Tertullian 155 AD – 220 AD

Tertullian of Carthage was a prolific early Christian author and the first major Christian writer to compose his works in Latin, for which he is sometimes called the father of Western theology. He coined a great deal of the technical vocabulary of Latin Christianity, including the formulations of trinity and of three persons in one substance. A trained rhetorician, he turned the resources of classical argument against pagan religion and against rival Christian sects, while remaining deeply suspicious of philosophy. In his later life he joined the rigorist Montanist movement.