"What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" For Tertullian, a brilliant Roman lawyer turned Christian apologist, the answer was clear: very little when it came to defending the radical truth of the Gospel. In this fiery episode, we delve into the life of this uncompromising North African thinker who wielded rhetoric and legal logic like a sword to defend early Christians against brutal accusations. Discover how Tertullian's passionate arguments not only challenged Roman authorities but also laid foundational stones for Western theology, proving that sometimes, the boldest defense is the best offense.
Works Cited
Balfour, Ian L. S. "Tertullian and Roman Law – What Do We (Not) Know?" Studia Patristica, vol. 94, Peeters Publishers, 2017, pp. 11-21.
Eastwood, Bruce S. "Why Early Christians Were Persecuted by the Romans." History Today, vol. 16, no. 8, Aug. 1966.
Hanson, R. P. C. "J. H. Waszink, J. C. M. Van Winden: Tertullian's De Idololatria (Critical Text, Translation and Commentary, with material from the late P. G. Van der Nat)." The Classical Review, vol. 38, no. 2, Oct. 1988, p. 419. Cambridge UP, doi:10.1017/S0009840X00122486.
Hughes, Kyle R. "Tertullian: A Critical Biography." Kyle R. Hughes Early Christian Archives Blog, 22 Feb. 2019, kylerhughes.wordpress.com/2019/02/22/tertullian-a-critical-biography/.
Johnston, David, editor. "Roman Law: The Evidence." The Cambridge Companion to Roman Law, Cambridge UP, 2015, pp. 59-148. Cambridge Core, doi:10.1017/CCO9781139034401.
Lems, Shane. "The Apology of Tertullian: Then and Now." Modern Reformation, vol. 25, no. 4, July/Aug. 2016.
Ralph, Margaret Nutting. "Christian Persecutions in the Roman Empire." Saint Mary's Press, 2012.
"What if Northern Africa Had Been as Fertile as Southern Europe?" Reddit, 19 June 2024, www.reddit.com/r/HistoryWhatIf/.
Tertullian. The Prescription Against Heretics. Trans. Peter Holmes. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3, edited by Alexander Roberts et al., Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885. New Advent, www.newadvent.org/fathers/0311.htm.
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