History: Tertullian - The Church Father

“In a world ravaged by war, where rhetoric was king and violent outbursts were familiar, a warrior by mind named Tertullian fought with his pen.”

This quote was the opening line to my biographical paper on the church father Tertullian, who lived back in the late second century (late 100’s A.D.).

Tertullian was born at Carthage (modern day North Africa, city of Tunis, Tunisia), in A.D. 155. He is most famous for his work regarding the Trinity, found mainly in his treatise Against Praxeas. Regarding people’s understanding of the Trinity, “Tertullian coined the formulas that would eventually become the hallmark of orthodoxy.” Most notably, “Una substantia, tres substantias” meaning, “one Substance, three Persons.”

What blows my mind away is that the term “trinity” wasn’t coined until nearly 200 years after Jesus. When I read the bible, the theology of the trinity is clear to me. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Yet, they all have their own identities and roles.

Tertullian was the “first Christian theologian to write in Latin, which was the language of the western half of the Empire, and thus he may be considered the founder of Western theology.” Historians define Tertullian by four titles: lawyer, trained rhetoric, priest, and/or presbyter.

Later in life, he converted to Montanism in 213 A.D.: a sect that promoted a more rigorous moral life with an emphasis on prophecy and ecstatic visions of the “spirit.” He called Christians out if they weren’t rigorous in their moral way of life. Are we called to that today?

What I learned from this paper is this: Coming from a business background, I am not accustomed to writing highly footnoted, highly researched theologically driven papers. Never before (this paper) had I signed out over 10 books and starting reading through them. I now understand the importance of not looking for a “good quote” or trying to just “get the paper finished,” but to enjoy the literature and to read, read, and read. To have the mindset of learning the material and the processes, such as: (1) read a good text with a good bibliography (2) read the books reference in that first book (3) read the books referenced in the other books (4) start writing down relevant quotes in an organized way (5) ask peoples opinions (6) enjoy the topic!

What did I learned from Tertullian? I learned to be bold, persistent and risk-taking. Not to be afraid of the critics, and stand up for those you feel are being condemned. Tertullian was in favor of a rigorous Christianity. I am similar, yet theologically I differ slightly. I believe Jesus has called Christians to live a life that forces people to stop, ponder, and either join or persecute. If we are not living this radical, we are not living the way I believe Jesus has called us to. In that, I believe Tertullian was onto something. Unfortunately, I am far away from living this way, and need to keep learning from Tertullian.

Comments and questions would be great!

For Jesus’ fame,
JK