Tertullian leaned against the half wall at the entrance of his house. The days had grown longer as summer moved into the area. He cocked the corner of his lips, remembering how much his wife had loved the summer, and turned to move into the shade of the walls within his house.
How good God was to have given him a wife who knew the Gospel. It was her faith, and it became his, gripping a hold of him, thrusting him into a new life, changing him to the very core of who he was.
But the world was changing. Christians were changing--could he call them Christians, those that moved down roads of theology he was unwilling to go? He ran his hand down his face and felt squeezed by the thought.
Then again, he was in part culpable for these shifts in what men believed was truth. Had he not explored dogmatic thoughts on how to live a Christian life, perhaps some of these thoughts would not be deemed by some to be sacred and therefore a must to adhere to had he not mentioned them. If superstition had not dogged his every thought, perhaps rituals would not have replaced reason...was this not an influence of a pagan parentage?
He sighed and ran his hand along the cold wall then shuffled to the cushions and blankets placed for him in the corner of the great hall.
He would not apologize for his writings on baptism. Perhaps, though, perhaps he could have been more thorough in his original work. Perhaps he should have relied more heavily on Paul's letter to the Corinthians where Paul himself confessed he did not baptize others. Surely that was evidence that baptism was not necessary for a person to be a Christian. Or did that simply confuse the matter?
He ran his wrinkled hand through his now white hair and lowered himself to the brightly colored cushions, his bones and muscles complaining in the movement and sighing in the relief.
Tertullian had insisted on re-examining and rebaptizing anyone who'd come to his Carthage church. The Christian community here had grown too fast. They did not know truth. They rushed into faith without understanding and in order to help them, the leaders of their faith gave them traditions.
Was that not the issue Christ had with the Pharisees? The traditions of men, not of God.
One could not join his church without being properly baptized. But not all agreed, leaving Tertullian no other choice but to leave. "That was the right decision, was it not Dear Lord?"
There were many others, beside himself that withdrew from the churches that had become corrupt. It was necessary for the purity of communion. They had to resort to worshiping God as circumstances allowed, privately or publicly.
He'd watched the change, even as it now continued. Every sacred appointment--polluted. Could they not see? He shifted a bit on the cushions so he could get a glimpse of the sky from the window.
How relieved he was when he met Montanus, a man saved from the cult of Cybele by Christ. Montanus was a brave man. Tertullian could respect that. Perhaps it was part of what piqued his interest when he met the man. Montanus was a humble man as well. He did not strive for attention as most men did.
Tertullian laid back and pulled the brightly colored blanket over him. He agreed with Montanus that Christianity was simple in nature. As the Apostle Paul had written in his first epistle to the Corinthians:
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures". (I Corinthians 15:1-3)
A sigh relaxed Tertullian's mind and a smile played upon his lips. No need for complicated philosopic notions or customs. The Gospel, plain and simple. Yes, he did agree with Montanus on this very point.
Ritualism had no place in the church. Had not the Apostle Paul argued against it in his letter to the Galatians? Had he not said, "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3)
And then there were some of those men who thought themselves above the average Christian...the rise of a clergy class. The Apostle Peter had said we were all priests, all capable of going before God. And was there not that passage in the prophets that spoke of the Holy Spirit giving everyone understanding? No, the so-called clergy were not needed, not as a superior being. Christ Himself, had humbled Himself to the cross, but would those clergy do likewise? Tertullian snorted. Of course they would not.
His heart beat faster in his chest and the pain there intensified once more. "Oh Heavenly Father, You have called for us to know You. To truly and fully know You! and yet we have chosen instead to use systems of thought and actions to make us feel as though we know You, when all we've done is replaced true fellowship with Your Holy Spirit with ritual and emotion. Forgive us, Oh God!"
The Apostle Paul would not have tolerated it. He did not in the church of Corinth; he would not in the church of Carthage. Oh but if only the so called clergy would actually seek God and read the letters of the apostle with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If only...
"Spiritualists." That's what these clergy were calling Montanus' followers, claiming Montanus (who declared it himself) was an enemy to philosophy and religion. Well. Perhaps he was, and so was, therefore Tertullian.
No. From this day forward, Tertullian would align himself with Montanus. He would work beside Montanus to practice the purity of communion, to baptize only by immersion, and to the holiness of life.
His eyelids began to weigh heavy over his eyes. "I'll stand by Montanus' desire for church discipline, and to defend the Trinitarian Theology. I will defend the complete Word of God, both Old and New Testaments."
A yawn forced his hand to cover his mouth and he let his spirit wing its way into the presence of God. "And I will look for the return of Christ to set up his millennial kingdom on earth as the Apostle John wrote in his Revelation of Jesus Christ."
He felt the warmth of God's presence, God's comforting hand, the Holy Spirit, and he drifted off to sleep.
Yes, this is a fictional account of Tertullian, who some have called a Church Father. He was married to a Christian woman, wrote many articles and books on Christianity, and did align himself in his later years with the teachings of Montanus because he felt the old churches were filled with corruption. There are some who deny that he joined the Montanists, but there is sufficient evidence, I think, that he did.
