Gesta apud Zenophilum: Autos de um processo judicial preservados em uma coletânea sobre as origens da controvérsia donatista (Século IV d.C)

The aim of this publication is to introduce, for the first time in Portuguese, a detailed translation of the Gesta apud Zenophilum. These are records of a case presided over by the governor of Numidia, Domitius Zenophilus, in 320 CE. They were included as part of an anti-Donatist dossier appended to the treaty of Optatus of Milevis against the Donatist bishop Parmenian. These records are crucial documents for understanding the early stages of the schism that split the Church in North Africa during the 4th and 5th centuries between Donatists and Caecilianists. Beyond their religious significance, they hold great historical interest, shedding light on various issues such as the evolution of spoken language, legal history, the development of public institutions, and the conditions surrounding the establishment of Christian communities in the early 4th century. This critical edition proposes a reading of the Latin text with a critical apparatus, followed by a translation with explanatory notes of both a philological and historical nature. Additionally, it includes an introduction aiming to provide readers with the context behind the creation of the antidonatist collection, the nature of the case overseen by Governor Zenophilus, the characteristics and significance of the Gesta, and the translator’s choices.