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Tertullian - Coggle Diagram

- - - - procedure to ensure people's post-baptismal sins were dealt with
      - public confession, sackcloth, fasting etc...
      - church had to forgive individuals for their sin and then they were admitted back into congregation
  - - - we are to separate yourselves for they are corrupt
    - - living in same world, but we should avoid the entertainment of the world
    - - everything will flip and Christians will watch their persecutors get tormented by God
  - - - better to stay at home & carry for husband, than go out dressed all fancy
  - - - this was before time of Islam, but Islam is relevant to this= women wear hijab and niquab, but is not a Christian thing
      - however, some brethren churches & traditional baptists make women wear hats to church- due to Paul's teaching on women covering their heads
    - - when children become of age
  - - - Tertullian almost advocates celibacy
    - - felt marriage was created by God as we can't resist each other, so is the lesser of 2 evils
      - others have felt the call to celibacy e.g. Catholic priests and nuns
  - - - only have 1 spouse no matter what- believed that marriage vows succeeded death
    - - remarriage is now quite common
      - some churches don't allow remarriage in cases of divorce- Catholic, while only some protestant churches allow it if person was innocent party in divorce
  - - - sins committed after baptism
    - - before became montanist Tertullian created 'exomologesis' but after became Montanist, challenged church on idea of 2nd repentance
      - Catholic church deals with idea of original sin= Baptismal Regeneration
  - - - delaying baptism until understand what you are doing
  - - - aren't many denominations today who fast
  - - - Quakers= pacifist denomination and Amish are also pacifists
      - Tertullian is a pacifist= against war & Christians serving in army
    - - against the taking of life
      - balance between fight and flight in Christian denominations
  - - - time of testing and we have to walk through it
      - e.g. couple in the Maldives- had to leave cause on death list
- - - - idea that only one God, not the 3ness that the Trinity emphasised
    - - strong on idea of 1 God, 3 persons and all were mutually involved and all had own roles
      - Father= Judge, Son= Saviour & Holy Spirit= Restoration
  - - - Marcion created own canon, which had no OT and mutilated version of the NT
  - - - humanity didn't just appear to be real, Christ's humanity was real
      - "The Son of God was crucified... the Son of God died; it is by all means to be believed because it is absurd... He was buried and rose again; the fact is certain because it is impossible"
  - - - they don't have the right to Scriptures or to use them because some people e.g. Marcion destroyed the scriptures (got rid of OT, mutilated Luke's gospel etc...)
    - - they changed the scriptures to suit and support them
    - - Athens was believed to be the home of philosophy, and heresy was believed to have come from philosophy, so therefore Athens was considered to be the home of heresy. Meanwhile, Jerusalem was considered to be the home of religion and therefore the capital of religion
    - - why should the heretics have access to the scriptures even thought their ideas were diametrically opposed
    - - apostolic succession ensures that 'rule of faith' was passed down- so why heretics use it?
- - - - Father, Son, Holy Spirit= 3 temporary modes of being and not 3 distinct persons
    - - 3 distinct beings all at same time
    - - 'Christalogical'- not half God, half man= was 100% human and 100% divine in 1 person
  - - - believed human soul was material and came from parents
    - - since all came from Adam we inherited all sin in our soul
  - - - just a sacrifice, but was it for us? Was it a punishment?
    - - this goes down line of a works based religion
      - not what reformed theology would teach now
  - - - like Cyprian
  - - - very different understanding of the 'end days' than most other Christians would have
- - - - Argues that the persecution of Christians is unjust
      - E.g.= Trajan's instructions to Pliny= "They are no to be sought out, but if they are accused and convicted they must be punished"- Tertullian sees it as illogical ruling
    - - Christians are punished for simply being Christian
      - "because of the name"
    - - Christians are law abiding citizens who respect their rules
      - "Caesar is more ours than yours for our God appointed him"
    - - Christians pray of safety of the Emperor; indeed they pray to the only God who has the power to protect the emperor
    - - If Christians wished to undermine the empire they could have done so, because they are to be found everywhere
      - "we are but of yesterday and we have filled the world and everything you have.... We have left nothing to you but the temples of your gods"
    - - very nature of Christianity rules out any kind of subversion
      - "nothing is more foreign to us than the affairs of State"
    - - points out that superstition is at the root of much persecution
      - "if the Tiber reaches the walls... the cry is at once 'The Christians to the lion'".
    - - Christianity is not "atheistic"
      - but Christians do refute to worship non-existent Gods
    - - In this work says that
      - "the persecutors that sowed the seed of Christian blood" and that "blood of Christian seed"
  - - - immorality e.g. ritual incest, baby-eating and is superstition of the ignorant
      - Christians in relation to the state e.g. involved high treason and contempt for state religion
    - - 'not allowed to defend themselves'
      - 'just have to be called Christians, they can be executed'
    - - E.g. 'even happened that a wanton wife has become chaste on becoming a Christian, a useless slave has become faithful'
    - - only because emperors have changed it to make them wrong
      - 'Trajan's reply show, good emperors forbade the hunting down of Christians' - Trajan was decent emperor as didn't actively seek or persecute the Christians, but still not great
    - - they are accusing the Christians of things they were guilty of doing
    - - saying all their claims were purely rumour and they should provide evidence to back-up claims
    - - highlighting fact that they are guilty of things they are accusing Christians of, while Christians are innocent of them
    - - 'No do the whoring, raping, murderous crew you describe as gods deserve anything more than imprisonment in Tarterous, since that is where you would assign any man who behaved like that'
    - - explains how Jesus and God are linked
    - - Truly a living man is more important than a fake God, even to you'
      - 'And wasn't every one of the assassins worshippings the emperor, right up until they stabbed him; and even giving the Christians the name of public enemies while they themselves plotted? Of course we aren't treasonous- if we were, we are so numerous in even your own estimate that we outnumber your soldiers! If you killed us all, who would be left for you to rule?'
      - also points out who would emperor rule, if killed all the Christians
    - - 'we share everything except our wives- you share nothing except your wives'
    - - 'every misfortune is ascribed to the Christians- as if earthquakes never happened until 33AD
    - - Tertullian points out more due to name of 'Christian', than title of 'philosopher'
      - 'well why don't you persecute your philosophers, then, when they say the gods are fake, or bark against the emperors. Perhaps it is because the name of 'philosopher' does not drive out demons like 'Christian' does
    - - pagans did different things to deliberately hurt the Christians
      - 'when you chose recently to hand a Christian girl over to a brothel-keeper rather than to the lions, you showed you knew we counted chastity dearer than life'
  - - - the Christians love even their enemies, and do not wish God's harshest judgements on anyone
    - - that Severus interceded on behalf of Christians who were suffering at the hands of accusatory crowds, and defended them openly
      - however, claims are uncertain
    - - even those at the head of the imperial regime owe something to the Christians
    - - Christians penetrate every aspect of Roman Society and ambition, and impart it for the better; as such, they should not be persecuted, but embraced