Fortress Press

"Tilley gives us new insight into the Donatist church by focusing attention on the surviving Donatist sources and on the religious dimension of the Donatist controversies. She persuasively shows how Donatist interpretations of scripture correlate with changes in the social setting of their church."
— Rowan A. Greer, Yale Divinity School

"Rejecting older, static models of Donatism, Tilley illustrates how Donatists responded to changing historical circumstances while retaining their self-image as the reincarnated assembly of Israel. She presents a sympathetic picture of a vibrant religious group that is usually viewed through the lens of Augustine's polemic. An important study for all those interested in late ancient Christianity, in the dynamics of group formation and maintenance, and in the use of biblical texts in later Christian eras."
— Elizabeth A. Clark, Duke University