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inhabitants, the Berbers; Arabs, who
arrived following the rapid
expansion of Islam; Jews; Iberian
converts to Islam; other Europeans
who had either arrived as slaves or
colonialists; and Turks from the
Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans
ruled the area until 1834 when the
French moved in.
The Maghreb was the birthplace
of Tertullian (ca. 160–ca. 240) and St.
Augustine of Hippo (354–430).
Quintus Septimus Florens
Tertullianus was born in Carthage to
pagan parents, but became a
Christian at some point before AD
197. His writings include Christian
apologetics and attacks on pagan
idolatry and Gnosticism
St. Augustine was a Berber, born
in Tagaste in present-day Algeria, his
mother, St. Monica, being the ideal
Christian mother. Augustine was
well-educated and suffered various
crises, both intellectual and moral,
before his commitment to
Christianity. Many remember him
for the quotation, “Grant me
chastity, but not yet,” despite the fact
that he viewed lust as a mortal sin.
The quotation: “Love the sinner, hate
the sin” is also attributed to him. He
was influenced by Platonism and
developed concepts that were to
become important in the history of
the early Christian church, such as
original sin and the concept of the
“just war.”
A Concise History of Africa
OPPOSITE:
A Berber woman.
ABOVE RIGHT:
A Tuareg man leading a
camel in the Sahara Desert.
RIGHT:
A caravan of Bedouins and
camels crossing the desert.
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