Scribd
Upload
154 views7 pages

Understanding Donatism Heresy

Donatism was a heresy that began in North Africa in 311 and declined by 411, eventually dying out in the 600s. It taught that only those who were pure in their faith could receive sacraments or church membership, and sacraments performed by impure priests were invalid. It also held that lapses in faith were inexcusable and required rebaptism for readmission. Donatism was condemned by numerous councils and Christians, especially St. Augustine, and was declared a heresy by the Council of Carthage in 411, defeating the heresy though small numbers of believers remained for centuries.

Uploaded by

api-305324400
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
154 views7 pages

Understanding Donatism Heresy

Donatism was a heresy that began in North Africa in 311 and declined by 411, eventually dying out in the 600s. It taught that only those who were pure in their faith could receive sacraments or church membership, and sacraments performed by impure priests were invalid. It also held that lapses in faith were inexcusable and required rebaptism for readmission. Donatism was condemned by numerous councils and Christians, especially St. Augustine, and was declared a heresy by the Council of Carthage in 411, defeating the heresy though small numbers of believers remained for centuries.

Uploaded by

api-305324400
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

DONATISM

ANTHONY RIVETTI AND SAM MAGER


DATES
Began in North Africa in 311
Declined in 411, eventually died out in the 600s
DEFINITION
The teaching that:
Only those who are pure in their faith may receive the sacraments
and be granted Church membership
Only sacraments performed by priests of a pure moral character are
valid
Lapses in faith, even when facing death, are inexcusable, and those
who deny their faith should be removed from the Church
Re-entrance into the Church required a person to be baptized again
WHY IS THE HERESY WRONG?
No person is completely morally pure
There are impure people in the Church
Not every priest will be in a pure state when administering the
sacraments, but they are still valid

Anyone can reenter the Church, however, nobody can be


baptized twice
SAINT AND COUNCILS THAT FOUGHT
HERESY
Condemned by numerous councils and
Christians
Council held in Carthage in 411
Emperor Constantine

Main opponent was St. Augustine


HOW WAS IT DEFEATED?
St. Augustines many writings condemned Donatism and
proved it to be a false teaching
The Council of Carthage, at which Augustine spoke,
declared Donatism a heresy
This essentially defeated the heresy, however believers remained in
small numbers for many years
The heresy died out in the 7th century
WORKS CITED
Chapman, John. "Donatists." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York:
Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 2 Apr. 2017
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05121a.htm>.
"Donatism." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Donatism>.
"Donatism." Theopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2017.
<http://www.theopedia.com/Donatism>.
The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. "Donatist." Encyclopdia
Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.
<https://www.britannica.com/topic/Donatists>.
Slick, Matt. "Donatism." Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. N.p., 25
Oct. 2014. Web. 02 Apr. 2017. <https://carm.org/donatism>.

You might also like