Tertullian was the first Western Christian to write theology, defending Christians against the hostility of the Roman state, as well as arguing against Marcion, Praxeas and theosophical fantasy. A complex thinker, Tertullian has, in the modern era, been rejected by both liberal Christianity and its secular critics. For a long time misquoted and misused, he now calls for sustained analysis and interpretation. This book offers a major reappraisal of his theology and its influence on the shape of the Western Christian tradition.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Introduction; 1. Simplicity and perfection: end and beginning; 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: against praxeas; 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, judgment of hell; 11. Ethics of conflict; Conclusion; Bibliography; Indexes.
