Schism · Today in 311
Donatist schism opens in Africa
The Donatist schism began with a hard question after persecution: could bishops who had surrendered scriptures or compromised under pressure still administer valid sacraments? Donatus and his allies said no, because a polluted minister polluted the church. Catholics in North Africa said the sacraments rest on Christ, not on the moral purity of the minister. Augustine spent decades arguing that the church is a mixed body healed by grace, not a pure society guarded by rigor.
The church is a hospital, not a society of the flawless.
Highlights
- The issue came from persecution.
- Donatus rejected compromised clergy.
- Augustine defended sacramental objectivity.
- The dispute lasted for generations.
How it happened
What happened
North African Christians split over the legitimacy of clergy accused of betrayal during persecution.
The argument
Do sacraments depend on the holiness of the minister, or on Christ who acts through the church?
What changed
The Catholic answer treated sacramental validity as resting on Christ rather than clerical purity.
Why it matters
The Donatist dispute shaped later Western teaching on sacraments, church purity, coercion, and unity.
People in the story
Book of the day
On the Unity of the Catholic Church
Cyprian of CarthageA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. A compact North African argument for episcopal unity during persecution and schism.
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