500 Early Church History 18: The Gifts of the Spirit in Early Christianity

This is part 18 of the Early Church History class.

I wonder how many Christians in the world today believe the gifts of the spirit ceased in the time of the apostles? I know there are quite a few. Many others, however, believe they are available today and make time for them in their worship services. This is one of those topics about which we don’t need to guess. We have the historical record and can just look and see if generations after the apostles continue to speak in tongues, prophecy, cast out demons, or perform miraculous healing. In today’s episode we’ll survey what the data say about the first five hundred of Christian history. We’ll also cover the Montanists, a lesser-known movement centered on prophecy, tongues, and asceticism.

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—— Links ——

• Check out our series on gifts of the spirit with interviews from different perspectives here.
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—— Notes ——

Gifts of the Spirit in General

• Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 82.1; 88.1
• Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 2.32.4
• Tertullian of Carthage, On Baptism 20
• Novatian of Rome, On the Trinity 29
• Apostolic Constitutions 8.1-2

Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy

• Didache 11.7-12
• Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 5.6.1
• Tertullian of Carthage, Against Marcion 5.8; On the Soul 9
• Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity 8.33

Montanism (Excursus)

• 165 – Montanus began speaking in tongues and prophesying, initiating a movement called the New Prophecy[1]
• Sayings of Montanus
  • “Behold, man is like a lyre and I fly to him like a plectrum. Man sleeps and I stay awake. Behold, the Lord is the one who throws human hearts into ecstasy and gives a heart to men.” (Panarion 48.5.1)[2]
  • “I am the Lord God, the Almighty, who abide in man.” (Panarion 48.11.1)
  • “Neither angel nor envoy, but I the Lord God, the Father, have come.” (Panarion 48.11.9)
• Maximilla and Priscilla became prophetesses.
• The New Prophecy people emphasized obedience to God, asceticism, fasting, celibacy, and spiritual experiences.
• They rejected remarriage and any serious sin after baptism.
• They survived until the mid-sixth century when Justinian initiated a persecution in Pepuza.