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What were the earliest written records of Germanic languages?

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Thematic map of Europe displaying the distribution of Germanic languages, with different colors indicating regions where English, German, Netherlandic (Dutch), Frisian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese are spoken. Striped areas mark regions where bilingualism is common, and language regions cover countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and parts of surrounding countries. — West Germanic languages Distribution of the Germanic languages in Europe.

The earliest historical evidence for Germanic languages consists of isolated words and names recorded by Latin authors beginning in the 1st century BCE.1

Following these early references, the first significant written records include:

Runic Inscriptions: Starting from approximately 200 CE, there are inscriptions carved in the 24-letter runic alphabet, also known as the futhark. These inscriptions, which served dedicatory, commemorative, or magical purposes, have been found across a wide geographic area ranging from France and Germany to Scandinavia and beyond.123
The Gothic Bible: The earliest extensive Germanic text is the Gothic Bible, translated around 350 CE by the Visigothic bishop Ulfilas. This work was written in a 27-letter alphabet specifically designed by the translator.1

While these records provide insight into early Germanic, no written evidence exists for the parent language, Proto-Germanic. Scholars instead reconstruct its structure through the comparative method, analyzing later developments across the various Germanic branches.1