Montanist church life 160-200 C.E.

This thesis explores elements of early Asian Montanist church life, testing the hypothesis that early Montanist practices and beliefs did not deviate from that of normative second century Asian Christianity. An analysis of foundational influences on the movement precedes a detailed examination of the Montanists’ understanding of prophecy; their teaching on fasting, remarriage and celibacy; the clericalization of women; their attitudes towards martyrdom and eschatology; and finally, their administrative practices. The hypothesis of this thesis is largely confirmed. The one clear exception is the clericalization of women, which was found to be unprecedented within a second century Asian Christian context.