MoNTANUs  was  a  native  of  Phrygia,  and  had  been,  it  is
said,  a  priest  of  Cybele.  Soon  after  his  conversion  to
Christianity,  which  happened  about  the  middle  of  the  second
century,  he  began  to  fall  into  fits  of  ecstasy,  and  to  utter
ravings  which  were  dignified  with  the  name  of  prophecies,
and  he  declared  himself  to  be  the  Paraclete,  meaning,  per-
haps, no  more  than  that  he  was  the  special  organ  of  the
Holy  Ghost  for  completing  Christianity  by  a  new  revelation.
This  revelation,  however,  did  not  pretend  to  alter  the
received  theology,  but  dealt  with  questions  of  discipline.
The  chief  characteristic  of  Montanism  was,  that  it  aimed  at
the  introduction  of  a  more  rigid  system  of  morals  into  the
Church.  It  added  to  the  established  fasts,  proscribed
second  marriages,  denounced  profane  learning,  the  military
service,  amusements  of  every  kind ;  declared  that  the  Church
had  no  power  to  remit  sin  committed  after  baptism,  and  cut
off  such  sinners  from  the  communion  of  the  Church  on
earth,  though  it  admitted  that  the  mercy  of  God  might
nevertheless  be  extended  to  them.  These  doctrines
appealed  to  that  stern,  enthusiastic  class  of  minds  which
are  always  to  be  found,  and  had  many  followers.  The
most  distinguished  of  these  was  Tertullian,  who,  though
a  presbyter  of  Carthage,  and  one  of  the  most  able  and
eloquent  men  of  his  time,  in  middle  life  fell  away  into
Montanism.
