The Donatist controversy of the late fourth and early fifth century posed Roman Catholic Christians against more zealous Christians in North Africa.
Augustine was the theological champion of the church. He was already on site when the controversy was coming to a forceful conclusion at the end of his life.
It threatened both his life and the very existence of his diocese of Hippo.
While the battle of Augustine with the Pelagians was mainly a theological one fought with the intellect, the battle with the Donatists was more direct.
In comparison, if his contest with the Pelagians was a debate, then his contest with the Donatists had some of the disturbing aspects of a riot as well.
When Augustine came to Hippo, the Donatist schism had existed for about a century.
Donatism had been around since the persecutions under Diocletian, when Christians were ordered to turn over their Scriptures to Roman authorities.
Some had obeyed this order. Others had absolutely refused, and had suffered torture or death as a result. Many did something in between, such as hiding or fleeing.
After the persecution ended, the church had to decide how to treat people - especially bishops - who had handed in their books and holy objects for destruction (i.e., they became what was called a traditor - a Latin word for one who "hands something over") or had fled so as to avoid persecution.
If a bishop had complied with the order or had fled, could he again serve as a bishop once the danger was over? Or if he had lost his credibility with his people for being a traditor, should he be removed from office?
Should he be retained in office, were his subsequent sacramental acts valid? If he had ordained a priest or helped consecrate another bishop, were their orders valid?
The church was split over these matters, especially in North Africa.
The Donatist schism sprang out of the persecution of the Christian church by Diocletian in the beginning of the fourth century.
In about the year 412, forty years before Augustine was born, some members of the Church in Carthage were fired with fanatical zeal on behalf of those who had distinguished themselves by resistance to the imperial mandates and courted martyrdom.
These members now resented deeply the appointment of a bishop of moderate opinions. They claimed that the consecration of this church leader been performed by one who was a traditor, i.e., one who had not defended the Faith strongly enough.
They held that those who denied the Faith could never be forgiven subsequently.
Behind their objection lay the false belief that only those living a perfect life belonged in the church, and, further, that the validity of any sacrament depended upon the personal virtue of the priest or bishop who administered it.
They set up, in consequence, a bishop of their own, of the name of Majorinus. He was succeeded in 315 by Donatus, after whom Donatism received its name.
The party made great pretensions to purity of discipline, and rapidly rose in popular favour notwithstanding a decision given against them both by the Pope in Rome and by the Emperor Constantine, to whom they personally appealed.
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