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Pope Benedict XVI- General Audiences |
General
Audience
On Tertullian
"Accomplished a Great Step in the Development of the Trinitarian Dogma"
H.H. Benedict XVI
May 30, 2007
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
With today's catechesis we return to the series that we stopped in honor
of the trip to Brazil, and we continue to talk about the great
personalities of the ancient Church: They are masters of the faith for
us even today and witnesses of the perennial actuality of the Christian
faith.
Today we speak about an African, Tertullian, who at the end of the
second century and the beginning of the third inaugurated Christian
literature in Latin. With him we see the beginning of theology in that
language.
His work bore decisive fruits, and it would be unforgivable to
undervalue them. His influence is developed on many levels:
linguistically and in the recovery of the classic culture, and the
singling out of a common "Christian soul" in the world and the
formulation of new proposals for living together.
We don't know the exact date of his birth or his death. We know that he
was from Carthage, that he lived near the end of the second century, and
that from his parents and pagan teachers, he received a solid formation
in rhetoric, philosophy, law and history. He converted in Christianity,
being attracted -- it seems -- by the example of the Christian martyrs.
He began publishing his most famous writings in A.D. 197. But because of
a too individualistic research of the truth together with his
intemperance of character -- he was a rigorous man -- he gradually left
communion with the Church and joined a sect of Montanism. But the
originality of his thought united with an incisive efficacy of language
assured him a high position in ancient Christian literature.
Most noteworthy are his apologetic writings. They show two principal
intents: that of confounding the grave accusations that pagans were
hurling against the new religion, and that of a more missionary nature
-- to communicate the message of the Gospel in dialogue with the culture
of that time.
His most famous work, "Apologeticus," denounces the unjust actions of
the political authorities toward the Church. He explains and defends the
teachings and customs of Christians; he lists the differences between
the new religion and the principal philosophical currents of the time;
he shows the triumph of the Spirit, who pits the violence of persecutors
against the blood, suffering and patience of the martyrs. "As refined as
it is," he writes, "your cruelty serves no purpose: On the contrary, for
our community, it is an invitation. We multiply every time one of us is
mowed down: The blood of Christians is a seed" ("Apologeticus" 50:13).
Martyrdom and suffering for the truth are victorious in the end and more
effective than the cruelty and violence of totalitarian regimes.
But Tertullian, like all great apologists, at the same time speaks of
the need to communicate the essence of Christianity in a positive way.
To do this he adopts the speculative way to show the rational
foundations of Christian dogma. He studies them in a systematic manner,
and begins with the description of "the God of the Christians." "He whom
we adore," he writes, "is one God."
He goes on to say, using the antitheses and paradoxes that are
characteristic of his language: "He is invisible, even if you see him,
untouchable, even if he is present through grace; unintelligible, even
if human sense can perceive him, therefore he is true and great!"
(ibid., 17:1-2).
Tertullian also accomplished a great step in the development of the
Trinitarian dogma; he gave us, in Latin, the terms adequate to express
this great mystery, introducing the terms "one substance" and "three
Persons." In a similar way, he also greatly developed the correct
language to express the mystery of Christ, Son of God and true Man.
The African also speaks about the Holy Spirit, showing his personal and
divine character: "We believe that, according to his promise, Jesus
Christ sent by means of his Father the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the
sanctifier of the faith of all those who believe in the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit" (ibid, 2:1).
There are also in the African's writings numerous texts on the Church,
which Tertullian always refers to as "mother." Even after joining
Montanism, he never forgot that the Church is the Mother of our faith
and of our Christian life.
He also speaks about the moral conduct of Christians and the life to
come. His writings are important because they reflect the living
tendencies of the Christian community about Mary most holy, the
Eucharist, matrimony and reconciliation, the primacy of Peter, prayer…
In a special way, during those times of persecution in which the
Christians seemed to be a lost minority, the apologist exhorted them to
hope; that -- in his writings -- is not merely a virtue in itself, but
something that involves every aspect of Christian existence. We have the
hope that the future is ours because the future is God's.
The Lord's resurrection is presented as the foundation for our future
resurrection, and represents the principal object of Christian faith:
"And so the flesh shall rise again, wholly in every man, in its own
identity, in its absolute integrity. Wherever it may be, it is in safe
keeping in God's presence, through that most faithful Mediator between
God and man, Jesus Christ, who shall reconcile both God to man, and man
to God" (On the Resurrection of the Flesh, 63:1).
From a human point of view one can speak of Tertullian's drama. With the
passing of time he came more demanding of Christians. He expected them
at all times, and above all in times of persecution, to act heroically.
He rigidly held his positions, criticized many and inevitably found
himself isolated.
There are still many questions about Tertullian's theological and
philosophical thought, but also about his way of dealing with the
political institutions and the pagan society of that time.
This great moral and intellectual personality, this man who gave such a
great contribution to Christian thought, makes me think. It is evident
that at the end he lacks simplicity, the humility to belong to the
Church, to accept his weaknesses, to be tolerant of others and with
himself.
When you evaluate your thought in terms of your greatness, in the end it
is this greatness that is lost. The essential characteristic of a great
theologian is the humility to stay with the Church, to accept her and
one's own faults, because only God is all holy. We, on the other hand,
are always in need of forgiveness.
Tertullian remains an interesting witness of the first years of the
Church, when Christians found themselves true subjects of a "new
culture" between classic inheritance and the Gospel message. His famous
phrase states that our soul "is naturally Christian" (Apologeticus
17:6), where Tertullian evokes the perennial continuity between
authentic human values and Christian ones. And his other reflection,
taken from the Gospels, says "the Christian cannot hate, not even his
own enemies" (Apologeticus 37), where the moral implication of the
choice of faith, proposes "nonviolence" as the law of life: And who
could not see the relevance of this teaching today in light of the
fervent debate on religions.
In Tertullian's writings there are many themes that we are called to
face still today. They call us to a fruitful interior examination, to
which I exhort all the faithful, so that they may know how to express,
in an evermore convincing way, the "Rule of Faith," which -- getting
back to Tertullian -- "prescribes the belief that there is one only God,
and that he is none other than the Creator of the world, who produced
all things out of nothing through his own Word, first of all sent forth"
(Prescription against Heretics 13:1).
[Translation by ZENIT]
[After the audience, the Holy Father greeted the people in several
languages. In English, he said:]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our catechesis on the Fathers and teachers of the early Church, we
now turn to Tertullian, an African from Carthage and the first great
Christian author to write in Latin. A convert to Christianity,
Tertullian became an eloquent apologist for the faith, not only
defending it from its detractors but striving to present positively the
Gospel message in dialogue with the pagan intellectual tradition. He
emphasized the unity of God while affirming the divinity of Christ and
the Holy Spirit. Tertullian's terminology of three "persons" in one
divine "substance" marked a significant advance in the development of
the dogma of the Trinity. His works also bear witness to the emerging
understanding of the dignity of Our Lady, the nature of the Church, the
Petrine Primacy, and the sacraments. Tertullian grounds the Christian
life in prayer and in hope based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Converted by the sufferings of the martyrs, whose blood he called the
seed of the Church (cf. Ap., 50.13), Tertullian grew increasingly
rigoristic, and eventually left the Church's communion. Yet he remains
an influential witness to the Church's rule of faith and an important
figure in the perennial dialogue between the Gospel and the world of
culture.
I am pleased to greet the English-speaking pilgrims, including
participants in a seminar organized by the Lay Centre "Foyer Unitas",
graduates of the Classical Lyceum of Turku, and pilgrims from the parish
of the Immaculate Conception in Devizes. Upon you and your loved ones, I
invoke the grace and peace of Almighty God.
© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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