"There is nothing new under the sun" said Solomon, whose inspired statement comes to mind when we consider the movement of Montanism. Studying them is a lesson in history that has a cautionary application to every modern spiritual manifestation. To prove whether certain recent events or movements are of God we need to really know our scriptures. And I believe it really helps to know our history as well, so we can learn from the achievements - and blunders - of Christians from other times. Montanism was either a return to Biblical Christianity (so says Tertullian) or heresies of "venomous reptiles which crawled over Asia" (according to the historian Eusebius).

At the middle of the second century, probably in the time of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, there arose the first of what many would call "doomsday cults". But its beginnings were more noble than cultic, so much so that a major Church Father, Tertullian, was swayed over to their way of thinking. This man, who gave us our best formulations of the Trinity, was struck by the orthodox sincerity of Montanism. This small group of zealous believers, led by an ex-priest of Cybele, Montanus, were so frustrated with the inroads of Gnosticism in the church in nearby Colosse, Ephesus and other cities, and so disgusted with its growing worldliness that they called for a renewed emphasis on spiritual values and practice. Small towns in the hills of Phrygia were the centers of this "back to the Bible" movement. Unfortunately, not all they taught or observed came from the Word. Some of their beliefs and practices were:

ASCETICISM & SUPERSPIRITUALITY:
Schaff, in his History of the Christian Church, describes them well:

"Montanism turned with horror from all the enjoyments of life, and held
even art to be incompatible with Christian soberness and humility. It
forbade women all ornamental clothing, and required virgins to be veiled. It
courted the blood-baptism of martyrdom, and condemned concealment or
flight in persecution as a denial of Christ. It multiplied fasts and other
ascetic exercises, and carried them to extreme severity, as the best
preparation for the millennium. It prohibited second marriage as adultery,
for laity as well as clergy, and inclined even to regard a single marriage as a
mere concession on the part of God to the sensuous infirmity of man."

They taught that it was impossible for a believer to repent again. Thus lapsed Christians, even during the bloody persecutions at that very time, were not readmitted to the fellowship. They had crucified Christ anew. Tertullian, their later spokesman, would formulate seven mortal sins which, if committed after baptism, were unpardonable.

This was the first group, perhaps, who felt that they needed to go beyond the teaching of Christ and the Apostles. They misunderstood the parable of the mustard tree as a mandate for Christians to outgrow the teachings of primitive Christianity.

ESCHATOLOGY, PROPHECY & MIRACLES:
Montanus saw himself as an inspired instrument of the Paraclete, specifically called for a last-days ministry. God, supposedly speaking through him, says:

„Behold, the man is as a lyre, and I sweep over him as a plectrum. The man sleeps; I wake. Behold, it is the Lord who puts the hearts of men out of themselves, and who gives hearts to men.‰

Montanus was aided in his ministry by two prophetesses, Priscilla and Maximilla, who, having left their husbands, felt called to announce the soon end of all things. To be more precise, the Lord would come in just a few short years and start His millienial reign in Pepuza. The New Jerusalem from Heaven would descend on this little village in Phrygia. In a spiritual ecstacy Maximilla promised:

„After me there is no more prophecy, but only the end of the world.‰

This movement began to spread like wildfire from Phrygia and Asia Minor across the sea to Africa and Rome as well. People were speaking in tongues and there were many disturbances caused by this movement. The "established" church reacted strongly against Montanism. They fought the notion of the continuity of miraculous gifts. Montanists maintained that the gifts of the Apostolic age were for believers of all ages. The Church in Rome and Alexandria countered that those special gifts were for a special purpose. The controversies with this group were so great that the Church convened special Synods (the first since Apostolic times) to address these teachings.

UNIVERSAL PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS:
As an essentially healthy reaction against the growing overemphasis on hierarchy in the established Church of Rome, the Montanists championed the Biblical teaching of the universal priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2:5). (At the turn of the very first century this trend of "overlording it over the flock" was helped tremendously by another Church Father, Ignatius, who warned the faithful to "do nothing without your bishop"). The Montanists started out here on firm footing, but then proceeded, as such movements sometimes do, to the opposite extreme and ended up with their own group of overbearing leaders, the superspiritual inspired prophets who imposed themselves over the "carnal" Christians.

THE DOWNFALL OF MONTANISM:
Eventually all such movements that are based on prophetical expectations have to show results of some kind to keep their following. The Heavenly Jerusalem did not descend on Perpetua. The prophesied upheavals did not happen (the Church in fact was surprised by a period of relative tranquility). As a result of these disappointments, much like the followers of the recent Y2K apocalyptism, interest waned sharply. The prophetess Priscilla defended herself against growing criticism from outside and even disaffectation from former believers:

"I am driven away from the sheep like a wolf. I am not a wolf. I am word and spirit and power."

After she died, a contemporary Church leaders called her prophecies of "wars and
anarchy" to account:

„Has not this been shown clearly to be false? For it is today more than thirteen years since the woman died, and there has been neither a partial nor general war in the world; but rather, through the mercy of God, continued peace even to the Christians.‰

Another discredit to the movement was that the very worldliness that they professed to be against was seen in their prophets. Apollonius, a contemporary who watched them closely lashed out at them on this score:

"But it is necessary that all the fruits of a prophet should be examined. Tell me, does a prophet dye his hair? Does a prophet stain his eyelids? Does a prophet delight in adornment? Does a prophet play with tables and dice? Does a prophet lend on usury? Let them confess whether these things are lawful or not; but I will show that they have been done by them.‰

CONCLUSION:
There is some good that came from Montanism. Their protest against a Church superstructure that gives undue emphasis to a few (and eventually one) is a valid one. History has proven them to right on this score. Ironically, this groups very existence was largely instrumental in the formation of councils that would give more and more power to this established Church.I believe their expectation of a soon return of Christ is healthy as well, and should be the view of all Christians. The bad, of course, outweighs the good but even here is instructive. Henry Ford said "History is bunk". Because human nature remains largely unchanged, I would counter that history is, in fact, prophecy.

Some sources that provide information about Montanism:
History of the Christian Church vol 2 - Philip Schaff
On Fasting in Opposition to the Psychic- Tertullian
Foxe's Book of Martyrs
The History of the Church , Book 5, Chapters 16, 16, 18 - 19 - Eusebius

These are some online pages that were especially helpful:
Montanus - the First of Many
The Gift of Tongues in the Post Apostolic Church (A.D. 100-400)
The Tertullian Homepage
The Tertullianistanists