The 2ndcentury Acts of Paul and Theclaintroduces a scene of self-baptism, a practice that garnered criticism from Tertullian in his De Baptismo. The text, describing the conver-sion, martyrdom, and liberation of a young non-Christian woman, serves as a founda-tional narrative, influencing subsequent portrayalsoffemale martyrs or saints in gen-eral. The scene of self-baptism is reimagined and incorporated into the martyrdom accounts of Euphemia of Chalcedon, Barbara, and Charitine, as well as into the Life of Apollinaria. While maintaining its symbolic significance, this practice raises intriguing questions about the ritualistic structure of baptism and the assertion of individual agency within religious performative acts. This study explores these narratives, offer-ing insights into the evolving conceptualization of self-baptism and the representation of female sanctity in late antique hagiography.
