Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Abbreviations
- Maps
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 This terrible custom
- Chapter 2 Church of the traitors
- Chapter 3 A poisonous brood of vipers
- Chapter 4 Archives of memory
- Chapter 5 The city of denial
- Chapter 6 Ravens feeding on death
- Chapter 7 Little foxes, evil women
- Chapter 8 Guardians of the people
- Chapter 9 In the house of discipline
- Chapter 10 Sing a new song
- Chapter 11 Kings of this world
- Chapter 12 We choose to stand
- Chapter 13 Athletes of death
- Chapter 14 Bad boys
- Chapter 15 Men of blood
- Chapter 16 Divine winds
- Chapter 17 So what?
- Appendix A Bishops and bishoprics in Africa: the numbers
- Appendix B Origins of the division: chronology
- Appendix C The Catholic conference of 348
- Appendix D The Edict of Unity and the Persecution of 347
- Appendix E The mission of Paul and Macarius
- Appendix F Historical fictions: interpreting the circumcellions
- Appendix G The archaeology of suicide
- Appendix H African sermons
- Bibliography
- Index
Appendix A - Bishops and bishoprics in Africa: the numbers
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 September 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Abbreviations
- Maps
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 This terrible custom
- Chapter 2 Church of the traitors
- Chapter 3 A poisonous brood of vipers
- Chapter 4 Archives of memory
- Chapter 5 The city of denial
- Chapter 6 Ravens feeding on death
- Chapter 7 Little foxes, evil women
- Chapter 8 Guardians of the people
- Chapter 9 In the house of discipline
- Chapter 10 Sing a new song
- Chapter 11 Kings of this world
- Chapter 12 We choose to stand
- Chapter 13 Athletes of death
- Chapter 14 Bad boys
- Chapter 15 Men of blood
- Chapter 16 Divine winds
- Chapter 17 So what?
- Appendix A Bishops and bishoprics in Africa: the numbers
- Appendix B Origins of the division: chronology
- Appendix C The Catholic conference of 348
- Appendix D The Edict of Unity and the Persecution of 347
- Appendix E The mission of Paul and Macarius
- Appendix F Historical fictions: interpreting the circumcellions
- Appendix G The archaeology of suicide
- Appendix H African sermons
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The best analysis of the numbers of bishops who represented both sides at the Conference of Carthage in 411, and of the total number of dioceses that each church had in Africa in the first decades of the fifth century, has been provided by Lancel. The treatment of the same subject here is offered as an exposition and extension of his data, with a few minor modifications and additions. The record of the conference, however, is only a partial guide to the numbers of bishops and bishoprics in Africa at the time: it only records the count of the bishops who happened to be alive, healthy, and able to make it to the conference site at Carthage. It cannot therefore be taken to be a complete report that would permit the reconstruction of distribution maps that neatly contrast “Donatist” as opposed to Catholic sees. Quite apart from the problem of the not insignificant number of dioceses whose location is not even approximately known and which therefore cannot be put on any map, there is the persistent problem of the existence of an opposing religious community that is simply not mentioned in the record. It is difficult to believe, for example, that there was no Catholic community whatsoever at Lepcis Magna, Sabratha, and Oea, especially since we know from Augustine's letters that, as we would expect, they did in fact exist. There were simply good reasons why Catholic bishops from these places did not make it to Carthage in May and June of 411. Secondly, there are many cases where there might not exist an bishop from the opposing side present in Carthage, but where the internal record of the conference proceedings attests the existence of an opposing community, often headed by a priest in the absence of a bishop who was ill, recently deceased, or otherwise not able to be declared at Carthage. Then again, it was occasionally the case that a recent act of “betrayal” suddenly left no head for one of the two communities to declare their presence at Carthage. The existence of a sole declarant in such a case surely does not mean that there did not exist a Catholic or dissident community in the town. When all these factors are taken into account, the actual number of cases where neither church had any representation in any given African community is appreciably reduced. The map then looks rather different from the conventional ones that signal the presence (or not) of bishops at the meeting of 411.
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- Sacred ViolenceAfrican Christians and Sectarian Hatred in the Age of Augustine, pp. 807 - 811Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011