Quintilla (fl. 3rd century) was a

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empire ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

prophetess within the movement known as

Montanism Montanism (), known by its adherents as the New Prophecy, was an early Christian movement of the late 2nd century, later referred to by the name of its founder, Montanus. Montanism held views about the basic tenets of Christian theology sim ...

. The sect of the Quintillians was named after her. Although her exact dates are unknown, Quintilla was probably not a contemporary of the Three—

Montanus Montanus was the second century founder of Montanism and a self proclaimed prophet. Montanus emphasized the work of the Holy Spirit, in a manner which set him apart from the Great church. Life Only very little is known about the life of Montanu ...

Maximilla Maximilla was a prophetess 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 Montanis ...

and

Priscilla Priscilla is an English female given name adopted from Latin '' Prisca'', derived from ''priscus''. One suggestion is that it is intended to bestow long life on the bearer. The name first appears in the New Testament of Christianity variously ...

, the first generation of Montanist prophets—but was active some decades later, after the Three were dead. This would place her in the 3rd century AD.

Epiphanius of Salamis Epiphanius of Salamis ( grc-gre, Ἐπιφάνιος; c. 310–320 – 403) was the bishop of Salamis, Cyprus, at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He ...

, a strong opponent of Montanism, provides the only surviving account of Quintilla's

Christophany A Christophany is an appearance or non-physical manifestation of Christ. Traditionally the term refers to visions of Christ after his ascension, such as the bright light of the conversion of Paul the Apostle. Also, following the example of Jus ...

in his ''

Panarion In early Christian heresiology, the ''Panarion'' ( grc-koi, Πανάριον, derived from Latin ''panarium'', meaning "bread basket"), to which 16th-century Latin translations gave the name ''Adversus Haereses'' (Latin: "Against Heresies"), is t ...

'', part 49. He had heard it attributed both to her and to Priscilla, but the former is more probable. His account is generally regarded as authentic. While in

Pepuza Pepuza (or Pepouza, Greek: Πέπουζα) was an ancient town in Phrygia, Asia Minor (in today's Turkish district of Karahallı, Uşak Province, Aegean Region). Coordinates of the central terrasse of the settlement: UTM 35 S 0714926/4253954 (WGS ...

, Christ in the form of a woman in a bright robe visited her in a dream, imparted wisdom to her and revealed that Pepuza was a holy place where the

New Jerusalem In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, New Jerusalem (, ''YHWH šāmmā'', YHWH sthere") is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city centered on the rebuilt Holy Temple, the Third Temple, to be established in Jerusalem, which would be the ...

would descend. This should probably be interpreted as Christ manifested in the form of the church above bringing wisdom to his church on earth. There are no books nor any collections of sayings attributed to Quintilla, but her followers kept her memory and her doctrine alive long after her death. Epiphanius says that they came to Pepuza for their initiation rites. They had women clergy, which they defended by appealing to

Miriam Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The To ...

's status as a prophet and the

daughters of Philip Philip's daughters are four women briefly mentioned in the Bible. Biblical account They were daughters of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven Greek-speaking Jewish men, including Stephen who were appointed deacons to the Greek-speaking Jewish ...

. Epiphanius also says that they believed that

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

was wise to have eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. If this last report is accurate, it suggests that later Quintillians had adopted certain

Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

teachings. For Epiphanius, the Quintillianists are synonymous with the Priscillianists, Phrygians and Pepuzians and a sister sect of the

Artotyrites The Artotyrites, or Artotyritæ, also known as Quintillianists, and bread and cheesers were a sect possibly connected to the ancient Montanists, who first appeared in the 2nd century and spread throughout Galatia. They used bread and cheese in the ...

and Tascodrugites.

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...

and

John of Damascus John of Damascus ( ar, يوحنا الدمشقي, Yūḥanna ad-Dimashqī; gr, Ἰωάννης ὁ Δαμασκηνός, Ioánnēs ho Damaskēnós, ; la, Ioannes Damascenus) or John Damascene was a Christian monk, priest, hymnographer, and ...

also mention Quintillians among the Montanist sects. According to the '' Praedestinatus'', which was probably composed during the papacy of Sixtus III (432–440), there were two churches at Pepuza, one dedicated to Priscilla and another dedicated to Quintilla.

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* * * {{Montanism 3rd-century apocalypticists 3rd-century Romans Phrygia Women Christian religious leaders Prophets in Christianity Apocalypticism Heresy in ancient Christianity