721 
MON T A N U S. 
and rigorous discipline, which before this time Chriftians 
were not able to bear. Inftead of delivering his dogmas 
and prophecies, like Chrift and his apoftles, in connected 
and calm difcourfes, he was thrown into ecftacies and vio¬ 
lent convulfions ; and in this Hate uttered things which 
the ignorant and credulous fuppofed to be from inspira¬ 
tion. As mankind are apt to admire what they find diffi¬ 
cult to praftife, he alfo rendered himfelf popular by the 
ftriftnefs and Severity of his manners, and the appear¬ 
ance of great fanftity of Spirit. With thefe pretentions 
and recommendations, it was no difficult matter for Mon- 
tanus to ereft a new church, which was firft eftabliihed at 
Pepuza, a town in Phrygia, whence the Montanifts were 
Sometimes called Pepuzians. This place he alfo called 
Jerulalem, as if that was to be the centre of a new and 
purer mode of worfliip, and the place where the Chriftians 
were to wait for the delcent of the Spirit. Here he foon 
gained a multitude of difciples, many of whom were far 
from being of the loweft order. The molt eminent among 
thefe were two women of rank and fortune, Prifcilla and 
Maximilia, who are (aid to have been married, but to 
have divorced themfelves from their hulbands. Thefe 
ladies, who became his Supporters and affiftants, fell with 
a high degree of warmth and zeal into the vifions of their 
fanatical chief, prophecied like him, and imitated the pre¬ 
tended Paraclete in all the variety of his extravagance 
and folly. Some of their prophecies are preferved by Epi- 
phanius ; and it appears that frequently their vifions, 
which they had during the time of public worlhip, were 
taken down in writing afcer the afiembly was over, by 
l'ome of the principal of the congregation. Of the time 
when Montanus died we have no information. 
The feet of the Montanifts Spread chiefly in Afia Minor; 
but it extended alfo to other eaftern countries, and even 
to Italy and Africa. In Italy they were countenanced 
for fome time, and received into communion by one of 
the bifliops of Rome, concerning whom the learned are 
not agreed whether it was Viftor or fome other; and in 
Africa their principles were embraced by the celebrated 
Tertullian, a man of great learning and genius, but of an 
auftere and melancholy temper. The more Sober part of 
the Chriftian world, however, ftrenuoufly oppol'ed them ; 
and they w-ere excommunicated, and the baptilin admi- 
niftered by them declared to be null, by feveral Synods 
or councils which were held in Alia Minor. Being thus 
Separated from the great body of the Chriftian community, 
they aflurned to themfelves the title of Jpiritual, calling 
all other Chriftians carnal. By feveral writers of the 
fourth and fifth centuries, they were accufed of magic, 
killing (if not eating) of infants in their myfteries, lewd- 
nefs and idolatry ; but thele charges were equally ground - 
lefts with the falfe and malignant calumnies call upon the 
primitive Chriftians, or they would not have been over¬ 
looked by Euftebius and all his authors, neither would a 
perfton of Tertullian’s character have held any connection 
with the fed. With refpeft to their religious doftrines, 
it does not appear that they had any which were peculiar 
to themfelves. Like the other Chriftians of that age, they 
were divided in their Sentiments concerning the perfon 
of Chrift;. fome holding the Catholic notion, and others 
the Sabellian or.Unitarian Scheme. In the number of the 
latter was Praxeas, againft whom Tertullian wrote ; and 
there were lb many others of them of the fame opinion, 
that the Montanifts in general are fometimes charged with 
profelfing it. The diftinguilhing peculiarities of the feft 
related to manners and discipline. They made a profef- 
lion of much greater aufterity than others; on which ac¬ 
count they are frequently mentioned with the Novatians, 
and called Puritans. They prohibited Second marriages 
as unlawful ; and whoever of their number married a Se¬ 
cond time, though his firft wife were dead, was excommu¬ 
nicated by them. They inculcated the necelfity of ob¬ 
serving a number of rules about falling and abftinence, 
which were not ordained by Chrift and his apoftles. They 
would not allow that the church had power to forgive 
enormous fins after baptilm ; or that they who So tranf- 
Vol. XV. No. 107-8. 
grelfed, Ihould ever be admitted again to full communion, 
notwithftanding their repentance. They alfo looked upon 
thofe Chriftians as guilty of a moll heinous tranlgreflion, 
who laved their lives, by flight, from the persecuting 
Sword, or who ranfomed them by money from the hands 
of their cruel and mercenary judges. This feft appears 
to have been on the decline Soon after the time of Ter¬ 
tullian, and we find no mention of it after the fifth cen¬ 
tury. “Though it Spread itlelf much for a time,” fays 
Jortin, “ it did fome lervice perhaps to Chriftianity; for 
it produced in its oppofers, even for the very fake and 
pleafure of contradiftion, an anti-fanatical Spirit, a pru¬ 
dence in avoiding danger when it might be lawfully 
Ihunned, a charitable difpofition towards repenting Sin¬ 
ners, a caution not to be impoled upon by impudent or 
frantic pretences to inspiration, and a dillike of fuperfti- 
tious and uncommanded aullerities, though thefe indeed 
Some time after overwhelmed the Chriftian world like a 
torrent.”- Cave's Hijl. Lit. Mo/h. Hijl. Eccl. free. ii. Priejl- 
ley's Hijl. Chriftian Church. •Jortin's Remarks on Eccl. Hijl. 
vol. ii. Lardner's Hijl. Heret. ch. xix. Gen. Biog. 
MON'TANUS. See Arias Montanus, vol. ii. 
MON'TANUS (Philip), a learned Flemilh divine and 
profefibr, was born at Armentiers about the year 14-95. 
He was educated at Paris, where he was admitted to the 
degree of doftor by the faculty of the Sorbonne, though 
he never entered into prieft’s orders, nor was a member of 
any religious community. Here he formed an intimate 
acquaintance with many of the moll eminent literary 
charafters of his time, and particularly with Eralmus, who 
has Spoken advantageoufly of him in his Letters. He 
chiefly excelled in the knowledge of languages and criti¬ 
cisms. When he was Sixty years of age, he was appointed 
Greek profefibr in the univeriity of Douay, by Philip II. 
king of Spain, and filled that poll with reputation for fe¬ 
veral years. He died about the year 1575,above the age of 
eighty ; and has his name inlcribedon the lift of benefaftors 
to the univerfity of Douay, for having founded three Icho- 
larlhips in the college ol Marchienne. He carefully re¬ 
viled and correfted, with the aid of an ancient Greek ma- 
nufeript which Erafmus had long ufed, the original text 
of the Works of St. John Chryfollom, and a Latin verfion 
of the fame ; but whether his labours were made ufe of 
in any edition of that father, does not appear. He alfo 
reviled, and publilhed at Bafil, “ Enarrationes Theo- 
phylafti, Archiepiftcopi Bulgaria;, in Evangelia, Epiftolas 
Pauli, et Prophetas aliquot Minores,” 1554, and again in 
1570. Valcrii Andrea: Bill. Belg. 
MON'TANUS Reginald-Gonfalvo), vernacularly Mon¬ 
tano, a Spanilh Protellant in the Sixteenth century, of 
whom we have no other account than what little may b'e 
collefted from his own work, entitled, “Sanftae Inquifi- 
tionis Hifpanica; Artes aliquot deteftae, ac palam traduftre, 
See. Heidelb. 1567. It appears that he had lived at Se¬ 
ville ; that the protellant martyr Juan Ponce de Leon had 
been for many years his moll intimate friend ; whence it 
may be prelumed that he himfelf was of good family. 
This work of Montano’s is the earliell account of the In- 
quifition, and probably the So.urce from whence all Subse¬ 
quent accounts have for the moll part been taken. It is 
a curious and melancholy book, written for the exprefs 
purpofe of teaching his fellow-proteftants what they are 
to expeft from that accurfed tribunal, and in what man¬ 
ner they might bell hope to efcape. The viftims, whole 
Sufferings and martyrdom he records, had heen his own 
friends and afl’oeiates ; and the account of the fyftem of 
examinations, &c. was Supplied by perions who had them¬ 
felves been in the dungeons, unlels the following paffage 
Ihould be thought rather to allude to himfelf : “ Quae 
liic exempla recenfentur unius modo ex Inquilltoriis tri- 
bunalibus, nempe Hilpalenlis, Sunt; cujus folius myfteria 
cognofcere, & majori ex parte in Se ipfis exptriri, tradue- 
toribus eft datum.” Montano’s work has been inferred 
in a volume under this title : “ Hilpanicae Inquilitionis 
Sc Carnificince Secretiora per Joachimum Urfinum, Anti- 
Jefuitam;” Ambergte, 1611. Gen. Bing. 
8 X 
MON'TAR AN 
