Baptism Bilong Clovis—1,500 Year wea Catholic Religion Stap Long France

“BOSTA, long nem bilong Pope,” hem nao message wea stap witim wanfala bomb wea olketa faendem insaed church long France wea Pope John-Paul II hem redy for go visitim long September 1996. Diswan hem example bilong wei wea samfala againstim mek-faev visit bilong hem long France. Nomata olsem, samting olsem 200,000 pipol go long Reims, wanfala taon long France, for celebratem, witim pope, mek-1,500 anniversary bilong wei wea king bilong olketa Frank, King Clovis hem kamap wanfala Catholic. Hu nao disfala king wea olketa sei baptism bilong hem, hem baptism bilong France? And why nao datfala celebration hem mekem raoa kamap?

Wanfala Rul wea Gogo Daon

Clovis born long samting olsem 466 C.E., hem son bilong Childeric I, king bilong olketa Salian Frank. Bihaen Rome winim olketa long 358 C.E., olketa letem disfala tribe bilong Germany for stap long ples wea olketa kolem Belgium distaem, bat only sapos olketa help for protectim spialaen and for provaedem olketa soldia for army bilong Rome. From olketa stap klos witim pipol wea haf Gaul haf Rome olketa Frank hia gogo followim wei bilong olketa long Rome. Childeric I hem fren bilong olketa long Rome, hem savve faet againstim olketa nara tribe bilong Germany, olsem olketa Visigoth and Saxon wea savve kam attakim area bilong olketa. From diswan, hem kasem thankiu bilong pipol bilong France and Rome.

Gaul, wanfala province bilong Rome, hem start from Rhine River long north go kasem Pyrenees long south. Bat, bihaen dae bilong Roman General Aetius long 454 C.E., no eniwan for rul hem stap. And tu, rul bilong last emperor long Rome, Romulus Augustulus, and end bilong rul bilong Rome long west hem finis long 476 C.E. Diswan mekem bigfala wei for no stedy saed long politik kamap long datfala area. From diswan, Gaul hem olsem wanfala ripe frut wea weitim wanfala long olketa tribe wea stap insaed spialaen bilong hem for pikim hem. So iumi no sapraes hao Clovis, bihaen dadi bilong hem dae, lukaotem wei for mekem kingdom bilong hem kamap moa big. Long 486 C.E., hem winim olketa last sekson bilong Rome wea stap long Gaul taem olketa faet klosap long taon bilong Soissons. From hem win hem kasem full area start long river Somme, long north, go kasem river Loire, long central and west Gaul.

Datfala Man wea Kamap King

Olketa bilong Frank difren from olketa nara tribe bilong Germany, from olketa still heathen. Bat, taem Clovis hem maritim wanfala princess bilong Burgundi, wea nem bilong hem Clotilda, hem barava affectim laef bilong hem. Clotilda, wea biliv strong long Catholic, trae hard for mekem hasband bilong hem kamap Catholic. Insaed story bilong history wea Gregory bilong Tours raetem long mek-six century C.E., hem sei hao long 496 C.E., taem olketa faet long Tolbiac (Zülpich, Germany) againstim tribe bilong Alemanni, Clovis promis for lusim heathen worship sapos God bilong Clotilda mekem hem win. Army bilong Clovis klosap for lus, bat olketa killim dae datfala king bilong Alemanni and army bilong hem sarenda. Long tingting bilong Clovis, God bilong Clotilda nao mekem hem win. Followim kastom biliv, olketa sei “Saint” Remigius nao baptaesim Clovis long cathedral bilong Reims, long December 25, 496 C.E. Bat, samfala biliv hao maet 498/9 C.E., nao hem moa stret.

Clovis trae for tekovarem kingdom bilong Burgundi long southeast bat hem fail. Bat taem hem go faet againstim olketa Visigoth, hem winim olketa long 507 C.E. long Vouillé, klosap long Poitiers. From hem win diswan mekem hem rulim klosap evri part bilong southwest Gaul. For showimaot olketa luksavve long wei wea Clovis win dat taem, emperor bilong Rul bilong Rome long East, Anastasius, hem mekem hem kamap wanfala magistrate bilong Rome. Diswan mekem hem garem wanfala position wea winim evri nara king bilong west, and long tingting bilong pipol bilong France and Rome datwan mekem wei wea hem rul hem stret.

Bihaen hem winim olketa bilong Frank wea stap klosap long Rhine river long east, Clovis chusim Paris for kamap main taon bilong hem. Long olketa last year long laef bilong hem, hem mekem kingdom bilong hem moa strong taem hem mekem wanfala legal system wea olketa kolem, Lex Salica, and hem mekem wanfala church council long Orléans for markem klia wanem nao waka bilong Church and Gavman. Kasem taem hem dae, maet long November 27, 511 C.E., hemseleva nao ruler bilong thrifala haf bilong Gaul.

The New Encyclopædia Britannica sei wei wea Clovis kamap wanfala Catholic hem “wanfala important taem long history bilong olketa long west Europe.” Why nao wei wea disfala heathen king kamap Catholic hem important tumas? Hem important from Clovis hem chusim Catholic winim religion bilong Arius.

Raoa Abaotem Arius

Long samting olsem 320 C.E., Arius, wanfala priest long Alexandria, Egypt, start for teachim olketa barava difren idea abaotem Trinity. Arius hem sei, Son no sem samting olsem Father. Son kanduit for God or semsem witim Father, from hem garem start. (Colossians 1:15) And Arius biliv hao holy spirit hem wanfala person bat hem no semsem witim Father and Son. Disfala teaching, wea planti pipol laekem, hem mekem bigfala raoa kamap insaed church. Long 325 C.E., long Council bilong Nicea, olketa raosem Arius and tok againstim teaching bilong hem.a

Nomata olsem, diswan no finisim datfala raoa. Disfala wei for raoa abaotem teaching hem go ahed for samting olsem 60 year, and each emperor wea kamap teksaed witim wanfala long olketa sekson hia. Gogo, long 392 C.E., Emperor Theodosius I hem mekem orthodox Catholic religion wea teachim Trinity for kamap religion bilong Rul bilong Rome. Long datfala taem tu wanfala German bishop, Ulfilas, tanem olketa Goth for joinim religion bilong Arius. Olketa nara tribe bilong Germany kwiktaem followim datfala kaen “Christian religion.”b

Kasem taem Clovis start for rul, Catholic Church long Gaul hem insaed bigfala problem. Olketa Visigoth wea followim Arius trae for stopem Catholic religion taem olketa no letem eniwan for changem olketa bishop wea dae. And tu, long datfala taem, bikos tufala pope stap, church divaed long tufala sekson, and olketa priest bilong tufala sekson hia go ahed for killim each other long Rome. Nara samting wea join insaed disfala wei for konfius hem wei wea samfala Catholic man for raet sei world bae end long 500 C.E. So dastawe, taem disfala man for win bilong olketa Frank hem kamap wanfala Catholic, olketa tingim diswan olsem wanfala gud saen wea markem start bilong “niu millennium bilong olketa saint.”

Bat wanem nao muvim Clovis for duim diswan? Maet hem tru hao wei for biliv long disfala religion muvim hem, bat for sure hem garem tingting for kasem moa samting saed long politik. From hem chusim Catholic religion, Clovis kasem saport bilong olketa pipol wea haf Gaul haf Rome wea big haf olketa Catholic and hem kasem saport tu from olketa bigman long church wea garem paoa. Diswan mekem hem garem wanfala position wea moabeta winim olketa narawan wea againstim hem saed long politik. The New Encyclopædia Britannica hem sei hao “wei wea hem win ovarem Gaul hem mekem pipol kamap free from hevi wea olketa wea followim Arius wea againstim church putim long olketa.”

Clovis Hem Really Wanem Kaen Man?

Taem hem klosap kasem taem for datfala celebration long 1996, archbishop bilong Reims, Gérard Defois, hem sei Clovis “hem gudfala example long wei for change for kamap Catholic wea showimaot wei for plan gud and gudfala tingting.” Bat, Ernest Lavisse, man bilong France for raetem history hem sei olsem: “Wei wea Clovis kamap Catholic hem nating changem fasin bilong hem, kaenfala and peaceful fasin wea stap insaed gospel hem no affectim hem.” Nara man for raetem history hem sei: “Winim wei for prea long Odin [wanfala god bilong Norse], hem prea long Christ bat fasin bilong hem stap semsem olsem bifor.” Olsem samting Constantine duim bihaen hem kamap Christian, Clovis, for strongim rul bilong hem, go killim dae evriwan wea bae savve tekovarem wei wea hem rul. Hem killim dae “evri relative bilong hem nomata olketa no klos relative.”

Bihaen Clovis hem dae, pipol start for talem olketa mekap story abaotem hem, wea gogo hem mekem hem change from wanfala raf man for faet go long wanfala gudfala saint. Insaed story wea Gregory bilong Tours hem raetem klosap wan handred year bihaen, luk olsem hem trae markem clovis witim Constantine, datfala first Roman emperor wea acceptim “Christian religion.” And wei wea hem sei Clovis hem 30 year taem hem baptaes, hem luk olsem Gregory laek for markem hem witim Christ.—Luke 3:23.

Hincmar, bishop bilong Reims go ahed witim diskaen wea for mekem story olsem long mek-naen century. Long datfala taem olketa bishop laekem for staka pipol for kam prea long cathedral bilong olketa, so for mekem staka savve long church bilong hem and mekem hem kasem moa selen hem raetem laef story bilong “Saint” Remigius, bishop wea firstaem long hem. Insaed story bilong hem, wanfala white kurukuru tekem kam wanfala botol oil for anointim Clovis taem hem baptaes—hem klia tumas hao diswan hem olsem story bilong Jesus taem hem kasem anointing from holy spirit. (Matthew 3:16) So from diswan, Hincmar joinim tugeta Clovis, Reims, and wei for rul olsem king and strongim idea hao Clovis hem anointed wan bilong Lord.c

Wanfala Celebration wea Raoa Insaed

President bilong France bifor, Charles de Gaulle sei: “Long tingting bilong mi, history bilong France hem start long Clovis, king wea tribe bilong olketa Frank chusim, wea from olketa nao iumi kasem nem bilong France.” Bat no evriwan ting olsem. Celebration bilong mek-1,500 anniversary bilong baptism bilong Clovis hem mekem raoa kamap. Long datfala nation Church and Gavman bin separate start kam long 1905, so planti tok againstim wei wea Gavman join insaed disfala samting wea olketa tingim olsem lotu celebration. Taem taon council bilong Reims talemaot plan for givim selen for peim stage for iusim long taem pope visit kam, wanfala sekson tekem diswan go long kot and win from olketa sei hem no followim constitution bilong kantri. Samfala narawan ting church hem trae for kasem bak paoa for markem fasin and rul ovarem France. Nara samting tu wea mekem problem for disfala celebration hem wei wea wanfala sekson wea olketa kolem National Front and tu samfala sekson wea barava biliv strong long Catholic, olketa iusim Clovis olsem man wea stand for olketa.

Samfala narawan tok againstim datfala celebration from saed bilong history. Olketa sei baptism bilong Clovis no mekem full France kamap Catholic, from disfala religion hem strong finis midolwan pipol bilong France and Rome. And, olketa sei tu hao baptism bilong hem nating markem taem wea France hem kamap wanfala nation. Olketa ting hao hem moa stret for sei France hem kamap wanfala nation long taem wea kingdom bilong Charlemagne hem divaed long 843 C.E., diswan mekem Charles the Bald nao first king bilong France and no Clovis.

1,500 Year Bilong Catholic Religion

Waswe, Catholic religion long France still go ahed strong distaem bihaen 1,500 year olsem “first dota bilong Church”? Go kasem 1938, France nao garem bigfala namba bilong olketa Catholic wea baptaes winim eni nara kantri long world. Distaem hem mek-six, bihaen long olketa kantri olsem Philippines and United States. And nomata 45 million Catholic stap long France, only 6 million savve go service. Wanfala survey wea olketa duim midolwan olketa Catholic bilong France no longtaem go nomoa showimaot hao 65 percent “no followim olketa teaching bilong church saed long sex,” and long 5 percent Jesus hem “no important.” Kaen tingting olsem mekem pope ask taem hem visitim France long 1980: “France, wanem nao iufala duim saed long promis bilong iufala taem iufala baptaes?”

[Olketa Footnote]

[Map long page 27]

(For formatted text, lukim pablikeson)

SAXONS

Rhine River

Somme River

Soissons

Reims

Paris

GAUL

Loire River

Vouillé

Poitiers

PYRENEES

VISIGOTHS

Rome

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Baptism bilong Clovis insaed wanfala manuscript bilong mek-14 century

[Credit Line]

© Cliché Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

[Piksa long page 28]

Karving bilong baptism bilong Clovis (man long midol) aotsaed long Cathedral bilong Reims, long France

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Taem John Paul II visit go long France for celebratem baptism bilong Clovis hem mekem raoa kamap