Apologeticus
Encyclopedia
Apologeticus or Apologeticum is Tertullian
's most famous work, consisting of apologetic and polemic
; it was written in Carthage
in the summer or autumn of 197 AD, during the reign of Septimius Severus
. In this work Tertullian defends Christianity
, demanding legal toleration and that Christians be treated as all other sects of the Roman Empire
. It is in this treatise that one finds the phrase: "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church" (Apologeticus, Chapter 50).
Apologeticus is ostensibly addressed to the provincial governors of the Roman empire— "that the truth, being forbidden to defend itself publicly, may reach the ears of the rulers by the hidden path of letters"— and thus bears resemblance to the Greek apologues
. Its readership is more likely to have been composed of Christians, whose faith was reinforced through Tertullian's defense against rationalizations and rumours.
The Apologeticus is calm in tone, "a model of judicial discussion", according to Tertullian's modern editor Otto Bardenhewer
. Unlike previous apologists of Christianity, whose appeals for tolerance were made in the name of reason and humanity, Tertullian, influenced by his legal training, spoke as a jurist convinced of the injustice of the laws under which the Christians were persecuted. The Apologeticus was written before the edict of Septimius Severus (202), and consequently, the laws to which the writer took exception were those under which the Christians of the 1st and 2nd centuries had been convicted.
There is a similarity of content, if not of purpose, between this work and Tertullian's Ad nationes - published earlier in the same year - and it has been claimed that the latter is a finished draft of Apologeticus. There arises also the question of similarity to Minucius Felix's dialogue Octavius. Some paragraphs are shared by both texts: it is not known which predated the other.
Tertullian's brief De testimonio animae ("Concerning the Evidences of the Soul") is an appendix to the Apologeticus, intended to illustrate the meaning of the phrase testimonium animae naturaliter christianae in chapter 17).
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
's most famous work, consisting of apologetic and polemic
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
; it was written in Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
in the summer or autumn of 197 AD, during the reign of Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
. In this work Tertullian defends Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, demanding legal toleration and that Christians be treated as all other sects of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. It is in this treatise that one finds the phrase: "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church" (Apologeticus, Chapter 50).
Apologeticus is ostensibly addressed to the provincial governors of the Roman empire— "that the truth, being forbidden to defend itself publicly, may reach the ears of the rulers by the hidden path of letters"— and thus bears resemblance to the Greek apologues
Apologue
An apologue or apolog is a brief fable or allegorical story with pointed or exaggerated details, meant to serve as a pleasant vehicle for a moral doctrine or to convey a useful lesson without stating it explicitly. Unlike a fable, the moral is more important than the narrative details...
. Its readership is more likely to have been composed of Christians, whose faith was reinforced through Tertullian's defense against rationalizations and rumours.
The Apologeticus is calm in tone, "a model of judicial discussion", according to Tertullian's modern editor Otto Bardenhewer
Otto Bardenhewer
Bertram Otto Bardenhewer was a German Catholic patrologist. His Geschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur is a standard work, re-issued in 2008...
. Unlike previous apologists of Christianity, whose appeals for tolerance were made in the name of reason and humanity, Tertullian, influenced by his legal training, spoke as a jurist convinced of the injustice of the laws under which the Christians were persecuted. The Apologeticus was written before the edict of Septimius Severus (202), and consequently, the laws to which the writer took exception were those under which the Christians of the 1st and 2nd centuries had been convicted.
There is a similarity of content, if not of purpose, between this work and Tertullian's Ad nationes - published earlier in the same year - and it has been claimed that the latter is a finished draft of Apologeticus. There arises also the question of similarity to Minucius Felix's dialogue Octavius. Some paragraphs are shared by both texts: it is not known which predated the other.
Tertullian's brief De testimonio animae ("Concerning the Evidences of the Soul") is an appendix to the Apologeticus, intended to illustrate the meaning of the phrase testimonium animae naturaliter christianae in chapter 17).