Christ and Goths before Wulfila - Isidorus Hispanlensis

Introduction 

Saint Isidore of Seville (Spanish: San Isidro or San Isidoro de Sevilla, Latin: Isidorus Hispalensis) (c. 560 – 4 April 636) served as Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and is considered, as the historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, "le dernier savant du monde ancien" ("the last scholar of the ancient world"). Indeed, all the later medieval history-writing of Hispania (modern Spain and Portugal) was based on his histories.
(wikipedia)

The Historia (de regibus) Gothorum, (Vandalorum et Suevorum) ("History [of the Kings] of the Goths[, Vandals and Suevi]") is a Latin history of the Goths from 265 to 624, written by Isidore of Seville. It is a condensed account and, due to its diverse sources, somewhat inconsistent. The history of the Vandals is appended after that of the Goths, followed by a separate history of the Suevi.

Isidore begins his history with a prologue, "Laus Spaniae", praising the virtues of Spain. It is here that he invents the phrase mater Spania (mother Spain). The rest of the work elaborates and defends the Gothic identity of a unified Spain. Isidore uses the Spanish era for dating throughout. The main source for his early history was Jerome's continuation of Eusebius to the year 378...
(wikipedia)

Isidore, Archbishop of Seville and Doctor of the Church, was one of the most significant figures of Visigothic Spain, exerting a tremendous influence in his own time (through his vigorous participation in the various synods of the early seventh century) as well as on education throughout the Middle Ages (through his extensive writings). His vast learning and debt to the Latin classics has led him to be considered “the last scholar of the ancient world.” One of the two main historical works of Isidore (the other being the Chronica maiora), the Historia de regibus Gothorum, Vandalorum, et Suevorum is primarily a chronologically-arranged history of the West Goths from their descent from the Alps in 256 CE, replete with praise for the land of Spain and the Gothic heritage found there. Although it is a compendium building on other accounts, the Historia itself is regarded as an authoritative history of the Goths in the West. Isidore also appends brief histories of the Vandals and Suevi to the main text on the Goths.
Online Medieval Sources Bibliography

Historia Gothorum
Gothic Arianism was, of course, a major issue for Isidor of Seville as the fierce battles between Catholic and Arian Christianity had culminated at his time in the Third Council of Toledo in 589.

Historia Gothorum does not tell us much about the conversion of the Gothic tribes. Isidor gives short paragraphs about various Roman Emperors and their relations with the Goths. The paragraph for events in the third century A.D. follows directly after the description of the time of Julius Caesar and general Pompeius. It tells in general terms how the tribes arrived from the Alps spreading to Greece, Macedonia and Asia Minor.

Valerian the Elder was emperor of Rome 253 to 260 and was taken prisoner by Sassanid Persians. He ruled together with his son, Gallienus.

4 Aera CCXCIV. Anno imperii Valeriani et Gallieni primo, Gothi, descensis montibus Alpibus, quibus inhabitabant, Graeciam, Macedoniam, Pontum, Asiam atque Illyricum vastaverunt. Ex quibus Illyricum et Macedoniam 15 ferme annis tenuerunt. Deinde a Claudio Imperatore superati sedes proprias repetunt. Romani autem Claudium Augustum pro eo quod tam fortissimam gentem a finibus reipublicae removisset, insigni gloria honorantes, in foro illi aureum clypeum, in capitolio auream statuam collocaverunt.
(Historia Gothorum 4)

Isidore of Seville writes about the period of Constantine (HG 5) and then mentions for the first time Christianity in connection with the Goths during the reign of Valentinian (364-375).

6 Aera CDVII, anno V imperii Valentis, primus Gothorum gentis administrationem suscepit Athanaricus, regnans annos XIII, qui, persecutione crudelissima adversus fidem commota, voluit se exercere contra Gothos, qui in gente sua Christiam habebantur, ex quibus plurimos, qui Idolis immolare non acquieverunt, martyres fecit; reliquos autem multis persecutionibus affectos, dum pro multitudine horreret interficere, dedit licentiam, imo magis coegit de regno suo exire, atque in Romani soli migrare provincias.

7 Aera CDXV, anno XIII imperii Valentis, Gothi in Istrum adversus semetipsos in Athanarico et Fridigerno divisi sunt, alternis sese caedibus depopulantes. Sed Athanaricus Fridigernum Valentis imperatoris suffragio superat. Hujus rei gratia legatos cum muneribus ad eumdem imperatorem mittit, et doctores propter suscipiendam Christianae fidei regulam poscit. Valens autem a veritate catholicae fidei devius, et Arianae haeresis perversitate detentus, missis haereticis sacerdotibus, Gothos persuasione nefanda sui erroris dogmati aggregavit, et in tam praeclaram gentem virus pestiferum semine pernicioso transfudit, sicque errorem quem recens credulitas ebibit, tenuit, diuque servavit.
(Historia Gothorum 6, 7)

Notes
Again - no fish from this net!

None of the three principal sources about the early history of Goths, Procopius of Caesaria, Jordanes and Isidor of Seville, provides us information about the conversion of Goths to Christianity or how they adopted Arian Christianity before the times of bishop Wulfila.