Decepto-Meter

Deceptive Quote: Trinitarian, Roman Catholic

Tertullian was a Trinitarian who believed in the uncreated deity of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit.

"The Catholic work Trinitas-A Theological Encyclopedia of the Holy Trinity, for example, notes that some of Tertullian's words were later used by others to describe the Trinity. Then it cautions: 'But hasty conclusions cannot be drawn from usage, for he does not apply the words to Trinitarian theology.'" (as quoted in "Should you believe in the trinity?", Watchtower booklet)

What did they fail to quote from this source?

"The great African fashioned the Latin language of the Trinity, and many of his words and phrases remained permanently in use: the words Trinitas and persona, the formulas 'one substance in three persons,' 'God from God, light from Light.' He uses the word substantia 400 times, as he uses consubstantialis and consubstantivus, but hasty conclusions cannot be drawn from usage, for he does not apply the words to Trinitarian theology" (Trinitas - A Theological Encyclopedia of the Holy Trinity, p. 208)

Our comment

1. Tertullian was clearly a Trinitarian who believed in the uncreated deity of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit. Click here for proof
2. Tertullian wrote about the trinity in detail. In fact the full title of chapter 2 of Tertullian's "Against Praxeas", was: "The Catholic Doctrine Of The Trinity And Unity, Sometimes Called The Divine Economy, Or Dispensation Of The Personal Relations Of The Godhead." This proves that Watchtower liars and deceivers!
3. The selective quoting of the Watchtower deliberately misleads the reader to the wrong conclusion that that Tertullian never used the word trinitas of God in reference to the Trinity. Such is a lie as can see by reading what Terullian wrote himself!
4. A simple reading of the entire quote in context proves that it was the words, "substantia", "consubstantialis" and "consubstantivus" that Tertullian never applied to Trinitarian theology.