Saturday, April 8, 2023

Tertullian (extra credit)

Tertullian's Apology is a strong defense of the Christian faith, but it sometimes seems more than a bit provocative. Read Chapters 1 and 50 at the link here (and any chapters in between that appeal to you).  What's your overall impression?  Is this work more likely to make the Roman authorities think twice about torturing and executing Christians, or is it more likely to irritate them?  Or does it do something of both?   How would you have reacted to this work if you had been a Roman official directly or indirectly involved in the trials of Christians?

1 comment:

  1. I think Tertullian makes great points in this apology. He calls out the Roman authorities, saying, "For what is there more unfair than to hate a thing of which you know nothing...". I think this is an excellent point to make, and it is even heard today in some religious arguments.

    I do not think the Roman authorities would appreciate these comments, though. I think it would sound like, to them, that Tertullian is insulting their intelligence. He calls them ignorant and implies that they know absolutely nothing about Christianity, and are essentially committing all these violent acts blindly.

    In chapter 50, Tertullian goes on to mention that persecution, although it is not entirely desired, is somewhat expected within Christianity. I think this was his idea of saying, "Whatever you think persecuting us is going to do, I guarantee it's not going to work." If I were a Roman official having read this, I would probably be a little angry and would have felt called out.
    -Lauren Bland

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