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Originally Posted by thunaer  Weren't the first three church splits on doctrinal matters in the New Covenant Era, Turtillianites, followed Montanism, followed by the Donatist split? |
The early 3rd century saw a number of rival factions set up separate ecclesiastical structures.
1. Montanism (although some Montanists continued to exist in the catholic church even after it was condemned as a heresy). Tertullian was for a period of his life a Montanist.
2. Hippolytus and Novatian both led separate "denominations" (to use an anachronism) in Rome over disputes both doctrinal and moral with the bishop of Rome.
3. A little later on in the 3rd century the Donatists in North Africa established a separate communion from the catholics which persisted for quite a long time. There were some eras when the Donatists even had the upper-hand in North Africa over the catholics. Constantine and his successors did much to try to bring them back into the catholic fold or else extirpate them.
Of course from there, as you know, there story gets more and more fractured...
I suppose I should add, as an afterthought that Marcion was accused of establishing separate churches in the east after his excommunication in Rome.