Deep Dive into Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - Persecution of the Christians by the Goths and Vandals

Christianity began to spread among many Scythian Goths around the time of Constantine the Great, bringing the light of the Gospel considerably into Scythia. However, during this early period, the two kings ruling the country, Fritegern and Athanarich, and the majority of the people continued as pagans.The treatment of Christians differed greatly under these rulers due to political circumstances. Fritegern, king of the West Goths, who was an ally to the Romans, allowed Christians in his dominions to live unmolested. In contrast, Athanarich, king of the East Goths, was at war with the Romans and actively persecuted his Christian subjects. This persecution began in 370 AD after Athanarich was defeated by the Romans and "wreaked his vengeance on his Christian subjects, commencing his pagan injunctions".Later, the Goths' religious identity evolved significantly. In religion the Goths were Arians, and called themselves Christians. This Arian form of Christianity directed their religious actions. As Christians, they "destroyed all the statues and temples of the heathen gods", demonstrating a clear rejection of paganism. However, despite their different theological beliefs, they "did no harm to the orthodox Christian churches". This indicates a focused religious practice that targeted paganism but spared orthodox Christian places of worship. Alaric, a great Gothic general, is also mentioned for his military skill and campaigns in Italy.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianPatreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed