Antonianism, or Antonine sect ( Portuguese: ''Antonianismo''), was a

syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus ...

Bakongo The Kongo people (also , singular: or ''M'kongo; , , singular: '') are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others. They have li ...

Catholic movement formed in the

Kingdom of Kongo The Kingdom of Kongo ( or ''Wene wa Kongo;'' ) was a kingdom in Central Africa. It was located in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. At its gre ...

between 1704 and 1708, as a development out of the Catholic Church in Kongo, yet without denying the authority of the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. Its founder was a young charismatic woman named Beatriz Kimpa Vita, who said she was possessed by

Saint Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. Anthony was born and raised by a wealth ...

.Peter N. Stearns and William Leonard Langer. ''The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged'', 2001. Page 394. Beatriz became known for healing and other miracles. It was eventually suppressed by King

Pedro IV of Kongo Pedro IV Nusamu a Mvemba. King of Kongo, ruled from 1695 to 1718, although his effective reign of Kongo was only from 1709. He is noted for restoring the country and ending the civil war that had raged since 1666. The career of Beatriz Kimpa Vi ...

, and Dona Beatriz was burned at the stake as a heretic.

Origins

Dona Beatriz (the

Baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

al name of Kimpa Vita) was a young indigenous noblewoman born around 1684 in the Kongo. The

was the largest and most powerful kingdom in Central Africa, but its influence was waning; during the 17th century, Portugal became the region's dominant military and economic force. The Portuguese had begun converting the people of the Kongo to Catholicism as early as the 15th century. The nobility of the Kongo and the commoners both practised Catholicism.

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

had been introduced to

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

in the 15th century and had attracted a wide following in Kongo. Beatriz claimed Anthony had told her through a vision to create a new Kongolese Catholicism, and she incorporated various native practices and traditions into her movement. The major differences between Roman Catholicism and Antonianism were the rejection of the cross, as it was seen as being responsible for Christ's death, as well as the rejection of baptism, confession and prayer. Among her beliefs were that

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

was a black man and that the Kongo was the real home of Christianity. She also held that heaven was for

Africans The ethnic groups of Africa number in the thousands, with each ethnicity generally having their own language (or dialect of a language) and culture. The ethnolinguistic groups include various Afroasiatic, Khoisan, Niger-Congo, and Nilo-Sahara ...

. After an illness in 1704, Dona Beatriz began to preach that she had been possessed by St. Anthony of Padua, who was a major Portuguese saint.

Teachings

Dona Beatriz "was trained as an ''nganga marinda'', an individual who consults the supernatural world to solve problems within the community", and acted as a medium, speaking the pronouncements of St. Anthony. The teachings were a mixture of Kongo religious rituals, nativism, and Catholicism: Dona Beatriz prophesied a new golden age to her followers, one that would follow the end of European presence in the Kongo. European treasures would be found around the Kongo capital city of Mbanza Kongo by her followers, and trees would turn to silver and gold. Dona Beatriz acknowledged papal authority, yet her cult was hostile to European missionaries, teaching that they were "corrupt and unsympathetic to the spiritual needs of Kongolese Catholics".

Political activities and suppression

The Antonians, led by Dona Beatriz, occupied the territory of Mbanza Kongo. It served as a base for Antonian missionaries, who were sent by Dona Beatriz to convert followers to her movement, and "to urge rulers of the divided Kongo territories to unite under one king". She aimed to end the civil wars that had plagued the kingdom since the arrival of the Portuguese. Dona Beatriz' political influence was a threat to Pedro IV and the Portuguese administration that supported him. In 1706, Pedro IV had Dona Beatriz arrested and burned at the stake for

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

, under the urging of Portuguese Capuchin monks. The movement of Antonianism did not immediately die when she did and in 1708 twenty thousand Antonians marched on King Pedro IV, who eventually defeated them and restored his kingdom.Bentley, Jerry and Ziegler, Herb. ''Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past''. McGraw Hill, New York: 2006 Although the movement had a short life under the leadership of Dona Beatriz, artifacts have survived, including St. Anthony figurines made of "ivory, brass, and wood ... affixed to crosses, used as staff finials, and worn as pendants.... these images, called ''Toni Malau'' or "Anthony of good fortune" in KiKongo, served to guard their bearers against illness and other misfortunes".

References

{{Kingdom of Kongo, state=collapsed History of Christianity in Africa Kingdom of Kongo Christian denominations established in the 18th century Christian new religious movements Kongo religion