Constantine and the Spreading of Christianity in Germany.
1. CONSTANTINE. After many anxious years a time of refreshing peace
finally came for the Christians. For by God's wonderful providence a man
kindly disposed toward the Christians ascended the Roman throne. This
was Emperor Constantine. His father had already been a friend of the
Christians, and his mother had even accepted the faith. After his
father's death, Constantine was proclaimed Emperor by the army. This was
in the summer of 306. When, in 312, he marched against Maxentius, who
had disputed his power in Italy, he called upon the God of the
Christians for help against his opponent. The opposing forces met in the
vicinity of Rome. While the sun was setting, it is reported that
Constantine saw in the heavens a cross bearing the bright inscription:
_In hoc signo vinces_, _i. e._, "You will conquer in this sign!" He at
once had the eagles removed from the standards, and had them replaced by
the sign of the cross. Hereupon his army marched from victory to victory
till the power of his enemy was completely broken. And from this time
Constantine became a zealous protector of the Christian church. He
published a law permitting every Roman citizen to become a Christian. He
even went so far as to make the Christian religion the religion of the
state. He favored the Christians by appointing them to high public
offices. Sad to say, this increased the number of those who accepted
Christianity for the sake of worldly gain. The church now, indeed, had
rest from without. But Satan tried to ruin it by false doctrine. A
bishop, named Arius, arose and taught: "Christ is not true God, but only
a creature." Constantine then called a church council to assemble at
Nice, in Asia Minor, in 325 A. D. Three hundred and eighteen bishops
assembled there with him. In the discussions which followed Athanasius,
a deacon, and afterwards bishop, of Alexandria, took a most prominent
part. With irresistible eloquence he effected the overthrow of the false
doctrine of Arius and the victorious establishment of saving truth.
Constantine died on Pentecost Day, 337, having been baptized a short
time before. In compliance with his last wish he was buried in the
Church of the Apostles, at Constantinople.
2. THE SPREADING OF CHRISTIANITY IN GERMANY. Now the time had come when
the light of saving truth was to shine over Germany and dispel the night
of heathenish darkness. For some time already the Gospel had been
carried to Germany by Christian merchants and Roman prisoners, and thus
it came to pass that at isolated places Christian congregations were
founded; but the real spreading of Christianity began in the sixth
century through missionaries from Ireland and England.--Among the first
to visit Germany was the Irish monk _Fridolin_. Together with his
companions he arrived in the Black Forest among the Alemanni. With
visible success he preached the Gospel to these children of the forest.
He died in 550, and was succeeded by _Columban_, who, together with
twelve disciples, brought the message of salvation in Christ to the
inhabitants of the present Alsatia. But meeting with much opposition he
fled to Switzerland, and then to Italy, where he died in 615, a true
Christian to the last.--His pupil _Gallus_ had remained in Switzerland
and there had founded the farfamed cloister St. Gallus. Here he labored
with signal blessing for the spreading of Christianity among the Swiss
and Suabian tribes, until, in 640, the Lord called him to his reward.
Besides these messengers of the faith others also preached the Gospel in
Germany, _Emeran_ in Bavaria, _Kilian_ in Wuertemberg. The latter
suffered martyrdom with his followers in 685. Twenty years after
Kilian's death the English Presbyter _Willibrod_, with eleven
assistants, went to the Frisians. At first the heathen king Radbod
offered stubborn resistance, but in time he had Willibrod to baptize his
own son. And after the king's death the mission work met with great
success. Because of the multitude of fish Willibrod could scarcely haul
in the net. After fifty years of faithful labor he died as bishop of
Utrecht, in the year 739. These and other missionaries were the real
apostles of Germany, and independent of Rome. Through their labors
congregations were founded and flourished everywhere.
Before long, however, a man came to Germany who subjugated the German
church to the Pope. This was Winifred, also called _Boniface_. He
carried on his work mainly in Thuringia, Hessia, Bavaria, and Frisia. In
755, together with his companions, he was slain by the heathen Frisians.
The most stubborn resistance to Christianity was offered by the Saxons.
Only after thirty years of continuous warfare were they finally
conquered by Charles the Great, and the Gospel gained a foothold amongst
them.--Thus the Gospel of Christ sped from people to people, and in the
year 1000 great numbers everywhere in Germany confessed Christ Jesus and
Him crucified.