Oldest evidence of Christianity north of the Alps found in Frankfurt grave

A roll of wafter-thin silver foil found in a 3rd century grave in Frankfurt is the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. There are references to Christianity in Gaul and Germany in historical sources from the late 2nd century, but evidence of Christians living north of the Alps before this find dated to the 4th century at the earliest.

The tightly-rolled scroll just 3.5 cm long (1.38 inches) is a phylactery, a protective amulet, worn on a string or ribbon around the neck. It was discovered in a 2017-2018 excavation of a 3rd century burial ground on the Heilmannstrasse. The excavation unearthed 127 graves closely buried in an area of 5382 square feet. Of the 127 graves, 113 of them were inhumation burials, 45 of which had no grave goods. This is an unusually high proportion of inhumations; all of the other Roman burial grounds in Frankfurt contain about 10% inhumations. It is also unusual because it is located at the northwest corner of the ancient city rather than outside the walls along one of the major roads. The grave goods found in most of the inhumations are unusually fine compared to those found in other graves in ancient Frankfurt. There is a more glass of different types than was found in other burial grounds, a remarkably diverse assortment of jewelry (glass beads, jet, stone, rock crystal) and 14 pairs of shoes placed at the feet of the deceased.

But it was the silver amulet discovered in grave 134 that was the most exceptional artifact. It was found in the grave of a man about 35-45 years old when he died in around 230-260 A.D. The organic ribbon it was strung on is long gone, but the amulet was still nestled at the base of his neck. Even during the excavation, archaeologists could tell that it was amulet scroll with an inscription inside. Conservators at the Archaeological Museum in Frankfurt stabilized and studied it, examining it under a microscope and with X-rays and confirming there was an inscription engraved on it.

Reading it was a complex challenge, however. The thin foil sheet was fragile and rolled up so tightly that conservators did not dare attempt to unroll it manually, but in May 2024, researchers at the Leibniz Center for Archaeology (LEIZA) in Mainz unrolled it digitally using cutting edge X-ray and CT technology. They were able to scan it in high resolution to create a 3D model that could then by analyzed to puzzle together the flattened, rolled segments and make the inscription legible. The text, which was fragmentary due to loss of silver at the margins, was then deciphered by theologists and language experts.

Archaeologist and expert on Latin inscriptions Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz from Frankfurt’s Goethe University set to work like a puzzle and finally deciphered the 18 lines of the “Frankfurt Silver Inscription”. “Sometimes it took me weeks, even months, to come up with the next idea. I consulted experts from the history of theology, among others, and bit by bit we approached the text together and finally deciphered it.” […]

What is unusual is that the inscription is entirely in Latin. “That’s unusual for the time. Normally, such inscriptions on amulets were written in Greek or Hebrew,” explains Scholz. The text is also very sophisticated. The author must have been an elaborate scribe.

It is unusual that there is no reference in the inscription to any other faith besides Christianity. Normally, up until the 5th century, a mixture of different faiths can always be expected in precious metal amulets of this type. Often elements from Judaism or pagan influences can still be found. However, neither Yahweh, the almighty God of Judaism, nor the archangels Raphael, Gabriel, Michael or Suriel are mentioned in this amulet, nor are the forefathers of Israel such as Isaac or Jacob. And no pagan elements such as demons either. The amulet is purely Christian.

The text of the Frankfurt Silver Inscription translated into English:

(In the name?) of Saint Titus.
Holy, holy, holy!
In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God!
The Lord of the world
resists to the best of his [ability?]
all seizures(?)/setbacks(?).
The god(?) grants well-being
Admission.
This rescue device(?) protects
the person who
surrenders to the will
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
since before Jesus Christ
bend all knees: the heavenly ones,
the earthly and
the subterranean, and every tongue
confess (to Jesus Christ).

The evaluation of the significance of the find by experts for early Christianity and theologians is only just beginning. Some of the formulations contained in the text were not attested until many decades later. For example, at the beginning of the „Frankfurt Silver Inscription“ there is a reference to St. Titus, a disciple and confidant of the Apostle Paul. Just like the invocation „Holy, holy, holy!“, which was not actually known in the Christian liturgy until the 4th century AD. (Trishagion). At the end, the text also contains an almost literal quotation from Paul’s so-called Christ hymn from his letter to the Philippians (here: Phil. 2, 10-11).

The “Frankfurt Silver Inscription” is therefore one of the most important testimonies to early Christianity in the world. Its discovery opens up new horizons for archaeology, the historical sciences and theology, but also a multitude of new questions.

* This article was originally published here