Researchers recently deciphered a 1,800 year old silver amulet found in a grave near Frankfurt, Germany. Dating to between AD 230 and 270, the artifact contains multiple references to Jesus Christ, including the words, “In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Historians say the discovery is changing Christian history because it provides evidence that Christianity had already spread into what is now Germany by the mid third century. The amulet is considered the oldest known evidence of Christianity north of the Alps and suggests the Gospel reached the region earlier than previously documented.
The inscription also includes language that closely mirrors Philippians 2:9–11, declaring that every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ.
The remarkable find offers a glimpse into the faith of some of Christianity’s earliest believers and highlights how rapidly the message of Jesus spread across the Roman Empire.
