Purpurius was a

Donatist Donatism was a schism from the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Carthage from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and their prayers and sacraments to ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

from 305 to 320 AD, who was instrumental in establishing the Donatist movement of

Roman North Africa Africa was a Roman province on the northern coast of the continent of Africa. It was established in 146 BC, following the Roman Republic's conquest of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisi ...

. He is known from several correspondences. It was Purpurius who first introduced the likening of the Donatist community as a new expression of the

Israelite Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...

s following

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

in the Desert. Fossatum

He was an attendee at the

Synod of Cirta Secundus of Tigisis () was an early church leader and primate of Numidia. He was a leading organiser of the early Donatist movement in Carthage. Biography Personal life Little is known about Secundus' personal life. He lived in Numidia during the ...

, the beginning of the Donatist movement.

Optatus Optatus, sometimes anglicized as Optate, was Bishop of Milevis, in Numidia, in the fourth century, remembered for his writings against Donatism. Biography and context Augustine of Hippo suggests that Optatus was a convert: "Do we not see with ho ...

tells he had a dispute with Secundus of Tigisis, who charged him as a murderer, a charge he admitted. The accusation was he had murdered his nephews at Milevus, though we are not told what the circumstance of the act were.

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

describes him as a violent man. Optatus also claims he was

brigand Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who is typically part of a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first record ...

and had stolen

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

from the imperial stores. These accusations, however, did not exclude him from the meeting. As historian Maureen Tilley puts it

...since Purpurius had not been a
traditor Traditor, plural: ''traditores'' (Latin), is a term meaning "the one(s) who had handed over" and defined by Merriam-Webster as "one of the Christians giving up to the officers of the law the Scriptures, the sacred vessels, or the names of their b ...
... he was still a member – albeit a sinful member – of the true church. His private affairs, even murder, were no bar to his participation in the ritual of
consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
.Maureen A. Tilley, ''The Bible in Christian North Africa: The Donatist World'' (Fortress Press, 199
p102

References

{{reflist 4th-century bishops in Roman North Africa Donatists Year of birth unknown