passages in which he speaks of his own infirmities and sinfulness.

His writings shew that he flourished at the period specified by Jerome, that is, during the reigns of Severus and Antoninus Caracalla, or between the years 193 and 216; but they supply no precise information respecting the date of his birth, or any of the principal occurrences of his life. Allix places

his birth about the year 145 or 150; his conversion to Christianity about 185; his marriage about 186; his admission to the priesthood about 192; his adoption of the opinions of Montanus about 199; and his death about 220: but these dates rest entirely upon conjecture.

As the most remarkable incident in Tertullian's life was his adoption of the errors of Montanus, it will be necessary to give some account of that Heresiarch. We find in "Eusebius the statement of an anonymous author, supposed by Lardner and others to be Asterius Urbanus, who wrote it about thirteen years after the death of Maximilla, one of the prophetesses

Pœnitentiâ, c. 4, 12. De Patientiâ, c. 1. In the Tract de Idololatriâ, c. 4. he says of himself, Et quid ego modicæ memoriæ homo?

17 Eccl. Hist. L. v. c. 16.

who accompanied Montanus. From this statement we learn that he began to prophesy at Ardabau, a village in that part of Mysia which was contiguous to Phrygia, while Gratus was proconsul of Asia,—that many persons were induced to believe him divinely inspired, particularly two females, Maximilla and Priscilla or Prisca, who also pretended to possess the same prophetic gifts; that the fallacy of their pretensions was exposed, and their doctrine condemned, and that they were themselves excommunicated by different Synods held in Asia. The same anonymous author adds that Montanus and Maximilla hanged themselves, and that Theodotus, one of the earliest supporters of their cause, was taken up into the air and dashed to pieces by the Spirit of falsehood, to whom he had consigned himself under the expectation that he should be conveyed into heaven. Our author, however, tells us that he does not vouch for the truth of either of these stories.

Considerable difference of opinion prevails respecting the exact period, when Montanus began to prophesy. The date of the proconsulship of Gratus has not been ascertained; but in speaking of the persecution in which the martyrs of Lyons and Vienne suffered,

18 Eusebius says, that Montanus and his com panions then began to be spoken of as prophets in Phrygia. The seventeenth year of Marcus Antoninus, or the year 177, is assigned by Eusebius himself as the date of the persecution in Gaul. In speaking also of the works of Apollonius of Hierapolis, who flourished about the year 170, 19 Eusebius says, that he wrote against the Cataphrygian heresy, of which Montanus then began to lay the foundations. Epiphanius places the rise of this heresy in the nineteenth year of Antoninus Pius, or the year 157, in which date he is followed by Pearson and Beausobre; Baratier places it as early as 126. Lardner decides in favor of the date assigned by Eusebius, whose authority on chronological questions is more to be relied upon than that of Epiphanius.

20

It appears from the account given by the anonymous author, already quoted, that the

18 Eccl. Hist. L. v. c. 3. The martyrs addressed letters to the brethren in Asia and Phrygia, as well as to Eleutherus, bishop of Rome, respecting the New Prophecy. Irenæus does not expressly mention the Montanists, but is supposed to allude to them twice, L. iii. c. 11. p. 223. L. iv. c. 61. Clemens Alexandrinus twice mentions the Cataphrygians. Strom. L. iv. p. 511. A. L. vii. p. 765. C.

19 Eccl. Hist. L. iv. c. 27.

20 Hær. 28 or 48.1

21 followers of Montanus were numerous and powerful. One of them, named Themiso, possessed sufficient influence to prevent Zoticus and Julian, the bishops of Comana and Apamea, from questioning the evil Spirit by whom they supposed Maximilla to be inspired. "The general opinion of Christians in those days, founded as they conceived on apostolic authority, was that the spirit of prophecy would remain in the Church until the second coming of Christ. They felt, therefore, a predisposition to lend an attentive ear to one who assumed the character of a prophet; and though the trances and ecstatic raptures and fanatical ravings of Montanus might disgust and repel the judicious and sober minded, they would be regarded by the credulous and wondering multitude as the surest signs of Divine inspiration.

21 We know from Tertullian that one of the bishops of Rome (learned men are not agreed respecting the particular bishop) was disposed for a time to recognise the prophetic character of Montanus. Adv. Praxeam, c. 1.

22 The anonymous author urges (c. 17.) as an argument against the Montanists, that there had been no succession of prophets among them since the death of Maximilla. She appears from Epiphanius to have herself foreseen this objection, and to have furnished her followers with an answer by declaring, that after her no prophetess would appear, but the end of the world would come.

24

23

From a long extract given by 2 Eusebius out of the writings of Apollonius against the Montanists, we collect, that their leader was charged with recommending married persons to separate, 2 with laying down laws respecting fasts, with calling Pepuza and Tymium, villages of Phrygia, Jerusalem, to which he wished to gather all the nations of the earth. He seems to have established a regular body of preachers, to whom he assigned salaries, which he paid out of contributions raised from his followers under the name of Oblations. Of Maximilla and Priscilla, Apollonius relates, that they left their husbands when they joined themselves to Montanus, and he accuses the Montanists in general of converting religion into a source of profit, as well as of being licentious in their conduct. He confirms the statement of the anonymous writer respecting the attempt made by certain bishops to try the Spirit in Maximilla whether it was of God, and mentions Themiso as a man of great wealth, who wrote a catholic epistle in defence of Montanism. Of him

23 Eccl. Hist. L. v. c. 18.

24 The expression is ὁ νηστείας νομοθετήσας. Montanus did not merely himself observe additional fasts, but enjoined the observance of them by others.