The End of Faith and the Presence of Prophets

will be done away with

And I will know just as I was known. You see, that it will be abolished for the better; and what is that? When those who believe are present, faith will cease. For we no longer believe, but we see. But faith seen is no longer faith. For whatever one sees, what also does he believe? And this is it: for we see now through a mirror in a riddle (1 Cor 13:12), but then face to face. Then, when then? It is clear, when the end comes.

{M.} Behold, therefore, Montanus the Paraclete has come and has given us the perfection. {O.} The perfection, when it comes, will it be abolished in part or not? {M.} Thus it has been written. {O.} But we see that Montanus is being abolished until today; but the things of the holy Paul are increasing. {M.} And indeed you also abolish the things of Paul, saying that after Christ there is no prophet.

{O.} You wander, not knowing the Scriptures nor what the Church teaches. For we know that even after Christ there are prophets. For Jesus himself said: 'Behold, I will send to you prophets and wise men and scribes, and from them you will kill and crucify and from them you will scourge in your synagogues' (Matt 23:2-3). And Paul says: 'Earnestly desire the greater gifts, and above all, that you may prophesy' (1 Cor 14:1). And again he says: 'If then the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and there comes in an unlearned man or an unbeliever, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and there comes in an unbeliever or an unlearned man, he is convicted by all, examined by all, the secrets of his heart become manifest to all, and so falling on his face he will worship God, declaring that truly God is in our midst' (1 Cor 14:23-26).

{M.} How then do you say that after Christ no one became a prophet? {O.} We also after Christ confess that prophets have come to be, and that they have even the apostles and the gift of prophecy. For how did Peter convict Ananias and Sapphira of having defrauded the community of the price of the land (Acts 5:1-4), if...

Greek

Dialexis Montanistae et orthodoxi Μοντανιστοῦ καὶ Ὀρθοδόξου διάλεξις. Μοντανιστὴς εἶπεν· Ἡμεῖς τῷ ἁγίῳ Παύλῳ πειθόμενοι Μοντανὸν ἐδεξάμεθα, ὡς ἔχοντα τὸ τέλειον τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, τουτέστιν τὸν παράκλητον. Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν Παῦλος· Ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται· καί· ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν. 450 Ὀρθόδοξος· Ἀληθεύων εἶπεν ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ἢ ψευδόμενος; {Μ.} Ἀληθεύων. {Ο.} Κατήργηται οὖν τὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου; {Μ.} Μὴ γένοιτο. {Ο.} Πῶς οὖν εἶπεν· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται, ὡς ἀληθεύων ἢ ὡς ψευδόμενος; {Μ.} Αὐτὸς εἶπεν· ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν. {Ο.} Ἀληθῶς λέγεις, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐνόησας, ὅτι πᾶς λόγος ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ μέρος ἐστὶ τοῦ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι φανησομένου μυστηρίου. Νῦν γὰρ πιστεύομεν εἰς πατέρα καὶ υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἔχομεν· τότε δὲ ἡ γνῶσις, ὅτε πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον ὀψώμεθα. ! Ἄρτι πιστεύομεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι θεοῦ καταβήσεται ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ· τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον. Τῶν οὖν πραγμάτων κατὰ πρόσωπον ὀφθέντων τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. Οὐκέτι γὰρ ἀπὸ λόγων ἔχομεν τὴν πίστιν, ἀλλὰ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς θέας, καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. {Μ.} Καταργηθήσεται οὖν καὶ ἡ πίστις; {Ο.} Καταργηθήσεται. Ἀντὶ τοῦ παύεται. Ἀμέλει αὐτῆς ὅλης τῆς περικοπῆς μνησθῶμεν τῇ συνέσει τοῦ πνεύματος. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει· εἴτε δὲ προφητεία, καταργηθήσεται. Ἐκ μέρους γὰρ γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. Ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, ὡς νήπιος ἐλάλουν, ἐλογιζόμην ὡς νήπιος· ὅτε γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου. Βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι δι' ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον· ἄρτι γιγνώσκωμεν ἐκ μέρους, τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην. Ὁρᾶς, ὅτι καταργηθήσεται ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον· ὅ ἐστι τί; Παρόντων τῶν πιστευομένων παύ 451 σεται ἡ πίστις. Οὐκέτι γὰρ πιστεύομεν, ἀλλ' ὁρῶμεν. Πίστις δὲ βλεπομένη οὐκ ἔστι πίστις. Ὃ γὰρ βλέπει τις, τί καὶ πιστεύει; καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι· βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι δι' ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον. Τότε, πότε; ∆ῆλον, ὅτε τὸ τέλος. {Μ.} Ἰδοὺ οὖν ἦλθεν Μοντανὸς ὁ παράκλητος καὶ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ τέλειον. {Ο.} Τὸ τέλειον ὅταν ἔλθῃ, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται ἢ οὔ; {Μ.} Οὕτως γέγραπται. {Ο.} Ὁρῶμεν δέ, ὅτι Μοντανὸς καταργεῖται ἕως σήμερον· τὰ δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου Παύλου αὔξουσιν. {Μ.} Καί τοι γε ὑμεῖς τὰ Παύλου καταργεῖτε λέγοντος μετὰ Χριστὸν μὴ εἶναι προφήτας. {Ο.} Πλανᾶσθε, μὴ εἰδότες τὰς γραφὰς μηδὲ ἃ διδάσκει ἡ ἐκκλησία. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἴσμεν, ὅτι καὶ μετὰ Χριστὸν προφῆται. Αὐτὸς γὰρ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, ὅτι· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστελῶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς προφήτας καὶ σοφοὺς καὶ γραμματεῖς καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενεῖτε καὶ σταυρώσετε καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν μαστιγώσετε ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς ὑμῶν. Καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· Ζηλοῦτε τὰ χαρίσματα τὰ μείζονα, μᾶλλον δέ, ἵνα προφητεύητε. Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ἐὰν οὖν συνέλθῃ ἡ ἐκκλησία ὅλη ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ πάντες γλώσσαις λαλῶσιν, εἰσέλθωσιν δὲ ἰδιῶται ἢ ἄπιστοι, οὐκ ἐροῦσιν, ὅτι μαίνεσθε; ἐὰν δὲ πάντες προφητεύσωσιν, εἰσέλθῃ δέ τις ἄπιστος ἢ ἰδιώτης, ἐλέγχεται ὑπὸ πάντων, ἀνακρίνεται ὑπὸ πάντων, τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ καὶ φανερὰ γίνεται ὑπὸ πάντων, καὶ οὕτως πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον προσκυνήσει τῷ θεῷ ἀπαγγέλλων, ὅτι ὄντως Θεὸς ἐστὶν ἐν ἡμῖν. {Μ.} Πῶς οὖν ὑμεῖς λέγετε, ὅτι μετὰ Χριστὸν οὐκ ἐγένετό τις προφήτης; {Ο.} Ἡμεῖς καὶ μετὰ Χριστὸν ὁμολογοῦμεν γεγενῆσθαι προφήτας καὶ 1 αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἔχειν καὶ τῆς προφητείας 452 τὸ χάρισμα. Πῶς γὰρ Πέτρος τὸν Ἀνανίαν καὶ τὴν Σαπφείραν ἤλεγξε νοσφισαμένους ἐκ τῆς τιμῆς τοῦ χωρίου, εἰ

About this text

A debate with Montanists over their 'new prophecy': true Spirit or fraud?

Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.