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c. 155 – 325 AD
Tertullian
c. 155 – c. 220 AD
Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunisia)
Overview
The father of Latin theology. Sharp, combative, and brilliant, he gave Western Christianity much of its theological vocabulary.
Did You Know?
He introduced the Latin term "Trinity" (Trinitas) and spoke of God as "one substance" in "three persons."
Theological Warning
Not a SaintLater in life he aligned himself with the Montanist movement, a rigorist prophetic revival that claimed fresh revelations from the Holy Spirit.
Status: Not a Saint. He remains one of the most important early Christian writers, but he is not honored as a saint in the historic churches.
Major Writings
The Prescription Against Heretics (De Praescriptione Haereticorum)
Arguably more important than his Apology. Uses a lawyer's argument to say that heretics have no legal right to interpret the Bible because the Bible belongs only to the Church founded by the Apostles.
ReadRead Tertullian’s Commentary
See what Tertullian wrote about Scripture. Open any book in the Bible reader and switch to the Commentary tab to find their insights.
Open Bible ReaderHistorical Context
The Ante-Nicene Fathers
Apologists, pastors, and theologians writing before Nicaea, often under pressure from persecution and from rival visions of Christianity.
7 Church Fathers in this era
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Part of The Ante-Nicene Fathers