Święty Augustyn i synody Afryki Północnej przełomu IV i V wieku

Abstract

The synodal activity of the Church in North Africa at the Turn of the 4th and 5th Centuries, although on the one hand is astonishing with its dynamic development, on the other hand, also highlights the multiplicity and scope of problems that the African Church faced. Such outstanding pastors as, in particular, the Bishop of Carthage and the Primate of Proconsular Africa, Aurelius (391‒430) and the Bishop of Hippo, Augustine (396‒430), made synods an effective weapon in the fight against the Donatist schism and the heresy of Pelagianism. No less important matters of the synodal meetings convened at that time were matters related to the discipline of the clergy, the liturgy and the life of the Church. Synods (concilia) enjoyed their own seriousness and authority (auctoritas). Plenary synods in particular played a significant role among them. As a manifestation of episcopal collegiality, they shed a lot of light on the relationship of African bishops to the Bishop of Rome, and are also a testimony to African ecclesial specificity and autonomy.