IVᵉ siècle – IVᵉ siècle
Numidia and Carthage, Roman North Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Donatus of Casae Nigrae was the principal leader of the North African opposition to Caecilian after the persecution of Diocletian. He united Carthaginian and Numidian supporters, defended a rigorist conception of ecclesiastical purity, and rejected imperial interference in Church affairs. His leadership transformed a dispute over episcopal legitimacy into the durable Donatist schism.
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Le récit
Donatus emerged after the disputed succession to the bishopric of Carthage. When Majorinus, the first opponent of Caecilian, disappeared from the scene, the opposition selected Donatus of Casae Nigrae on the Saharan border of Numidia. He quickly obtained the support of both Carthaginian and Numidian Christians opposed to Caecilian, becoming the central figure in the African ecclesiastical conflict.
The struggle reached the imperial court after Constantine repeatedly endorsed Caecilian. Donatus was condemned at the hearing held by Miltiades in Rome in October AD 313 and again opposed by the Council of Arles in AD 314. Constantine issued a final verdict in Caecilian’s favor on 10 November AD 316, but imperial decisions did not dislodge Donatus’s influence in Africa.
Donatus was remembered by his supporters as a formidable, dedicated leader who combined oratorical and administrative abilities. His authority rested on the Cyprianic ideal of a pure Church, the rejection of state intervention, and the belief that compromised clergy could not be treated as equivalent to confessors. His maxim, “What has the emperor to do with the Church?”, became emblematic of this position.
Around AD 336, Donatus summoned a council of 270 bishops when Mauretanian bishops challenged the rule concerning rebaptism. He accepted the council’s consensus that the rule should be remitted, demonstrating that his rigorism could coexist with deference to episcopal unanimity. His church nevertheless remained the dominant Christian organization across much of North Africa for decades.
IVᵉ siècle – IVᵉ siècle
Numidia and Carthage, Roman North Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Donatus of Casae Nigrae was the principal leader of the North African opposition to Caecilian after the persecution of Diocletian. He united Carthaginian and Numidian supporters, defended a rigorist conception of ecclesiastical purity, and rejected imperial interference in Church affairs. His leadership transformed a dispute over episcopal legitimacy into the durable Donatist schism.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Donatus emerged after the disputed succession to the bishopric of Carthage. When Majorinus, the first opponent of Caecilian, disappeared from the scene, the opposition selected Donatus of Casae Nigrae on the Saharan border of Numidia. He quickly obtained the support of both Carthaginian and Numidian Christians opposed to Caecilian, becoming the central figure in the African ecclesiastical conflict.
The struggle reached the imperial court after Constantine repeatedly endorsed Caecilian. Donatus was condemned at the hearing held by Miltiades in Rome in October AD 313 and again opposed by the Council of Arles in AD 314. Constantine issued a final verdict in Caecilian’s favor on 10 November AD 316, but imperial decisions did not dislodge Donatus’s influence in Africa.
Donatus was remembered by his supporters as a formidable, dedicated leader who combined oratorical and administrative abilities. His authority rested on the Cyprianic ideal of a pure Church, the rejection of state intervention, and the belief that compromised clergy could not be treated as equivalent to confessors. His maxim, “What has the emperor to do with the Church?”, became emblematic of this position.
Around AD 336, Donatus summoned a council of 270 bishops when Mauretanian bishops challenged the rule concerning rebaptism. He accepted the council’s consensus that the rule should be remitted, demonstrating that his rigorism could coexist with deference to episcopal unanimity. His church nevertheless remained the dominant Christian organization across much of North Africa for decades.