The Councils of Carthage of the 2nd–3rd centuries and their significance in the history of Christianity

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of information and decisions of the Carthage Councils of the ante-Nicene era of the Christian Church and their role in the destinies of Christianity as a whole. Despite the fact that the apostles set an example of a conciliar discussion of pressing church issues at the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, we do not see that this practice immediately entered the life of all Christian communities. The stronger the phenomenon of the Carthaginian Councils, information about which is one of the oldest on this form of church government, which cannot but raise questions about how this form of church government established itself in a distant corner of the Roman Empire — Latin Africa. How are the Carthage Councils connected with the introduction of the practice of relying the Church Councils of the East and West on the authorities of the Holy Fathers and the decisions of the Councils that preceded them? What contribution did the Councils of Carthage make to the problem of disputes about the boundaries of the Church. The answers to these and other questions remain to be learned from this small study.