Today we turn from Cyprian to Tertullian, one of the most fiery and forceful polemicists of the early Church. After working through Cyprian’s battles over the lapsed and heretical baptism, we now move into the larger landscape of early Christian heresies, beginning with Marcionism and the question of whether the God of the Old Testament is the same God revealed in Jesus Christ. In this new section, we will read an abridged version of Tertullian’s Against Marcion, Book 1, with selected supplemental passages, along with the whole of Prescription Against Heretics. Together, these works show the Church defending the unity of God, the unity of Scripture, and the apostolic rule of faith against teachings that threatened to cut Christianity loose from creation, Israel, prophecy, and the God of Abraham.

Today’s Readings:

Int ...