Even in our sometimes godless society, archeological finds still have borne witness to the enormous impact of Christianity on our culture and, indeed, the world.
Whether it’s an ancient city confirming the veracity of a biblical story, or a manuscript supporting the authenticity of the Gospel, archeological finds all over the world have bolstered the central tenets of the Christian faith.
And now, a new archeological dig in Sweden has unearthed, in addition to thousands of other medieval artifacts, an ancient ring that speaks to the centrality of the faith in the medieval world.
According to The Christian Post, archeologists with Sweden’s National Historical Museums have been excavating the coastal city of Kalmar, which was once one of Sweden’s most important cities.
Archaeologists find ancient ring with Jesus’ face inscribed in ‘almost new condition’ https://t.co/2XwTpKEC8a
— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) March 21, 2024
For this project, the archeologists at Kalmar have partnered on a public works project to improve the water, sewage and storm pipes in the modern city.
This collaboration has given archeologists unprecedented access to huge parts of the ancient city.
Thus far, this joint project has unearthed over 30,000 artifacts in addition to 50 medieval plots, 10 streets, and parts of the old city wall in Gamla Stan.
It was within what researchers believed to have been an ancient dump, however, that they found the most spectacular find of all.
Nestled among the typical assortment of garbage and debris, the researchers found a golden ring, in phenomenal condition, that bore the face of Christ.
According to project manager of the archeologists, Magnus Stibéus, “the gold ring was in almost new condition with a Christ motif and was found … in contexts that we interpreted as waste storage. Probably someone was unlucky and lost the ring 500 years ago.”
He then explained that the ring probably “dates to the beginning of the 15th century. That type of ring may have been worn by a woman because it is quite small. Some similar rings have been found in Northern Finland, Östergötland and Uppland.”
Artnet news noted that, while the archeologists expected to find houses, wells, and of course, dumps, the find of this beautifully preserved ring stunned even the researchers.
As Newsweek reported, even Stibéus had to admit that “it’s great fun to find something like that.”
Indeed, such a discovery was not only “great fun,” as Stibéus says, but hugely significant for Christians today.
The perfectly preserved ring portraying the face of Christ is a physical example of the centrality of the Christian faith to the history and culture of Europe.
Christianity was the defining change that turned Europe from a pagan land, to land in line with the Christian faith, becoming one of the greatest civilizations the world had ever seen, bringing light and order to the entire world.
Stibéus himself accidentally gave witness to this truth, when describing how similar rings were found elsewhere in Scandinavia.
The discovery, likewise, has highlighted the crisis of faith engulfing Europe, in contrast to the glories of its Christian past.
Christian Europe has faced, over the past few decades, threats to its survival.
The encroachment of Muslim migrants hostile to the Christian religion have threatened Christian Europe from without, and from within, atheist governments have treated Christians as enemies, linking Christianity to hate and racism.
Perhaps, then, this reminder of Europe’s glorious Christian past, in the form of a golden ring inscribed with the face of Christ, might stir European Christians to take action and reclaim their homelands for the Lord.
Or, at the very least, it might serve as a warning to American Christians, and as an admonition to preserve our Christian culture from the attacks of atheism and paganism.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
