Rev. José Mario O. Mandía
Tertullian (Latin: Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; c. 155 – c. 220 AD) was a convert from paganism who became the first Christian author to write in Latin. He was a native of Carthage (northern Africa) where he was educated in rhetoric, philosophy, history and law. His conversion was inspired by the life of the Christian martyrs.
Tertullian was a prolific and eloquent apologist or defender of the faith. Pope Benedict XVI pointed out that his works had two main aims: “[1] to refute the grave accusations that pagans directed against the new religion; and, [2] more propositional and missionary, to proclaim the Gospel message in dialogue with the culture of the time” (General Audience, 30 May 2007). He was thus addressing two external challenges of the time.
Regarding the first aim, the Holy Father said: “His most famous work, Apologeticus, denounces the unjust behavior of political authorities toward the Church; explains and defends the teachings and customs of Christians; spells out differences between the new religion and the main philosophical currents of the time; and manifests the triumph of the Spirit that counters its persecutors with the blood, suffering and patience of the martyrs: ‘Refined as it is,’ the African writes, ‘your cruelty serves no purpose. On the contrary, for our community, it is an invitation. We multiply every time one of us is mowed down. The blood of Christians is effective seed’ (‘semen est sanguis christianorum!’ Apologeticum 50: 13).”
Regarding the second, Benedict XVI explained in the same General Audience that Tertullian “adopted the speculative method to illustrate the rational foundations of Christian dogma. He developed it in a systematic way, beginning with the description of ‘the God of the Christians’: ‘He whom we adore,’ the Apologist wrote, ‘is the one, only God.’ And he continued, using antitheses and paradoxes characteristic of his language: ‘He is invisible, even if you see him, difficult to grasp, even if he is present through grace; inconceivable even if the human senses can perceive him, therefore, he is true and great!’ (Apologeticum 17: 1-2).”
Tertullian makes a great contribution to theological thought. He is the first writer in Latin who used the term ‘Trinity’ (Latin: Trinitas) and also introduced the doctrine of ‘three Persons’ in ‘one Substance’. As we know, the concepts of substance and person are also essential for explaining the mystery of the Hypostatic Union: “We see plainly the twofold state [= Divine nature + human nature], which is not confounded [=confused or mixed up], but conjoined [= united] in One Person — Jesus, God and Man” (Adversus Praxeam 27). Tertullian also taught that the Holy Spirit was one of the Divine Persons.
Tertullian spoke of the Church as Mother, even after he had joined the Montanists. In his writings, we also find references to the Sacraments of the Eucharist, Matrimony and Reconciliation; Mary Most Holy; the primacy of Peter; the Lord’s Resurrection as the basis of our own; and prayer, among others.
It was Tertullian who taught that the human soul “is naturally Christian” (Apologeticum 17: 6): there is a continuity and compatibility between authentic human values and Christian virtue. He further asserted that in defending or explaining the faith, “the Christian cannot hate, not even his enemies” (Apologeticum 37).
Like Hippolytus, Tertullian also showed a certain rigorism which “gradually led him away from communion with the Church to belong to the Montanist sect…. With the passing of years, he became increasingly exigent in regard to the Christians. He demanded heroic behavior from them in every circumstance, above all under persecution. Rigid in his positions, he did not withhold blunt criticism and he inevitably ended by finding himself isolated” (General Audience, 30 May 2007).
Pope Benedict XVI, reflecting on Tertullian’s life, continued: “This great moral and intellectual personality, this man who made such a great contribution to Christian thought, makes me think deeply. One sees that in the end he lacked the simplicity, the humility to integrate himself with the Church, to accept his weaknesses, to be forbearing with others and himself.
“When one only sees his thought in all its greatness, in the end, it is precisely this greatness that is lost. The essential characteristic of a great theologian is the humility to remain with the Church, to accept his own and others’ weaknesses, because actually only God is all holy. We, instead, always need forgiveness.”
Nonetheless, Tertullian’s contributions to Christian literature cannot be underestimated. Through his works, he became the teacher of Saint Cyprian (whom we will study next) and the predecessor of Saint Augustine. These last two are counted among the Church Fathers.
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