A Glimpse at Early Christian Church Life

I am proud to have this man as a brother not only through world history, but also in eternal life to come. Check out the section "On Baptism". If you find yourself confused of what baptism is and is for, look to the Scriptures first, but also look to what the early Christians were teaching. Many of the early writings were by contemporaries of the apostles. My 2 other favorite early Christian writings are sold as books called "The One Who Knows God" and "We Don't Speak Great Things, We Live Them" by Clement of Alexandria and Justin Martyr. Read what these men wrote, learn your spiritual ancestral history and what they persevered through to receive the goal of their faith. You will see that ancient man was probably smarter than any of mondern man when it came to philosophy and reasoning.

From platform shoes to marks to gladiators! What a neat look at one bishop's view of how early Chirstians were to aply Biblical truth to their lifes.

There's three different ways I could rate this book. As a translation and edition of an ancient text, it is great- 5 stars. It is readable, with many notes for the modern reader, and those more confusing and redundant passages are relegated to the end. As a text of an early church father, and thus a window into the beliefs of the nascent church, I would also give it five stars, for it's historical value. However, for the writing itself- i.e. if Tertullian were alive today and writing and expressing what he does, I would give it two stars. I simply wouldn't agree with this author and the way he expresses himself. His logic is often incomplete or nonexistant, by modern standards. And he is rude and condescending. There is little of the Spirit of Christ in his expression- of patience, kindness, and forgiveness. Honestly, if he was my introduction to Christianity at the time, I would probably have turned to one of the mystery cults, hoping that there might be at least some semblance of love there. Thus an average rating of 4 stars. But Tertullian doesn't write in modern times. He writes in a time when the midrash technique was still popular in Christian sermons, and logical connections weren't as important as allegory and the history of Missio Deo. And he *is* an early church father. Which means, regardless of what I might personally think about his beliefs, they to some degree represent what the early church believed- those who were far closer to Jesus' words and person than I. If I take that seriously, then I also need to take some of Tertullian's ideas seriously as application to my walk today. I think there are times when his lapse into the Montanist heresy betray the orthodoxy of his thoughts. Though the Montanists were heretical in practice and not in theology, there practices did lead to influences and tweaking of belief, as they do for us all. They believed that the Spirit was available to Christians for inspiration in 200 AD in the same way that He had been for the apostles in 60 AD. They frowned on marriage and sex, and hence tended towards a more dualistic and anti-material, anti-flesh philosophy. They were very hard against the lapsi- those who had been with the faith and then left under persecution- even claiming they could not return to Christ in some cases. So you find these same beliefs expounded on by Tertullian. There is only one chance for salvation. Marriage is impure, and relations between men and women need to be carefully guarded. Angels can visit with revelations that change the way one would exegete a text. These ideas would not be supported by the majority of the orthodox church, but some of them are expressed in different ways in this text by Tertullian. His ideas on the scarving of women should be read in this light, as he has a very low view of gender reconciliation. The issue of scarving of women is also an element which appears to bring up cultural arguments. For instance, following along Paul's reasoning, Ter

This little book provides a snapshot of the fervor of one who must have been a controversial figure in the church of the early third century as he is in the modern one. A couple of impressions regarding the African's personality: He cannot be accused of being lukewarm. He works himself into a frenzy trying to persuade his flock not to become excited or impassioned. In addition, he is strikingly imaginative, creatively applying scriptures to suit his purposes. I enjoyed his Montanist outlook on pleasures, the games, the theater, and especially his macho views of women. Reading this book sheds light on the secular ecumenical practices of christians living in a predominantly non-christian milieu.

From A.D. 200 to A.D. 2000, everything has changed about the Church, yet nothing really has. This book is a window into the life of the Christian in the era of the early Church Fathers and reveals the controversial issues, trials and temptations of the day. There is no better scribe of these issues than Tertullian, a lawyer by profession and Christian by faith. Tertullian does not teach; he rants, raves, foams at the mouth and pleads. In the case of People v. Christianity, Christianity is the defendant, Tertullian defense counsel and 21st century Christians the jury. Everything he writes provokes some extreme emotion from shock and anger to laughter. Thus, this collection of his writings from 195 to 210 A.D. can also serve as a window into Tertullian rhetoric as well as his convictions. It is hard not hear Tertullian thundering at us, the jury, and hear our gasps, snickers and even hisses as he purposely stomps on our toes . . . albeit for a good reason. While Tertullian's manner is alternatingly caustic and entertaining, the subject matter is extremely apropos to the 21st century. 3rd century Christians apparently struggled with the same issues or their mutations modern believers do. What makes countering Tertullian from the jury box interesting is that he argues almost strictly from the Bible--of which his knowledge is seemingly boundless, rendering him a formidable advocate.Tertullian attacks the erotic and violent entertainment (theater, athletics, gladiator fights) of the Romans, which did not offend the sensibilities of some Christians. He does not, however, stop there. Tertullian even goes after lifting weights and playing sports to win. No joke! Other objects of Tertullian's wrath include shaving, actors and celebrity groupies. Modern readers will surely find Tertullian's choice words about women using cosmetics, dyeing their hair blond, wearing jewelry and "immodest" clothing intriguing, to say the least. Not even plucking out eyebrows escapes Tertullian's scrutiny. Tertullian's less polemical works are discussions of the Lord's Prayer; prayer customs (including an argument that raising the hands during praying and singing is immodest); baptism; and veiling. These writings are valuable also for their detailed treatment of how these customs originated. This volume contains ample footnotes. The editor took the liberty of omitting several passages from the text and putting the excised prose in small font in the Appendix. This is a good, quick read in large font helped because Tertullian uses his words sparingly in making unsparing judgments. His arguments are extremely thought-provoking whether the reader agrees or disagrees with them. Controversial or not, Tertullian was a passionate and eloquent apologist. In a time when Christianity was under siege, Tertullian stood as a bulwark against persecution from without and apostasy from within. He challenged Christians in the 3rd centu