Donatism
department or school: Non UBC
data provider: DSpace
contributor: Database of Religious History (DRH)
creator: Barkman, Heather
issued: 2019-11-22T22:04:07Z
issued: 2019-07-09
description: Donatism emerged in North Africa as a result of disagreements over the proper way to deal with Christians who lapsed during the persecutions. Against the mainstream, Donatists argued that the lapsed could never re-enter the Church. A contested episcopal election of 311, in which the Donatists and the Catholics each elected their own bishop, led to the Donatists appealing to Constantine in 313 to determine the rightful bishop. Constantine sided against the Donatists. From 317-321, he ordered their suppression using measures akin to those of the persecuting emperors: confiscating property, exile, and death. A brief but violent revival of the persecution occurred in 347-348 under his son, Constans. The emperor Julian (361-363) supported Donatism and brought Donatist bishops back from exile as part of a broader program to undermine Catholic Christianity. Augustine of Hippo often wrote against them, and the Council of Carthage in 411 also condemned them. Nevertheless, Donatists made up the majority of North African Christians from the fourth to fifth centuries. The Donatists fade from view during the Vandal invasions of the mid-fifth century.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/72365
note: Poll: Religious Group (v5) Published on: 09 July 2019Date Range: 311 CE - 427 CERegion: North Africa/Africa ProconsularisRegion tags: Africa, Northern Africa, Algeria, Libya,TunisiaThis represents roughly the borders of the Romanprovince of Africa Proconsularis during the Donatistperiod of the 4th and 5th centuries CE.DonatismBy Heather Barkman, University of ManitobaEntry tags: Early Christianity, Christian Traditions, Religious GroupDonatism emerged in North Africa as a result of disagreements over the proper way to deal with Christianswho lapsed during the persecutions. Against the mainstream, Donatists argued that the lapsed couldnever re-enter the Church. A contested episcopal election of 311, in which the Donatists and the Catholicseach elected their own bishop, led to the Donatists appealing to Constantine in 313 to determine therightful bishop. Constantine sided against the Donatists. From 317-321, he ordered their suppression usingmeasures akin to those of the persecuting emperors: confiscating property, exile, and death. A brief butviolent revival of the persecution occurred in 347-348 under his son, Constans. The emperor Julian (361-363) supported Donatism and brought Donatist bishops back from exile as part of a broader program toundermine Catholic Christianity. Augustine of Hippo often wrote against them, and the Council ofCarthage in 411 also condemned them. Nevertheless, Donatists made up the majority of North AfricanChristians from the fourth to fifth centuries. The Donatists fade from view during the Vandal invasions ofthe mid-fifth century.Status of Participants:✓ Elite ✓ Religious Specialists ✓ Non-elite (common people, general populace)SourcesPrint sources for understanding this subject:Notes: On Christian violence in fourth and fifth century North Africa, see Brent D. Shaw. Sacred Violence:African Christians and Sectarian Hatred in the Age of Augustine. Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress, 2011. On Christianity in Roman North Africa in general,…
has type: Other
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0385825
language: eng
peer review status: Unreviewed
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: Database of Religious History (DRH)
rights: Attribution 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
scholar level: Faculty
subject: Early christianity
subject: Christian traditions
subject: Religious group
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/72365