Felix, Bishop of Aptunga, in

proconsular Africa Africa Proconsularis was a Roman province on the northern African coast that was established in 146 BC following the defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisia, the northeast of Algeri ...

was a 4th-century churchman, at the center of the

Donatist Donatism was a Christian sect leading to a schism in the Church, in the region of the Church of Carthage, from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and t ...

controversy. Felix was one of those who laid hands on

Caecilian Caecilians (; ) are a group of limbless, vermiform or serpentine amphibians. They mostly live hidden in the ground and in stream substrates, making them the least familiar order of amphibians. Caecilians are mostly distributed in the tropics of ...

as Bishop of Carthage in 311AD. This act led to a major schism in Early North African Christianity.

Biography

Felix of Abthugni, the

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Aptunga had escaped arrest during the

Diocletian Persecution The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rights ...

in 303. He held an administrative office within the town council, and was on friendly relations with the local

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

who was to implement the persecution. It is therefore probable he was warned of the coming persecution, and was away at the time. The

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

and some documents were destroyed in his absence. Felix consecrated Caecilian as Bishop of Carthage in 311. The proto-

in a

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

Cirta Cirta, also known by various other names in antiquity, was the ancient Berber and Roman settlement which later became Constantine, Algeria. Cirta was the capital city of the Berber kingdom of Numidia; its strategically important port city ...

called this consecration invalid because of Felix's participation. However, Felix was considered to have been a ''

traditor Traditor, plural: ''traditores'' (Latin), is a term meaning "the one(s) who had handed over" and defined by Merriam-Webster as "one of the Christians giving up to the officers of the law the Scriptures, the sacred vessels, or the names of their br ...

'' during the Diocletian Persecution and as such Caecilian's consecration was not supported by the majority of the Church. Furthermore, Felix should have consulted with

Secundus of Tigisis Secundus of Tigisis () was an early church leader and primate of Numidia. He was a leading organiser of the early Donatist movement in Carthage. Biography Personal life Little is known about Secundus' personal life. He lived in Numidia during the D ...

, Primate of Numidia before doing such an act. Secundus and 70

s appointed

Majorinus Majorinus was the leader of a schismatic Christian sect in Roman North Africa known as the Donatists. Life Very little is known of his early life, as Donatist writings were mostly destroyed in the following years. What we can garner of his lif ...

in his place, precipitating a schism in the Early North African Christianity that lasted for three centuries.

Trial

The Donatist faction accused Felix of being a ''traditor,'' and the Roman Emperor ordered Aelianus, the

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, to investigate. A hearing took place on February 15, 314 at

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

. Felix was accused of apostasy by Ingentius, a Donatist, who had been a secretary to one of the city officials in

Abthugni Abthugni ( xpu, 𐤀𐤐𐤁𐤂𐤍, , or , ) was an ancient city in Roman North Africa at present day Suwar ( Henchir-es-Souar) in Tunisia. It was, in Roman times, in the province of Africa Proconsularis, Africa, and latter in Byzacena. In l ...

during the persecution. He would have known Felix from Aptunga. It is assumed this accusation was retaliatory after Felix had accused

Maurus of Utica Maurus is a Latin given name. It can refer to: Persons Saints * Saint Maurus of Parentium (3rd century), the first bishop of Parentium and the patron saint of Poreč * Saint Maurus (c. 500 - c. 584), the first disciple of St. Benedict of Nursia * ...

(a friend of Ingentius) of similar crimes. On January 19, 314, Felix appeared before the court of Vicar

Aelius Paulinus The gens Aelia, occasionally written Ailia, was a plebeian family in Rome, which flourished from the fifth century BC until at least the third century AD, a period of nearly eight hundred years. The archaic spelling ''Ailia'' is found on coins, ...

to defend himself against his accusers. He was exonerated on February 15 by proconsul Aelianus.

Reception

Felix was supported by the writers

Optatus Saint Optatus, sometimes anglicized as St. Optate, was Bishop of Milevis, in Numidia, in the fourth century, remembered for his writings against Donatism. Biography and context Optatus was a convert, as we gather from St. Augustine: "Do we not s ...

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

and

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian ...

.Saint

(Bishop of Mileve), Mark J. Edwards, OPTATUS (Liverpool University Press, 1997
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References

{{Reflist, 2 4th-century bishops in Roman North Africa Ancient Christians involved in controversies Year of birth unknown 4th-century births Carthaginians Year of death missing 4th-century BC Punic people Diocletianic Persecution

Biography

Trial

Reception

See also

References