The Council of the Catholic Church held at Carthage under the aegis of Gratus, the bishop of Carthage and primate of Africa, has been variously dated to years between 345 and 348. Cross and Crespin, indeed, have argued for a date as early as 345. A rather different construction of the date has been proffered that rejects the corrected reading of “Constanti” for “Constantio” in the manuscripts, which would therefore open the possibility of a date after Constans in the reign of Constantius.

1. The acts of the conference refer to current acts of the emperor Constans; therefore the latest possible date is 349. Because of the pragmatic reason of Constans’ death in January of 350, that year is ruled out. Therefore, one of the years between 345 and 349.

2. Importantly, the first words of the council that are recorded attribute the move to unity and the dispatch of the emissaries Paul and Macarius to the emperor Constans: “qui imperavit religiosissimo Constantio [corr: Constanti] imperatori, ut votum gereret unitatis et mitteret ministros operis sancti, famulos Dei Paulum et Macarium.”

3. In Canon 5 of the proceedings of the conference, Gratus mentions an earlier decision that had been taken at the Council of Serdica: “Gratus episcopus dixit: Haec observata res pacem custodit; nam et memini sanctissimi concilii Sardicensis similiter statutum ut nemo alterius plebis hominem sibi usurpet…” (CCL 149: 6). The Council of Serdica most probably took place in the late summer or autumn of 343 (see Appendix E). This is of little help in dating our conference, however, since, despite repeated claims to the contrary, Gratus does not indicate how long before the conference of Carthage the Council of Serdica took place. He merely refers to it as antecedent and no more.

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