Adversus Hermogenem

treatise by Tertullian

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July 23, 2026

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Adversus Hermogenem is a treatise written by Tertullian, an early Christian theologian and polemicist, around the late 2nd or early 3rd century CE. The work is a defense of Christian beliefs and practices against specific opponents. In Adversus Hermogenem, Tertullian argues against Hermogenes, a Carthaginian painter who proposed that God created the world out of pre-existing matter. This treatise is part of Tertullian's broader literary output, which included apologetic works defending Christianity against external critics and polemical tracts against various heresies and dissenting views within the early church. Tertullian's writings were instrumental in shaping the vocabulary and thought of Western Christianity.12

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Tertullian
Literary activities
…evil god of the Jews), Adversus Hermogenem (“Against Hermogenes,” a Carthaginian painter who claimed that God created the world out of preexisting matter), Adversus Valentinianos (“Against Valentinus,” an Alexandrian gnostic, or religious dualist), and De resurrectione carnis (“Concerning the Resurrection of the Flesh”). He also wrote the first Christian book…
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…evil god of the Jews), Adversus Hermogenem (“Against Hermogenes,” a Carthaginian painter who claimed that God created the world out of preexisting matter), Adversus Valentinianos (“Against Valentinus,” an Alexandrian gnostic, or religious dualist), and De resurrectione carnis (“Concerning the Resurrection of the Flesh”). He also wrote the first Christian book…
Read More