Donatism

This was a Christian sect that existed in the Roman province of Africa during 4th and 5th century Ad.  The sect emerged when the long established Christian community of Roman North Africa has a serious dispute with Orthodox Catholic due to issues relating to failed or lapsed members during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution in 301-305 Ad.

Origin Of The Group

During the persecution, the emperor Diocletian issued edict against Christianity and ordered their churches to be destroyed, the sacred books to be delivered up and burnt while Christians to be outlawed.  Strict measures followed the  edict ordering all peoples to offer incense to the idols under pain of death.

These order received mixed reactions as many faithfuls of African Roman Church refused obeying it.  Many Carthaginians (Africans) gave themselves voluntarily to martyrdom instead of obeying the emperor's edict.  To dare the emperor and his officials, many Carthaginians boastfully claim to possess copies of scriptures which they will not relinquish to Roman authority. Many of the faithfuls were tortured and put to death for refusing to deliver up the scriptures in their possession.

Equally, there were people mainly of clergy class that cooperated with the orders of the emperor by delivering the sacred scriptures under them. Some evenly delivered confessors to Roman authority for persecution.  These men that betrayed the sacred trust upon them were called the “Tradutors”.

In 306 CE the persecution relaxed and the church started reconstituting itself as a body for Yahoshea Meshiyach. At this point, the differences between confessors who were identified as the “Rigorists” at the instance of the persecution became an intractable problem to the church.

At this point, Bishops under Roman North African province converged to elect a new Bishop to succeed Bishop Mensuries.  Majority of the delegates elected Deacon Caecilean as the new Bishop.  This did not go down well with many rigorists who accused Deacon Caecilean to have been too obnoxious to the martyrs during persecution.  They  rejected him as their Bishop.

Secondly, the opposition claimed that the ordination of Bishop Caecilian was performed by a tradutor.

A council of Seventy Bishops under African Roman Church converged and headed by Secondus who declared the Bishopic of Caecilean of invalid and new Bishop was consecrated.  The new Bishop was Majorinus.

By the development, the Church of Carthage had two conflicting Bishops.  While the Church at Rome confirmed the election of Caecilian, the church held that consecration by a tradutor was valid if the tradutor was still in lawful possession of his  see.

The Council of Secondus was totally in disagreement to the position of the Church of Rome as it maintained that a tradutor  must not act as a Bishop and anyone in communion with the tradutor  was  cut off from the church.

Separation From Roman Church

The “Church led by Majorinus” declared themselves as the Church of the Martyrs and declared Caecilian and Felix (Bishop that  consecrated him) as  been excommunicated.

This brought division between the Church of Rome and the Church of Martyrs as both divided all the Christian faithful in all towns and cities. Sooner,  there were many cities having two bishops, one in communion to Caeclelian and the other to Majorinus.

In 315CE, Bishop Donatus of Casae Nigrae succeeded Bishop Majorinus and become the arrow-head of the sect. This led the sect to be named after him as “Donatism.”

From his ascension to the throne of Donatist Bishop of Carthage, he led the Donatists on arguments and debates against the Church of Rome that was led by Bishop Augustine of Hippo as its defender.

Donatus was known as “the great” for his benevolence actions against the forces of Church of Rome that was totally backed by emperor.

Many councils were convened by the church to reconcile the differences between the church of Rome and the Donatists who held that lapsed priests and bishops during persecution were practically illegal to retain their Sees and that any sacrament confected by the tradutors remains invalid.

The influence of Donatus was extra ordinary, story held that by the fact of his eloquence and force of character, he was almost worshipped by his followers. After his death, he was counted as a martyr and miracles were ascribed to him.

Donatus led one of the famous “Anti-Catholic Forces” that target at institution of sacredness of brethren as held by early apostolic assembly of Yoheshea Meshiyach.  His followers  were identified as “Pure ones” who frowned  against sins. They  remained resistant to forgiveness through approved penance as held by the general church.

Donatists were religious rigorists who targeted at tradutors (those who handed the holy things over) during the persecution. This sect saw itself as the true church with valid sacrament.

Failed Attempts To Unity

When Emperor Constantine came to power, he was confronted by the division of the Christendom and violence at Carthage by Donatists who applied various militant forms to dress its position over tradutors.

The Church of Rome maintained its position that the sacrament of penance can effect a reconciliation where a tradutor (apostate) may be retained to full communion.  The church had an act of public penance already in place where a penitent for grivous offence would spend years even decades, first outside the doors of the church begging for the prayers of those entering, then kneeling inside the church building during services, then standing with the congregations, and finally receiving the Eucharist again in a long process toward full reconciliation.

The Donatists held that such crime, after the forgiveness of Baptism disqualified such person for any leadership position in the church.  Donatists held that by such sinful act, a priest or Bishop under such sin had rendered himself  incapable of celebrating valid sacrament.  This position was termed as “ex opera operantis” in Latin which means “from the work of the one doing the working”. This concept mean that the validity of the sacrament depend upon the worthiness and holiness of the minister confecting.

While the  Roman Catholic Church depended on the term – “ex opore operato” which means – “from the working having been worked” which is defined that the validity of a sacrament depends on the holiness of Yahweh while a minister assumes as mere instrument of Yahweh's work.  The Church of Rome held that the priest even in a state of mortal sin and speaks the formula of the sacrament with valid matter and intent of will cause  the sacrament to its validity.

The church was firm of its believe that a sacramental life of any believer cannot be damaged by a priest's fault.

Challenges And Spread

As a result of the conflict, many cities were divided amongst Donatists and non-Donatists as the body grew immensely in Northern Africa.  The sect used militant measures to support its actions.

Many Donatists surrendered themselves as suicide missioners with the target at Roman Catholic Church and its facilities. The group carried out various violent attacks on many Catholics. With passage of time, the sect became wide-spread to extend of having almost equivalent of numbers of Bishops with Roman Catholic Church.  It equally had its Bishops that existed in – Rome and other important cities of the age.

Donatists rejected the Emperorship of Constantine the Great rather termed him as a devil incarnate.  The sect had a romance with a group called the “circumcellions” who were rusty enthusiastic. This militant or armed group were often seen in many cities of Africa and were identified as  “Soldiers of Christ”. The militant group were prepared with weapons as clubs which they use to bruise their victims who often dies of the injuries.  The group do not include swords as part of their fighting or operational equipments because according to them, Yahoshea told Peter to put his sword into its shield.

The circumcellions  often sought and count much on suicide and martyrdom.

The excess activities of the circumcellions helped to maintain the long existence of the Donatists and such equally attracted the wrath and fury of Roman authority to it. Because of the violent character of the Donatists, the Roman Catholic did not rushly term it as a heretic sect as it usually did.

The Roman authority was equally cautious over handling of the Carthaginian affairs.  Emperor Constantine used peaceful persuasions to unit both  warning factions of the church but such did not yield better result.

He equally made edicts against Donatism and ordered it to hand over its churches and facilities to the Roman Church. He equally declared Roman Catholic the true church and a continuation of the apostolic faith as established by disciples of Yahoshea Meshiyach.

These declarations were not accepted by the Donatists who rather increased the wave of violence to keep its position.  The Roman authority made edict to permit persecution of Donatists and confiscation of their churches and properties.

In 412, Emperor Honorius issued the final law against Donatists and adding a scale of fines for Donatist clergys, laities and their wives.

Donatism was active till the invasion of Vandals of Carthage in 430CE.  the sect disappeared during the Muslim invasion or conquest of North African territories.  The discord caused by conflicts of Donatism and Church of Rome made it easy for Arabs to conquer the territory.

Further Growths And Conclusion

In later days, many schisms are termed to have their root from Donatism.  For example, John Wycliffe taught that the moral corruption of priests invalidates their offices and sacrament and such was the original doctrine of the Donatists.

The term-“Doantism” or “Neo-Donatism” is often referred to groups that posses radical reformative character.

Truly, Donatism was a separate assembly outside of Roman Catholic Church.  It carried out intensive combat against Roman Catholic on terms of lapsed faithfuls over persecution but  did not address the needed and fundamental issues that Yahoshea Meshiyach stood for and which he bequeathed to his disciples and early assembly.

During the era of existence of Donatism, the Holy Assemblies of Yahoshea Messhiyach has been defaced by Roman authority with  its pagan doctrines and traditions.  The existence and activities of Donatism did not rusticate the doctrinal values and attitudes by Yahoshea Meshiyach.

Its characters of violence and Martyrdom  counteracted  the precepts of Yahosheanism which aimed at non-violent approach towards recognized persecution or issues of life generally.