Circumcellions

The Circumcellions, or Agonistici{{Cite CE1913 |wstitle=Agonistici |last=A'Becket |first=John Joseph |noicon=true}} (as called by Donatists), were bands of Roman Christian radicals in North Africa in the early to mid-4th century.{{Cite encyclopedia |article=Circumcellions |editor-last=Cross |editor-first=FL |encyclopedia=The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church |place=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005}} They were initially concerned with remedying social grievances. They condemned poverty and slavery and advocated canceling debt and freeing slaves.{{Cite book |first=Will |last=Durant |title=The Age of Faith |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1972 |pages=47–48}} The term "Circumcellions" may have been coined by critics who referred to them as "circum cellas euntes" (they go around larders) because "they roved about among the peasants, living on those they sought to indoctrinate."

Background

The Circumcellions first appeared about 317 and were active primarily in Numidia[http://www.jstor.org/stable/4436263 Atkinson, J. E. "Out of Order: The Circumcellions and Codex Theodosianus 16, 5, 52", Historia: Zeitschrift Für Alte Geschichte, vol. 41, no. 4, 1992, pp. 488–499. JSTOR] and Mauretania Sitifensis. They promoted ideas of social reform along with eschatological hopes.{{Cite web |title=Warmington, Brian H., "Circumcelliones", Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Circumcelliones |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}} Bishop Optatus of Milevis says that around 340 they started an uprising directed at creditors and slave owners. They regarded as martyrs those among them killed when the disturbance was put down. Augustine of Hippo likened them to a rustic mob encouraging violence against landlords.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1efcAyQuKIMC&pg=PA3 |pages=2–3 |last=Dossey |first=Leslie |title=Peasant and Empire in Christian North Africa |publisher=University of California Press |date=2010 |isbn=9780520254398}}

They regarded martyrdom as the true Christian virtue and thus disagreed with the Episcopal see of Carthage on the primacy of chastity, sobriety, humility, and charity. Instead, they focused on bringing about their own martyrdom.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} On occasion, members assaulted Roman legionaries or armed travelers with simple wooden clubs to provoke them into attacking and martyring them. Others interrupted courts of law and verbally provoked the judge so that he would order their immediate execution (a normal punishment at the time for contempt of court).{{Cite book |last=Gibbon |first=Edward |title=The History of the Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire |volume=2 |chapter=XXI – Part VII |publisher=Everyman's Library |year=1993 |location=New York, NY |isbn=0-679-42308-7}}

Views

Because it is written in the Gospel of John that Jesus had told Peter to put down his sword at Gethsemane ({{bibleref |John|18:11}}), the Circumcellions avoided bladed weapons and used clubs, which they called "Israelites". Using their "Israelites", the Circumcellions would attack random travelers on the road while shouting "Laudate Deum!" ("Praise God!" in Latin). The motive behind these random beatings was to provoke the victims into killing them so they would die a martyr's death.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9CwMAAAAYAAJ&q=circumcellions%20israelites&pg=PA468 |title=The history and the decline and fall of the Roman Empire |volume=1 |year=1831 |page=468 |first=Edward |last=Gibbon |author-link=Edward Gibbon}}.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WZkvAAAAYAAJ&q=circumcellions%20israelites&pg=PA182 |title=History of the Christian church |page=182 |first=James Craigie |last=Robertson |year=1854 |author-link=James Craigie Robertson}}.

They preferred to be known as agonistici ("fighters" for Christ).

In popular culture

In Umberto Eco's Baudolino (2000), the law of the Deacon of Pndapetzim is enforced by Circumcellion Nubian (Nubians) guards.{{Cite book |last=Eco |first=Umberto |title=Baudolino |date=2002 |publisher=Harcourt |translator=William Weaver |isbn=0-15-100690-3 |location=New York |oclc=49002024}}

References

External links

{{Cite AmCyc |wstitle=Circumcelliones |short=x}}
{{Cite journal |last=Park |first=Jae-Eun |url=https://www.academia.edu/4811679 |title=Lacking Love or Conveying Love? The Fundamental Roots of the Donatists and Augustine's Nuanced Treatment of Them |journal=The Reformed Theological Review |volume=72 |issue=2 |date=Aug 2013 |pages=103–21}}.

Category:4th century in Roman Africa

Category:Christian denominations established in the 4th century

Category:Donatism