Discovery in Frankfurt: Oldest Christian testimony north of the Alps!

Discovery in Frankfurt: Oldest Christian testimony north of the Alps!

Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland - Frankfurt, 08/08/2025-The discovery of the Frankfurt silver inscription causes excitement in archeology and theology! This 18-line engraving from the 3rd century AD, which is located in a magical protective amulet, could give crucial insights into the early spread of Christianity north of the Alps. Archaeologist Markus Scholz from the Goethe University Frankfurt emphasizes that the inscription may be one of the oldest Latin translations of a text by the New Testament. It ends with the powerful words: "Every tongue is committed to Jesus Christ". The grave location, a Roman cemetery near Frankfurt, dates to the middle of the 3rd century, which makes it a significant location for Christian history, such as kathpress.at reported.

The amulet was discovered during excavations in the Praunheim residential area. Archaeologists found the remains of 127 burials in 2017 and 2018. The inscription itself, which could only be deciphered after X-rays 2020 and a computer tomography in 2024, is not only unique for their clear Christian message, but also for their sole Latin writing, while at that time the prevailing language was the prevailing language. This fact, coupled with the reference to Jesus Christ, underlines the importance of the find for theology and could shed light on the history of the liturgy, as Scholz emphasizes, and not only because of the mention of "holy, holy, holy", which has so far been dated into the 4th century, but possibly much earlier, so wikipedia .

The Frankfurt silver inscription is not only one of the oldest Christian certificates north of the Alps, but could also revolutionize the perspective on the beginnings of Christianity in Roman Germania. Historians suspect that this amulet belonged to a higher, presumably wealthy individual, which could further consolidate the conclusions about the spread of Christianity in the region.