Fritigern: a Christian prior to 376?

[Timianus]

Rec. My view is this: Fritegern was a long-standing Christian, going right back to Ulfilas and the reign of Constantius. When he first arrives in the histories, he is called Phritigairnus, or Frithigairnus... and if we transtlate Gothic to English, his name literally means, "He who has Gained Faith." :-)

Very interesting. I wonder if people have discounted (or not explored the possibility enough) that the conflicts of the later "decline" era were, in fact, genuinely reglious in nature. It is easy for us, as modern westerners to look cynically on such claims and argue that the men in charge were political realists who just used religion as a tool to get power. However, I think we err to discount the possibility that political leaders at the time were motivated by genuine religious conviction....particularily since Theodisius' formal "my religion only" policy was most likely an formal enactment of what was already taking place on a local level..i.e. "orthodox" christians persecuting both pagans and christian heretics.