Lecture 10: The Shaping of Orthodoxy
• The most vigorous intellectual and political effort, however, was
expended against those called “heretics” by church leaders, who
engaged in a “circling of the wagons” around the central elements
of the Christian religion. Some of these leaders were bishops; some
were not. It is important at this point to recognize that the battle was
intellectual and fought with the instruments of rhetoric rather than
of formal exclusion.Tertullian and Irenaeus
• Although there were elements of anti-heretical polemic found
already in Ignatius of Antioch and Justin Martyr, two figures of the
late 2nd century exemplify the effort to establish “orthodoxy” (right
teaching) as the measure for Christian membership: Tertullian
and Irenaeus.• In North Africa, Tertullian (c. 160–225) brought his impressive
intellectual energy and persuasive power to the defense of the
religion to which he converted.
o Tertullian was born a pagan and was well educated in Latin
rhetoric and literature. He converted around 197 and may have
been ordained a priest. He eventually joined the Montanist
sect, which appealed to him because of its asceticism; some of
his late moral treatises exhibit its tendencies.o His Apology (addressed to the “rulers of the Roman Empire”)
is noteworthy for his plea on behalf of Christianity’s legal
recognition, based in its fundamentally philanthropic character.
He calls for freedom of religious expression and toleration—
but only for Christians!o In other writings, Tertullian turned his rhetorical ability to
combating theological error. He argued vigorously against a
number of “heretics,” including Marcion and Valentinus. In his
response to Praxeas, Tertullian formulated an understanding of
the Trinity.