What is "maximilla"

Maximilla was a prophet and an early advocate of Montanism, a heretical Christian sect founded in the third century A.D. by Montanus. Some scholars believe that Maximilla and Priscilla, another prophet, were actually the co-founders of Montanism. Other scholars dismiss this as unproven. Either way, it generally agreed upon that Maximilla and Priscilla provided the primary prophetic content and some of the oracles for the movement.

According to the anti-Montanist polemic written by an anonymous author and preserved in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Maximilla and Priscilla were pawns of the devil who spoke and acted in “a frenzied manner.” According to their followers, Maximilla and Priscilla were the direct descendants of Christian prophetesses.

Nothing is known of Maximilla’s family background. Perhaps she was a descendant of Roman citizens resident in Central Phrygia or its vicinity. According to Ecclesiastical History, Maximilla and Priscilla had been married but “left their husbands the moment they were filled with the spirit.”