The Shows (De Spectaculis)

Tertullian of Carthage · c. 197 AD

Ante-Nicene Fathers (Roberts–Donaldson), Roberts, Donaldson, and Coxe (eds.), Ante-Nicene Fathers, Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing, 1885–1887; digitized by CCEL.

Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; the first great Latin Christian writer. A North African of Carthage, trained in rhetoric and law; coined much of the Latin theological vocabulary the West later inherited (Trinitas, persona, substantia). His pre-Montanist works are widely cited and respected; his later embrace of the New Prophecy (Montanism) places him outside the catalogue of formally venerated saints, though he is treated honourably as a witness and theologian.

Contents

1. Chapter I.
2. Chapter II.
3. Chapter III.
4. Chapter IV.
5. Chapter V.
6. Chapter VI.
7. Chapter VII.
8. Chapter VIII.
9. Chapter IX.
10. Chapter X.
11. Chapter XI.
12. Chapter XII.
13. Chapter XIII.
14. Chapter XIV.
15. Chapter XV.
16. Chapter XVI.
17. Chapter XVII.
18. Chapter XVIII.
19. Chapter XIX.
20. Chapter XX.
21. Chapter XXI.
22. Chapter XXII.
23. Chapter XXIII.
24. Chapter XXIV.
25. Chapter XXV.
26. Chapter XXVI.
27. Chapter XXVII.
28. Chapter XXVIII.
29. Chapter XXIX.
30. Chapter XXX.