Tertullian and the Unborn Child

Tertullian of Carthage was the earliest Christian writer to argue vigorously against abortion. This book is the first comprehensive analysis of his attitude towards the foetus and embryo. It is argued that Tertullian's comments on the unborn should be read as rhetoric ancillary to his primary arguments, none of which related directly to abortion. He elaborated upon previous Christian traditions and selectively borrowed from embryological theory to prove specific theological points. Tertullian was also more influenced by Roman custom than he would perhaps have admitted, since the contrast between pagan and Christian attitudes on abortion was more rhetorical than real.