Marcellinus of Carthage
Encyclopedia
Marcellinus of Carthage was a Christian
martyr
and saint
who died in 413. He was secretary of state
of the Western Roman Empire
under Roman Emperor
Honorius
and a close friend of Augustine of Hippo
, as well as a correspondent of Saint Jerome
's. Saint Augustine dedicated the first books of his landmark The City of God to Marcellinus in 413.
In 409, Marcellinus granted the right to public worship to the Donatists, an heretical
group. The Donatists grew in power and began to oppress the orthodox
, who appealed to the emperor for protection. Marcellinus was set up as the judge of the controversy. In 411, at the Conference of Carthage
, he ruled that the Donatists were heretics and that they had to give up their churches and return to churches under the control of orthodox bishop
s and priests. This judgment was carried out by the Roman army with violence and great severity. So bloody was the persecution of the Donatists that Saint Augustine, who had been one of the leaders in condemning Donatism as a heresy, protested at their treatment.
In 413, the Donatists accused Marcellinus and his brother, Apringius, of being involved in the rebellion of Heraclion. General Maricus, who had put down the rebellion and who had Donatist sympathies, arrested the brothers and put them in prison
. Even with Bishop Augustine intervening on their behalf with Cecilian, the judge in the case, the two brothers were executed on September 12. His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church
is April 6.
Marcellinus is frequently mentioned in Peter Brown's biography of Augustine, Augustine of Hippo: a Biography (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000). See particularly the chapters 25-28 for Marcellinus' role in the Donatist controversy and his juridical murder after Heraclion's attempted coup.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
and saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
who died in 413. He was secretary of state
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
under Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Honorius
Honorius (emperor)
Honorius , was Western Roman Emperor from 395 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the eastern emperor Arcadius....
and a close friend of Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
, as well as a correspondent of Saint Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
's. Saint Augustine dedicated the first books of his landmark The City of God to Marcellinus in 413.
In 409, Marcellinus granted the right to public worship to the Donatists, an heretical
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
group. The Donatists grew in power and began to oppress the orthodox
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
, who appealed to the emperor for protection. Marcellinus was set up as the judge of the controversy. In 411, at the Conference of Carthage
Councils of Carthage
Councils of Carthage, also referred to as Synods of Carthage were church synods held during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries in the town of Carthage in Africa...
, he ruled that the Donatists were heretics and that they had to give up their churches and return to churches under the control of orthodox bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s and priests. This judgment was carried out by the Roman army with violence and great severity. So bloody was the persecution of the Donatists that Saint Augustine, who had been one of the leaders in condemning Donatism as a heresy, protested at their treatment.
In 413, the Donatists accused Marcellinus and his brother, Apringius, of being involved in the rebellion of Heraclion. General Maricus, who had put down the rebellion and who had Donatist sympathies, arrested the brothers and put them in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. Even with Bishop Augustine intervening on their behalf with Cecilian, the judge in the case, the two brothers were executed on September 12. His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
is April 6.
Marcellinus is frequently mentioned in Peter Brown's biography of Augustine, Augustine of Hippo: a Biography (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000). See particularly the chapters 25-28 for Marcellinus' role in the Donatist controversy and his juridical murder after Heraclion's attempted coup.