What Christian "mysticism" is at its core
An archaeological find, an amulet, and the threefold "holy"
In 2018, an amulet containing eighteen lines of an inscription, etched on rolled silver foil, was discovered in the northwestern suburbs of Frankfurt. The site where the item was found was that of an ancient cemetery, once adjacent to the Roman town of Nida. The Latin inscription invokes St. Titus, repeatedly addresses Christ as the Son of God, and its concluding six lines are an early Latin translation of Philippians 2:10-11. The date assigned to the find is c. 230 – 270, and it is the earliest evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. Also notably, following the invocation of St. Titus on the foil roll, is the earliest evidence of the use of the Trisagion (“Holy, holy, holy”) in Christian prayer. That the amulet and its contents were found around the neck of the remains of a man, aged approximately 35 – 45, indicates that he had cherished the words engraved on the foil as a form of personal devotion and spiritual protection. As I see it, the “Frankfurt silver inscription” is a discreet reminder of something essential to Christian mysticism and asceticism – something that is abiding, distinctive, and authenticating. If I were to boil it down to a single formula, it would be this:
