https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ Theses Digitisation: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/digitisation/ This is a digitised version of the original print thesis. Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] THE CHRISTIAN NORTH AFRICAN DEBATE ON ASPECTS OF THE CHURCH, MINISTRY, AND SACRAMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE USE OF SCRIPTURE. by LAURENCE SAMUEL KIRKPATRICK. This thesis is submitted through the Department of Theology and Church History in the Faculty of Theology in the University of Glasgow for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. OCTOBER 1994. ProQuest Number: 10392575 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10392575 Published by ProQuest LLC (2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 mmiY DECLARATION. I declare that the above-mentioned thesis embodies the results of my own special work, that it has been composed by myself and that it does not include work forming part of a thesis presented successfully for a degree in this or another University. L. S. Kirkpatrick. Page - 1 DEDICATION. Several individuals helped me produce this thesis over the past nine years. My parents willingiy supplied fees, books, and travel expenses. My advisor of Studies, Ian Hazlett, was very patient with my slow progress. He was always positive and an inspiration to work with. My wife Pamela was always helpful. My children, Stephen, Jonathan and Emily lost out in much ’quality time’ with their father They have made many sacrifices and I will be glad to repay them now. The good people of Shaneoguestown congregation were very understanding. My colleague, Brian Kennaway was always willing to cover my absence at short notice and I thank him for this very practical assistance. To these, and alt who helped me in any way, I acknowledge my indebtedness. Page CONTENTS. CHAPTER. TITLE. PAGE. 1 General Introduction. 4 2 North Africa: Christian 9 Background and Tradition. 3 Cyprian. 35 4 Donatism. 85 5 Augustine. 127 6 Conclusion. 180 Appendices. 193 Notes. 202 Bibliography. 244 Page - 3 1. EsfTRQDUCTlQN. In spite of the fact that the African Church had a relatively late birth it made a much more significant contribution to early Christian theology and literature than, for example, the Roman Church. Afiica was in the vanguard of Latin Christianity. The link between this Church and that of Rome was strong. The debates and conflicts which often absorbed the energies of the Christians in the capital were usually mirrored in Carthage. The subject matter of this thesis concerns elements in a drama of theological development spanning three centuries. The theme of this drama is the North African contribution to certain aspects of the development of the doctrine of the Church, The central plot concerns the sacrament of baptism and the related problem of post-baptismal sin. Each of the three main scenes is dominated in turn by a major personality; Tertullian, Cyprian and Augustine. These men were prime influences within the Afiican Church in their own time, often promulgating their theological views in the teeth of Christian opposition and controversy. In such debate it was generally recognised that authority was all important. Such authority was based upon the twin pUlai-s of Scripture and tradition and it was in these areas that the basis for the respective theological positions was established. It is the use of Scripture by each party that will be examined in turn, overall comparisons made, and conclusions drawn. This will entail grasping the historical and ecclesiastical situations obtaining at the time and, where appropriate, a detailed examination of specific primary sources. What enriches this particular field of study is the fact that not only did various schools of thouglit originate and operate within the same Church but to a veiy large degree they addressed the same problem, namely the problem of ’the Christian sinner'. From this well springs aU the controversial theological tributaries which flooded the North African Church. How pure can the Church be? Wlio can remit apostasy? Where does authority lie Page - 4 within the Church? In what does the unity of the Catholic Church consist? Are schismatic baptisms valid? Can the Holy Spirit operate outside the one Catholic Church? By peeling away the layers of literaiy controversy, invective and caricature it should be possible to expose the scriptural underpinning of the varying theological platforms. Such will constitute the main threads running through the fabric of this thesis. TertuUian is an important source for any early Chui'ch appreciation of baptism, both practical and theological. He demonstrably changed his views on penance and became a leading exponent of a more rigorist position. Was TertuUian innovative in adopting a rigorist position regarding the Christian sinner or did he reflect an earlier authentic African position? In any event, his importance is undeniable. All subsequent parties quoted TertuUian with reverence, knowing that he was held in honour by generations of North Afiican Christians. Although Cyprian only briefly held the bishopric of Carthage (249-258) he gi'appled with a major post-persecution crisis in the Church and represents an important benchmark in ecclesiological development. His views on the unity of the Church and his stance on heretical baptism are of particular importance. Cyprian's own writings wUl be scanned, especially De lapsis and De imitate with a view to grasping clearly his policy decisions and their scriptural basis. His knowledge of Scripture and methods of interpretation will emerge. Most importantly, his line of reasoning fi-om text to dogma, or vice versa, will be established. When Augustine became Catholic bishop of Hippo in 396 the Donatist controversy had been raging in Africa for over eighty years. There were in fact two Churches in Africa, the Catholics and the Donatists. The latter appear to have been in a majority in Hippo and elsewhere at the close of the fourth centuiy. The cause of the schism revolved around the problem of the Christian sinner. A full explanation of the nature of this dispute will be given Page - 5 in chapter foui' though an appraisal of the Donatist cause is severely handicapped by the fact that none of their major works are extant. In his struggle against the Donatists Augustine covered the familiar ground, providing new answers to an old North African question. He added to an understanding of the nature of the Church and argued his different conclusion from Cyprian on the question of the validity of heretical baptism. Augustine’s views on the operation of Divine grace are interesting and will be examined with particular reference to his use of Scripture. At the Council of Carthage in 411 Augustine and his fellow Catholics routed the Donatists. While the Catholics may have ’won the war’, did they win the argument? An attempt will be made in this thesis to establish the opposing biblical anthologies. All sides attempted to be scriptural in setting out their respective arguments. They each constructed a reservoir of 'proof texts’ which they sought to apply in support of their particular stance. The biblical anthologies which emerge are historical links in an ecclesiological chain, stages in an evolving theological debate. The merits and demerits of each, and the whole, will then be analysed. Overshadowing each link in this chain is the important question of Church-State relations. Were the Donatists condemned as much for their separatist stance on this question as for their rigorist theology? Did Augustine establish his ecclesiology, and perhaps especially his teaching on the sacraments, on purely scriptural-theological grounds or was the maintenance of a ’Christian State’ of paramount importance? The task of scriptural interpretation has always been fundamental for Christianity. The Ethiopian official was in need of help, having been asked by Philip, 'Do you understand what you are reading?'^ Assuming that the content and authority of Scripture are both agreed and accepted, the challenge for the Church has always been to read these ancient books in a way in which their message is relevant to each succeeding generation. This Page - 6 interpretative challenge is of paramount importance in evaluating the North African debate on matters relating to Church and sacrament. The earliest Christian exegesis largely reproduced Jewish exegetical methods. Each verse could be trawled for meaning and often a symbolic sense was extracted, independant of any natural or historical context. It is possible that Paul was imitating such Rabbinic methods of interpretation when he allegorised Ishmael and Isaac as representing two Divine covenants.^ The question of authoritative scriptural interpretation was a live issue. Within the New Testament itself there are examples of differing interpretations.