Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Tertullian
Table of Contents
Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
For Students
Tertullian summary
Read Next
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
African American man praying in church with stained glass in background
Why Do People Say “Amen” at the End of a Prayer?
Discover
Stylish light blue jeans on wooden background, closeup of inset pocket
Why Do Jeans Have That Tiny Pocket?
Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and autodidact.
6 Interesting Facts about Srinivasa Ramanujan
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
Coriander leaves, fresh green cilantro on wooden background, herbs
Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Some People?
King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)
9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes
Facsimile of one of William Henry Ireland's forgeries, a primitive self-portrait of William Shakespeare(tinted engraving). Published for Samuel Ireland, Norfolk Street, Strand, December 1, 1795. (W.H. Ireland, forgery)
The Time a Law Clerk Successfully Forged a New Shakespeare Play to Impress His Dad
Panama Canal infographic
Timeline and Map of the Panama Canal

Tertullian

Christian theologian
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://mainten.top/biography/Tertullian
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus
Written by
Robert L. Wilken
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of the History of Christianity, University Virginia. Author of The Myth of Christian Beginnings.
Robert L. Wilken
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Quick Facts
Latin in full:
Quintus Septimus Florens Tertullianus
Born:
c. 155/160, Carthage [now in Tunisia]
Died:
after 220, Carthage
Subjects Of Study:
Montanism
moral theology
See all related content

Tertullian (born c. 155/160, Carthage [now in Tunisia]—died after 220, Carthage) was an important early Christian theologian, polemicist, and moralist who, as the initiator of ecclesiastical Latin, was instrumental in shaping the vocabulary and thought of Western Christianity. He is one of the Latin Apologists of the 2nd century. Knowledge of the life of Tertullian is based almost wholly on documents written by men living more than a century after him and from obscure references in his own works. On this basis a general outline of his life has been constructed, but most of the details have been continually disputed ...(100 of 1137 words)

Access the full article
Help support true facts by becoming a member.