Tertullus

In the New Testament, Tertullus^[1] (a modification of "Tertius") was an orator or lawyer who was employed by the Jewish leaders to state their case against the apostle Paul in the presence of Felix (Acts 24:1-9).^[2]

Tertullus before Felix

New Testament account

Tertullus gives a formal rhetorical presentation on behalf of the Jewish leaders opposed to Paul's preaching.^[2] The charges he raised against Paul were that he created disturbances "among all the Jews throughout the world",^[3] an offence against the Roman government (crimen majestatis),^{[citation needed]} secondly, that he was a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes; and thirdly, that he attempted to profane the temple, a crime which the Jews were permitted to punish.^[4]

It is generally assumed that Tertullus was himself a Hellenistic Jew,^[5] although he could have been a Gentile.^[6] It is not certain whether the trial would have taken place in Latin or Greek.^[7]

Tertullus before Antonius Felix makes the first recorded use of the plural "Nazarenes" (Nazoraioi, the plural form of Iesous ho Nazoraios "Jesus of Nazareth") to refer to Christians, although the use of the term "Christians" at Antioch had already been noted in Acts,^[8] and it was used by Herod Agrippa II in the next trial of Paul before Porcius Festus.^[9] Tertullus' use of the Greek term Nazoraioi has continuity with the Hebrew term Notzrim found in later rabbinical literature.^[10] Tertullus presumably could not use the Antioch term Christianoi (Hebrew Meshiykhiyyim משיחיים) since Christianoi from Greek Christos (literally "Anointed One", "Messiah") might imply Tertullus' recognition of Jesus of Nazareth as a Davidic "Anointed One" or "Messiah".^[11]

References

1. Greek: Τέρτυλλος
2. Alexander, L., 62. Acts, in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001), The Oxford Bible Commentary, p. 1057
3. Acts 24:5: New King James Version
4. Easton's Bible Dictionary, Tertullus, accessed 4 June 2024
5. The MacArthur Bible Commentary, John F. MacArthur, Jr., John MacArthur - 2005 "Tertullus. Possibly a Roman, but more likely a Hellenistic Jew (cf. v. 6)."
6. Acts p213 Paul W. Walaskay - 1998 "Not only that, they have hired an attorney, Tertullus, well-versed in Jewish and Roman law, to present their case against Paul. Tertullus appears to have been either a Hellenistic Jew (his Greek is impeccable) or a Gentile; "
7. Ben Witherington, The Acts of the Apostles: a socio-rhetorical commentary 1998 p704 "Normally one would expect the trial to be undertaken in Latin, which might militate against Tertullus being a Jew, unless he was from the Diaspora. It is not impossible, however, that the trial, or at least the speeches, was in Greek."
8. Acts 11:26
9. The Routledge Companion to the Christian Church p13 ed. Gerard Mannion, Lewis Seymour Mudge - 2008 "Acts is also one of the two books in the New Testament that call the early community 'Christians' (Christianoi). ... is used once in Acts in the mouth of Tertullus, the advocate who accused Paul before Felix in Acts 24."
10. Martinus de Boer p252 in Tolerance and intolerance in early Judaism and Christianity ed. Graham Stanton, Guy G. Stroumsa
11. Arthur Powell Davies (1956), The meaning of the Dead Sea scrolls: "The second mention of Christianoi in the New Testament is also in the book of Acts (xxvi, 28). King Herod Agrippa says to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christianos." Agrippa probably meant it in derision. .. He was himself a king in Israel, an "Anointed One", and therefore quite literally a "Christos" of the existing order."

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Tertullus". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.