Marculus, a bishop of Thamugadi in Numidia, rose to prominence in 347 A.D. during the Macarian campaign, in which Emperor Constans attempted to force church unity in North Africa.

[6] Under Donatus Magnus' leadership, the Donatist church gained popularity, prompting Constans, the Emperor, to send imperial notaries Paul and Macarius on a mission in 347 to investigate the religious situation.

In the aftermath, Donatus of Bagai and his defenders were massacred and a decree proclaiming unity under Gratus caused further unrest and riots in Carthage.

Stories circulated of Donatist women dedicated to celibacy who preferred self-precipitation to forced marriage, the most famous of them being the Three virgins of Tuburga.

Rich in apocalyptic imagery, the Passio Marculi positions emperor Constans as a central figure portrayed as the “dragon” who unleashes “two beasts” against the true church.

The Passio serves as an apocalyptic drama where the Macarian persecution signals the Last Judgment, depicting the traditor church (Catholics) and the tyrannical empire (Romans) as Antichrist's servitors.