From the outset, Gallican texts are anchored in the depths of history, a history that carries them back to the earliest Christian times. The theology of tradition that they draw from this period determines that their laws shall remain ever after faithful to this origin. When the Church of Africa enters into this writing system, it serves as an alternative model, both Latin and primitive, to the papacy. In particular, the Gallicans’ attention is seized by its local autonomy, its episcopal unity and its appeal procedure, and this allows them to develop an ecclesiological reading that casts doubt on the judicial primacy of the Roman See. The Church of Africa is thus a model for understanding the relationship between local bishoprics and universal ecclesial unity.