Apology, Prescription Against Heretics & Against Praxeas

Historical Context

A North African convert trained in rhetoric, Tertullian was the first major Christian writer in Latin and coined much of the vocabulary later used by Western theology.

Summary

He defends Christians before Roman authorities, argues that heretics have no right to appeal to the Scriptures of the Church, and gives the Latin West its first formal Trinitarian language ('one substance, three persons'). His later turn to the Montanist movement complicated his legacy.

Major Themes

• Latin theological vocabulary
• Trinity
• Apologetics
• Rule of faith
• Rigorist discipline

Important Quotations

Primary Sources

• Apology
• Against Praxeas

Further Reading

• Geoffrey D. Dunn, Tertullian
• Eric Osborn, Tertullian: First Theologian of the West