Prisca ( Greek : Πρ?σκα), often written in the diminutive form Priscilla ( Greek : Πρ?σκιλλα) , was a 2nd-century A.D. foundational leader and prophet of the religious movement known today as Montanism based in the Phrygian towns of Pepuza and Tymion . ^[1] She, along with the prophets Montanus and Maximilla , proselytized a form of Christianity in which the Holy Spirit would enter the human body and speak through it.

With the exception of Tertullian , all historical information concerning her life, as well as the movement of which she was inextricably entwined, comes from extremely hostile sources written more than a century after her death. ^[2] Catholic writers in the 4th century condemned Montanism as a heresy ^[3] and its female leaders as seductresses. ^[4]

No information exists concerning her life before her entrance into the movement. In joining the sect she was said to have abandoned her husband. ^[5] Though the 4th century polemicists portrayed Montanus as the head of the sect, modern scholars debate the extent to which the three prophets shared power. In Epiphanius of Salamis ’ Panarion , he subdivided adherents of the New Prophecy into many smaller categories, one of which was Priscillianists. ^[6] Epiphanius defined a Priscillianist as having particular reverence for Priscilla as a spiritual leader but treated it and Montanism as interchangeable labels. ^[1] In the early 3rd century, Priscilla likely took over leadership with Quintilla after the deaths of Montanus and Maximilla. ^[7]

References [ edit ]

Bibliography [ edit ]

• Burns, J. Patout; Fagin, Gerald M. (1984). The Holy Spirit . Michael Glazier Inc.
• Trevett, Christine (1996). Montanism: Gender, Authority and the New Prophecy . Cambridge University Press.
• Williams, Frank, ed. (2013). The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Books II and III. De Fide (2nd rev. ed.). Brill.