Tertullian Biography

Tertullian, the prominent early apologist who produced the world’s first extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature was born as Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus in Carthage. Widely recognized as the founder of Western theology he was one of the oldest extant Latin writers to propound the formal exposition of a Trinitarian theology. He was a polemicist against heresy and he developed new theology to the early church. As a young man he had received good education in literature and rhetoric and is also said to have practiced law for some time. He was well versed in both Latin and Greek and was a highly knowledgeable person. He converted to Christianity when he was in his thirties or forties and used his vast knowledge to defend his religion against the heretics. He used the term ‘trinity’ to describe the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which went on to become a classical Trinitarian formula. He is a much quoted early church father whose contribution to Christian theories and theology is immense. During his later years, he drifted from the mainstream church and was attracted to the ‘New Prophecy’ of Montanism. In spite of being a church father he was never canonized by the Catholic Church.