Arles
A Roman city on the Rhône in southern Gaul. In 314 Constantine summoned bishops from many provinces to meet here and judge the dispute over the bishop of Carthage.
Arles, the Roman Arelate, stands on the Rhône a short distance above its delta. Constantine chose it as the meeting place for the bishops he summoned from “a great many different places” to rehear the case against Caecilian of Carthage (Eusebius, Church History 10.5.21–23). Its bishop Marinus, who had already sat as one of the three Gallic judges at Rome (Optatus, Against the Donatists 1.23), is named first in the council’s letter to the bishop of Rome (Council of Arles (314) letter to Silvester). See the Donatist Schism and the Council of Arles.
What happened here
- AD 314, firm dateThe Donatist Schism and the Council of Arles
Two rival bishops claim Carthage after the persecution. One party appeals to Constantine, who refers the case to bishops at Rome and then to a council at Arles. Both find for Caecilian, but the African church is still divided ninety years later.