The pace and the order in which events occurred that led to the emperor Constantine's intervention in the affairs of the African church, and the ensuing permanent division in the Christian community in Africa, are matters of dispute. The differences can be outlined briefly. Traditionally, a “compressed” chronology has been preferred. The compressed chronology places most of the significant causal steps close in time to the emperor Constantine's involvement in the dispute that led to the separation of the two churches. This chronology compacts the events leading to the division within the church in Africa into the years between 311 and 313. By contrast, others have argued for a “long” chronology that spreads these events out over a greater span of time, in some cases to years well before the time of Constantine's intervention. The long chronology is clearly to be preferred. In fact, I shall argue for a slightly longer chronology than that proposed by some revisionists. Here are the facts.

events at carthage before and during the persecution of 303–305

We might begin with a brief mise-en-scène. Events involving Mensurius, the bishop of Carthage, just before and during the years of the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian in 303–05, are essential to an understanding of the sordid infighting that erupted within the church immediately after the end of the persecution. Of the many events, there is one that is central to what happened afterwards. It involved three actors: Mensurius, the bishop of Carthage, an old trusted woman who was a parishioner of the church, and, finally, the powerful body of Elders or seniores. The church of Carthage possessed not only many landed properties and buildings, but also valuable chattels in the form of thesaurized wealth, including a large number of objects in gold and silver. As the persecution began, it was Mensurius’ reasonable fear that the authorities would begin to seize church property, not just taking copies of scriptures or seizing its fixed assets in churches and basilicas.