The Coming of Christianity to

Britain in Anglo-Saxon Times

 The Anglo-Saxon Religion
• Primitive Germanic religion related to superstition.
• Helped missionaries to exert an influence over the Anglo-Saxons.
• The Germanic worship of Odin and Thor was a warrior’s religion:
a lay-man’s religion.
• It involved no fear of death.
• Fellowship among the heroes and the gods in defeat as well as in
victory in battle.
• The gods were also in the hands of Fate.
• The Germanic vision of the end of the world, “twilight of the
gods” is not unlike the Christian apocalypse.
• These factors helped missionaries to convince the Anglo-Saxons.
 Religious Tolerance
• The Germanic religion has been described as
being more of an expression of racial
character than a belief in outside forces which
governed their lives and, perhaps because of
this, they were tolerant of other beliefs, a fact
that not only made conversion easier, but
which meant that there were no Christian
martyrs during this period.
• Absence of organised priesthood among the AngloSaxons.
• The Christian hierarchy and organised world-view was an
advantage; also Christian dogma regarding how to get into
heaven and stay out of hell imposed itself over superstition
about the afterlife.
• The Anglo-Saxons were converted 400 years before the
Vikings due to missionaries who came both from the north
and the south. Curiously, the conversion had nothing to do
with the Welsh Christians who had no contact with the
Anglo-Saxons and continued to feud with them.
Importance of Conversion for Literature
• Codices compiled in 19th and 11th centuries handed down to us because
of the desire to preserve these works from the past.
• A scholarly tradition in the monasteries.
• That these manuscripts were copied at this time is why both Christian
and pagan elements co-exist in the poems.
• The general framework belongs to old traditional stories with the verse
forms of charms and spells and memory verses, designed to preserve
the collective memory of the community, tribal genealogies and gnomic
wisdom.
• Both the anonymous poets of this oral tradition and those monks and
scholars who wrote down and later copied the texts were Christians.
This is why the conversion of Britain to Christianity after the Anglo-
Saxon invasions is so important.
Conversion from the North: the Celtic Church

• St. Patrick: a Romanised Briton, probably from Strathclyde;

hemce a Christian.
• Christianity first appeared in Britain during the Roman
occupation.
• This suggests the indirect influence of Welsh Christianity in
the conversion of Britain.
• Following Patrick’s conversion of Ireland, Christianity was
taken from there to Britain.
• The most important missionaries in this task were Patrick
(Ireland), Columba (Scotland) and Aidan (Scotland and the
North of England).
• Patrick converted Ireland between 432 and 461. A Romanised Briton, he
had a Roman name and thought of himself as a citizen of Rome.
• Studied in Gaul; thought of the Bishop of Rome an important authority in
the Church; did not believe his law was infallible.
• When Scots invaded parts of Southern Britain at the start of the 5th
century, Patrick was taken prisoner and taken to Ireland (remember, the
Scotti were originally from there). Escaped then returned.
• Patrick’s intention was that Ireland should become part of Roman
civilisation.
• He introduced Latin into the country, but this coincided with the
withdrawal of the Romans from Britain.
• After his death, no more Roman influence; Christianity developed
independently.
• Anglo-Saxon invasions meant Britain and Ireland were cut off from
Mediterranean influence.
• Ireland would not be invaded until the Vikings in the 9th century: Irish art,
culture, literature and Christianity were able to develop, particularly in
monasteries.
• Monastic religion; each monastery connected to a tribe. No connection with the rest of
the Christian Church. Abbot of each monastery was the ultimate superior. Monks usually
hermits living in huts collected together in a fortified village: scholars, artists, missionaries
and even warriors. Many early saints from these Irish monasteries and Scottish and
Northumbrian derivatives. The monks revived knowledge of classical secular texts, studied
Latin grammar and poetry, copied and illuminated manuscripts.
• Christian conversion spread from Ireland to Britain with Columba: a warrior, statesman
and sometimes missionary and hermit.
• 563: He landed in Iona an Island on the West coast of Scotland; a Church and monastery
were built. From there missionaries began to convert northern Britain.
• Scotland divided between Saxons and Celts; Lothian formed part of Northumbria.
• Picts were further to the north. Columba gained influence over fellow Scots at Dalriada
(Scottish west coast) and the Picts in the North.
• The Britons of Strathclyde took longer to be converted. At first, Northumbria was divided
between paganism and the Christian influence (this was to come more strongly, later,
from the south).
Illuminated manuscripts
 Conversion from the South: the Roman
Church
• Story that when Benedict I was Pope, Gregory heard of fair-skinned slaves
who were ignorant of the word of God.
• These Anglo-Saxons were later placed in monasteries when Gregory became
pope (Gregory the Great) he sent Augustine (later St. Augustine of
Canterbury) to convert the Britons to Christianity.
• His first expedition in 596 came to nothing because of his own personal
doubts.
• In 597: he returned and landed on the Isle of Thanet (Kent). Part of the
territory of King Ǽthelbert, King of Kent.
• Knew of Christianity through his Christian wife (Celtic Church), he met the
mission; allowed them to establish themselves at Canterbury to live and
preach.
• Ǽthelbert himself converted in the same year and became an important
influence.
• 601: a second mission; Augustine established
his seat at Canterbury; consecrated archbishop.
• The Roman Church expanded: another see
established at Rochester (Bishop Justus); the
King of Essex, who was Ǽthelbert’s nephew,
was also converted; Mellitus became the bishop
of the East Saxons with his see in London. Bede
tells of 3 new bishoprics in 10 years, a sign of a
successful mission but not always so easy.
• Augustine died between 604 and 609; Laurentius named as his successor as
Archbishop of Canterbury.
• On the death of Ǽthelbert in 616, the church lapsed in Kent and attempts to
baptise Rǽdwald, the king of East Anglia, were only dubiously successful.
• In the North there was greater success: a mission was sent to Northumbria
and Edwin, the king, married one of Ǽthelbert’s (Christian) daughters; he
permitted his wife and her entourage to practice the Christian religion.
• Later, Edwin himself was convinced and baptised by Paulinus.
• He then went northwards baptising the masses; many may have been Celtic
Christians.
• Edwin persuaded the new king of East Anglia, Eorþwald to be baptised, too,
although shortly after Edwin was killed at the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 632.
Paulinus and other missionaries fled back to Kent.
• The Celtic mission continued; while Edwin ruled the sons of Ǽthelfrith
(earlier king) and other Bernician nobles sought refuge among the Picts
who were already Christians (Columba).
• After the death of Edwin and a number of victories in Battle, Oswald
(one of his sons) was accepted as king of all Northumbria (Bernicia and
Deira).
• He sent for help to Iona to re-establish Christianity in his kingdom.
• Aidan led a group of monks to Lindisfarne where a monastery was
established; many more Scottish monks soon followed.
• More monasteries and churches established. The influence spread
further into Mercia; an Irishman called Diuma consecrated bishop.
• Cedd, from Northumbria, became the bishop of the East Saxons.
• Note, that the form of Christianity practiced by all these was Celtic.
• Pope Gregory had insisted to Augustine that he correct the Celtic
Christians; they tended to act independently of the Roman Church.
• Often open conflict between the two Churches; the Celtic and
Roman monks easily identified one another because of the way
they shaved their tonsure.
• The Roman Church refused to accept the independence of the
Celtic Church; which adopted different forms of worship (another
point of difference was regarding how to calculate the date of
Easter).
• The parts of England under the influence of Canterbury practiced
Roman Christianity, but the influence of Aidan in Northumbria after
Paulinus had left was great.
 The Synod of Whitby
• To resolve the conflict a Synod was held at Whitby in Northumbria (664).
• The supporters of the Celtic Church: King Oswy (Oswald’s brother), Cedd (the bishop
of the East Saxons), Hild (the Abbess of Whitby) and Colman (the Bishop of
Lindisfarne). T
• The Roman Church: Ǽlchfrith (son of Oswy), Ogilberht (bishop of the West Saxons),
James the Deacon and Wilfred of Ripon.
• Bede suggests the only point under discussion was the date of Easter;
• Wilfred is said to have placed great emphasis on the importance of following the
authority of St. Peter.
• The Roman argument was finally successful but many Celtic Christians continued to
practice their religion in their own fashion.
• The reform of the church continued throughout the 7th century by Wilfred,
Theodore of Tarsus and Benedict Biscop. The number of bishops increased, a general
assembly of the Church was held at Hertford (672), bishops were required to stay
within their diocese and monasteries were protected from the bishops’ interference.
 The Growth of Scholarship
• Canterbury was to become an importand school of Latin and Greek;
• The Celtic emphasis on learning continued in Northumbria;
• Benedict Biscop convinced Ecgfrith to build a monastery at Monkswearmouth near
Durham in 674; books and art from Rome.
• Soon followed by a similar establishment at Jarrow (685).
• The libraries were carefully kept following Benedict’s instructions. Bede studied and
wrote there.
• Later, the York school was founded: Alcuin studied there and became its master in
767.
• Alcuin went to the Frankish court and became a great influence on Charlemagne.
• The basis for the parish system was laid down;
• Anglo-Saxons and Danes provided lands for the building of churches and monasteries.
• Gradually this led to a close relationship between, royalty, nobility and the Church,
and the clergy would take charge of writing bills, charters, wills, etc. Gradually the
Church gained more and more influence in matters of State.