Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Note on the text and list of abbreviations
- 1 Simplicity and perfection
- 2 The puzzle: Athens and Jerusalem
- 3 The paradox: credible because inept
- 4 Strife of opposites and faith as recognition
- 5 Antithesis in one God: ‘Against Marcion’
- 6 Trinity and christology
- 7 Prayer and the bible
- 8 Mankind's two natures and a sordid church
- 9 Argument and humour: Hermogenes and the Valentinians
- 10 Promise of laughter, judgement of hell: apocalyse and system
- 11 Ethics of conflict
- Conclusion
- Select bibliography
- Subject index
- Citations from Tertullian
- Citations from the Bible
4 - Strife of opposites and faith as recognition
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Note on the text and list of abbreviations
- 1 Simplicity and perfection
- 2 The puzzle: Athens and Jerusalem
- 3 The paradox: credible because inept
- 4 Strife of opposites and faith as recognition
- 5 Antithesis in one God: ‘Against Marcion’
- 6 Trinity and christology
- 7 Prayer and the bible
- 8 Mankind's two natures and a sordid church
- 9 Argument and humour: Hermogenes and the Valentinians
- 10 Promise of laughter, judgement of hell: apocalyse and system
- 11 Ethics of conflict
- Conclusion
- Select bibliography
- Subject index
- Citations from Tertullian
- Citations from the Bible
Summary
The apologeticum is a defence of Christians in face of persecution by Roman authorities. As elsewhere in early Christian literature, the virtues of Christians are set out, their blameless lives are extolled and the demonic origin of persecution exposed. However, as with Justin's Apology, there are general principles and themes which give coherence and intensity to the long list of details.
The first general principle is that the world is governed by the strife of opposites – of light with darkness, of good with evil. Following this axiom, three points are made. First, within universal conflict, justice or reason must balance all things, suppress evil and encourage good. Secondly, God is present from beginning to end, from first to last. His economy runs without faltering from creation through all his dealings with mankind, until the coming of the man Jesus in whom all is brought to perfection. Thereafter Jesus is present in the varied virtues of the church and in the seed of the martyrs, so that nothing lies outside his rule which is to be plainly declared in his final judgement. The third theme is the persistence of the cross. The worship of Christ as God comes from those who are tortured and afflicted. Out of the depth of their suffering, they proclaim salvation and out of their seed the gospel grows.
To these three themes (balance of justice, divine economy and seed of suffering), Tertullian adds a note of confidence.
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- Information
- Tertullian, First Theologian of the West , pp. 65 - 87Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1997