True Church or True Basilica? The Song of Songs and Parmenian's Ecclesiology Revisited

Optatus of Milevis responded to Parmenian, bishop of Carthage's so-called Donatist party, and scholars long recognized Optatus's rhetorical tactics as purposeful misrepresentation of Parmenian's original argument. One motif in Parmenian's work, however, has not been reread in this critical approach: the church as the Bride of Christ as depicted in the Song of Songs is said to have received six dotes, or "gifts." Optatus insisted that these only apply to his church, that is, the catholic church. Parmenian, it is argued, originally had his material "church," or basilica, in mind.