Augustine and the Donatist Controversy

Donatism was a turf war between Christianity and the Capitol in North Africa. Augustine would have been thought of as an outsider with Roman backing by local Donatist authorities. Being perceived as an illegitimate outsider wrangled Augustine, who considered his ecclesiastical authority to be authentic. He had served as a bishop there since 395 - so writing the Confessions was an attempt to demonstrate that he was not some Roman stooge but instead a valid Numidian bishop.