Category: Christianity in North Africa

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Diseases and epidemics were very common and often devastating in Antiquity. One of the most mortal epidemics that ravaged the Roman world is known as the “plague of Cyprian”, after the name of a bishop of Carthage who mentions it in his writings.

Roman medicine was one of the most advanced in the old world. The Romans had learned a lot from Greek medicine, and had a very good knowledge of human anatomy. However, as they didn’t know about the existence of germs, they were vulnerable to infectious diseases. The rich and powerful were hit by illness as well as the poorest. The worst of all epidemics, which ravaged the Roman Empire for 15 years, from 165 to 180, killed 10 million people, about one quarter of the population, including Emperor Marcus Aurelius himself.

Another epidemic, which lasted around 20 years, from 250 to 270, is known to historians under the name “plague of Cyprian”. It is estimated that over half the population of Alexandria, the first city to be affected, died. In Rome, at the peak of the epidemic, there were 5.000 deaths every day. We don’t know for sure what the disease was: maybe smallpox, measles, or a viral hemorrhagic fever like Ebola.

Cyprian of Carthage, the Christian bishop of the capital of Roman Africa at the time, wrote about this epidemic. The Christian community was just as hardly affected as the rest of the population, many Christians died. Also, the pagans were accusing them of being responsible for the plague, which they saw as a divine punishment for those who turned their backs on the Roman religion. However, the Christians’ attitude was radically different from that of their contemporaries: while all those who had the means were trying to flee the infected cities, the Christians chose to stay and take care of the sick, whether they shared their faith or not. In his book On mortality, Cyprian explains the reasons for this difference.

Cyprian gives a detailed description of the symptoms: “The bowels, relaxed into a constant flux, discharge the bodily strength; a fire originated in the marrow ferments into wounds of the fauces; the intestines are shaken with a continual vomiting; the eyes are on fire with the injected blood; in some cases the feet or some parts of the limbs are taken off by the contagion of diseased putrefaction; from the weakness arising by the maiming and loss of the body, either the gait is enfeebled, or the hearing is obstructed, or the sight darkened.”

So why did the Christians choose to stay? Because their faith had freed them from the fear of death: “laying aside the fear of death, let us think on the immortality which follows.” Also, this epidemic was an ideal opportunity for them to put into practice Christ’s first commandment to love their neighbor, by caring for the sick and for those who had lost loved ones, in the Christian community and beyond. Testimonies mention that the Christians were visiting the ill and taking care of them. Through their exposition to the virus, many of those visitors were probably immune – and their resistance to sickness might well have seemed miraculous for those who saw it!

In the same book, Cyprian also answers the question that always returns in difficult times: why does God allow all this suffering? “And further, beloved brethren, what is it, what a great thing is it, how pertinent, how necessary, that pestilence and plague which seems horrible and deadly, searches out the righteousness of each one, and examines the minds of the human race, to see whether they who are in health tend the sick; whether relations affectionately love their kindred; whether masters pity their languishing servants; whether physicians do not forsake the beseeching patients; whether the fierce suppress their violence; whether the rapacious can quench the ever insatiable ardour of their raging avarice even by the fear of death; whether the haughty bend their neck; whether the wicked soften their boldness; whether, when their dear ones perish, the rich, even then bestow anything, and give, when they are to die without heirs. Even although this mortality conferred nothing else, it has done this benefit to Christians and to God’s servants, that we begin gladly to desire martyrdom as we learn not to fear death. These are trainings for us, not deaths: they give the mind the glory of fortitude; by contempt of death they prepare for the crown.”

Christian and pagan sources both confirm that the Christian attitude during the epidemic impressed those who saw it and won many new believers for their faith.

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During the first centuries of the Christian era, North Africa, from its large, cosmopolitan cities to its most remote rural areas, proved to be an especially fertile ground for the Christian Gospel. Minucius Felix, a Roman African Christian, wrote one of the first Christian apologies against Roman paganism.

Marcus Minucius Felix was born around 180, in Thiava, close to Thagaste (Souk Ahras), Numidia. While he had Amazigh origins, his name shows that he was related to the gens Minucia, an old Roman family. He worked as a lawyer in Rome under Emperor Septimius Severus. Originally a pagan, he became a Christian close to the end of his life.

He wrote Octavius, a fictional dialogue between a Christian and a pagan. This book was written for an educated pagan public, in order to convince them of the truth of Christianity. The arguments are mostly inspired from Cicero, as well as from older Greek apologists; a Stoic influence can also be perceived. The author tries to demonstrate that Christianity is compatible with philosophy, by explaining how the truth, the object of the quest of all philosophers, which they all approached without fully finding it, is now revealed in Christ.

Minucius Felix’ Octavius is the first Christian text to condemn abortion.

Minucius Felix’ Octavius might be the oldest Christian apology written in Latin. Tertullian of Carthage‘s Apologetica was written at about the same time, and there are many similarities between both works, which shows that one of the two authors used the other as an inspiration; but we don’t know which one of them wrote first. In both cases, as Tertullian was also African, it is certain that the first Latin-language Christian apology was written by a North African author.

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Since the 1st Century, a new religion, Christianity, quickly spread around the whole Roman Empire. North Africa, from its large, cosmopolitan cities to its most remote rural areas, proved to be an especially fertile ground for the Christian Gospel. In this article, we will discover the main churches and other Christian archaeological remains that still exist today in Algeria and Morocco.

Series: Churches and Other Christian Buildings of Ancient North Africa – Tunisia – Libya – Algeria and Morocco

Algeria

The oldest Christian center in modern-day Algeria was Cirta (Constantine), capital of Numidia. The city probably had a Christian majority by the end of the 3rd Century. However, no remains of an ancient Christian church building have been found in Constantine.

Later on, the city of Hippo (Annaba) became the main Christian center in Numidia, due to the influence of its bishop, the famous Augustine. The ruins of the church of Hippo, where Augustine preached, are still visible today.

Further South, St-Crispina’s Basilica, in Tebessa (formerly Theveste), is a particularly well-preserved Christian church, built on the site of the martyrdom of Crispine, a Christian woman who was beheaded for her faith in Theveste in 304. In the same region, the churches of Madaura (M’daourouch) and Thagaste (Souk Ahras), where Augustine was born, sadly have not survived to our time.

In Timgad (formerly Thamugadi), the ruins of the Church of Bishop Optatus, one of the leaders of the Donatist movement, can be seen.

The ruins of the old city of Sitifis (Setif) contain two Christian Basilicas. The neighboring town of Cuicul (Djemila) also has Christian remains: two churches and a baptistery.

In Tipaza (formerly Tipasa), St-Salsa’s Basilica is consecrated to a 14-year old Christian girl who was killed for her faith by the city’s inhabitants. Tipasa also has catacombs, less well-known than those of Sousse.

Caesarea (Cherchell), capital of Mauretania Caesariensis, was largely destroyed by the Vandals. While no church building survived their pillage, the city contains several Christian inscriptions, that can be seen at the Cherchell National Museum.

Morocco

In modern-day Morocco, the oldest archaeological trace of a Christian presence is a 3rd-Centyry pottery engraved with an anchor, that was found at Souk El Arbaa: the anchor is a Christian symbol of the assurance the believers have when they face the storms of life. (Source)

The archaeological site of Volubilis contains Christian inscriptions. The site of the Christian Basilica of Volubilis is known, and its foundations are still visible, but the building itself has disappeared.

In Lixus (Larache), the other major archaeological site that goes back to Roman Antiquity, the ruins of the old church of Lixus are still visible. Christian inscriptions and artifacts with crosses have also been found.

In Tangier (formerly Tingis), while no remains of a pre-Islamic church building have survived until today, Christian tombs have been found.

Zilil (Dchar Jdid) is a Roman colony, founded by Emperor Augustus for veterans of the Actium War. The city was located between Tangier and Asilah. A large ancient structure, dated from the 4th or the 5th Century, might be a church, but this is not sure. Its plan conforms to other Roman African churches. Potteries with crosses and other Christian symbols have also been found.

Finally, the Chellah archaeological site, close to Rabat, is mostly of Islamic (Merinid) origin, but excavations have enabled archaeologists to find 5th-Century Christian tombs, and maybe even the foundations of a pre-Islamic church building.

Sidi Yahya ben Younes: a Christian saint in Oudja? Sidi Yahya ben Younes is the patron saint of the city of Oudja, in Eastern Morocco. His mausoleum is in the city, in the oasis of Sidi Yahya. According to local legends, Sidi Yahya is actually Saint John the Baptist! This prophet, the cousin and forerunner of Jesus Christ, is mentioned in the Quran as Yahya ibn Zakaria. After his execution by King Herod Antipas of Judea, he was reportedly buried in Oujda.

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Since the 1st Century, a new religion, Christianity, quickly spread around the whole Roman Empire. North Africa, from its large, cosmopolitan cities to its most remote rural areas, proved to be an especially fertile ground for the Christian Gospel. In this article, we will discover the main churches and other Christian archaeological remains that still exist today in Libya.

Series: Churches and Other Christian Buildings of Ancient North Africa – Tunisia – Libya – Algeria and Morocco

Tripolitania

The archaeological site of Leptis Magna contains remains of a very well-preserved ancient Christian Church, with two naves. The Basilica Severiana, one of the city’s emblematic buildings, originally built by Septimius Severus, was also transformed into a church during the Byzantine era.

The ruins of the Byzantine Church of Oea (Tripoli) can be seen close to the Old Medina of Tripoli.

Apuleius’ Basilica, in Sabratha, is the city’s former Roman Basilica (law court), which was transformed into a church in 440. Its name comes from the Numidian writer Apuleius, the author of the novel The Golden Ass, who was accused of sorcery and judged in Sabratha. Another church, Justinian’s Basilica, was built after the Byzantine reconquest.

In Ghadames, Christian tombs and inscriptions were discovered.

Cyrenaica

Cyrenaica, the first North African region where Christianity propagated, has some of the most beautiful and best-preserved Roman African Christian remains. Sadly, they are hard to access due to political instability.

The old city of Cyrene contains several churches. One, which has three naves, is located just next to the Forum. However, the main Cyrenean church was in Apollonia, the port city.

Ptolemais (Tolmeita), the new capital of Cyrenaica, also contains the ruins of several churches. Its main church, the Fortified Church, is one of the largest Christian churches in North Africa. This is where Synesius of Cyrene served as a bishop.

In Taucheira (Tocra), the Byzantine Church of the Palace has beautiful mosaics, which can be seen on this page.

The Asclepium of Balagrae (Al-Bayda), an important sanctury of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, where the sick went on pilgrimage in order to be healed, was transformed into a church.

Two other beautiful Byzantine churches can be found in the Derna region: in Erythron (El Athroun), and in Naustathmus (Ras al-Hillal). The Church of Naustathmus can be seen on the cover picture of this article.

The ancient city of Olbia (Qasr Libya), which was rebuilt in the Byzantine era, by order of Empress Theodora, contains two Byzantine churches, with around fifty mosaics that are considered among the most beautiful in the world.

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Since the 1st Century, a new religion, Christianity, quickly spread around the whole Roman Empire. North Africa, from its large, cosmopolitan cities to its most remote rural areas, proved to be an especially fertile ground for the Christian Gospel. In this article, we will discover the main churches and other Christian archaeological remains that still exist today in Tunisia.

Series: Churches and Other Christian Buildings of Ancient North Africa – Tunisia – Libya – Algeria and Morocco

The Damous el-Karita Basilica, in Carthage, was the oldest and largest Christian church in the African capital. It is located in the Archaeological Site of Carthage, on the Odeon Hill. Its Arabic name, Damous el-Karita (داموس الكريطة), is probably a deformation of the Latin name domus caritatis, “house of charity”. The French historian and archaeologist Noël Duval describes this basilica as one of the “most famous ancient Christian monuments” in North Africa, but also one of the “most mistreated and badly known”, as it was excavated “incompletely [and] in disastrous conditions” (Noël Duval, Études d’architecture chrétienne nord-africaine). This is despite the fact that several very important episodes in the history of the Christian Church occurred here, including the Carthage III Council, in 397, which gave the final definition of the Biblical Canon (the books that were to be considered as sacred).

Three other important Carthagian churches are St-Cyprian’s Basilica, built at the place where Bishop Cyprian of Carthage was martyred, Basilica Majorum, which was destroyed, but later rebuilt identically in 1930, and the Bir el-Knissia Basilica.

The Bardo Museum, in Tunis, contains a vast collection of ancient Christian artifacts, that were found in Carthage and all over Tunisia. One of the main ones is the Mosaica of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, a rare example of African Christian monumental art, which can be seen on the cover picture of this article.

Christian archaeological remains are not limited to the region around Carthage, or even to major cities! Some churches have even been found on isolated sites in rural areas, like Henchir Rhira Basilica, in the Beja region. Its ruins are impressive, despite its isolation.

In Dougga, Victoria’s Church is the only Christian monument that has been discovered on this site up to now. This church was built on a former pagan cemetery. It is located over the Temple of Saturn.

The Thuburbo Majus archaeological site, close to Zaghouan, also contains a Christian church, built on the remains of a former Pagan temple. Its cross-shaped baptistery is typical of North African Christianity.

In Sousse, the Catacombs of the Good Shepherd contain close to 15.000 Christian tombs, with engravings that go back to the time when Christians practiced their faith in clandestinity.

In Bekalta, in the region of Monastir, a beautiful baptistery, richly adorned with mosaics, was found in 1993. It is now kept at the Sousse Archaeological Museum, where is constitutes one of the main pieces at the Department of Ancient Christianity. Another baptistery, found at the Church of Priest Felix, in Demna, close to Kelibia, is now kept at the Bardo Museum, in Tunis.

The Makhtar Basilica is the city’s former Roman Basilica (court of law), that was transformed into a church. Former civil buildings transformed into churches are common all around the Roman world; the main church of a Roman city, which served as siege of the bishop, was called Basilica, like the civil building.

The Vandals are a Germanic people who dominated Africa from 439 to 533. They were Christian, but followed the Arian doctrine, which was considered heretical by the indigenous North African Church. Henchir el Gousset, close to Thelepte, in the Kasserine Governorate, is the only Vandal city that remains until today. It church, which was inaugurated in 521, under the Vandal King Thrasamund, is one of the few Vandal churches in North Africa. Another Vandal church is the Basilica of Hildeguns, in Makhtar.

St-Peter’s Basilica, in El Kef, also known as Dar El Kous, is a 5th-Century church in El Kef. It is dedicated to St-Peter, an apostle of Christ. This ancient church is so remarkably well-preserved that it was put into new use as a place of worship during the French Protectorate.

The ruins of the ancient city of Sufetula (Sbeitla) contain several churches: the Bellator, Vitalis, and St-Sylvanus and Fortunatus Basilicas, the (probably Donatist) Church of Servus, and the Jucundus Chapel.

Finally, the Byzantine site of Ammaedra (Haidra), at the Tunisian-Algerian border, contains several churches. The biggest ist the Melleus Basilica.

There are many other sites, but we chose to select the main ones in order to avoid overcharging this article.

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Julius Africanus was a Roman African soldier, diplomat and writer, who professed the Christian religion, and served in the administration of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus and his successors. While he served under pagan Roman Emperors, his skills were so valuable for his masters that he was never troubled for his faith.

Life of Julius Africanus

Sextus Julius Africanus was born around 160, in Aelia Capitolina, the new Roman city built on the site of Jerusalem. At the time, after the Romans had expelled the Jews from Palestine, new populations from all over the Empire were moving there. Julius Africanus’ family, who hailed from Roman Africa, were part of this migration.

As a young man, Julius Africanus joined the Roman army. As a military officer, he took part in Emperor Septimius Severus‘ campaign against the Persians. Septimius Severus, who was of North African origin himself, wished to promote a new Roman-African elite, of which Julius Africanus was a member.

At some point in his life, we don’t know exactly when, Julius Africanus converted to Christianity, a religion that was still a small minority at the time. After his conversion, he moved to Alexandria, to study at the Christian theological school there. Julius Africanus represents a new Christian elite, who had received an excellent education and showed perfect knowledge of their Greek-Roman cultural heritage. While he served under Emperors who were known for their hostility toward Christianity, he was never troubled for his faith.

In 212, the new Emperor Caracalla entrusted him the most important mission of his lifetime: he named him Ambassador to the Kingdom of Osrhoene. King Abgar VIII of Osrhoene had just died, and his son and successor Abgar IX had grown up as a hostage in Rome. The main role of the Roman Ambassador was to give account to Rome on the new king’s loyalty. Also, since Abgar VIII’s conversion around 200, Osrhoene had become the first officially Christian nation in history, over a century before Rome. This certainly influenced the Emperor’s choice of the Christian Julius Africanus as his Ambassador.

During his time in Edessa (Şanlıurfa, modern-day Turkey), the capital of Osrhoene, Julius Africanus could devote himself fully to his passion: scientific and literary research. The city was a major Syriac cultural center, as well as a major Christian theological center. There, Julius Africanus met Bardaisan, the first known Syriac-language writer, who wrote both philosophical and historical books. He also traveled further, to Persia.

In 213, Abgar IX was ordered to Rome and killed by Caracalla, allowing the Roman Empire to take over Osrhoene. Julius Africanus moved to Palestine, where he devoted himself to writing.

Little is known of his life after leaving Edessa. We don’t know if he took part in Caracalla’s military campaign against the Persians, in 218. He wrote a letter to the Christian theologian Origen of Alexandria, in which we calls him “my son”. He led an embassy of citizens of the city of Emmaus, where he was living, to the Emperor Elagabalus (218-222), in order to ask for the restoration of their city; the city would indeed be restored, and renamed Nicopolis. One of his works, the Kestoi, is dedicated to Emperor Severus Alexander (222-235). Under his reign, he apparently opened a public library at the Pantheon in Rome. He died during the reign of Emperor Gordian (238-244).

Works

Julius Africanus was fluent in Greek, Latin, Punic, Hebrew, and Syriac. He wrote in Greek.

His writings are mostly historical. He wrote a chronicle of world history, from its creation; the first universal chronicle, covering the history of all mankind, while previous chroniclers all wrote about one specific people group. He also was the first writer on history in a Christian perspective, and he strongly influenced Christian historians after him.

Julius Africanus’ Chronicle includes a list of winners of the Olympic Games, over almost 1.000 years of time, from the First (776 BCE) to the 249th Olympiad (217 CE). This is the only known full list of winners of the Olympic Games still available today.

Another important work are the Kestoi, an encyclopedia of all knowledge, in many diverse fields, from agriculture to natural science to military strategy. In this book, the parts on the art of war are especially surprising: to him, the ends justify the means, and the only thing that counts is a method’s efficiency, not its morality. He condones methods like poisoning wells and scorched earth policies to achieve victory. The violence of the methods he describes might be the reason why latter Christian authors, who were shocked by what he wrote, didn’t use the Kestoi much.

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The legend of the Seven Sleepers tells the story of seven saints who fell asleep in a cave, and woke up several centuries later. While originally Christian, this legend is mentioned in the Quran. It can be found, with some variations, in many regions of the world. It is especially popular in Southern Tunisia, where a mosque in the Tataouine region is dedicated to the Seven Sleepers.

The original legend appeared in Ephesus, modern-day Turkey. During the Roman era, seven young Christian men who were persecuted for their faith took refuge in a cave, where they fell asleep. The Roman authorities sealed the cave. The young men woke up several centuries later, when the sealed cave was reopened. The society they were living in had changed in the meantime: the Roman Empire, that had been persecuting them for their faith, was now Christian. Those young men were miraculously preserved by God, to witness the triumph of their faith.

In the Quran, the Seven Sleepers are called Ahl al-Kahf (أهل الكهف), the people of the cave. Surah 18 The Cave (Al-Kahf الكهف) recounts their story. The Seven Sleepers are often presented as universal saints, who bring together different religious traditions around a common ideal.

The legend of the Seven Sleepers is especially popular in Southern Tunisia, where it is a remnant of the region’s Christian past: the Seven Sleepers certainly were already venerated before Islam arrived. Southern Tunisia was one of the last Christian regions in North Africa, the local population remained Christian several centuries after the Islamic conquests.

Several sites in Southern Tunisia are dedicated to the Seven Sleepers. The most famous is the Seven Sleepers Mosque, in Chenini, close to Tataouine. This mosque, which is partly underground, was built upon an older sanctuary carved out from the mountain. At the feet of the mosque are around ten close to 5 meter long tombs. The origin of the tombs is unexplained until today. According to a local legend, persecuted Christians from the area fell asleep here and woke up in the Islamic era, and then converted to Islam, died and were buried there. Their bodies kept growing during all their long sleep, which explains the size of the tombs. (Source)

Other sites can be found in the Tozeur region: inTaqyus (Degache), Mides and El-Ouidane. Those sites are very old: they are often caves or rocks that served as Amazigh of Punic sanctuaries, on which Roman temples, Christian churches and Islamic mosques were later built. Traditional rites around those sites seem to have a pre-Islamic origin.

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Since the 1st Century, a new religion, Christianity, quickly spread around the whole Roman Empire. North Africa, from its large, cosmopolitan cities to its most remote rural areas, proved to be an especially fertile ground for the Christian Gospel. In this article, we will discover how Christianity spread in the various Roman provinces of North Africa.

Africa Proconsularis

Carthage, the capital of Roman Africa, was an influential Christian center. Christianity spread from Carthage through all North Africa. We wrote a detailed article on Christianity in Carthage.

In the 2nd Century, Christianity was already present in other cities of Africa Proconsularis. The first Christian martyrs in North Africa were put to death for their faith in Scillium (Kasserine) in 180. The catacombs of Hadrumetum (Sousse) contain the graves of about 15.000 Christians from the city. The Christian communities of Utica, Hippo Diarrhytus (Bizerte), Taparura (Sfax), Sicca (El Kef), and Sufetula (Sbeitla) are also documented.

In the 3rd Century, the Carthagian church started regional church councils, in which the bishops of other Roman African cities were participating, to discuss questions that concerned all the churches. The list of participants at those councils gives us the names of the first North African Christian bishops.

Tripolitania

Christianity spread to Tripolitania from Carthage. The bishop of Oea (Tripoli) took part in a regional church council in Carthage in 255, and spoke in the name of his colleagues of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, which shows that there were well-established Christian communities in the three cities.

Around the 6th Century, Christian preachers from Tripolitania preached the Christian message to the Garamantes in the Fezzan, who then converted.

In 533, the Basilica of Septimius Severus, an emblematic building of Leptis Magna, was transformed into a church. (Source)

Numidia

Next to Carthage, Cirta (Constantine) was the main Christian center in Roman Africa. As in Carthage, the majority of the population was probably Christian by the end of the 3rd Century. The church in Cirta suffered a lot during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution, at the beginning of the 4th Century.

The Christian church in Hippo was founded in the middle of the 3rd Century. The city’s first bishop, Theogenes, was martyred in 259. The church of Hippo gained influence in the 4th Century, when Augustine, the most influential North African Christian figure, became its bishop.

There were also Christian communities in Madaura (M’daourouch), Thagaste (Souk Ahras, the birth city of Augustine of Hippo), and further South, in Theveste (Tebessa), Lambaesis (Tazoult), and Thamugadi (Timgad).

Mauretania

Christianity spread in Mauretania Caesariensis during the 3rd Century, first in Caesarea (Cherchell) and Sitifis (Setif), then in the smaller towns and rural areas. Christian epitaphs were found in Auzia (Sour El Ghozlane), dating from 227, in Tipasa (238), in Lalla Maghnia (273), and in the Oran area (302). (Source)

In Mauretania Tingitana, the oldest archaeological remnant of a Christian presence is a 3rd-Century piece of pottery engraved with an anchor, that was found in Souk El Arbaa: the anchor is a Christian symbol representing the believer’s assurance when he faces life’s storms. (Source) We don’t know whether Christianity first arrived by land, from Mauretania Caesariensis, or by sea, via the port of Tingis (Tangier). Whatever the case, Christianity was especially strong in the Romanized cities of Tingis and Lixus; the ruins of the old church of Lixus are still visible today. There are also Christian inscriptions in Volubilis, which show links with the Christian community in the Oran area rather than Tingis. (Source)

Sidi Yahya ben Younes: a Christian saint in Oudja? Sidi Yahya ben Younes is the patron saint of the city of Oudja, in Eastern Morocco. His mausoleum is in the city, in the oasis of Sidi Yahya. According to local legends, Sidi Yahya is actually Saint John the Baptist! This prophet, the cousin and forerunner of Jesus Christ, is mentioned in the Quran as Yahya ibn Zakaria. After his execution by King Herod Antipas of Judea, he was reportedly buried in Oujda.