Donatism

1 9.9

A Christian movement in North Africa that says only people without sin can be church members and lead services

noun
/ˈdɒnəˌtɪzəm/

Specialized

: donatismo

Critics argued that Donatism undermined the unity of the Church by insisting on the moral purity of its leaders.

Examples

The teachings of Donatism challenged the prevailing belief that all baptized individuals could participate in the Church.
During the 4th century, Donatism emerged in northern Africa, emphasizing that only blameless individuals could administer sacraments.
Such a perspective naturally leads to disillusionment, culminating either in a rejection of the Church as a viable means of salvation or in the threat of Donatism.

Academic text (2002)

Surface Forms

Donatism singular

Donatisms plural

Morphology

Donatism = Donatus (opaque) = Donat + ism

Though formed from the name 'Donatus' + '-ism', the term denotes a specific historical theological movement whose doctrinal content cannot be derived from the name alone.

Etymology

Donatism is named after Donatus, a 4th-century bishop in North Africa. The name comes from the Latin donatus, 'given', and is related to the English word donate, and Donatus led a group that said only blameless people could be true members or perform religious ceremonies, so the movement took his name.