Apology
A defense of Christians before Roman authorities, arguing against popular slanders and for the moral and public integrity of Christian life.
50 sections50 paragraphs
Read full textLatin Ante-Nicene Father
Tertullian
c. 155-220 - Carthage
Shared Catholic/Orthodoxcatholicorthodoxapologeticsbaptismprayertrinitychristologyresurrection
Tertullian wrote from North Africa at the turn of the third century. His works are vigorous, legal-minded, and polemical, making him essential for studying early Latin Christianity, martyr witness, heresy, sacramental practice, and the Church's developing theological language.
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How to read Tertullian
Tertullian is sharp, difficult, and important for apologetics, baptism, prayer, resurrection, and early Latin Trinitarian language.
Suggested Reading Order
- 1ApologyBest entrance into his public defense of Christians.
- 2On BaptismStudy for early sacramental practice and discipline.
- 3On PrayerA practical theological reading of the Lord's Prayer.
- 4Against PraxeasImportant for early Trinitarian language.
Key Doctrines And Themes
Trinitarian language
Tertullian helps shape Latin terms for Father, Son, Spirit, and one divine substance.
Embodied salvation
He defends the flesh, resurrection, and the goodness of embodied life.
Discipline
His moral rigor is important, but should be read critically.
Tradition Lens
Catholic
Important but complex because his later rigorist movement must be distinguished from his theological influence.
Orthodox
Useful for early anti-modalist Trinitarian argument and resurrection theology.
Protestant
Useful for apologetics, doctrine, moral seriousness, and debates over tradition.
Scripture And Terms
Scripture connections
Matthew 28Romans 61 Corinthians 152 Corinthians 5John 14-16
Modalism
The idea that Father, Son, and Spirit are merely modes or masks rather than distinct persons.
Rigorism
A strict moral tendency that can become pastorally harsh.
c. 197
Prescription against Heretics
A classic argument that apostolic teaching and public church succession expose the novelty of heretical claims.
44 sections46 paragraphs
Read full textOn Baptism
An early Latin treatise on baptism, water, faith, preparation, and the Church's sacramental practice.
20 sections24 paragraphs
Read full textOn Prayer
A practical and theological exposition of the Lord's Prayer and Christian discipline in prayer.
29 sections31 paragraphs
Read full textOn the Flesh of Christ
A defense of the real incarnation and true flesh of Christ against docetic and speculative Christologies.
26 sections26 paragraphs
Read full textOn the Resurrection of the Flesh
A substantial defense of bodily resurrection and the goodness of embodied salvation.
63 sections64 paragraphs
Read full textAgainst Praxeas
A major early Latin witness to Trinitarian language against modalism, including Tertullian's distinction between person and substance.
32 sections32 paragraphs
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