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Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (c. 160–c. 240 ce), born in or near *Carthage, the son of a centurion (see centurio). The tradition that he was a lawyer rests chiefly on the questionable authority of *Jerome. None the less, he uses brilliant gifts of advocacy, rhetoric, and irony in favour of the rigorist party among the Carthaginian Christians. From the first he was steeped in the spirit of the martyrs. His Ad martyres, Ad nationes, and Apologeticus (all written c.197) defended Christianity against pagan charges of atheism, black magic, and sedition, while maintaining that only in martyrdom could the Christian be assured of his salvation. Next (during 198–205) he devoted himself largely to Christian ethical problems. His De oratione, Ad uxorem, De paenitentia, and De baptismo all make high demands on the Christian life.Tertullian's sole authority, apart from his verbal and intellectual acumen, was the Bible. Where, as in De anima, he cites Stoics with approval, it is as the confirmation, not the source, of his beliefs.