Maximian (bishop of Carthage)

Maximian was a 4th-century Bishop of Carthage and founder of a splinter group that left (or reformed) Donatism.

Biography

He was one of several people excommunicated in 391 by Primian, Bishop of Carthage. Primian, was a convert to Donatism with all the zeal of a convert. He was great orator and thinker, but tactless and within a year had alienated large parts of the church. In 393 AD a council of more than 100 Donatist bishops elected Maximian to replace Primian as Bishop of Carthages.[1] Primian held a rival council in Bagai in April 394AD and excommunicated Maximian. Primian, a former Lawyer also used the civil courts to reclaim church buildings.

The schism that enveloped around Maximian was the largest splintering within the Donatist movement. With him Donatism took a less confrontational approach, and sought to reform the movement.[2] However, it attracted limited adherents,[3] but he was oft referenced by Augustine in his critique of the Donatists.[4]

Maximian was a relative of Donatus of Casae Nigrae.

gollark: Smart and yet vaguely evl.
gollark: I wasn't even aware that it was valentine's day until I was made aware that it was valentine's day by people talking about valentine's day.
gollark: I don't see how that works. That's just putting your brain into bizarre edge-case states, it wouldn't give you visibility into the afterlife or lack thereof (unless whatever controls access to that is very badly designed and easily tricked).
gollark: If it just means it in some fuzzy sense of "we are somewhat connected and should be nice to each other" then... sure, but it should say that directly (in a more eloquent way I can't be bothered to come up with).
gollark: I'm not aware of *other* definitions which, well, make sense.

References
  1. Maureen A. Tilley, The Bible in Christian North Africa: The Donatist World (Fortress Press) p133.
  2. E. M. Atkins, Robert Dodaro, Augustine: Political Writings (Cambridge University Press, 2001) p241.
  3. Maureen A. Tilley, The Bible in Christian North Africa: The Donatist World (Fortress Press) p133.
  4. Erika Hermanowicz, Possidius of Calama: A Study of the North African Episcopate in the Age of Augustine (Oxford University Press, 2008)p127-128.
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