MONTANUS, men-0'nue, MONTANISM, men'ta-nizm.

The Origin of Montanism (§ 1).

Montanus; His Mode of Prophecy (§ 2).

Characteristics of Early Montanism (§ 3).

Catholic Opposition (§ 4).

Decline of the System (§ 5).

Western Montanism; Tertullian (§ 6).

The chronology of the Montanistic movement bas as its starting-point the remark of its anonymous opponent in Eusebius (Hist. eccl., V., xvii. 4) that thirteen years of peace had passed since the death of the Montanistic prophetess Maximilla. This anonymous author must have written about

192-193, and Maximilla must accordingly have died in 179. The year of her death is likewise mentioned by Epiphanies (Ha:r., xiviii. 2),

i. The especially as she had associated that

Origin of event with the end of the world. In Montanism. the same year that she died, according to Epiphanius, Montanus began his activity. The latter event is placed by the anonymous writer (Eusebius, Hist. eccl., V., xvi. 7) in the proconsulate of Gratus, this name evidently being corrupted from Kodratos (Quadrates). Since a Quadratus was proconsul of Asia Minor in 155 and another in 166, the Montanistic movement must have originated in one of these two years. By 177 the movement must have had a long development behind it; and even in the writings of Apollinaris the tenets of Montanism seem to have been condemned. Moreover, Maximilla died not long after Montanus and Prisca, and it is noteworthy that the prophecies lamenting persecutions by the Church are ascribed to her alone. A fruitless effort to convict Maximilla is mentioned both by the anonymous writer and by the anti-Montanist Apollonius (Eusebius, Hist. eccl., V., xvi. 17-18, xviii. 13) in connection with the probably contemporary martyrdom of Thraseas. The latter event, according to Rufinus, took place under Sergius Paulus, who was apparently proconsul in Asia Minor about 166-167. In addition to all this, the antipathy of the Alogi (q.v.; see also Monarchianism) t0 the Johannine writings seems to have been evoked by the appeal of the Montanists to them; and since the Montanistic prophets claimed to have received their prophetic powers from Quadratus and Ammia, the latter two can not have been long previous to the former. The account of the martyrdom of Polyoarp, finally, shows that at that time tendencies existed in Phrygia which corresponded to the Montanistic views. It is evident, therefore, that the Montanistic movement must have arisen after the middle of the second century. About this same time a transformation began in the life of the Church. As in the early period the prophets had exercised the first authority in the churches (of. Acts xiii. 1 sqq., and the Didache), so now those who were vested with the administration of the organised communities were termed "gifted with the Spirit." The Church now felt herself to be catholic as opposed to the heretics; but with the increase in her membership there came an accession of earthly interests; the lively expectation of the last day (I Clement, fix. 4; II Clement xx. 2-3; Barnabas iv. 3, 9, xv. 5 sqq.; Didache ix. 3, x. 5-6, xvi.) gave place to other views. A conservative reaction was the natural result. The struggle was most intense in Asia Minor; and here, where the Church could already point to lights of prophecy (Eusebius, Hist. eccl., III., xxxi., V., i. 49, iii. 2), there was a peculiar inspiration for the revival of prophecy.

Montanus, but recently become a Christian, ap. peared in a village of Phrygia as such a prophet. He is said by Jerome to have been formerly a priest of Cybele, and the "new prophecy" was doubtless influenced by the wild enthusiasm of the Phrygian religious nature. Tile very names applied to the

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