(H. BoHMER.)
Bibliography: The best text is given by K. Zevimer, in Festgabe fiir Rudolf von Gneist, Berlin, 1888; a transl. ia given in Henderson, Documents, pp. 319-329. Consult: J. J. I. von Dollinger, Die Papstfabeln des Mittelalters, pp. 72-125, 2d ed., Stuttgart, 1890, Eng. transl., Fables Respecting the Popes of the Middle Ages, London, 1871; R. Pecock, The Repressor of over much Blaming of the Clergy, ed. C. Babington, Rolls Series, No. 19, vol. ii., pp. 351-366; A. Bonneau, La Donation de Constantin, Lisieux, 1879; Gmelin, Das Schenkungsversprechen und die Schenkung Pippins, pp. 36-37, Vienna, 1880; J. Friedrich, Die constantinische Schenkung, Nordlingen, 1889; W. Martens, Die falsche Generalkonzession Konstantins, Munich, 1889; idem, Beleuchtung der neuesten Kontroversen liber die romische Frage unter Pippin und Karl dem Grossen, Hi. 151 sqq., ib. 1898; F. Gregorovius, Rome in the Middle Ages, ii. 359-362, London, 1894; T. Hodgkin, Italy and her Invaders, vii. 135 sqq., Oxford, 1899.
DONATISM.
Origin (§ 1).
The Actual Breach (§ 2).
Repressive Measures against Donatists (§ 3).
Decay of the Sect (§ 4).
Opposition of Augustine (§ 5).
Doctrinal Position of the Two Parties (§ 6).
Donatism, a schismatic movement which originated in the African Church early in the fourth century, was an outcome of the Diocletian persecution, as the persecutions of Decius and Valerian had given birth to Novatianism. In the former persecution the demand for the delivery of the sacred books of the Christians made the question of their duty a complicated one; a compromise
with the government might both in- I. Origin, sure the bishop's personal safety and
protect his flock, but it was very like apostasy. The conduct of Mensurius, bishop of Carthage, is told in his correspondence with Secundus of Tigisis, the primate of Numidia. He adopted the expedient of leaving heretical writings to the persecutors in the churches, which satisfied the proconsul; and he censured those who courted martyrdom by declaring themselves
RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Donation of Constantino Donatism
in possession of sacred books and refusing to surrender them. Secundus, on the other hand, extolled the latter class as martyrs, and refused his approval to any concession. Light is thrown upon the words of Mensurius by the accusations brought against him and his archdeacon Csecilianus in the Acts of Saturninus and his companions, which are Donatist at least in their present form. Mensurius had evidently taken pains to check anything which could call forth a more acute persecution, and opposed the extravagant reverence shown to confessors. Though it is uncertain how far the accusations against Csecilianus, showing passionate hatred of him, are true, he had clearly been imprudent. The latent fundamental opposition in the Carthaginian Church was thus tinged with personal bitterness, which broke out severely on the death of Mensurius. There is a difference of opinion as to the circumstances under which the actual breach came to pass. The moderate party seems to have at once elected Csecilianus to succeed Mensurius and to have taken order for his consecration without waiting for the primate, probably thinking to gain the advantage of a fait accompli and insure his recognition outside of Africa; but the manner of the proceeding gave occasion for forcible objections on the part of the faction hostile to Csecilianus and of the Numidian bishops. The latter Bent to Carthage as interventor (administrator of the see) Bishop Donatus of Casse Nigrse, who was the real founder of the schism. According to the most reliable authorities, he was sent before Csecilianus's consecration, to intervene in the factional strife in the name of the Numidian bishops, and perhaps to put off decisive action until their arrival. His openly declared hostility to Csecilianus only made the latter's party more active and determined. Donatus consecrated Majorinus as bishop, and seventy of the Nimaidian bishops, assembled at a council in Carthage, summoned Csecilianus before them, refusing to acknowledge him even when he expressed his readiness to undergo a second consecration.
Though personal differences were the active causes of the Donatist schism, its extent and duration show that there were deeper grounds. The opposition between the rigorist and the moderate attitudes had been widely at work and the spread of this purely local schism into one which had destructive consequences for the whole African Church was also due largely to the new relations between Church and State which began at this time.
In 313 the emperor Constantine gave a 2. The subsidy (equivalent to over $80,000) Actual to Csecilianus and his party; he called Breach, the attention of his representatives in Africa to the schism, and directed that exemption from taxation should apply only to the clergy of Csecilianus's party. These measures forced the Donatists to appeal formally to Constantine, and he referred the matter to Melchiades, bishop of Rome. Ten bishops of each party were to appear with Csecilianus in Rome; three Gallic and fifteen Italian bishops were to act with Melchiades as assessors. As the Roman bishop had from the first maintained friendly relations with
Cajcilianus, who had priority of consecration also in his favor, it is not surprising that the award recognized him as the lawful bishop. Donatus was treated as the real defendant, and excommunicated on a charge of having rebaptized lay people and reconsecrated bishops who had lapsed in the persecution. The way of reconciliation was smoothed for the bishops of Majorinus's party by permission to retain their sees; where there were two bishops in one see, the senior was to hold it and a diocese to be found elsewhere for the other. The letters of Constantine to ^lafius (called also Ablabius or Ablavius),vica,T of Africa, and to Chrestus, bishop of Syracuse, show that the Donatists complained they had not had a full and fair hearing in Rome. The emperor ordered a new hearing at Aries in 316, of which an account is given in the report made by the bishops there assembled to Sylvester of Rome, and in the canons passed by the synod. The African practise of rebaptizing schismatics, applied by the Donatists to the adherents of Csecilianus, was disallowed, and the Roman custom of mere laying on of hands sanctioned. The Donatist accusation that Felix of Aptunga, the consecrator of Csecilianus, had been a traditor (one who gave up the sacred books to the heathen; see Lapsed), which had been only incidentally considered, took a prominent place here; but the synod decided that only those against whom traditio could be proved by official documents should be considered guilty, and that even in those cases orders conferred by them were valid. A section of the Donatists yielded to these decisions; but the remainder appealed once more to the emperor, and he summoned the principal witnesses and representatives of both parties to him at Rome. When Csecilianus did not appear Constantine thought of sending delegates to try the case in Africa, or even of going thither himself, but finally transferred the hearing to Milan. Here both Csecilianus and his opponent Donatus (called " the Great " by his adherents to distinguish him from Donatus of Casse Nigrse), who had succeeded Majorinus as claimant of the see of Carthage, were present. The decision was once more in favor of Csecilianus; but the emperor forbade both contestants to return to Africa, sending two bishops as delegates in the hope of restoring peace.
When these efforts proved fruitless he took up in earnest the repressive measures which he had already threatened. Orders were sent out to take their churches away from the Donatists, which meant the use of force, as they were unlikely to surrender them peaceably. Blood was shed in taking possession of a church in Car- 3. Repres- thage, and persecution, regarded as sive Meas- a mark of the true Church, only inures against creased the fanaticism of the Donatists. Donatists. They assured the emperor that they would never hold communion with " the rogue " Csecilianus, and he was so far impressed that he revoked his order and allowed the banished bishops to return. The schismatic party made the most of this reprieve, and a council of 270 of their bishops sat for two months undisturbed in Carthage (before 340). Still, their organization
Donatism Donne