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Home , Goths, Ulfilas

The Conversion of the and

Cosmic Conflict

• Gen. 3:15–“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and you shalt bruise his heel. Christian population of the when Constantine came to power: 5% - 12% The Goths and the Roman Empire  Goths . . .  Roman legionaries recruited from the Goths  Some Roman Emperors of Gothic lineage  Mongol Invasions (3rd and 5th centuries) . Led to migrations of the and Goths . Incursions into the Empire Christian Missions to the Goths

1. Catholic (Nicene) . Through captives and refugees from persecution . John Chrysostom (400) 2. Audians . Named for Audius . Spread outside the empire . Active among the and Goths . Monasteries and established . Nearly eradicated Christian Missions to the Goths 3. Arian – Most Goths were Arians – • Heretical • Council of Nicea (325)

Ulfilas (311-380) . Designed an alphabet to translate the into Gothic . Some portions of that translation are preserved today

Pre-Reformation Missions 500 B.C. 0 500 1000 A.D. 1500 Influence of Persian Empire (500 B.C. – A.D. 400) Grecian Influence (323 B.C. – A.D. 400) Mar Thoma (A.D. 50 – 1500) Coptic Church (A.D. 50-1500) Roman Republic Empire (27 B.C.–476 (500-27 B.C.) A.D.) Constantine (A.D. 306-337)

A.D. 400, Augustine Bishop of Hippo

Ulfilas – Missionary to the Goths (311-380) 400, Chrysostom sends missionaries to Goths 496, Clovis, King of the Franks, converts to Christianity Christianity’s Advance

 Rome sacked by Alaric and the Visigoths (410)  Adopted substantial amount of Roman culture and religion  Clovis and the Franks . Had occupied . Converted to Christianity within two decades of the fall of Rome  Visigoths transitioned from to Nicene Christianity and Islam

 Hegira (flight from Mecca to Medina) 622 A.D.  Mohammed’s death 632 A.D.  Visigoths in fell to Arab armies in the seventh century Islamic armies checked at Tours in France . 100 years after Mohammed’s death 732 A.D. . Victor Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer)

North Africa and Islam

Faith uprooted by Islamic conquerors 60% of Monasteries and Bishoprics . Heartland of Christianity Islam virtually displaced Christianity in Christian Missionary Methods in History

1. Grass roots evangelism (e.g., Samaria in Acts 8; Antioch in Acts11) 2. Open-air preaching (Peter in Acts 2, Paul in Acts 17) 3. Modeling koinonia (love in community) 4. Urban church-planting teams (Apostle Paul: Acts 13-20, Titus 1:5, etc.)

Christian Missionary Methods in History (Continued) 5. Nonformal learning along with formal and informal learning in house churches - decentralized connectionalism (handout) 6. Philanthropic social services - care of the sick and dying and abandoned infants, for the dead left untended, relief for poor widows and orphans, visits to prisoners, etc. 7. Literacy and Bible translation (Ulfilas)

Trinitarian Purpose of Missions

The purpose of missions is Trinitarian: to glorify the Triune through the fulfillment of the Great Commission, which God the Father has given unto God the Son (Isa. 49:6), and in which the people of God are privileged to participate by the Son’s express invitation and command (John 20:21 and Matt. 28:18-20) through the enablement of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). S. H. Larsen Observations Regarding Missions “Missions is messy” God did not commit the task of world evangelization and discipleship to sinless angels, but to redeemed sinners, and only in this life before they are fully sanctified. So all missionaries are finite and fallible. Yet through it all, Christ is building His Church (Matt. 18:18b). Without commonalities, we have no bridge of understanding by which to communicate the Gospel, and our message is left incomprehensible. Yet without biblical contrasts, syncretism will corrupt the message.