Tertullian was born around 155 in Carthage to pagan parents. He received advanced education and excelled in philosophy, literature, and even medicine. He was well versed in law and practiced law. He converted to Christianity around 193, but in 207 he converted to the Montanist heresy, which was an extreme heresy. Despite the error into which Tertullian fell, he is considered, through what he wrote before his involvement in the heresy, one of the great writers of the Church who left an impact on its historical path. Tertullian was passionate about the desire for martyrdom, and it may have been the heroism of persecuted Christians that led him to embrace the Christian faith. He says: “Everyone feels a kind of anxiety when faced with the steadfastness of the martyrs. He has a strong desire to search for the reason, and once he knows the truth, he himself embraces it.” Tertullian used a luxurious Latin language and strong logic in his writings. He died around the year 222.

Tertullian wrote many works that are still distinguished today by their treatment of current and contemporary issues. These works can be divided into three categories: apologetic writings, polemical writings, and ascetic writings. Within the framework of apologetic writings, he wrote a book entitled “To the Pagans” that includes a wonderful defense of the belief in the one God. As for his book “The Defense,” it is considered a masterpiece of Christian apologetics, in which the author presents a beautiful presentation of Christianity and bears witness to the history of the era, presenting the horrific slanders to which Christians were victims, such as the killing of children in worship ceremonies. In the same book, Tertullian demands religious freedom for all, saying: “No one wants forced loyalty.” In another letter addressed to Scapula, the consul of Africa who had delivered Christians to the beasts and burned some of them, the same writer warns him of divine punishment and demands religious freedom: “It is the right of man, and the privilege of his nature, that each one worships according to his convictions, for the religion of one does not harm or serve another. It is not the property of religion to impose religion by force.” Tertullian wrote a book in “Rebuttal to the Jews,” in which he considers that the law of Moses is not necessary for salvation, since Christ, the founder of the new covenant, the priest of the new sacrifice, and the keeper of the eternal Sabbath, has come, and the law of justice has only to make room for the law of love.

Tertullian has two important books that fall within the framework of his polemical writings: “On the Prescription of Heretics” and “Rebuttal to Marcion.” The first book is a comprehensive study of heresy from a legal point of view, and he considers heresy to be an illegitimate choice. Tertullian considers the subject of the dispute between the Church and heresy to be the Bible. The Bible is the property of the Church, having been written in and for it. He says: “Since heretics are armed with the Bible, we must clearly see to whom the Bible belongs, so that it is not permitted to be used by those who have no right to this privilege.” In this regard, Tertullian emphasizes that the Christian does not “choose” the truth that he likes, but rather accepts the truth that the apostles have transmitted to him. The “Rebuttal to Marcion” includes responses to the heresy of Marcion, who rejected belief in the Old Testament and everything mentioned about it in the New Testament, based on his statement that the good and merciful God of Jesus Christ cannot be the same as the just God of the Old Testament who punishes. In this response, Tertullian considers that Jesus expanded Judaism throughout the entire world, saying: “The commandments of the Torah were the first words in which God’s goodness was revealed.”

Tertullian wrote an essay on “Baptism,” in which the writer argues with a woman named Quintilla who was skeptical about the use of water in baptism. Tertullian responds by emphasizing the importance of water and says: “But we, the little fishes, who are called by the name of Jesus Christ, are born in water, and are saved only by remaining in it.” In order to understand what Tertullian means by his statement, we must point out that the fish is a symbol of Christ in the early church, because the name of the fish in Greek is composed of five letters, each of which denotes the first letter of the words of the following phrase: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.

Tertullian's ascetic writings are numerous, the most important of which is his book "On Prayer", where we find a commentary on the Lord's Prayer. Tertullian recommends praying with a guest, for prayer is one of the rules of Christian hospitality, saying: "When a brother enters your house, do not let him go without praying. For it has been said: He who sees his brother sees the Lord; and especially if the guest is a stranger, he may be an angel." Tertullian wrote "On Patience", considering that "love, which is the highest secret of faith, can be attained without practicing patience?" Tertullian also wrote a book "On Repentance" in which he considers the existence of a second repentance (only once) in the Church after baptism, which is a public repentance "that takes place at the entrance of the house to be opened to whoever knocks, but only once, since it is the second time (after baptism)".

We do not have enough space to present everything that Tertullian wrote and find useful. But in conclusion, and in the circumstances that the world is living today of increasing violence, killing and violations, we will suffice to say with Tertullian: “We increase in number as you harvest us. The blood of Christians is seed.”

About my parish bulletin
Sunday, May 12, 2002
Issue 19