Tertullian Quotes on Knowledge
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. This page collects quotes attributed to Tertullian on the topic of knowledge, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Tertullian:
“What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What has the Academy to do with the Church?”
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Attributed to Tertullian:
“The first reaction to truth is hatred.”
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“Omnium gentium unus homo, uarium nomen est, una anima, uaria uox, unus spiritus, uarius sonus, propria cuique genti loquella, sed loquellae materia communis.”
Man is one name belonging to every nation upon earth . In them all is one soul though many tongues. Every country has its own language, yet the subjects of which the untutored soul speaks are the same everywhere. De Testimonio Animae (The Testimony of the Soul), 6.3 -
“Veritas autem docendo persuadet non suadendo docet.”
Truth persuades by teaching , but does not teach by persuading. Adversus Valentinianos (Against the Valentinians), 1.4 -
“Nihil veritas erubescit”
Truth does not blush. Adversus Valentinianos , 3.2 -
“Prorsus credibile est, quia ineptum est.”
It is to be believed because it is absurd. | Variant translations It is by all means to be believed, because it is absurd. It is is entirely credible, because it is inept. De Carne Christi 5.4 -
“It is to be believed because it is absurd.”
Prorsus credibile est, quia ineptum est. -
“Variant translations It is by all means to be believed, because it is absurd. It is is entirely credible, because it is inept. De Carne Christi 5.4”
Prorsus credibile est, quia ineptum est. -
“Certum est, quia impossibile.”
It is certain because it is impossible. De Carne Christi 5.4 | Often paraphrased or misquoted as " Credo quia absurdum . | Also paraphrased as "It is so extraordinary that it must be true." The above two lines from De Carne Christi have often become conflated into the statement: "Credo quia impossibile" (I believe it because it is impossible), which can be perceived as a distortion of the actual a