Tertullian

American  

[ter-tuhl-ee-uhn, -tuhl-yuhn] / tərˈtʌl i ən, -ˈtʌl jən /

noun

1. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, a.d. c160–c230, Carthaginian theologian.

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Tertullian British  

/ tɜːˈtʌlɪən /

noun

1. Latin name Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus. ?160–?220 _ad , Carthaginian Christian theologian, who wrote in Latin rather than Greek and originated much of Christian terminology

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Example Sentences

Tertullian, an early Christian writer, taught that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

This is the common paraphrase of an argument by Tertullian, an early church father.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2025

The church father Tertullian insisted that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Roman Catholic Church.

From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2021

The issue was never settled – one powerful church leader, Tertullian, once wrote “what does Athens have to do with Rome?”

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

Cecilia’s enthusiasm, for example, seemed a little overstated, tainted with condescension perhaps, and intrusive too; her big sister wanted each bound story catalogued and placed on the library shelves, between Rabindranath Tagore and Quintus Tertullian.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan