible1799 edition

Mary Jones was born 16th of December 1784.

I Bought this in the 16th year of my age. I am Daughter of Jacob Jones and Mary Jones His wife. the Lord may give me grace. Amen.

Mary Jones His The True Onour of the Bible. Bought In the Year 1800 Aged 16th.

Inscription by Mary Jones in her bible, bought 1800

Thomas Charles was inspired to propose to the Council of the Religious Tract Society to form a new society to supply Wales with bibles

This led, in 1804, to the establishment in London of the British and Foreign Bible Society

Welsh New Testament

1806

Memorial in Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, erected over the ruin of the cottage where Mary Jones lived as a young girl

Mary married a weaver

In later life she became blind and learned Braille

Mary died in December 1864 aged 80

The devotion of one poor Welsh girl inspired the taking of the Scriptures to every corner of the world

Two Faithful Women

PerpetuaTurn of the 3rd

century - 200 AD

Perpetua lived in Carthage – Phoenician city-state linked to Tyre

Founded 814 BC

Carthage today - Tunisia

Noblewoman in her 20s

Married with an infant son, and pregnant

Perpetua:

Nothing is known of her husband

Perpetua:

Christian convert preparing for baptism

North Africa had a vibrant Christian community

Emperor Septimius Severus resolved to cripple Christianity

Focused on North Africa

Perpetua was imprisoned with her servant Felicity – but allowed to keep her infant son

This is said to be Perpetua’s prison cell

Perpetua’s pagan father tried to persuade her to renounce her faith – to no avail

Perpetua then beaten severely by her father

In prison Perpetua kept a diary

- the earliest known surviving text by a Christian woman

Perpetua was baptised, along with other Christian captives

Perpetua brought before the Roman pro-consol Minutius

Ordered to sacrifice to idols

Perpetua refused

Thrown into a dungeon

Her infant son was taken away

Perpetua was soon sentenced to die in the arena

Perpetua’s father again tried to persuade her – again to no avail

“God’s will be done”

She replied simply:

The day before her execution Perpetua gave birth – a girl

The child was adopted by a Christian family

Perpetua thrown to wild cows(normal practice for women)

Gored badly – then killed by sword

Perpetua (and Felicity) martyred March 7th 203 AD

Declared saints by the Roman Catholic church

Perpetua never wavered

It is said that through her example some of her guards were converted

Perpetua forsook all:

position, family, even her children

for Christ’s sake