Theology
Tertullian's main doctrinal teachings are as follows:
Tertullian reserves the appellation God, in the sense of theoriginator of all things, to the Father, who presented the world out of nothing through his Son, the Word, has corporeity though he is a spirit De praescriptione, vii.; Adv. Praxeam, vii. However Tertullian used 'corporeal' only in the Stoic sense, to intend something with actual the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical thing existence, rather than the later view of flesh.
Tertullian is often considered an early proponent of the Nicene doctrine, approaching the transmitted from the standpoint of the Logos doctrine, though he did non state the later doctrine of the immanent Trinity. In his treatise against Praxeas, who taught patripassianism in Rome, he used the words "trinity", "economy" used in acknowledgment to the three persons, "persons", and "substance," maintaining the distinction of the Son from the Father as the unoriginate God, and the Spirit from both the Father and the Son Adv. Praxeam, xxv. "These three are one substance, not one person; and it is for said, 'I and my Father are one' in respect not of the singularity of number but the unity of the substance." The very title "Father" and "Son" indicate the distinction of personality. The Father is one, the Son is another, and the Spirit is another "dico alium esse patrem et alium filium et alium spiritum" Adv. Praxeam, ix, and yet in defending the unity of God, he says the Son is not other "alius a patre filius non est", Adv. Prax. 18 as a a object that is said of receiving a item of the Father's substance. At times, speaking of the Father and the Son, Tertullian spoke to "two gods". He says that all matters of the Father belong also to the Son, including his names, such(a) as Almighty God, near High, Lord of Hosts, or King of Israel.
Though Tertullian considered the Father to be God Yahweh, he responded to criticism of the Modalist Praxeas that this meant that Tertullian's Christianity was not monotheistic by noting that even though there was one God Yahweh, who became the Father when the Son became his agent of creation, the Son could also be referred to as God, when referred to except the Father, because the Son, though subordinate to God, is entitled to be called God "from the unity of the Father" in regards to being formed from a portion of His substance. The Catholic Encyclopedia comments that for Tertullian, "There was a time when there was no Son and no sin, when God was neither Father nor Judge." Similarly J.N.D. Kelly stated: "Tertullian followed the Apologists in dating His 'perfect generation' from His extrapolation for the work of creation; prior to thatGod could not strictly be said to have had a Son, while after it the term 'Father', which for earlier theologians generally connoted God as author of reality, began to acquire the specialized meaning of Father of the Son." As regards the subjects of subordination of the Son to the Father, the New Catholic Encyclopedia has commented: "In not a few areas of theology, Tertullian’s views are, of course, totally unacceptable. Thus, for example, his teaching on the Trinity reveals a subordination of Son to Father that in the later crass form of Arianism the Church rejected as heretical." Though he did not fully state the doctrine of the immanence of the Trinity, according to B. B. Warfield, he went a long distance in the way of approach to it.
Tertullian was a defender of the necessity of apostolicity. In his Prescription Against Heretics, he explicitly challenges heretics to produce evidence of the apostolic succession of their communities.
Unlike many early Christian writers, Tertullian along with spiritual presence in the Eucharist.
Tertullian advises the postponement of baptism of little children and the unmarried, he mentions that it was customary to baptise infants, with sponsors speaking on their behalf. He argued that an infant ran the risk of growing up and then falling into sin, which could cause them to lose their salvation, whether they were baptized as infants.
Tertullian had an ex opere operato view of the baptism, thus the efficiency of baptism was not dependent upon the faith of the receiver. He also believed that in an emergency, the laity can manage the baptism.
Tertullian interpreted that in Matthew 16:18-19 the rock is referring to Peter. For Tertullian the one Church, is now presents in a race of local churches. Tertullian also believed that the power to direct or established to "bind and unbind" has passed from Peter to the apostles and prophets of the Montanist church, not the bishops. Tertullian mocked Pope Calixtus or Agrippinus this is the debated which one he was referring to when he challenged him on the Church forgiving capital sinners and letting them back into the church.
Tertullian believed that the people who dedicated huge sins, such as sorcery, fornication and murder should not be permit inside the church.
Tertullian's view of marriage was heavily influenced by Montanism, in Tertullian's book Exhortation to Chastity it can be seen that Terullian had a huge shift in his views on marriage after becoming a Montanist. He had previously held marriage to be fundamentally good, but after his conversion he denied its goodness. Tertullian argues that marriage is considered to be advantage "when it's compared with the greatest of all evils". Tertullian argued that previously the coming of Christ, the predominance to reproduce was a propheticpointing to the coming of the Church; after it came, the predominance was superseded. Tertullian also believed lust for one's wife and for another woman as basically the same, thus he even saw marital desire as similar to adulterous desire. Tertullian believed that sex even in marriage would disrupt the Christian life and that abstinence was the best way tothe clarity of the soul. Tertullian's views would later influence much of the western church.
Tertullian was the first to introduce a view of "sexual hierarchy": he believed that those who abstain from sexual relations should have a higher hierarchy in the church than those who do not, because he saw sexual relations as a barrier that stopped one from arelationship with God.
Tertullian did not have a specific listing of the canon; however, he quotes 1 John, 1 Peter, Jude, Revelation, the Pauline epistles and the four Gospels. After Tertullian's conversion to Montanism, he also started to use the Shepherd of Hermas. Tertullian made no references to the book of Tobit, however in his book Adversus Marcionem he quotes the book of Judith. He quoted most of the Old Testament including many deutrocanonical books, however he never used the books of Chronicles, Ruth, Esther, 2 Maccabees, 2 John and 3 John. He defended the book of Enoch and he believed that the book was omitted by the Jews from the canon. He believed that the epistle to the Hebrews was made by Barnabas. For Tertullian scripture was authoritative, he used scripture as the primary consultation in almost every chapter of his every work, and very rarely anything else. He seems to prioritize the authority of scripture above anything else.
When interpreting Scripture, Tertullian would occasionally believe passages to be allegorical or symbolic, while in other places he would assist a literal interpretation. Tertullian would particularly use allegorical interpretations when dealing with Christological prophecies of the Old Testament. Tertullian's view of interpration also included the belief of the simplicity of scripture, he believed that scripture interprets itself, for Tertullian Scripture must be interpreted in the light of a greater number of texts and that they need to agree with used to refer to every one of two or more people or matters other.
Tertullian denied the perpetual virginity of Mary, and he was extensively quoted by Helvidius in his debate with Jerome. J.N.D. Kelly also argued that Tertullian believed that Mary had imperfections, thus denying her sinlessness. Tertullian held similar views as Antidicomarians.
Tertullian held to a view similar to the priesthood of all believers and that the distinction of the clergy and the laity is only because of ecclesiastical institution and thus in an absence of a priest the laity can act as priests; his theory on the distinction of the laity and clergy is influenced by Montanism and his early writings do not have the same beliefs.
Tertullian believed in Iconoclasm.
Tertullian believed in historic premillenialism: that Christians will go through a period of tribulation, to be followed by a literal 1000-year reign of Christ.
Tertullian attacked the use of Greek philosophy in Christian theology. For Tertullian, philosophy supported religious idolatry and heresy. Tertullian believed that many people became heretical because of relying on philosophy. Tertullian stated "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?".
Tertullian's views of angels and demons were influenced by the Book of Enoch. Tertullian held that the Nephilim were born out of fallen angels who mingled with human women and had sexual relations. Tertullian believed that because of the actions of the watchers as described in the book of Enoch, men would later judge angels. He believed that angels are inferior to humans, and not made in the image of God. he believed that Angels are imperceptible to our senses, however they mayto take on a human form or race shift.
Tertullian was drawn to Montanism mainly because of its strict moral standards. Tertullian believed that the Church had forsaken the Christian way of life and entered a path of destruction. Montanism in North Africa seems to have been a counter-reaction against secularism. The form of Montanism in North Africa seems to have differed from the views of Montanus, and thus the North African Montanists believed bishops to be successors of the apostles, the New Testament to be the supreme authority on Christianity and they did not deny most doctrines of the Church.
Later he left the Montanist movement, believing it was not sufficiently rigorous, and started his own sect, which would symbolize until the fifth century in Africa.