Living and dead branches

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit"
John 15:1-2

On 3rd 6th centuries AD the vine of Christ grew Arian branches among Goths and Vandals. 

• One branch, the church of the Ostrogoths, flourished in their kingdom in Italy and bordering areas.
• One branch, the church of the Visigoths, flourished in their kingdom in Spain and bordering areas.
• Third branch, the church of the Vandals, flourished in their kingdom in North-Africa and Carthage.

But not all of these branches beard good fruit.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."
Matthew 7:15-20

Patiently He took care of these branches in the Tree of the Kingdom for more than two hundred years. Asked from Father more time - perhaps next year they will bring good fruits!

But the end was swift for two of the branches:

Byzantine general Belisarius (500-565) finished off the Vandal Kingdom and dispersed and beaten they disappear with their church. Vandalic War was harsh and swift and took place near Carthage in 533-534.

Belisarius finished off the Ostrogoth Kingdom and they dispersed to Austria and disappear with their church. Gothic War took longer 535-554.

Only the Visigoths survived as their branch was pruned from Arianism in the Third Council of Toledo (589).

Goths and Vandals sacking Rome
There is a big difference in the two attacks on the city of Rome by

• Christian king Alaric leading the Visigoths in 410 staying in the city for three days.(ref)
• Christian king Genseric leading the Vandals in 455 and vandalizing the city for two weeks. (ref)

King of the Nations
Was this cutting down of the kingdoms and throwing the branches into the fire justified decision from Rex Regum?

The fruit of the Vandal church was particularly bitter as they persecuted Trinitarian Christians, occupied Sicily and Corsica and sacked Rome in 455 AD in a manner that history still remembers with trembling.

The fruit of the Ostrogoth church is beautiful and is witnessed by the Silver Bible carefully stored in Uppsala, Sweden, and also the art and architecture of Theodoric the Great. But Italy was not going to become a centre of Arian Christianity - and did not, as we know very well today. Catholic faith is very closely associated with this country, to say the least.

Visigoths became Trinitarian and mingled with the Roman-Iberian population of Spain.


Enemy in action
With the false prophet Arius in decline the Enemy of Christ did not remain quiet. Another prophet, much more powerful, had already been born in Arabian peninsula.

If Arius emphasized that Son is born from Father, later and smaller, this rising prophet of Islam claimed in a much more radical manner that God has no son.

Arians are gone from the vine of Christ.

Recenty, the number of Sunni Muslims has passed the number of Catholic Christians among the human beings living on this Earth.