podcast 33 – Albrecht vs. Tuggy debate – Was Tertullian a trinitarian? Part 1

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On March 29,  I debated Catholic apologist William Albrecht on whether or not Tertullian was a trinitarian.

In this episode, our opening statements, and rebuttals, slightly edited (“cleaned up”) from the original audio (“in studio” for me, unfortunately, just over the internet for his side – but I did my best to make the whole thing listenable.)

You can also listen to this episode on youtube.

Some questions to keep in mind as you listen:

• Just what is Mr. Albrecht’s claim about Tertullian’s theology – that it is “trinitarian” in what sense, exactly?
• What is his point about the Latin term translated as “portion,” (as in, the Son is a portion of the Father’s substance).
• Can a portion of matter be older than something it now composes? Can you think of an example of such a situation? How would that my relevant to this debate?
• Why does Mr. Albrecht in his rebuttal bring up the 4th c. “Arians“? What is his argument, and is it a compelling argument?
• If it were shown that Tertullian did think the Son (and Holy Spirit) to be eternal, would that be enough to prove the affirmative side in the debate here?
• In his opening statement Mr. Albrecht asserts that the “Apostles'” creed is trinitarian. I’ve discussed that creed in episode 12, and argued that it is unitarian and not trinitarian. Who’s right, both about that creed, and about the “rules of faith” Tertullian seems to quote in Against Praxeas 2,  On the Veiling of Virgins, ch. 1, and Prescriptions Against Heretics ch. 13?

Thanks to William Albrecht and the show host Mr. Augustin Austacio for this debate. You can hear the whole unedited two hour debate show, with Q & A included, here.

Next week here at the tritities podcast you can hear a “cleaned up” version of our mutual cross examinations and closing statements.