At first, the Montanists were considered to be no more than an aberration,
posing no great danger to warrant a formal condemnation by the Pope at
the time, Eleutherius. However, by the early 190’s matters began to
change. The political calamities that beset Rome between the years 193 and
197 gave strength to heretics and schismatics who proclaimed the
imminent end of the world, especially the Montanists. Even the
condemnation of the Montanists in 201 by Pope Zephyrinus did not slow
down their growth, let alone bring greater peace to the internal life of the
Church.
Nor was peace forthcoming externally either. One year later, in 202,
Emperor Septimus Severus launched his own persecution of Christianity,
expressly forbidding anyone to convert to it. He may have been incited into
such a move by the annoying prevalence of apocalyptic preaching by the
Montanists, which he could not distinguish from mainstream Christianity.
Nevertheless, Montanism continued to prosper, and in 213 gained one of its
greatest coups, the conversion of the theologian and apologist Tertullian of
Africa.
Tertullian’s full name was Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus. He was
born of pagan parents in Carthage just after the first half of the second
century AD. As a youth, Tertullian’s life was not virtuous but it was
laborious. He read intensely and studied whatever he could lay his hands
upon. He became a lawyer of considerate repute, and after his conversion
(c.193) he employed his considerable talents for the service and defense of
Christianity. We do not know the circumstances of his conversion but we
do know that it was sincere and thorough.
Tertullian was a born fighter with an energetic mind and iron will. He
fought continuously for what he believed to be right and good, waging
incessant war against heresy and paganism. Tertullian’s greatest works
include the Apology and the Demurrer Against the Heretics. In the former
he defends Christianity against the unjust legal measures taken against it
and makes his famous declaration that “The blood of the martyrs is the
seed of the Church.” In the latter he makes a general refutation of all
dogmatic innovations through an affirmation of tradition and the authority
of the Church.
Unfortunately, Tertullian lacked moderation and tended to exaggeration,
making him susceptible to extremism. His firmness often descended into
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