Tertullian First Theologian of the West

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.