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a reward to be lavishly bestowed.
Against those in Phrygia, that is, those called Montanists or also Tascodrugites, 28, but of the sequence, 48.
1. From these again another heresy springs up, called that of the Phrygians, being contemporary with them and succeeding them. For these appeared around the nineteenth year of Antoninus Pius, who was after Hadrian; and Marcion and those around Tatian and the Encratites who succeeded him, in the times of Hadrian and after Hadrian. For these who are called Phrygians also themselves accept all scripture of the Old and New Testament and likewise speak 2.220 of the resurrection of the dead, but they boast that they have a certain prophet, Montanus, and prophetesses, Priscilla and Maximilla; paying attention to whom, they went astray. But concerning the Father and Son and Holy Spirit they think similarly to the holy catholic church, but they have separated themselves, “giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,” saying, “We must,” they say, “also receive the spiritual gifts.” And the holy church of God likewise accepts the spiritual gifts, but the true spiritual gifts that have already been tested in the holy church of God through the Holy Spirit by both 2.221 the prophets and apostles and the Lord himself, as the apostle John says in his epistle that “test the spirits, whether they are of God,” and again saying that “you have heard that Antichrist is coming, and now many Antichrists have come. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but that they might be made known that they were not of us. For this reason I am writing to you, little children” and so on. Truly, therefore, these are not from the saints themselves. For they went out in their contentiousness, giving heed both to deceiving spirits and to myths. 2. For behold, from their very hypothesis they are refuted, being unable to fulfill the things promised by them in contentiousness. For if it is necessary to receive spiritual gifts and there must be spiritual gifts in the church, how is it that after Montanus and Priscilla and Maximilla they no longer have prophets? Has grace then ceased? But grace does not cease in the holy church; may it not be so. But if those who prophesied prophesied up to a certain point and * no longer prophesy, then neither Priscilla nor Maximilla prophesied, * after the prophecies tested through the holy apostles in the holy church. In two ways, therefore, their folly will be refuted: either they must show that there are prophets after Maximilla, so that the so-called grace among them does not cease, or those around Maximilla will be found to be false prophets, having dared after the limit of the prophetic gifts to be inspired not by the Holy Spirit, but by the deceit of demons, and to delude those who listen to them. And see how from the very things said among them the refutation against them will be spoken. For the so-called prophetess among them, Maxi2.222milla, asserts that, she says, “After me there will no longer be a prophet, but the end.” But behold, from every side the Holy Spirit and the spirits of deceit are made manifest; for whatever the prophets have said, they uttered while following with understanding, and the things spoken by them were fulfilled and are still being fulfilled. But she said that after her would be the end, and it has not yet been ended, especially with so many emperors having come to be and so much time having passed. For there are since then more or less two hundred and † ninety years until our time, the twelfth year of Valentinian and Valens and the eighth
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μισθὸν ἀφθόνως δωρηθησόμενον.
Κατὰ τῶν κατὰ Φρύγας ἤτοι Μοντανιστῶν καλουμένων ἢ καὶ Τασκοδρουγιτῶν ˉκˉη, τῆς δὲ ἀκολουθίας ˉμˉη.
1. Ἀπὸ τούτων ἑτέρα πάλιν αἵρεσις ἀνακύπτει τῶν Φρυγῶν καλουμένη, σύγχρονος γενομένη τούτοις καὶ αὐτοὺς διαδεχομένη. οὗτοι γὰρ γεγόνασι περὶ τὸ ἐννεακαιδέκατον ἔτος Ἀντωνίνου τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς τοῦ μετὰ Ἀδριανόν, καὶ ὁ Μαρκίων δὲ καὶ οἱ περὶ Τατιανὸν καὶ οἱ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ διαδεξάμενοι Ἐγκρατῖται ἐν χρόνοις Ἀδριανοῦ καὶ μετὰ Ἀδριανόν. Οὗτοι γὰρ οἱ κατὰ Φρύγας καλούμενοι δέχονται καὶ αὐτοὶ πᾶσαν γραφὴν παλαιᾶς καὶ νέας διαθήκης καὶ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν ὁμοίως 2.220 λέγουσι, Μοντανὸν δέ τινα προφήτην αὐχοῦσιν ἔχειν καὶ Πρίσκιλλαν καὶ Μαξίμιλλαν προφήτιδας· οἷς προσέχοντες τὸν νοῦν ἐξετράπησαν. περὶ δὲ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος ὁμοίως φρονοῦσι τῇ ἁγίᾳ καθολικῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἀπέσχισαν δὲ ἑαυτούς, «προσέχοντες πνεύμασι πλάνης καὶ διδασκαλίαις δαιμονίων», λέγοντες ὅτι «δεῖ ἡμᾶς, φησί, καὶ τὰ χαρίσματα δέχεσθαι». καὶ ἡ ἁγία δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησία ὁμοίως τὰ χαρίσματα δέχεται, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὄντως χαρίσματα καὶ ἤδη ἐν ἁγίᾳ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου δεδοκιμασμένα παρά τε 2.221 προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου, φάσκοντος τοῦ ἀποστόλου Ἰωάννου ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ὅτι «δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα, εἰ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ» καὶ πάλιν δὲ λέγοντος ὅτι «ἠκούσατε ὅτι Ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται καὶ νῦν Ἀντίχριστοι πολλοὶ γεγόνασιν. ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξῆλθον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν· εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν, μεμενήκεισαν ἂν μεθ' ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' ἵνα γνωσθῶσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν. τούτου χάριν γράφω ὑμῖν, τεκνία» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ἀληθῶς οὖν οὗτοι οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἁγίων. ἐξέβησαν γὰρ τῇ αὐτῶν φιλονεικίᾳ, προσανέχοντες καὶ πνεύμασι πλάνης καὶ μυθολογίαις. 2. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐλέγχονται μὴ δυνάμενοι πληροῦν τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐν φιλονεικίᾳ ὑπισχνούμενα. εἰ γὰρ δεῖ χαρίσματα δέχεσθαι καὶ δεῖ εἶναι ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ χαρίσματα, πῶς οὐκέτι μετὰ Μοντανὸν καὶ Πρίσκιλλαν καὶ Μαξίμιλλαν ἔχουσι προφήτας; ἆρα ἤργησεν ἡ χάρις; οὐκ ἀργεῖ δὲ ἡ χάρις ἐν ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ· μὴ γένοιτο. εἰ δὲ ἕως τινὸς προεφήτευσαν οἱ προφητεύσαντες καὶ * οὐκέτι προφητεύουσιν, ἄρα οὔτε Πρίσκιλλα οὔτε Μαξίμιλλα προεφήτευσαν, * μετὰ τὰς προφητείας τὰς διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ ἐκκλησίᾳ δοκιμασθείσας. κατὰ δύο οὖν τρόπους ἐλεγχθήσεται ἡ αὐτῶν ἄνοια· ἢ γὰρ δείξωσιν εἶναι προφήτας μετὰ Μαξίμιλλαν, ἵνα μὴ ἀργήσῃ ἡ παρ' αὐτοῖς λεγομένη χάρις, ἢ οἱ περὶ Μαξίμιλλαν ψευδοπροφῆται εὑρεθήσονται, μετὰ τὸν ὅρον τῶν προφητικῶν χαρισμάτων τολμήσαντες οὐκ ἀπὸ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ πλάνης δαιμονίων ἐνθουσιασθῆναι καὶ φαντασιάσαι τοὺς ἀκούοντας αὐτῶν. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς λεγομένων ὁ ἔλεγχος πρὸς αὐτοὺς ῥηθήσεται. φάσκει γὰρ ἡ λεγομένη παρ' αὐτοῖς Μαξί2.222 μιλλα ἡ προφῆτις ὅτι, φησί «μετ' ἐμὲ προφήτης οὐκέτι ἔσται, ἀλλὰ συντέλεια». ἰδοὺ δὲ ἐκ πανταχόθεν φαίνεται τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ τὰ πνεύματα τῆς πλάνης· ὅσα γὰρ οἱ προφῆται εἰρήκασι καὶ μετὰ συνέσεως παρακολουθοῦντες ἐφθέγγοντο, καὶ ἐτελέσθη τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν εἰρημένα καὶ ἔτι πληροῦται. αὕτη δὲ εἶπε μετ' αὐτὴν εἶναι συντέλειαν, καὶ οὔπω συνετελέσθη, μάλιστα τοσούτων βασιλέων γενομένων καὶ τοσούτου χρόνου ὑπερβεβηκότος. ἔτη γάρ εἰσιν ἔκτοτε πλείω ἐλάσσω διακόσια † ἐνενήκοντα ἕως τοῦ ἡμετέρου χρόνου, δωδεκάτου ἔτους Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ καὶ Οὐάλεντος καὶ ὀγδόου