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.

Tertullian — Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus — was born around 155 at Carthage in Roman Africa, the son of a centurion and educated in the Latin and Greek rhetorical tradition; the tradition of his legal training is uncertain but consonant with the forensic style of his prose. He converted to Christianity in adulthood and from around 197 began the literary output that made him the first major Christian theologian to write in Latin.

His writings, of which more than thirty survive, fall into apologetic, doctrinal, ascetical, and disciplinary groups. The Apology, addressed to provincial governors, defends the Christians against pagan misrepresentation; To the Nations and Against the Jews extend the polemical argument; Against Marcion, Against Praxeas, and On the Soul lay out his doctrinal positions; Prescription against Heretics develops his rule against innovation; On Idolatry, On the Flesh of Christ, and On the Resurrection of the Flesh argue for the incarnational realism of orthodox Christianity. Around 210 he aligned himself with the rigorist Montanist movement.

Tertullian created the Latin theological vocabulary in which the West would think for the next millennium, including the term Trinitas and the formula of one substance and three persons. His combative independence, his rigorist morality, and the famous question 'What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?' have made him a perennial reference for discussions of the relation of philosophy and Christian faith. He died at Carthage around 220.