Political and legal inspirations of Tertulian’s theology of the trinity

Abstract

The article aims to show that the concept of the Trinity proposed by Tertullian (a Roman lawyer and theologian of the first decades of the third century) was inspired by political and legal thought. Through the concept of substance, Tertullian lays the foundation for the unity of the Trinity. At the same time, his proposed explanation of this unity bears a far-reaching similarity to the philosophical conception of monarchy in the early principate. The Greek concept of economy, which meaning Tertullian conveys using the Latin word dispensation, turns out to be the key to distinguish between Father, Son and Spirit. Both of these terms correspond very closely with the concept of administrative authority. The legacy of legal science is particularly visible in the construction of the concept of a Person. The legal concept of the persona corresponds to the functional use of the term by Tertullian, who thus sought to reflect the differentiation of Persons under one Deity.