Groundbreaking discovery of 1,800-year-old amulet found on skeleton could rewrite early Christian history

In a groundbreaking discovery, archaeologists have unearthed a 1,800-year-old silver amulet that could rewrite early Christian history.

An ancient silver amulet was discovered in a grave near Frankfurt, Germany.

'The "Frankfurt Inscription" is a scientific sensation.'

Crews conducted an excavation at an ancient cemetery in what was once the Roman city of Nida at an archaeological site outside of Frankfurt in 2018.

The city of Nida was an "administrative, economic, and religious center in the hinterland of the Upper Germanic Limes and, until its abandonment around 270-275 AD, was a major center of the Roman Empire," according to ArtDependence Magazine.

The 3rd-century Roman grave in the Heilmannstraße area contained 127 graves. Experts estimate that the burial ground dated between 230 and 270 AD.

Archaeology News Online Magazine reported that archaeologists unearthed the skeleton of a man aged 35-45 years. Around the skeleton were grave goods such as an incense burner and a jug made of baked clay.

Slightly below the skeleton's chin was a small silver amulet, also known as a phylactery. The amulet was likely worn with a ribbon around the neck.

Tine Rassalle — an archaeologist and researcher of Jewish and Christian history — told Live Science that the purpose of these amulets "was to protect or heal their owners from a range of misfortunes, such as illnesses, bodily aches, infertility, or even demonic forces."

Rassalle added, "In an era without advanced medical knowledge, such items were vital sources of comfort and security for you and your loved ones."

The cylindrical amulet measures just 1.4 inches long and contains a wafer-thin sheet of silver foil that is rolled up tightly. Inside the meticulously preserved amulet were 18 lines of text written in Latin.

Researchers analyzed the "Frankfurt Silver Inscription" and believe it could rewrite early Christian history.

Professor Markus Scholz from Frankfurt’s Goethe University — an archaeologist and expert on Latin inscriptions — finally deciphered the 18 lines of the Frankfurt Silver Inscription.

"Sometimes it took weeks, even months, until I had the next idea," Scholz explained. "I called in experts from the history of theology, among others, and we approached the text together bit by bit and ultimately deciphered it."

Scholz noted, "Normally, such inscriptions on amulets were written in Greek or Hebrew."

The inscription mentions Saint Titus, a student of the apostle Paul. It also shares the invocation "holy, holy, holy," which was not actually known in the Christian liturgy until around the 4th century AD. The inscription also mentions the phrase “bend your knees," which is a quote from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

(In the name?) of St. 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 rare amulet holds religious significance because it provides the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity spreading north of the Alps. Previously, there was no archaeological proof that Christianity had spread north of the Alps until after the 4th century AD.

Mike Josef, Frankfurt’s mayor, said in a statement, "The ‘Frankfurt Inscription’ is a scientific sensation. As a result, the history of Christianity in Frankfurt and far beyond will have to be turned back by around 50 to 100 years. The first Christian find north of the Alps comes from our city. We can be proud of this, especially now, so close to Christmas."

Goethe University pointed out:

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 wafer-thin silver foil was too brittle and fragile to simply roll it out due to being 1,800 years old.

In May, researchers utilized a state-of-the-art computer tomograph at the Leibniz Center for Archaeology to scan it at a high resolution and create a 3D model.

Dr. Ivan Calandra of the Leibniz Center for Archaeology spotlighted the difficulties of transcribing the ancient amulet: “The challenge in analyzing the artifact was that the silver sheet was not only rolled but, after approximately 1,800 years, was also creased and compressed. Using the CT scanner, we were able to scan it in very high resolution and create a 3D model.”

According to Popular Mechanics, the owner of the amulet was brave to be a Christian during the 3rd century because Roman emperor Nero punished Christians with death or forced them to fight in the Colosseum.

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