Archaeologists have discovered an inscribed silver amulet that one theologian says could rewrite the history of Christianity north of the Alps mountain range.

The inscribed amulet was found buried in a grave in Frankfurt, Germany in 2018. according to a city release. The amulet is just over an inch in size, the city said, with an inscribed thin silver foil coiled inside. It took years to determine what the inscription said: it had to be deciphered by computer scanning, as the foil was too fragile to unroll. The so-called "Frankfurt Silver Inscription" was unveiled to the public earlier in December.

The inscription was determined to be a statement of faith in Jesus Christ written in Latin. The statement shows that the wearer "was apparently a devout Christian, which was absolutely unusual for the time," the city said.

Researchers date the grave where the amulet was found to between 230 and 270 AD. sl. Hr. It is the earliest evidence of Christianity north of the Alps, the city said: All other finds are several decades younger, with "reliable evidence" for the religion in the region dating back to the 4th century.

The inscription does not mention any religion other than Christianity, which researchers say is unusual. Until the 5th century, this type of amulet "always contained a mixture of different religions", such as Judaism or paganism. Instead, it is based entirely on Christianity. At one point the call "Holy, holy, holy!" is present. Previously, researchers dated this invocation to no earlier than the 4th century. The amulet also includes quotes from the Bible used by Christians at the time.

"The 'Frankfurt Inscription' is a scientific sensation," the city's mayor, Mike Josef, said in a translated statement. "This will force us to set back the history of Christianity in Frankfurt and far beyond by about 50 to 100 years. The first Christian find north of the Alps comes from our town: we can be proud of that, especially now, so close to Christmas. The participants did a great job."

The researchers said this find will lead to a re-evaluation of the cemetery where the amulet was found. It will also lead to a reexamination of ideas about Christianity north of the Alps.

The German church historian Ulrich Volp told the evangelical press office that the amulet can be used to understand how Christianity spread in the Roman Empire in the 3rd century, even during times of persecution.

"The significance of the discovery can hardly be overstated," Volp said.

The news comes about six months after experts in Germany said a recently deciphered manuscript dating back 1,600 years had been identified as the oldest record of the childhood of Jesus Christ.