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Research Library / Early Church Documents

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Portrait associated with Tertullian

Portrait image associated with Tertullian from Wikimedia media records.

André Thevet · Public domain

Tertullian · Author Profile

Tertullian (; Latin: Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; c. 155 – c. 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature and was an early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy, including contemporary Christian Gnosticism. In this library, Tertullian is linked to 4 documents, including The Apology, On Baptism, The Prescription Against Heretics, and 1 more.

Activity
AD 150 - AD 220
Documents in this library
4
Corpus date window
AD 197-203

History and Context

Tertullian (; Latin: Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; c. 155 – c. 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature and was an early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy, including contemporary Christian Gnosticism. Tertullian was the first theologian to write in Latin, and so has been called "the father of Latin Christianity", as well as "the founder of Western theology". He is perhaps most famous for being the first writer in Latin known to use the term trinity (Latin: trinitas). Tertullian originated new theological concepts and advanced the development of early Church doctrine. However, some of his teachings, such as the subordination of the Son and Spirit to the Father, were later rejected by the Catholic Church. Tertullian is described in reference records as writer, theologian, and philosopher. Place associations in major reference datasets include Roman Carthage. The documents preserved here span AD 197-AD 203 and include The Apology, On Baptism, The Prescription Against Heretics, and 1 more (4 total).

What We Know

  • Activity window in reference data: AD 150 - AD 220.
  • Approximate lifespan from biographical records: AD 150-AD 220.
  • Roles in major reference data: writer, theologian, and philosopher.
  • No securely dated office chronology is preserved in current reference records.
  • Associated places: Roman Carthage.
  • Tradition or confessional marker: Montanism.
  • Languages linked to writing or transmission: Latin.
  • Notable works cited in reference data: Against Marcion.
  • Documents in this corpus: 4 (The Apology, On Baptism, The Prescription Against Heretics, and Of Patience).
  • Corpus date range for attributed texts: AD 197-AD 203.

Works in This Library

Legacy

Tertullian was the first theologian to write in Latin, and so has been called "the father of Latin Christianity", as well as "the founder of Western theology". He is perhaps most famous for being the first writer in Latin known to use the term trinity (Latin: trinitas). Tertullian's reception in theology and church history is closely tied to ongoing study of The Apology, On Baptism, The Prescription Against Heretics, and Of Patience.

Source Notes