DOCSLIB.ORG

A Fine Line? Catholics and Donatists in Roman North Africa*

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Fine Line? Catholics and Donatists in Roman North Africa* A FINE LINE? CATHOLICS AND DONATISTS IN ROMAN NORTH AFRICA* Alexander Evers I. Introduction On the st of June of the year ad, bishops from all over Roman North Africa gathered together in the main hall of the Baths of Gargilius at Carthage, right in the centre of the city, as Augustine of Hippo pointed out—in urbe media.1 They were divided in two camps: on the one side Catholic bishops were present, on the other Donatist. The Emperor Honorius had called for this council, in order to find the Donatists guilty of schism and to deliver a final blow to the movement, which had started a hundred years earlier. The verbatim records of the meeting were meticulously written down and have been carefully preserved, thus being by far the most valuable literary source, providing an almost complete record of the African episcopal sees—on both sides of the dividing line— at the beginning of the fifth century. * First of all I would like to express my gratitude to Olivier Hekster and Ted Kaizer for organising this colloquium on Frontiers in the Roman World, and for allowing me to speak on mostly imaginary boundaries—the dividing lines between two parties within an entity that at the time was perhaps also only separated from its surrounding world in the “imagination of their hearts”: the Church within the Roman Empire. I am very grateful to Averil Cameron, Robert Dodaro o.s.a., Alan Fitzgerald o.s.a., Peter Garnsey, Paul van Geest, Claude Lepelley, Fergus Millar, Simon Price, Bryan Ward-Perkins, and Greg Woolf for providing directions and sharing opinions. Alan Dearn has been particularly kind in sending me some of his own material on Donatist martyr stories and the archaeology of Roman Africa from his Oxford DPhil thesis, The Polemical Use of the Past in the Catholic/Donatist Schism (). Also, in his article ‘The Abitinian martyrs and the outbreak of the Donatist schism’, Journal of Ecclesiastical History . (), –, he argues how texts are used to create divisions, even centuries after the actual events. 1 Augustine, Breviculus collationis cum Donatistis libri III .; Augustine, Ad Dona- tistas post Collationem .. See also Augustine, Collatio cum Donatistis;S.Lancel(ed.), Sources Chrétiennes (Paris –), , , ; SC , –; B.D. Shaw, ‘African Christianity: disputes, definitions, and ‘Donatists’’, in M.R. Greenshields—T.A. Robinson (eds.), Orthodoxy and Heresy in Religious Movements: Discipline and Dissent (Lampeter ), –, at . Alexander Evers - 9789004215030 Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 10:50:30AM via free access alexander evers The development of the Christian Church in Roman Africa during the fourth and fifth centuries was greatly influenced by the issue of Donatism. In a relatively short period of time this division within the Church, largely a direct result of the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian, developed into an effectively organised movement: an independent Church, with its own bishops, other clergy, and an ever growing, flourishing faithful flock. Our knowledge of the schism is largely limited and unilateral, and mostly determined by the works of Catholic writers against the party of Donatus, thus creating more than a fine line. As Barnes already indicated: “the early history of the Donatist schism is known almost exclusively from documents quoted by Eusebius, and from documents which Optatus and Augustine used in their polemical works against the Donatists”.2 Augustine, of course, can be regarded as the champion of virtually everything, being one of the most influential figures of the Latin Church in the West, as well as the Church in general. But when it comes to being a relevant source regarding the Donatist issue, Optatus is equally important. As bishop of Milevis in Numidia during the second half of the fourth century, he was the pronounced predecessor of Augustine in his battle against the Donatists, and possibly set the tone for the decades to come. Extremely little is known about and of him, as only his treatise known as Contra Parmenianum has survived throughout the ages—a highly polemical work divided into seven books, addressing Parmenian, the Donatist bishop of Carthage at the time. Of great, perhaps even greater, historical importance is the dossier of contemporary documents, whichOptatushadcollectedandusedasareferencetosupporthisown arguments, such as the Acta purgationis Felicis (ad() and the Gesta apud Zenophilum (ad). When talking about the Donatists and the Donatist Church, it is important to reflect on definitions. Shaw reckons that modern-day his- torians have consistently labelled the movement as Donatism, but unjus- tifiably so. For the “sake of convenience”,historians and also theologians have deluded themselves by exploiting the past mostly for present ide- ological purposes. The existing records were obviously biased towards “those” people, and referred to them as “Donatists”. But then these re- cords were almost without exception written by members of the “win- ning” Catholic side. And so ever since the battle was fought hegemonic domination has severely influenced labelling these “African Chris- 2 T.D. Barnes, The New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine (Cambridge ), . Alexander Evers - 9789004215030 Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 10:50:30AM via free access catholics and donatists in roman north africa tians”—as Shaw prefers to call them, since he argues that they were more tied to African roots and traditions—as “Donatists”.3 For now, however, “convenience” has won once again, be it in full awareness of the issues attached to it. Shaw’s “African Christians” shall continue to be labelled “Donatists”—a party, a movement, a Church. It is probably unlikely that the ancient literary sources regarding Dona- tism will ever be described and analysed in greater magnitude than by Monceaux.4 Frend’simpressiveworkhasmadethatDonatismhasoften been, and still is, regarded as a social movement of resistance of the poor population of Africa against Roman rule.5 The geographical divide in the African territories led him to believe so. Frend pointed out that the literary evidence by itself shows that Donatism was strongest in Numidia. In Africa Proconsularis the Catholics were at an advantage. In the two outlying provinces of Tripolitania and Mauretania Caesariensis the two rival parties appear to have been of approximately the same strength. The majority of the native castella in Mauretania Sitifensis were unchallenged Donatist bishoprics. According to Frend the main division between the Donatist and the Catholic Church was that between respectively the inland plains and the cities and towns on the Tell. There was a clear divergence between the cities and the countryside, between rich and poor, between Roman and indigenous. To a certain extent there was another difference, in that the Donatist areas were Berber- speaking, whereas the Catholics seem to have spoken Latin.6 The division of language also marked the geographical distribution of Donatists and Catholics in North Africa. All this, according to Frend, is confirmed by archaeological and epigraphic evidence.7 3 Shaw , op. cit. (n. ), . 4 P. Mon c e au x , L’histoire littéraire de l’Afrique chrétienne: d’origine jusqu’à l’invasion arabe, vols. (Paris –). 5 W. H . C . F r e n d , The Donatist Church. A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa (Oxford , nd ed.). 6 One ought to be prudent about the use of the term “Berber”. See for example F.G.B. Millar, ‘Local cultures in the Roman Empire: Libyan, Punic, and Latin in Roman Africa’, Journal of Roman Studies (), –, at –; J.N. Adams, ‘Latin and Punic in contact? The case of the Bu Njem ostraca’, Journal of Roman Studies (), –, at –. On the survival of African culture and languages see also D.J. Mattingly, ‘Libyans and the Limes: culture and society in Roman Tripolitania’, Antiquités africaines (), –; G. Camps, ‘Punica lingua et épigraphique libyque dans la Numidie d’Hippone’, Bulletin archéologique du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques (), –. 7 See Frend , op. cit. (n. ), –. Alexander Evers - 9789004215030 Downloaded from Brill.com10/01/2021 10:50:30AM via free access alexander evers All these divisions, however, must have been less clear-cut, and the question remains whether the mutual differences between Catholics and Donatists were really that big. Also, greater emphasis ought to be put on the religious character and background of the schism. I will get back to this further on. First, however, it is useful to briefly outline the history of the schism, mainly on the basis of our literary sources, before addressing some problems concerning the literature, both ancient and modern, as well as some of the archaeological evidence from various Roman cities of North Africa. The principal argument would be that the archaeology can contribute to an understanding of Donatism as a religious movement not all that different from its Catholic brothers and sisters. II. Christianity in Africa In the aftermath of his victory at the Milvian Bridge in Rome in ad, theEmperorConstantinemadeenormouseffortstocreateanequal position for Christianity amongst all the other religions of the Roman Empire.8 Christians no longer constituted a persecuted minority, but their faith became an ever faster rising star at the religious firmament. Christianity spread rapidly, not only geographically, but also across all levels of Roman society. The spiritual leaders of the Christian communi- ties, bishops, priests, and deacons, became public figures with an increas- ing authority—due to the emperor’s dream not only prominent within the Church, but also outside its organisation. They gained a wide range of imperial and juridical privileges. The emperor himself greatly stimulated the construction of churches. But private initiatives also took off. Chris- tian buildings gradually became a familiar feature of the urban landscape, both in Rome and in all other parts of the empire. Christian communi- ties came into being and flourished everywhere, in the cities and in the countryside, often with their own bishop. North Africa always was one of the most desirable areas of the Roman Empire, from the time of its conquest on Carthage until the Arab inva- sions.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Revue Africaine
    REVUE AFRICAINE VOLUME 1 ANNÉE 1856 JOURNAL DES TRAVAUX DE LA SOCIÉTÉ HISTORIQUE ALGÉRIENNE PAR LES MEMBRES DE LA SOCIÉTÉ ET SOUS LA DIRECTION DE LA COMMISSION PERMANENTE DU JOURNAL __________________ PUBLICATION HONORÉE DE SOUSCRIPTIONS DU MINISTRE DE L’INSTRUCTION PUBLIQUE, DU GOUVERNEMENT GÉNÉRAL DB L’ALGÉRIE DES CONSEILS GÉNÉRAUX DES DÉPARTEMENTS D’ALGER ET D’ORAN. ALGER A. JOURDAN, LIBRAIRE-ÉDITEUR CONSTANTINE PARIS A RNOLET, IMPRIMEUR-LIBRAIRE CHALLAMEL AÎNÉ, LIBRAIRE, RUE DU PALAIS 30, RUE DES BOULANGERS. Cet ouvrage fait partie de la bibliothèque de : Monsieur Hassen KHEZNADJI Il a été scanné à Alger par : Monsieur Mustapha BACHETARZI [email protected] Il sera mis en page à Aurillac en mode texte par : Alain SPENATTO 1, rue du Puy Griou. 15000 AURILLAC. [email protected] D’autres livres peuvent être consultés ou téléchargés sur le site : http://www.algerie-ancienne.com Ce journal paraît tous les deux mois, par cahiers de quatre à cinq feuilles avec planches. Le prix d’abonnement est de 12 francs par an pour les person- nes étrangères à la Société et de 8 francs pour ses correspondants. Les membres résidants reçoivent le journal à titre gratuit. Les articles, renseignements, réclamations, etc., devront être adressés, francs de port, à M. Berbrugger, président de la société historique algérienne, rue des Lotophages, 18, à Alger. Les personnes qui envoient des matériaux pour la Revue, sont priées : 1. De déclarer expressément si le travail qu’elles adressent doit paraître avec la signature de l’auteur ou rester anonyme ; 2. De faire savoir si ce travail est un article, proprement dit, ou si c’est seulement un canevas ou même de simples renseigne- ments dont elles abandonneraient l’arrangement et la rédaction aux soins de la Commission permanente du journal.
    [Show full text]
  • Idai.Publications ELEKTRONISCHE PUBLIKATIONEN DES DEUTSCHEN ARCHÄOLOGISCHEN INSTITUTS
    https://publications.dainst.org iDAI.publications ELEKTRONISCHE PUBLIKATIONEN DES DEUTSCHEN ARCHÄOLOGISCHEN INSTITUTS Dies ist ein digitaler Sonderdruck des Beitrags / This is a digital offprint of the article Stefan Ardeleanu — Moheddine Chaouali — Werner Eck — Philipp von Rummel Die frühkaiserzeitlichen Grabsteine aus Simitthus (Chimtou). Stilistisch- epigraphische Analyse und urbaner Kontext aus / from Archäologischer Anzeiger Ausgabe / Issue 1 • 2019 Umfang / Length § 1–46 https://doi.org/10.34780/639r-3561• urn:nbn:de:0048-journals.aa-2019-1-Ardeleanu.4 Verantwortliche Redaktion / Publishing editor Redaktion der Zentrale | Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Weitere Informationen unter/ For further information see https://publications.dainst.org/journals/aa ISSN der Online-Ausgabe / ISSN of the online edition 2510-4713 ©2019 Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Zentrale, Podbielskiallee 69–71, 14195 Berlin, Tel: +49 30 187711-0 Email: [email protected] / Web: dainst.org Nutzungsbedingungen: Mit dem Herunterladen erkennen Sie die Nutzungsbedingungen (https://publications.dainst.org/terms-of-use) von iDAI.publications an. Die Nutzung der Inhalte ist ausschließlich privaten Nutzerinnen / Nutzern für den eigenen wissenschaftlichen und sonstigen privaten Gebrauch gestattet. Sämtliche Texte, Bilder und sonstige Inhalte in diesem Dokument unterliegen dem Schutz des Urheberrechts gemäß dem Urheberrechtsgesetz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Die Inhalte können von Ihnen nur dann genutzt und vervielfältigt werden, wenn Ihnen dies im Einzelfall durch den Rechteinhaber oder die Schrankenregelungen des Urheberrechts gestattet ist. Jede Art der Nutzung zu gewerblichen Zwecken ist untersagt. Zu den Möglichkeiten einer Lizensierung von Nutzungsrechten wenden Sie sich bitte direkt an die verantwortlichen Herausgeberinnen/Herausgeber der entsprechenden Publikationsorgane oder an die Online-Redaktion des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts ([email protected]).
    [Show full text]
  • Eunuchs in the East, Men in the West? 147
    Eunuchs in the East, Men in the West? 147 Chapter 8 Eunuchs in the East, Men in the West? Dis/unity, Gender and Orientalism in the Fourth Century Shaun Tougher Introduction In the narrative of relations between East and West in the Roman Empire in the fourth century AD, the tensions between the eastern and western imperial courts at the end of the century loom large. The decision of Theodosius I to “split” the empire between his young sons Arcadius and Honorius (the teenage Arcadius in the east and the ten-year-old Honorius in the west) ushered in a period of intense hostility and competition between the courts, famously fo- cused on the figure of Stilicho.1 Stilicho, half-Vandal general and son-in-law of Theodosius I (Stilicho was married to Serena, Theodosius’ niece and adopted daughter), had been left as guardian of Honorius, but claimed guardianship of Arcadius too and concomitant authority over the east. In the political manoeu- vrings which followed the death of Theodosius I in 395, Stilicho was branded a public enemy by the eastern court. In the war of words between east and west a key figure was the (probably Alexandrian) poet Claudian, who acted as a ‘pro- pagandist’ (through panegyric and invective) for the western court, or rather Stilicho. Famously, Claudian wrote invectives on leading officials at the eastern court, namely Rufinus the praetorian prefect and Eutropius, the grand cham- berlain (praepositus sacri cubiculi), who was a eunuch. It is Claudian’s two at- tacks on Eutropius that are the inspiration and central focus of this paper which will examine the significance of the figure of the eunuch for the topic of the end of unity between east and west in the Roman Empire.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF. Ksar Seghir 2500Ans D'échanges Inter-Civilisationnels En
    Ksar Seghir 2500 ans d’échanges intercivilisationnels en Méditerranée • Première Edition : Institut des Etudes Hispanos-Lusophones. 2012 • Coordination éditoriale : Fatiha BENLABBAH et Abdelatif EL BOUDJAY • I.S.B.N : 978-9954-22-922-4 • Dépôt Légal: 2012 MO 1598 Tous droits réservés Sommaire SOMMAIRE • Préfaces 5 • Présentation 9 • Abdelaziz EL KHAYARI , Aomar AKERRAZ 11 Nouvelles données archéologiques sur l’occupation de la basse vallée de Ksar de la période tardo-antique au haut Moyen-âge • Tarik MOUJOUD 35 Ksar-Seghir d’après les sources médiévales d’histoire et de géographie • Patrice CRESSIER 61 Al-Qasr al-Saghîr, ville ronde • Jorge CORREIA 91 Ksar Seghir : Apports sur l’état de l’art et révisoin critique • Abdelatif ELBOUDJAY 107 La mise en valeur du site archéologique de Ksar Seghir Bilan et perspectives 155 عبد الهادي التازي • مدينة الق�رص ال�صغري من خﻻل التاريخ الدويل للمغرب Préfaces PREFACES e patrimoine archéologique marocain, outre qu’il contribue à mieux Lconnaître l’histoire de notre pays, il est aussi une source inépuisable et porteuse de richesse et un outil de développement par excellence. A travers le territoire du Maroc s’éparpillent une multitude de sites archéologiques allant du mineur au majeur. Citons entre autres les célèbres grottes préhistoriques de Casablanca, le singulier cromlech de Mzora, les villes antiques de Volubilis, de Lixus, de Banasa, de Tamuda et de Zilil, les sites archéologies médiévaux de Basra, Sijilmassa, Ghassasa, Mazemma, Aghmat, Tamdoult et Ksar Seghir objet de cet important colloque. Le site archéologique de Ksar Seghir est fameux par son évolution historique, par sa situation géographique et par son urbanisme particulier.
    [Show full text]
  • The Alliance Israélite Universelle, Gender, and Jewish Education in Casablanca, Morocco 1886-1906
    University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses Spring 5-22-2020 “The Community for Educational Experiments”: The Alliance Israélite Universelle, Gender, and Jewish Education in Casablanca, Morocco 1886-1906 Selene Allain-Kovacs [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Recommended Citation Allain-Kovacs, Selene, "“The Community for Educational Experiments”: The Alliance Israélite Universelle, Gender, and Jewish Education in Casablanca, Morocco 1886-1906" (2020). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2714. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2714 This Thesis-Restricted is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis-Restricted in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Thesis-Restricted has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “The Community for Educational Experiments” The Alliance Israélite Universelle, Gender, and Jewish Education in Casablanca, Morocco 1886-1906 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History International & Global Studies by Sélène Allain-Kovacs B.A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Developmentof Early Imperial Dress from the Tetrachs to The
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses Repository University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. The Development of Early Imperial Dress from the Tetrarchs to the Herakleian Dynasty General Introduction The emperor, as head of state, was the most important and powerful individual in the land; his official portraits and to a lesser extent those of the empress were depicted throughout the realm. His image occurred most frequently on small items issued by government officials such as coins, market weights, seals, imperial standards, medallions displayed beside new consuls, and even on the inkwells of public officials. As a sign of their loyalty, his portrait sometimes appeared on the patches sown on his supporters’ garments, embossed on their shields and armour or even embellishing their jewelry. Among more expensive forms of art, the emperor’s portrait appeared in illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, and wall paintings such as murals and donor portraits. Several types of statues bore his likeness, including those worshiped as part of the imperial cult, examples erected by public 1 officials, and individual or family groupings placed in buildings, gardens and even harbours at the emperor’s personal expense.
    [Show full text]
  • The Expansion of Christianity: a Gazetteer of Its First Three Centuries
    THE EXPANSION OF CHRISTIANITY SUPPLEMENTS TO VIGILIAE CHRISTIANAE Formerly Philosophia Patrum TEXTS AND STUDIES OF EARLY CHRISTIAN LIFE AND LANGUAGE EDITORS J. DEN BOEFT — J. VAN OORT — W.L. PETERSEN D.T. RUNIA — C. SCHOLTEN — J.C.M. VAN WINDEN VOLUME LXIX THE EXPANSION OF CHRISTIANITY A GAZETTEER OF ITS FIRST THREE CENTURIES BY RODERIC L. MULLEN BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2004 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mullen, Roderic L. The expansion of Christianity : a gazetteer of its first three centuries / Roderic L. Mullen. p. cm. — (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae, ISSN 0920-623X ; v. 69) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 90-04-13135-3 (alk. paper) 1. Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600. I. Title. II. Series. BR165.M96 2003 270.1—dc22 2003065171 ISSN 0920-623X ISBN 90 04 13135 3 © Copyright 2004 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands For Anya This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Preface ........................................................................................ ix Introduction ................................................................................ 1 PART ONE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN ASIA BEFORE 325 C.E. Palestine .....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Perspektiven Der Spolienforschung 2. Zentren Und Konjunkturen Der
    Perspektiven der Spolienforschung Stefan Altekamp Carmen Marcks-Jacobs Peter Seiler (eds.) BERLIN STUDIES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD antiker Bauten, Bauteile und Skulpturen ist ein weitverbreite- tes Phänomen der Nachantike. Rom und der Maghreb liefern zahlreiche und vielfältige Beispiele für diese An- eignung materieller Hinterlassenscha en der Antike. Während sich die beiden Regionen seit dem Ausgang der Antike politisch und kulturell sehr unterschiedlich entwickeln, zeigen sie in der praktischen Umsetzung der Wiederverwendung, die zwischenzeitlich quasi- indus trielle Ausmaße annimmt, strukturell ähnliche orga nisatorische, logistische und rechtlich-lenkende Praktiken. An beiden Schauplätzen kann die Antike alternativ als eigene oder fremde Vergangenheit kon- struiert und die Praxis der Wiederverwendung utili- taristischen oder ostentativen Charakter besitzen. 40 · 40 Perspektiven der Spolien- forschung Stefan Altekamp Carmen Marcks-Jacobs Peter Seiler Bibliographische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliographie; detaillierte bibliographische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. © Edition Topoi / Exzellenzcluster Topoi der Freien Universität Berlin und der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Abbildung Umschlag: Straßenkreuzung in Tripolis, Photo: Stefan Altekamp Typographisches Konzept und Einbandgestaltung: Stephan Fiedler Printed and distributed by PRO BUSINESS digital printing Deutschland GmbH, Berlin ISBN ---- URN urn:nbn:de:kobv:- First published Published under Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC . DE. For the terms of use of the illustrations, please see the reference lists. www.edition-topoi.org INHALT , -, Einleitung — 7 Commerce de Marbre et Remploi dans les Monuments de L’Ifriqiya Médiévale — 15 Reuse and Redistribution of Latin Inscriptions on Stone in Post-Roman North-Africa — 43 Pulcherrima Spolia in the Architecture and Urban Space at Tripoli — 67 Adding a Layer.
    [Show full text]
  • The History and Description of Africa and of the Notable Things Therein Contained, Vol
    The history and description of Africa and of the notable things therein contained, Vol. 3 http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.CH.DOCUMENT.nuhmafricanus3 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org The history and description of Africa and of the notable things therein contained, Vol. 3 Alternative title The history and description of Africa and of the notable things therein contained Author/Creator Leo Africanus Contributor Pory, John (tr.), Brown, Robert (ed.) Date 1896 Resource type Books Language English, Italian Subject Coverage (spatial) Northern Swahili Coast;Middle Niger, Mali, Timbucktu, Southern Swahili Coast Source Northwestern University Libraries, G161 .H2 Description Written by al-Hassan ibn-Mohammed al-Wezaz al-Fasi, a Muslim, baptised as Giovanni Leone, but better known as Leo Africanus.
    [Show full text]
  • Pope Honorius Before the Tribunal of Reason and History
    MM PGrPE HONORIUS BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL Of reason AND HISTORY. ( V* ROMA Xv Digitized by Google AND SON, ORtAT .NOliTHKKN TUINTING WORKS, PANCRAH ROAD, N.W. f Digitized by Google I POPE HONORITJ8 BEFORE TBB TRIBUNAL OF REASON AND HISTORY. BY THE LONDON: BURNS, OATES, AND COMPANY, POBTMAN 8IKEET, PORTMAN SQUARE. 1868. Digitized by Google I Digitized by Coogle I PEEFACE. It had been the writer’s intention, on issuing his recent work on the Supremacy of the Roman Pon- tiff,'' to follow up the argument by the publication of another volume on Papal Infallibility. But cir- cumstances have led to an alteration in his plan, and have induced him to anticipate a little, and at once publish an Essay on the supposed fall and heresy of Pope Honorius. This change is renckred advisable by the pamphlet of Mr. P. Le Page Renouf, which appeared in May last, entitled The Condem- naitdti of Pope Honorim. Mr. Renouf has not been satisfied "with following in the steps of Dr. DoUinger in that writer’s unfortunate crusade against Papal Iiifallibility ; he must aim yet higher. He believes Ifiat “ an influential party in the Church is looking forward with impatience to the day in which their favourite dogma (Papal Infallibility) shall be dil^ fined as an article of faith, introduced into "our Catechism, and made obligatory under pain ° of ana- D'';iiized by Google vl Preface. thema upon all the children of the Church.”* lie seems to suppose himself, on this account, to have received from on high the mission of giving the alarm to all the theologians of the Catholic world that Ultramontanism is preparing to win a new vic- tory over the opposite party.
    [Show full text]
  • Calendar of Roman Events
    Introduction Steve Worboys and I began this calendar in 1980 or 1981 when we discovered that the exact dates of many events survive from Roman antiquity, the most famous being the ides of March murder of Caesar. Flipping through a few books on Roman history revealed a handful of dates, and we believed that to fill every day of the year would certainly be impossible. From 1981 until 1989 I kept the calendar, adding dates as I ran across them. In 1989 I typed the list into the computer and we began again to plunder books and journals for dates, this time recording sources. Since then I have worked and reworked the Calendar, revising old entries and adding many, many more. The Roman Calendar The calendar was reformed twice, once by Caesar in 46 BC and later by Augustus in 8 BC. Each of these reforms is described in A. K. Michels’ book The Calendar of the Roman Republic. In an ordinary pre-Julian year, the number of days in each month was as follows: 29 January 31 May 29 September 28 February 29 June 31 October 31 March 31 Quintilis (July) 29 November 29 April 29 Sextilis (August) 29 December. The Romans did not number the days of the months consecutively. They reckoned backwards from three fixed points: The kalends, the nones, and the ides. The kalends is the first day of the month. For months with 31 days the nones fall on the 7th and the ides the 15th. For other months the nones fall on the 5th and the ides on the 13th.
    [Show full text]
  • Space in Coercive Poetry. Augustine's Psalm Against
    Perichoresis Volume 14. Issue 2 (2016): 21-37 DOI: 10.1515/perc-2016-0008 SPACE IN COERCIVE POETRY. AUGUSTINE’S PSALM AGAINST THE DONATISTS AND HIS INTERPRETATION OF THE FEAR OF GOD IN ENARRATIONES IN PSALMOS PAUL J. J. VAN GEEST * Tilburg University ABSTRACT. This contribution consists of two parts. The first part identifies Augustine’s qualities as a mystagogue on the basis of the only poem he wrote that has been handed down: the Psalm against the Donatists . It shows that little is to be gained by studying Augustine as both poeta and mystagogue. Not his poetry itself, but his commentary on poetry as such reveals the transform- ative power that he ascribes to this genre. For this reason the second part examines Augustine’s Enarrationes in psalmos . In this work, he makes explicit the transformative power that is contained in the 150 Psalms, which are both poetry and prayer. This part asks the question how Augustine articulates or heightens fear when the Psalmist in his dialogue with God ‘compels’ him to do this, as it were, by expressing fear of enemies or of the Last Judgement. He shows that he acknowl- edges that fear alone can lead to an unbalanced, and even a bad relationship with God. Fear should result in introspection and should be a guarantee against pride. That Augustine further- more is not content to heighten the fear of God alone, but wants it to coincide with desire, joy, and hope, shows that he wishes to prevent any imbalance in the human who seeks a relationship with God.
    [Show full text]