[3] So Langen (1883) and E. Mayer (1904).

[4] This is also W. Mayer's view in his later work. In his _Die
romische Frage_ (1881) he had placed the forgery in 805 or 806.

DONATISTS, a powerful sect which arose in the Christian church of
northern Africa at the beginning of the 4th century.[1] In its doctrine
it sprang from the same roots, and in its history it had in many things
the same character, as the earlier Novatians. The predisposing causes of
the Donatist schism were the belief, early introduced into the African
church, that the validity of all sacerdotal acts depended upon the
personal character of the agent, and the question, arising out of that
belief, as to the eligibility for sacerdotal office of the _traditores_,
or those who had delivered up their copies of the Scriptures under the
compulsion of the Diocletian persecution; the exciting cause was the
election of a successor to Mensurius, bishop of Carthage, who died in
311. Mensurius had held moderate views as to the treatment of the
_traditores_, and accordingly a strong fanatical party had formed itself
in Carthage in opposition to him, headed by a wealthy and influential
widow named Lucilla, and countenanced by Secundus of Tigisis, _episcopus
primae sedis_ in Numidia. There were thus two parties, each anxious to
secure the succession to the vacant see. The friends of the late bishop
fixed their choice on Caecilian, the archdeacon, and secured his
election and his consecration by Felix, the bishop of Aptunga, before
the other party were ready for action. It had been customary for the
Numidian bishops to be present at the election and consecration of the
bishop of Carthage, who as metropolitan of proconsular Africa occupied a
position of primacy towards all the African provinces. Caecilian's
party, however, had not waited for them, knowing them to be in sympathy
with their opponents. Soon after Caecilian's consecration, Secundus sent
a commission to Carthage, which appointed an interventor temporarily to
administer the bishopric which they regarded as vacant. Then Secundus
himself with seventy of the Numidian bishops arrived at Carthage. A
synod of Africa was formed, before which Caecilian was summoned; his
consecration was declared invalid, on the ground that Felix had been a
traditor; and finally, having refused to obey the summons to appear, he
was excommunicated, and the lector Majorinus, a dependant of Lucilla's,
consecrated in his stead.