Glimpses bulletin #53: Tertullian Page 1 of 4

Christian History Institute • tell a friend • home • contact us • free newsletter • get Glimpses • shows&tours • free content from
CHI •

BROWSE OUR INFO-PACKED PAGES Search church history

Index a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Glimpses Bulletin Inserts
© Copyright by CHI or associates. All rights reserved.

next story: Origen, gifted, our sponso

devout, condemned Issue #53: Tertullian: Colorful,
Controversial, Early African
last story: Irenaeus, John's
"grandson" Christian
our partne
More Glimpses order back issues of this story
• Glimpses index

I you would probably never forget him. He

ABOUT
GLIMPSES: GLIMPSES is a full-
color Sunday school bulletin insert
published by Christian History
Institute, Box 540, Worcester, PA
19490. Tel. 610-584-1893, Fax
610-584-4610, E-Mail glimpses.
Prepared by Ken Curtis PH.D., Beth
Jacobson, Diana Severance Ph.D.,
Ann T. Snyder and Dan Graves.
©2003 by Christian History
Institute. Learn more about the
History of Glimpses. Order
Glimpses.
F HE EVER CAME to speak at your church
our feature
was passionate, articulate, totally committed. He boldly
taunted the might of the Roman empire, courageously
defended oppressed believers, and harshly reprimanded
compromising Christians. In later life, he lost favor with
much of the Church when he at least temporarily took up I
was int
with the Montanists-- what we would probably call today a
puritanical-charismatic sect. helpful
please
Tertullian (©Christian Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio)

•where to find what He was the pacesetter as the church

expanded its teaching and influence
•announcements into the Latin speaking world,
•apostles
•birthdays
breaking new and fertile ground in
•calendars of stories theological understanding. For
•century-by-century example, he coined the word
•chi4kids
•early church Trinity, a word that does not appear
•Glimpses bulletin inserts anywhere in the Bible, to help us to
•it was this day From Ch
understand the New Testament
•just fun Constan
•life of Christ teaching about what God is like. He Testimo
•more stories was one of the most fascinating Church T
•100 key events
•Pastwords book excerpts leaders in all church history. centurie
•quotes for Chris
•recommended books very exi
•torchlighters Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus was born about 150
church it
•women AD in Carthage, North Africa, the city considered second in threaten
•what's new?
importance only to Rome in his time. His father was the opponen
captain of a Roman legion and provided Tertullian with the to destro
•links to other sites
•products education and training to become a lawyer. When he was program
•shopping center about 40, Tertullian was converted to Christianity. He locations
dramatic
exuberantly embraced the gospel and ably used his legal
•contact us
bring yo
skills to defend Christianity from pagan attackers. early be
•support us

http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps053.shtml 1/28/2006
Glimpses bulletin #53: Tertullian Page 2 of 4

•who are we? Bait. . . Blood. . . Seed You ca

Thirty-one of Tertullian's writings remain, touching on all quality
areas of human life. His works include apologetic treatises, buy fro
controversial attacks on heresies, and moral writings. His Video
Apology defending the Christian faith contains one of the
earliest and most eloquent pleas for religious liberty. He
argued that the church was self-supporting and provided
the most peaceful citizens to the state. The government
should be protecting such citizens, not persecuting them. visit our fr
Tertullian also saw, however, that the persecution of the
church by the Roman authorities actually strengthened the
Church of Christ: "It is bait that wins men for (our) school.
The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number
we grow: the blood of Christians is seed [of the church]."

Persecution was an ever present danger in Tertullian's time

and place. Christians were often perplexed by it. Was it
from the Devil? Should they flee to avoid persecution.
Tertullian took a tough line as difficult to understand today
as it must have been then for he saw even persecution as
from God: It never happens without God willing it, and it is
fitting-even at times necessary-for Him to do so, to the
approval or condemnation of His servants. . . this is his
winnowing fan which even now cleanses the Lord's
threshing floor--His church, winnowing the mixed heap of
the faithful and separating the wheat of the martyrs from
the chaff of the cowards... (When persecution strikes), the
Church is mightily stirred; then the faithful are more careful
in their preparations, greater attention is given to fasts and
station days, to prayers and humility, to mutual charity and
love, to holiness and temperance. Men have time for
nothing but fear and hope. Therefore, it is clear that
persecution, which works for the improvement of the
servants of God, cannot be blamed on the Devil.

Find out more about bulk subscriptions to Glimpses and

Glimpses for Kids right now or request our full-color
information packet to be mailed to you. Its free! You'll
find these leaflets ideal for your church, club or school.
But don't take our word for it. Download sample issues
of Glimpses and Glimpses for Kids in pdf format and see
for yourself. Our Glimpses products are attractively
designed, competitively priced and well-suited for
church bulletin inserts or Sunday school handouts.

Truth Not Custom

Tertullian had a tenacious sense of the truth, and frequently
railed against the church's conformity to the world and
compromise with surrounding paganism. The social life of
his time (just like our time but in slightly different
appearance) was riddled with idolatry. Tertullian believed
the Christian's conscience should be sensitive to the idolatry
associated with the gladiatorial shows, violent games, plays,
literature, administration, and even business guilds. "Our
Lord Christ has surnamed Himself Truth, not Custom," and

http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps053.shtml 1/28/2006
Glimpses bulletin #53: Tertullian Page 3 of 4

Christians should beware of being conformed to this world.

The spirit of Christianity, wrote Tertullian, is of meekness,
peace, and purity, while the public shows and sporting
events only excite the wild and furious passions of anger
and lust. Licentious speech is condemned by God, and what
a man should not say he should not hear.

Regarding Worldly Philosophies

In these early years church leaders were struggling to
understand how they should relate the faith to worldly
learning. Other Christians of this period, such as Justin
Martyr , sought common ground between Greek philosophy
and Christian belief. He would consider someone like
Socrates as perhaps a Christian before the time of Christ.
Tertullian, however, demanded "What has Athens to do with
Jerusalem?" Socrates, he asserted, was not a forerunner of
Christianity: For by whom has truth ever been discovered
without God? By whom has God ever been found without
Christ? By whom has Christ ever been explored without the
Holy Spirit? By whom has the Holy Spirit ever been attained
without the mysterious gift of faith? Socrates, as none can
doubt, was actuated by a different spirit. . .

In keeping with his great sense of truth, Tertullian also

wrote several works attacking the heresies of his day,
writing against Gnosticism and expounding orthodox
Christian belief, especially the doctrine of the Trinity. Some
of his ascetic ideas were later adopted by medieval
monasticism.

He fought the battle on many fronts as Christians sought to

find their way in the midst of a hostile pagan culture. But
Tertullian, who had written so outspokenly about
martyrdom and persecution, died peacefully sometime after
229 AD

Christian History magazine devoted an entire issue to

"Worship in the Early Church."

Not forgotten
In keeping with his great sense of truth, Tertullian wrote several
works attacking the heresies of his day, writing against
Gnosticism and expounding orthodox Christian belief,
especially the doctrine of the Trinity. These writings were
influential, as were some of his ascetic ideas, which were
adopted by medieval monasticism.

Origen -- the stone that sharpens us all in the next

GLIMPSES.

http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps053.shtml 1/28/2006
Glimpses bulletin #53: Tertullian Page 4 of 4

Report problems to our webmaster

home site
copyright © 2004 by Christian History Institute
visit our partner b.t.s.

http://chi.gospelcom.net/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps053.shtml 1/28/2006