Tertullian for Beginners

The Brilliant Advocate Who Forged Christian Vocabulary-Then Died Outside the Church

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (c. 155-220 AD) gave Christianity the words it still uses today. When believers confess faith in "one God in three persons," they speak the formula this African lawyer created in second-century Carthage. Yet Tertullian never became a saint.

This book presents Christianity's great paradox: the man who defended believers against Roman persecution with unmatched brilliance eventually turned against Catholic bishops he condemned as spiritually compromised. The apologist who demolished heresies joined the rigorist Montanist movement, separating himself from the communion he had served magnificently.

What You'll Discover:

How a pagan lawyer became Latin Christianity's first literary champion

• The Apologeticum (197 AD), Christianity's most powerful defense before Roman authorities

• His demolition of Marcion's rival Christianity and Gnostic mythologies

• The theological revolution that coined "Trinity" and established vocabulary the Council of Nicaea would enshrine

• Why his uncompromising moral standards alienated even sincere Christians

• The Montanist "New Prophecy" that captivated him with promises of direct revelation and stricter discipline

• His bitter final years attacking the Church while maintaining orthodox theology

Tertullian's story raises questions every generation must confront: When does prophetic critique become destructive schism? Can theological genius compensate for separation from the Church?