The schismatic enterprise and literary works of Donatus of Carthage

Abstract

The article analyzes the works of the schismatic Donatus the Great (p. 270 – 355) and the degree of his participation in creating the Donatist schism in North Africa. By using modern historiographical research, the A. examines the problem that there exist two schismatic with this name: Donatus of Casa Nigra and Donatus of Carthage. The A. accepts the dominant scholarly view, which is based on the witness of the first historian of Donatism Optatus of Milevis, that this is the same person. The A. reconstructs in detail the life and work of Donatus of Carthage and proves, that it was none other than Donatus, who started the schismatic movement and that the initial Donatism was inspired by the personality of this unique leader. The A. examines evidence of the great, but lost literary corpus of Donatus, in which Donatus attempted to defend his own schism, whereby he acted more like a church polititian, rather than a theologian. There are only two works of a theological nature known: “The epistle on baptism” and the treatese “On the Holy Spirit”. According to the A. conclusion, the extant information about the life of Donatus show that he was the head of the schismatic. They sources portray him as a proud and ambitious church leader, who blindly justified his schism, as an evil genius from Orthodox Christians of the Carthaginian Church.