The Latin Bible.

        The Latin version of the Bible was just coming into being in North Africa in Tertullian's day, and he was well versed in scrip ture, probably both Greek and Latin. Like Irenaeus, he had a New Testament, and these two are the first Christian Fathers of whom this can be said. Tertullian's included the Four Gospels, the Acts, and thirteen letters of Paul, besides I Peter, I John and Jude, the Revelation of John, and at first the Shepherd of Herman though later in life he repudiated that book with great scorn, foj what he considered its moral laxity.[91]

        Tertullian also knew early Christian literature very well, espe. cially Justin, Tatian, Melito, Theophilus, Irenaeus, and Clemen His own influence was very marked upon Minucius Felix an upon Cy rian, his great literary successor in North Africa, th bishop of pCarthage from A.D. 250 to 258. Jerome reports that once met an aged man who in his youth had known one of Cyrian's assistants, who said that Cyprian made it a rule to rea something of Tertullian's every day, and would often say whe he wanted to consult Tertullian, “Give me the Master.”