Donatist Martyr Stories. The Church in Conflict in Roman North Africa.

Translated with notes and intro. by Maureen A. Tilley. (Translated Texts for Historians, 24.) Pp. xxxvi+ 106 incl. 1 map. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1996. [pounds]9.95 (paper). 0 85323 931 2

North African Christianity always had its own cherished traditions. African Christians clung to them tenaciously, and when they saw them threatened from 'across the seas', they were apt to assert their autonomy and independence in the face of both the 'overseas churches' and the Roman government. The consequent tensions and conflicts with the Roman see have been much discussed. Until quite recently, confessional loyalties have inevitably affected many of these discussions. J. E. Merdinger sets out to investigate Africa's attitude towards Rome at a crucially important and interesting period, from the 390s to the 420s. She studies the cases of the African …