The Conference of Carthage in 411: 90 (Translated Texts for Historians, 89)

On the heels of Alaric’s sacking of the city of Rome in 410 CE, Honorius, the emperor of the Roman west, appointed Flavius Marcellinus to oversee and judge a debate between two sparring Christian groups in Africa: the Donatists and Catholics. The debate was held in the wealthy city of Carthage, close to what is now modern-day Tunis. At stake were the future of Christian orthodoxy and even the survival of the Roman west, as Honorius feared that if this century-old sectarian rift were not healed, grain-rich Africa might be vulnerable to rebellion and secession, thereby threatening Italy with starvation and the emperor with annihilation. The Donatists and Catholics debated for three days in June of 411 CE, and much of the actual transcript survives. This book is the first English translation of that famous but often misunderstood conference in Carthage, the city to which many Italians had fled to avoid Alaric’s onslaught, where the Donatist and Catholic bishops hotly debated issues of legitimacy, law, purity, and procedure. Among those taking part in the debate were highly esteemed bishops who left their mark on western history including, most famously, St. Augustine.