&08/1%$5 aus: I Irland und die Christenheit

Ireland and Christeudom

Bibelstudien und Mission The Bible and the Missions

Herausgegeben von Proinskas Ni Chathhin und Michael Richter

Stuttgart 1987

Accordiiig to Bede the Christianization of Sussex by Wilfrid was followed by a fine h a r ~ e c t ' ~ ~ . The story is perhaps not very reliable since Stephanus in the Vita Wil,f~.idi associatec this particular miracle with the saint's work in Fricia, while the secoiid aiid supposedly succecsful micsion to the Soutli Saxone is concerned only with preaching and royal p a t r ~ n a ~ e ' ~ ~ . Nevertheless the desire to See periods of plenty ac proof of divine approbation was not a Chrictian monopoly; according to Bruiio of Querfurt, Adalbert of Prague's oppoiients claiined that 'our lande will not bring forth produce on account of euch meu (i.e. missionaries), the ti-ees will yield no fruit, new beasts will iiot be born and the old will die"25. Against tbis backgrouiid it is easy to See why tliere was so much backsliding and why rulers like ~ e d w a l d " ~ or Dettic and ~ e o r u l f ' ~ ~ indulged in syncretism, Iiowever much the more clear-sighted Chi-istian like Bede or Boniface might object.

Despite such rigid Standards, Dark Age writers do allow the historian soine glimpse not juct of the Christian view of inission, but also of tlie pagaii responee. Tliey reveal pagaiiism not as a cosmology which has to be reconstructed from the Iater record of tlie Sagas, iior as a set of beliefs held perhaps by a smali warrior 4lite and preserved only in the icoiiography of the bracteates, but ac a set of social norms whicli appear to have been accepted by a considerable number of Gei- inanic coinmuiiities. It was this niore mundaiie pagaiiism whicli provided the context for iiiissioiiaiy activity and determined the immediate possibilities and problems.

123 I-iE IV,13. 124 Stcpltnnits, Vita Wilfiidi 26, 41-2; foi the first unsuccessful inission 13. Compare

also the catch of fich in Frisin, 26, with lHE IV,13 and M. G. Welcli, Early Anglo-Saxoii Sussex, BAR, Biitish cerics 112, Oxford 1983, p. 263.

125 Bruno. Vita Adaiberti 25. 126 I-IE 11,i5. 127 Willibald, Vita Banifatii 6.

Practical aspects o f t he conversion of tlze Anglo-Saxons

UY Michael Richtei

111 tlie process of tlie coiiversion of Europe to Christianity in the early Middle Ages, two main types enierge, forced conversioii (best exeniplified by the case of tlie continental Saxons under Cliarieii~agiie: Kni.oiiis Jcrren quodnii~iiiodo lii?gun yi.nedicnviti) and voluiitary, peacefril coiiveision, wliicli was the case witli tlie Aiiglo-Saxoiis in the seveiitli ceiitury? Eacli type of coiiversioii has its specific probleins, but tliey also Iiave features iii coiniiioil. 111 wliat follows 1 iiitend to higliliglit a iew probleins i-elaiiiig (o the coiiversioii of tlie Aiiglo-Saxoiis which Iiave not, iii iny view, received sufficieiit atteiition in the past3.

'nie greatest iiietliodological probleiii iii dealing witli coiiversioii is tliat tlie wrilteii sources are invariably by Cliristiaii writers aiid therefore tendeiitious arid in niaiiy respects outriglit proyagaiidist. Moreover, inost of tliem were written considerably later thaii tlie events tliey describe, aild thus their reiiability is iii doubt. Yet they have to be used, witli diie recognitioii of tliese substantial draw- backs.

Wiiile it is ti-ue to say tliat tiie inost detailed as well as tlie siiigle most iinportant of our sources is Bede's 'Ecclesiastical History' (Historin Eccicsinsticn Gciitis All- gloruiii)" it is not tlie earliest of oursources available. Over Llie past half ceiitury the grouiid Iias beeil prepared for iiiakiiig better use of tlie pi-e-Bedaii material, but it is not yet fully established to wliat exteiit Bede was fainiliar with tliese earlier accouiits5, aiid thus aiiy assessiiieiit of his acliieveinciits as autlior or of liis own idiosyncratic approach can at tliis stage be oiily of a preliiniiiary nature.

It Iias beeil custoiiiary in the past to deal with tlie coiiversion of the Anglo-

1 l'liis plirace occuis i i i Ercu~isad's'Tiaiislolio S. Liborii, ncwiy eciiied by Alfrcd Coliniisz (Stiidicii und Quellen zur Westl'ilisci~en Geschichte Ud. 6, i'adeubu~ii 1966) y. 51; tiic Lex1 daies frorii ilie liist iiali 01 ilie ~ i i i i i l i ceiitui-s. Fur n niorc ecccssible veision sce MGI-I SC 4, p. 151.

2 Foi. siaiidxd accouilis see K. Srlinfeidiek, ed., Kii.ciiengeschiclile als Missioiis- gescliiclile, "01. 11/1, Die I

Saxoiis to Cliristiaiiity iii tlie iiiaiii outlii~es as drawii by Bede, to deal exteiisively witli Gregory tlie Great, Augstiiie, Pauliiius, Aidaii aiid all tlie otlier persoiialities tliat figure prominently in tlie Ecclesiaslical liistory. Bede's accouiit Iias acquired aliiiost iioi-iiiative value? I iiiteiid to iiiodiiy iliis view, to ask soine questioiis tliat appear to be crucial in tlie discussioii uf tlie pheiioiiienoii of peaceful, voluiitary coiiversioii. I waiii to deal iiiaiiily wiili tlie first pliase of coiiversioii, tlie decision to abaiidoii pagaii cu!ts aiid to turn to Cliristiaiiity as tlie iiew religioii. Varioiis approaclies are takeii to bring tliis stage in tlie developiiieiit of barbarian societies iiito sliarper focus.

'I'he ineetiiig of two ciiltures, oiie pagaii, tlie otlier Cliristiaii, canie about iii all cases througli Iiiiinari coiitacts. The sliori-liaiid term noriiially used is tliat of 'inissioiiaries'. But it iiiay be advisable to clioose a iiiore neutral terni, tliat of 'ageiits of coiiversioii'. For it is appareiit tliat in tlie meetiiig of tivo ciiltures, 'professioiiai' iiiissioiiaries, i.e. people in religious orders, represeiit oiily oiie side of tlie ageiits iiecessary for successful coiiversioii, tlie side of the giver; tlie other side, tliat of tlie receiver, tlie laity, 12~as just as crucial to success. The 'professioiial' inissionaries liave received ainple atteiition; tliey were iiiostly foreigners. 'nie lay people, by coiitrast, liave been rather iieglected; they were iiaiives, aiid I waiit to argue that their coiitributioii to tlie coiiversioii of tlie Aiiglo-Caxons was of crucial iinportaiice. It inaiiifests itself i n varioos ways.

In the simplified version oi the rnajor wrilteii sources, the initiative for the conversioii of the Aiiglo-Saxoiis caine froiii Rome. Gregory, iiot yct pope, liad inet oii a Roiiiaii market haiidsoiiie youtlis ivho were to be sold as slaves. They caiiie froiii the people of tlie pagan Aiigles, aiid Gregory resolved to iiiake tliese Angles into aiigels. I-le was preveiited froni doiiig tliis work persoiially and so, about a decade Iater, as pope, lie seiit Augustiiie aiid others to do tlie job for hiiii. Tliis stoiy very probabiy Iias a liistoiical basis7. Tlie iway it is told by tlie Wiiitby Anonyinous aiid by Bede, liowever, obscures tlie iiiiportaiit poiiit tliat Gregory's iiiissioiiaries did not reacli, in his lifeliiiie, tlie Aiigles but worked priiiiarily in Keilt. Yet, Gregory was later coiiiiiieiiiorated publicly as the man wlio seiit ilie inissioiiaries to tlie Aiigles.

Augustine aiid Iiis followers iiiitially rvere diffideiit about tlieir task of 'goiiig to a barbarous, fierce and uiibelieviiig people whose language tliey did not eveii

6 A case iii poiiii is R. E. Sz~ i i i i r n i i , Tlic papacy arid iiiicsionssy aclivity ii i llic early Middle Agcs, Mcdiacvel Sludies 17 (1955). p. 46-106. Tlic clrciigtli of tliis paper is, iioiir- evci, to piacc tlic coiivcrsioii of tlie Eiiglisii iiito a widei- coiitext.

7 See M. I

u n d e r ~ t a n d ' ~ . O n Gregory's advice they took with thein, o n their way tu England, interpreters from ~ a u l ' . Tliere is reason tu believe that a change of direction Iiad taken place. While originally sent to the Angles, the missionaries now aimed at the kingdom o i Kent. The best explanation for selectiiig Frankish interpreters to overcome language barriers appears to b e that they had learned i n the meantinie about the queen of the Kentish people, Berta, w h o was of Frankish origin and, inore important, was already a Christian. She had been given to King Aethelbert (ruled 560-616'0) in inatriinoiiy oii coiiditioii tliat slie would be free to practise Christiaiiity, and she even had a bishop, Liudhard, at her court". In other words, Augustine came to a society that was not completely ignorant of Cliristianityi2. This undoubtedly helped iiiaking the niissioiiaries in Keiit welcoline, giving them the opportunity to becoiiie active. In additioii, barbarian kings clierished ideals of hospitality to strangers, including strangers o i a diiferent religious persuas io~i '~ . It can be argued that for an ultiinately successful mission tlie attitude of the Kentish royalty towards tlie missionaries from Italy was just as crucial for their success as the deterinination of tlie inissioiiaries to evangelize. We get liere a iirst view of the iniportaiice of lay people a s agents o f conversion.

There are similarities between the admissioii o i tlie missionaries to Kent i n the late sixth ceiituiy and of other missionaries to Northuinbria a generatioii later. Bede's detailed account o i tlie mission tu Northumbria reflects his better informa- tion about tlie affairs of his home country". Yet lie wrote a ceiitury after the eveiits.

8 HE i,23, p. 42. 9 ncccperant natent, pinecipiciite hcnto pnpo Gregorio, de geilte Fini,cor.tir,z iriterpr.etcs,

EIE I, 25, P. 45; Mnili-Hnrti~ig, p. 60. 10 The datcc 01 tlie rulers will subsequently be given as thocc lictcd iii E M. Powickc and

E. B. Fiyde, ed., Handbook of Biitish Chronoiogy, 2nd edition, London 1961. 11 qunnt en coiidicio,ie n pnreritii>ie Liiidhnrdo, iaviointlitn swvnte iiceiliinni hnhclrt, I-IE I, 25, p. 45.

12 Cf. lvmes Cnmpbeii, Obseivations on the conversian 01 Eiigland, Ampleforth Journal 7812 (1973), p. 12-26, Iiere 13ff.: 'Christianity ii i Eiigland belore Augustine'. Significaiitly, Bede provides no date far Acthelberl's baptisii,. Fora fullcr, if less scholurly, trenlinent, see Aniietlie Loiinas, Die Merowinger und England, Müiiclien 1974. As ilie autlior pointc oul, p.9, the inairiage bctween Aetlielbert and Berta was concluded in 56213. She also draws aitention to Bede, HE 11,s. p. 90, that Aetlielberl died 21 years after lhis baptism. According to this, Aetlielbert would have been baptized about 595, peihaps by Liridhard, but in any cvse be1oi.e the arrival af Auguctinc and Iiis lollowers. She goes fuither to suggest that tlie initiative for thc conversioi, of tlie Angles caine lroin Kent, not lram Rome. Soine 01 her arguiiieiits are, hawever, insufficiently subctantiated, arid the book ns a whole has to be used with care.

13 This imparlant phcnomenoi, is developed more fuliy by 1. N. Wood, Pagans and Holy Men, 600-800, in tliis volume.

14 Tiiere aie soine striking cimilai-ities to Bede's vet.sion, HE ii, 9-14, p. 97-115, in the accouiit 01 tlic Whitby Anoiiyiiious, B. Col~rnvc , ed., The earliest Lile of Giegory the Great. By an anonymaus moiik froiii Wliitby, Lawrencc, Kansas 1968, cliaptcrc 15, 16, which are best explained by the assumption that tiiat work was available ta Bede.

Etlielberga, nicknaiiied Tata, daugliter of Aetlielbert aiid Berta of Kent, was desired in iiiatriniony by Edwiii, kiiig of tlie Nortliuiiibrians (616-632). Tliis liappeiied in 625; in her entourage was Bishop Paiilinus. According to Bede, slie was allowed to marry Edwiii o n coiidition that Edwiii would accept tlie Cliristian faith. But tliere were iiiitial difficulties. Ethelberga niarried Edwin bcfore he was baptized, and she eveii bore Iiiin a cliild before this was to happen. Pope Boniface inade tliis poiiit, not without disapproval, in a letter to her'" aiid lie wrote aiiotlier letter (botli undated) to Edwin urging liiiii to subinit to baptisin'? According to Bede aiid the aiioiiyinous author of the Life of Gregory the GreatI7, the baptisni happened eveiitually iii 627 b y tlie liands of Paulinus. Tlius lie niust have worked there for nearly two years uiitil he was successful. 'nie iiiatter is coinplicated by a notice in the Anrinles Cniiibrine, occurring in a similar form in Nennius, that Edwin was baptized, in 626, by a certain Run filius Urbgen'! In either case, it seeins to Iiave beeil crucial for the successful work of Pauliiius tliat King Edwin was already well disposed towards Christianity by tlie time the 'professional' missioiiary arrived.

It is wortli addiiig tliat botli Aetlielbert of Kent and Edwin of Nortliuinbria were, according to Bede, breituniiins". Wliatever authority tliat title implied, this would have devolved upon the missioiiaries accepted by thein20. It inay b e added that, accordiiig to Bede, Edwin's authority was greater than that of any of tlie bret7unldns before him:

15 HE 11, 11, p. 105: So?~>tri~ri rinuique csl: 'Eriiaf dlio ia cnrrie aiin.' Qiiotiiodo ergo iuililns iiobis co>ii~

'so, like no other Eiigiisli kiiig before liiiii, he Iield iiiider liis sway tlie wliole rcaliil of Britaiii, not oiily Eiiglish kiiigdoii~s but tliose riiled ovei- by Britons as 1ue11'~'.

't'liis iiiformatioii iiiay be takeii as streiigtheniiig the case for Edwin Iiaviiig beeii baptized aiiiong tlie Britons.

Oiie fiirtlier case of nasceiit Christiaiiity in tlie ivake of a royal iiiariiage iiiay be iiientioned. I'eada (653-656), soii of l'ciida of Mercia (? 626-654). niarried Alli- fiaed, darigliter of tlie Beriiician kiiig Oswiu, proniisiiig tliat he would becoine Christiaii. His sister Cyiiebiirh iii irirn inairied Osiuiu's so11 Allih.ith'2. Tlius tliere caiiie iiito existence a double alliaiice working i i i favour of spreadiiig Cliristiaiiiiy.

'The other iiiain type of sccular agenls spreadiiig Christiaiiity presented by Bede iuere future kiiigs acceptiiig Christiaiiity before tlieir accessioii to power. The inost faiiious represeiiiative of tliese was Oswald of the Berniciaiis, later to becoine anotlier R~etrunidn, wlio liad beeil exiled in Irelaiid, received baptisiii tliere aiid, Iiaviiig gaiiied the Nortiiuiiibriaii throne, in 635 invited Aidaii, tliereby iiiitiatii~g tlie secoiid, aiid, as it ivas to turn out, lasting conversioii of the Northoiiibrians2".

We iiiove into tlie field of iiiore secular politics in Eiiglaiid, uiistable arid difficult to peiictrate as it is in the seveiitli ceiitury, arid single oui rulers as ageiits of coiiversioii witliorit kiiowing in every case who the professioiial missionaries werc.

'Tlius Cyiiegils, kiiig of tlie West Saxoiis (611-643), becaiiie fatlier-in-law aiid godsoii of Kiiig Oswald'". His soii Ceiiwalh (643-674) reveried to pagaiiisin, was driven out of liis kiiigdoiii (645-648), became a Christian at the Court of Aiiiia, kiiig of tlie East Aiigliaiis, aiid subequeiitly fostered Cliristianity in liis kingdoii~'~. Oswiu, Oswald's brother, kiiig of tlie Beriiiciaiis siiice 641 aiid of Nortliiiiiibria siiice 654, urged Sigibert, the East Saxoii kiiig (ca. 653-?), to becoiiie Christiai~'~. His brotlicr Switlielin, who succeeded liiiii at aii uiikiiown date, had becoine a Cliristian witli Aetlielwold, brotlier of Kiiig Aiiiia of the East Aiigliaiis (?-654) aciiiig as Iiis spoiisoru. Eorpuald, soii of King Redwald of tlie East Aiigles (?-6271 8), becaine a Cliristiaii at tlie iirging of Edwiii wlio acted as Ais s p o n ~ o r ~ ~ .

22 I-IEIII, 21, p 1691. 23 IHC 111, 3, p. 131 aiid Adoiiinan'c Life of Coiuiiibn, cd. A. 0. Aiidiirsor> aiid M.O.

Aiideiaoii. Ediriburrli 196J. V. 200; sce aiso IHeriiiaiiii Moisi. Tlic Beriiiciaii ioval dviiestv aiid , . , tlic Irisli i n ilie seveiitli ceiilury, I'eritia 2 (19831, p. 103-126, liei-e 105,112,115f. I t sliould be iioted ilial Oc~rald's predecescoi.c, Eaiii~.itli (632-633) and Osric (632-6331, soiis of Eilicl- iriih (59213-616), liad likewice been exiled i n Iieland snd seceived bapiism there. But they did not adliei-e to tiie iiew iaitli oncc llicy nccriincd kiiigship, ME 111, 1, p. 127.

24 liE 111, 7, p. 130. I'lie iiiiscioiiai-y vciivc tliei-c was Biriiius. 25 I-IE 111, 7, D. 140; Szilliun~i. V. 59. 26 IHE 111, 22; p. 172. 27 IIE 111, 22, p. 174. 26 I-IE 11, 15, p. 1151.

W i t l i o u t t l ie subject liaviiig beeil exliausted, i t Lias b e c o m e clear that alliances b e t w e e n aristocratic fainilies i n tlie var ious Eiiglisli k ingdo ins were o f substantial va lue i n spreading Christ ianity i n those circles. W e h a v e already seen that l i n k s stretched o u t b e y o n d Eiigland iiito Irelaiid. T h e y also ex tended to Gaul. Sigibert , subseque i i t l y ki i ig o f tlic East Aiiglians (63011-?), liad speilt several years i n Gaul and had received Chris t iani ty there2'. W e are o n l y begini i ing to grasp tlie aiiiouiit o f international Connections i n t h e political areiia o f early medieval W e s t e r n Eu- rope . T h e b e n e f i t that Clirist ianity der ived f r o m t h e s e s e e m s to have b e e n oii ly a secondary e lemei i t , preseiited fairly promiiieiitly iii o u r Cliristiaii sources.

It i n a y b e as sumed that , w h e i i o n e cuts t l i rough Bede's didactic presentatioii o f t h e convers ion o f tlie English peoples, t h e aristocracy enierges as a n agent o f Clirist iaii ization o f paraniouiit iinportaiice. T h e i r pos i t ive att i tude towards Cliris- t iani ty , b r o u g h t abou t b y a variety o f m o t i v e s and personal experieiices, paved tlie w a y fo r t h e niissioiiaries. Few o f t l iese can b e n a m e d ; tliis inay b e taken as a furtl ier indicatioii o f t h e great iinportaiice o f t l ie lay people as agents o f coiivei- sioii.

H o w iiiucli i s lost t o u s b y tlie coiiiplete abseiice o f personal records f r o m tl ie miss ionaries i n seventh-century England b e c o m e s apparent w h e i i o n e considers t l ie i n f o r m a t i o n provided b y tlie Eiiglishman Boni face o f h i s m i s s i o n a m o n g t h e Ger inans i n t h e eightl i ceiitury. A particularly pertiiieiit reiiiark o f liis is coiitaiiied i n a let ter t o Bisliop Daiiiel o f Wiiicliester:

' W i t h o u t t h e protection o f t h e prince o f t h e Franks 1 can nei ther rule tlie people o f t h e Cl iurch nor defe i id t l ie priests, clerics, i n o n k s or ieinale servaii ts o f G o d ; iior caii 1 f o rb id , w i t h o u t h i s permiss ion aiid tlie fear o f h i m , t hose rites o f t h e pagans and t h e sacrif ices t o idols i n Germany'30.

W l i i l e m o s t o f t l ie earlier professioiial miss ionaries w e r e foreigners, i n as far a s t h e y caii b e i d e n t i f i e d , there is oiie inajor exceptioii . T h i s i s Bisliop W i l f r i d w h o , at several Stages i n h i s turbulent career, acted as miss ionary . Here w e are o n l y coiiceriied w i t h h i s activity aniong tlie S o u t h Saxons . According to Bede3', t h e royal f a m i l y o f t h e Soutli Saxons w a s already Clirist ian at that t i m e wlii le t h e geiieral populat ion w a s still pagan. Bede reports that Aetl ielwealh (?--68015) liad accepted b a p t i s m o n t h e advice o f King W u l f h e r e o f t h e Mercians (657-674) w h o also adop ted h i m as h i s spiritual son; h i s w i f e Eoba had received baptisiii i n her l i o m e coui i t ry , t l ie land o f tlie I lwicce. T h u s t h e circuinstaiices for W i l f r i d as

29 H E 11, 15, p. 116. Poi t l~ i c and athei. Frankish contributions to nasceiit Cliristianity i i i England see ilow Friedrich Priliz, Zum fränkischen und irischen Anteil an der Bekehrung der Angelsacliseii, Zeitschrift für Kischeiigecchichtc 95 (1984). p. 315-336.

30 C. Bonifatii et Lul!i ewictolac, ed. M. Tntial. MG13 Eww. se1. 1,1916, no. 63, W . 130: Siiie . . pntrociiiio prilicipis Finiicori,iii i iec popinynnors,vi ritiis et ~ocrilqin idoioiioii iii Ger,ito~iin si,>r iilizis i,inridntoet fitiioh proi>i!,eie ~ n i r o

31 I-IE IV, 13, p. 230f.

iiiissionary aiiioiig tlie Soutli Saxoiis were favourable. It is to be iioted, however, that this iiiforiiiatioii of Bede's does iioi agree witli tlie accouiit of Stepliaiiiis, Wilfrid's biograplier"".ccordiiig to Iiiiii, Aetlielwald and 11;s queeii were appar- ently taught Cliristiaiiity by WiIfrip3.

Horci succcssfirl were t l ~ e i~zissioi~nries in tiieir zuol.ki

The didactic intentioii of Bede's Ecclesiastical History, like tliat of inany otlier Cliristiaii writers of tlie early Middle Ages, obvioosiy overplays the success that uiidoubtedly did occur. His reiiiark tliat tlie rcgiial years of apostate kiiigs sliorild be obliterated froin the aniialc"%aises sotiie doubts as to tlie overall reliability of his work. There are, Iiowever, poiiiters to tlie success of Christianity in sevcnth- ceiitury Eiiglaiid, soine direct, otliers iiiore indirect.

One of the iiidicators to tlie success of the iiew religion coiiies from tlie iiiforii~a- tioii about tlie treatinent of pagaiiisiii. Cliristiaiiity regards itself as an exclusive religion; it does iiot tolerate, officially at aiiy rate, otlier religions beside it. But this attitude caii oiily be iinpleiiientcd oiice Cliristiaiis are in a position to dictate tlie rules of society. Aiiiong people that were to be coiiverted, tliis was obviously iinpossible.

The kiiigdoni of Keiit was the first of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoins to go Chris- tiaii, uiider king Aetlielbert. After liis deatli in 616 liis son Eadbald re-introduced tlie pagaii cults but Iie in turii, after a few years, forbade all pagaiiisin in liis kiiigdoiii aiid also forbade illegitiiiiate iriarriages"1t emerges frotn Bede's Eccle- siastical History tliat this ineasure was iiot a coniplete success. For oii tlie acces- sioii of liis son Earconbert iti 640 it was still iiecessary to suppress pagaii cults. Accordiiig to Bede, Earcoiibert was tlie first king to decree the destructioii of pagan idols tlirougliout liis realiii, to demaiid tlie observaiice of tlie Lenten fast

32 1 rice lliis inaiiic ioi ilie autlior iiistead of tlic usual 'Eddiuc Sleplianus', followiiig D. I'. Kiil i !,, Bede, Eddiiis Stcpliniius aiid tlie 'Life of M'ilfi-id', Eliil 98 (1983), p. 101-114 wlio siiggesls lhni Stepliarius i.as iioi ideiiiical i \ r i i i i Aeddi, a coilipanion oi Wilfrid's siiicc 669 (I-IE 1 \ i 2, p. 205). 1 do iiat acccpi n l l llic otlici. poiiils propoced i i i llint article, bul cieariy a iiecli aiiaiysis of tlie Liic uf Wiliiid is iiow iiccded.

33 Viln Wiliridi I episcopi Ebornccticis nnclore Stepliaiio, MG14 CS Irel.. Meiov. 6, cli. 41, p. 234: Snricti is vcro koi,~o D c i . . . pr i r i iu i i , r ~ g i ct ~.e~yi,>ne rierbai,, D e i et r .e~ , i i eit is bcn l i tad i i i r i i i c t , i i n g ~ i t ~ i d i i i c i i i Ie i i i t c i stindcirs, qunsi lnc s i i ic do ln dedisset, p inedicnrc coepi t ; d r i i i d e posten itisi< rcgis, Deo coriccd?iite, ct ex l lo r to t io? i t sni jc l i poi i l i f ic is ,iostl.i j iei ites, qaibi is ni,te pi-oedicoti i i i i rzori ernt, e l i i io,i ijiriim vcrbit~ii D e i n i id ie rsn t , corigregntne s i i l i t . Ac can be seeii, Sleplianus does iiot say rxplicitly tlrvt tlie royal couplc was still pagaii wReii Wilfrid nsr.ived, but it sceois La bc iinpiied in his accoiiiil. D. P. Kirb!,, Tlie Cliuscli i i i Sussex, iii: Peter i i r n ~ i d o l t , ed., Tlie Sootli Saxonc, Cliichestes 1978, p. 160-173, makes a goad cace far doubi- ing lliai Sussen was cainpletely uiitouclied by Chiistiaiiity oii Wilfiid's an-ivul, see cspeciaily p. 169.

34 IHL 111, 1, p. 128; 111, 9, p. 145. 35 IHE 11, 7, p. 93.

aiid to threateii due piiiiishiueiit for tlie transgressioii of that order". Tliis is yet aiiotlier indicator of tlie iiiiportance of lay peoplc for tlie establisliinent of Cliris- tiaiiity.

'The dcstr~ictioii of paguii idols Ibras a radical mcasiire tliat went well beyoiid what Pope Gregory I, half a century earlier, liad eiivisaged. It is true tliat tlie pope had adiiionished Aetlielbert of Keilt, in a letter in 601, to sliuii pagaii cults arid buildings aiid to bring Cliristiaiiity to liis siibjects 'by exliortiiig tliein, terrifying, enticing aiid correctiiig tlieiii, and by sliowing tlieni exainples of good works'", but sucli radical papal plans foi coiiversioii sooii gave way to a different approacli by wliich tlie niissionarics were advised to use tlie sites of tlie pagan religioii, re-dedicated to Christianity. As Gregory wrote to Abbot Mellitus:

'It is doubtless iiiipossible to cut out everythiiig at oiice froin their stub- born niiiids: just as the inan wlio is atteiiipting to cliiiib to tlie liigliest place, rises step by step aiid degrees aiid iiot by leaps"'.

Tliis was tlie last utteraiice of Pope Gregory oii ilie Eiiglish iiiissioii. Tlius we See a policy wliereby Cliristiaiiity would edge its way gradually iiito

tlie pagan socicty, takiiig iioie tliat tlie previous ciilts were well establislied. lt has beeil suggested tliat tlic lctter of Pope Gregory to Aetlielbert coiicerniiig tlie treat- inent of pagaiiisin reaclied Bede at a late stage for iiiclusion in liis Ecclesiastical EIistory3%aiid tliat its inessage, lundaiiieiital as it was, was iiot fully applied by Uede in liis work. Perliaps lie did not agree witli tlie iiew strategy, despite the liigli regard lie liad for Grcgory thc Great. A leiiieiii attitude towards tlie old aiid the iiew religion siiiiultaiieoiisly is attested in East Aiiglia well iiito the secoiid half of the seveiith ceiitury. As Bede reports, Redwald aiid liis successors worsliipped God aiid the idols in the sarne bi~ildiiig"~. In tliis, the East Aiigliaii kings went well beyond wliat Pope Gregory liad envisaged.

Like inost otlier early Christian authors, Bede does not write mucli about pagaii- ism itself. We hear tliat Kiiig Sigibert of the East Saxoiis, so,? of Cigihert the Short, was, in 653, persuaded by Kiiig Oswy of Nortliun~bria tliat inaii-made idols could not possibly be gods", that God, iiistead, was iiivisible, iiiaker of Heaveii and

36 lHE 111, 8, p. 142. I1 inosi be noted tliai t l ie lawc of IIie Aiiglo-Sauoii kings Imin llic seveiith crixlory du iiol ieiei- 10 puganisni OS its suppressioii. Sec also below~, p. 371. Tor Gaul cer the vreceDt of King Childeberi l(511-558). MGH 1.L Cuvii. I, P. 2-3; i. M. Wn//nc?-

.. . - 38 Nni,, dt i r is r i ie i i l ibes siizii i i o i i i i i in nbiciiid

Eartli and Man wlio would eternally reward those who followed Iiis precepts in tliis 1ife"Persuasion of tliis kind was, in practical terins, niore proniising tliaii conversion by foreigners.

Beyoiid the gradual pliasing out of pagaiiism, there are otlier indicatioiis of the success of the Christian religion. Kiiigs scttiiig out on pilgrimage to Roine attest the full acceptaiice of Cliristian ideal^'^. Otlier iiidications of success are tliat ii~iiis, of noble birth, coiisidered joiiiing religious corninuiiities in Gaul. According to Bede, tliey decided to da tliis because not enough nunneries were available in England at that t imeaThis is evidence of an insufficieiit iiifrastructure for the iiewly established religion in England, evide~ice that deinaiid outstriyped supyly, but it caii also be takeii as positive testiiiioiiy to the success of Cliristianity ainoiig this social group, showing that iiidividuals were williiig to abaiidoii their accus- toined environineiit for tlie sake of their vocation.

We do not kiiow enciugli about tlie status of tlie pagaii pricsts in seveiitli- century Eiiglaiid. But we get the impressioii tliat their Cliristiaii siiccessors were soon regarded as such important persons tliat kings tliought it desirable to com- municate with them directly, without language barriers. This can be taken as yet aiiother indicatioii of the success of Christiaiiity. Egbert of Kent (664-673) wanted aii Anglo-Saxon, Wighard, as arclibisliop:

'Egbert was eager to liave Iiim consecrated in Rome as his bishop, reck- oning that, if iie had a bishop of his own race and language, he and his people would be able to enter all tlie inore deeply into the teacliings and mysteries of their faith, siiice tliey would receive theiii at the haiids of someone of their own kin and blood and hear thein not througli an interpreter, but in their own native t ~ i i ~ u e " ~ .

Coinwald, king of the West Saxons, disinissed the Frailkish bisliop Agilbert4":

'At last the kiiig, wlio knew only tlie Saxoii laiiguage, grew tired of his barbarous speech aiid foisted upon tlie kingdoin a bislioy named Wine wlio had also been consecrated in Gaul who spoke the king's owii toiigue'".

42 HE 111,22, p. 172. I do not think tl int oiie can trust Bcde'c accorint ofwhut was caid on those occasionc about tlie Christian faitli but rnerrly wich to emphvsize tiieact of percuscioii itself.

43 Cf. HE V, 7, p. 294; cee also W I. Moore, 'The Saxon pilgrirns to Roine and the Ccliola Saxoliuin, Friboui'gli 1937, p. 71ff.

44 HE 111, 8, p. 142. This incidence ic not inentioned by I1ri,ir, as above note 29. 45 Bede's Lives of the Abbuls, cii. 3, iii: Tlic Age oi Bede, translntion by J. E Web!,,

I-larniondsiuorth 1983, p. 187. The Latin tcxt is iii Plirr,iriiet., p. 366; and see I-IE 111,19, p. 196. 46 On him See Pritir (as nbove note 29), p. 327; Mnyr-Ilnr.ti,ig, p. 131. 47 rex, qai Snxo,tizjii tn>itio„ lirigrin,!i aovernt, prrtncsiis bnrbnrne loqi

Although Agilberl Iiad worked for many years aiiioiig the Wes1 Saxoiis, lie apparently had iiot been able to become flueiit in tlie laiiguage of Iiis eiiiployer"H.

Fiiially, tliere is tlie evidence froiii tlie Anglo-Saxon lauf-codes of tlie seveiitli century. Wliile tlie code of Aethelbert of Keiit, of ca. 602, proclaiiiis in a geiieral way the protcciioii of tlie property of God aiid tlie C l i ~ r c l i ' ~ , that of Wilitred of Keiit, ca. 695, contaiiis various matters pertaiiiii;g to Cliristiaiiity. Perliaps most interestiiig is tlie chapter that states: 'Tlie word of the bishop aiid tlie king witlioui an oath is to he i~icoiitrovertible'~". Tlie only Eiiglisli law-code of tlie period froiii outside Keiit is tliat of Ine of Wessex, dated 10 688-694. In its prologue, tlie king styles hiiiiself 'by the grace of God king of the West Saxons' aiid cuntinues tliat tlie law code was compiled after 'iiiquiriiig aborit tlie salvatioii of our souls arid about the security of our kiiigdoni"'.

Tliere is good evideiice froiii inaiiy areas in early inedieval Eiiropc ihat kiiigs favoured Cliristianity because tliis religioii couid be used to eiiliancc tlie royal positioii.

lHo7u zons c o ~ ~ v e r s i o i i ncliieved?

This is for our purpose tlie iiiost iiiiportant questioii; niifortiiiiately, it is also tlie inost eliisive one. I'reacliiiig, ilie spreadiiig of thc word oi God, is iiientioned by Uede very frequeiitly iiideed; ovcrall, Ucde's refereiices to preacliiiig Iinveall the ap- pearancc of stereotype, iio douht becausc he was so fai renioved fi-oiii the period of first conversioii. Wliai was preaclied, how people were persuaded to abaiidon their old beliek aiid turii to Cliristiaiiity, is geiierally not recorded. Tlie matter is made yei iiiore eiiiginatic if onc takes iiito accouiit that tlie iiiissioiiaries were, as a rule, fureigners wlio did not iiiaster the laiiguage of their new fiock easilya".

I'erhaps closest to wlial inay have Iiappened is an accoiiiit by thc Whiiby Aiionyiiious about Pauliriiis preocliiiig to Edwiii aiid liis Court:

'Now Edwin's godfather at iiis baptisiii was tlie revereiid bisliop I'aiili- nus, one of those whoin, as we have said, Gregory sent to us. He is said, oii a certain Sunday I believe it was, to liave giveii very proinptly a sigii of tlie God-given wisdoiii. King Edwin was hurryiiig to tlie cliurcli to receive iiisiri~ctioii, surroiiiided by a crowd of those wlio were still boiiiid iiot oiily to heatlienisiii bitt also to iiiilawfi~l wives; tliey had left

46 Philologists Iiavc inioiincd i i i e tliat ilie Frankicli languagc \ivould IiaVe beeii iiiider- ctoud witlloiii diificulties by Aiigio-Sirxoiis i n the scvciith cn>trii),. T1ieiefoi.c i t is yossible timt Agilbesl, despilc his Gcniiaiiic iiame, was a maii of Raiiiance speecli. I Iiave suggestcd lliis, oii bi-onder evidcnce, in : Zuin Doliiietsclieriz~eseii in, früliercii Milleiallei. (vor 1200), lorthcoii,iiig.

49 D. Whifrlock, cd., Eiigiisli 1-lisioiicnl l'>ocuiiienis, vol. I, 2nd ~ d . , Oxlord 1979, p. 391. 50 Ei~glisli Hictorical Doco>,ieiits, "01. I, p. 397. 5'1 Ibid., p. 399. 52 Sce below, p. 375.

tlie hall where tliey had been exliorted to put tliese matters right when a crow Set up a hoarse croaking froiii an iiiipropitious quarter of the sky. Tliereupon the wliole of the royal coiiipany, who were still in the public square, heard the bird and turned towards it, halting in ainazeinent as if tliey believed that the 'new song' in the church was not to be 'praise uiito our God', but soniething false and useless. Then, while God looked down from his heaven and guidrd everything, tlie reverend bishop said to one of liis youths, 'Shoot the bird down quickly witli an arrow'. Tliis was speedily doiie and theii the bishop told him that the arrow froiii tlie bird was to be kept uiitil the iiistructioii of llie catechumens was iinislied and then brouglit into tlieliall. Tlieii when they were all gathered togetlier tliere, he gave tlie people of God who were recent converts arid still uninstructed, a very good reason for this event; he assured theiii that tliey ouglit to learii froni so clear a sign that the aiicient evil called idolatry was in all respects useless; 'for', lie said, 'if that senseless bird was unable to avoid death, still less could it foretell the future to nieii wlio liave beeii reborii and baptized into the image of God, who 'liave domiiiioii over the fish of the sea aiid over the fowl of the earth'; yet these foretcllers boast tliat tliey understand tlie ways of birds by their own native cunning und so deceive the foolisli, as God's permissive will a l l o ~ s ' ' ~ .

The demoiistration that idols were useless and could be destroyed without danger was a prominent objective of tlie early missioiiaries in Anglo-Saxoii Eiigland and elsewhere. It is in facl giveii iiiore proniiiieiice in the sources thaii the positive teachiiig of Cliristianity5'. Tlie episode concerning Pauliiius's work in Nortlium- bria which we have just quoted is not meiitioiied by Bede95. In liis owii detailed account of the coiiversioii of Edwin lie meiitions, however, that tlie king wished to be instructed before accepting b a p t i ~ i n ~ ~ . Having been accepted as missionary, Paulinus iiistructed and baptized for 36 days at the royal palace of Yeaveriiigi7.

More specific is the accouiit of tlie activity of Wilfrid ainong the South Saxons:

'The lioly inan. . . began geiitly to persuade tlie kiiig aiid queen to accept tlie word of God, preacliiiig to tlieiii tlie greatness and blessedness of God's kiiigdoiir, giviiig thein, as ii were, milk witliout guiie. Next, witli diviiie periiiissioii aiid royal consent and at Wilfrid's exliortation, the people wlio iiever before had liad tlie Gospel preaclied to thein, were gatliered togetlier. Our lioly bisliop slaiidiiig in the iiiidst o i tlie pagans

53 Whitby Ariuiiymous (as abovc note 14), cli. 15, p. 97ff. 54 R. E. Sailiunri, Tlie Caioliiigiai, iiiissionary ai,d tlie pagaii, Specuium 28 (1953),

D. 705-740. heie 716ff. ' 55 It islikcly that Uede was familiar with thc Whitby Lire 56 HE Il,9, p. 100. 57 liE 11, 14, p. 114f.

exclaimed in the iiianner of oiir Lord Jesus Christ aiid liis foreruniier St lohn tlie Baptist: 'Do penaiice for the kingdoiii of God is at haiid and be baptized cvery one of you in the name of God tlie Father and of tlie Son and of the Holy Glioet.' For inaiiy montlis he preaclied to thein at great length aiid witli n~arvellous eloquence oii tlie wondrous doiiigs of tlie Lord in tlie face of idolatry froin the begiiining of the world. He traced tliese dealings for them in order right up to the day of jiidgement when eteriial puiiishment is prepared for the wicked aiid life everlasting for the e l e ~ t ' ~ ~ .

Wilfrid Iiad several advantages in Iiis missionary work aiiiong tlie Soutli Saxoiis. He had behind Iiim inoi-e tliaii two decades of work as a Christiaii teaclier (althougli tliis is hardly docuineiited; after oll, Iiistoriograpliy was inore coticeriied witli the spectacular aspects of liis career). He was on good terms witli the royal fainily whicli meant that he could do thorougii work over an extended period. He was a native speaker of English and thus could commuiiicate witli Iiis flock directly, beiiig able to take iiito account tlieir iiieiitality as well as tlieir previous religious beliefs. Perliaps most iinportant, liowever, was the timing of hic niissio- nary work amoiig the South Saxons. It is amazing to learn that tliey whose area bordered on Kent, had witlistood Christiaiiity for neurly a century after tlie arrival of the Ronian iiiissiotiaries. Wheii Wilfrid caiiie to the South Saxoiis, lie liad already gaiiied experieiice of Cliristiaii instruction for over two decades in varioue parts of Eiigland. From all we know of him, he liad an outgoing personality and moved easily in aristocratic and royal circles5'. If Bede was in two niinds about the worldly side of Wilfrid's lifestyle, his love of wealtli and good use of il, tliese features would be inost useful for Wilfrid in his task ac micsionary. Tliere is iio doubt about the cincerity of liis vocation.

I'erhaps one should not overestiniate tlie iinportance of preacliiiig. Besides the transcendeiital message of tlie iiew religioii, tliere were other elements that inay have attracted the Anglo-Saxons as much or even more Tliere was ritual, there were pictures", there was personal exeiiiplary behaviour. All tliat could be put to good use.

To my knowledge, Bede ineiitioiis visual aids in the process of conversion only oiice, namely wlien Augustine approached Aethelbert of Kent and his court:

58 Vita Wilfridi cli. 41, tisl used J. E Wcbb, Tlie Age of Bede, p. 148. One inust take in10 account tliut Wilfrid's Life was written sliartly aftei. Iiis death. It lias a greater claim ta aiitlienticity i n detail tlian tlie account of Pauliniis's prencliing according to tlie anonymous Life of Gregory thc Great, wi-itteii aboul thice gciieratioiis after Paulinuc'c activitiec.

59 In inuny wvys tlie best account of tliis is still that by Eric jolfii,'rlie sociiil aiid political probleiiis af tlie enrly English Cliui.cli, in: Land, Cliurch and I'eople. Essays presented to 13. P. R. Finberg, ed. Joan ?ki,rk (ßrilish Agricultuial I-iistoiy Socicty 1970), p. 39-63.

60 Cf. Giegoi-y tlie Great, Reg. IX, 209, ed. D. Nor l ie ,~ , CCSL CXLA, p. 768 [= MGII Epp. 11, p. 195 (of 599)): iiicirco eftiifi pictarn ili cccldsiis ndkibetiir, i

'Tliey caiiie . . . bearing as llieir staiidard a silver Cross aiid the image of our Lord and Saviour paiiited oii a paiiel. Tliey clianted litanies aiid uttered piayers to tlie 1.ord for tlieir owii salvatioii aiid tlie salvatioii oi tliose for wlioiii they Iiad coiiie"".

It is reinarkable that Bede sliould have mentioned tlie use of pictures once an4 oiice only. Was Iie drawiiig oii a written source for tliis episode? Tlie fact that lie did not nieiition visual aids in tlie early pliases of conversioii otlierwise iiiay be explaiiied by a possible reluctaiice on his part to advertise that pictures of Christ were inaii-made arid in tliis not very differeiit froiii tlie pagaii idols that tlie early missionaries attacked6'. The value of pictures for tlie iiistructioii of tlie laity oiice Cliristiaiiity was accepted is, in coiitrast, wcll described by Bede in liis accouiit of the paiiitings wliicli Benedict Biscop Iiad brouglit from ltaly to Northuinbria:

'Thus all wlio eiitered tlie churcli, rveii tliose wlio could not read, were able, wliichever way tliey looked, to conteiiiplatc tlie dear face of Chi-ist, aiid his saints, even if oiily iii a picture, to put tlieiiiselves inore firiiily iii niind of tlie Lord's iiicariiatioii, aiid, as tliey saw tlie decisive iiioineiit of tlie Last Judgeinent, before tlieir very eyes, be broiight to exainiiie tlieir conscieiice witli all due ~ e v e r i t y ' ~ ~ .

Tliere can be little doubt tliat the Cliurcli iiiteiided to iiiipress tlie people about to be coiiverted or Iiaviiig beeil iiewly coiiverted witligold, silver, prestigious stone buildings aiid otlier exteriial appearances. Tlius St Boniface wrote to an Eiigiisli abbess:

Reg. XI, 10, ed. Afo~.berg, p. 874: Nnii i qiiod lcgri,tiDris scr ipf l t rn, Iioc idiotis prnestnt pictrtrn corie,itibiiiit; io ide p~occil>z,r gei,fibzii civcriii pro i>exillo /eier,tes ni,prritrn?i,, ct i ~ i~og i i i r i r i Doi i i i t i i Snluntol.is i n fobziln depictnrii, liictn,iinsqac cniieiifrs pro ssn si i i i i i l i.1 eorii,ii, p io i l t c i qiios et nd q2ios uc i i r ront , snltife iiefci-iin, I-IE 1, 25, p. 451.

62 See above, p. 369. lii a lettei of uncel-taiii ai~thenlicily, Gi-egory thc Grcat elaboralcd on ihe functioii ol piclrircs to iiiake a siinilor puiiit: Scir,~iis qi i in f l i i,r,n,i.i,iesi Snli

'Aiid so 1 beg you to coiitinue tlie good work you Iiave begun by copying out for nie iii letters ofgold tlie epistles of riiy lord, St I'eter, tliat a reverencc aiid love of tlie Holy Scriptures iiiay be iiiipressed oii tlie iiiinds of the heathens to wlioiii I p~eacli '~".

We liave iio positive evideiice that tlie missionaries froin abroad leariied tlie laiiguage of the iiaiives well eiiough to preacli effectively. 'This drawback has already been mentioned witli regard to tlie Fraiik Agilbert aiiiong the West S a x o i i ~ ~ ~ . 1t was difficult for a Ronianized Fraiik to inaster the Saxoii Iaiigliage; it inust have beeii equally difficult for tlie Irisli missionaries. It is reported of Aidaii tliat Iie did not speak the Englisli tongue flueiitly". It is also reported, liowever, that Kiiig Oswald, wlio liad lived in exile iii Ireiand, acted as iiiterpreter in con- veyiiig tlie Cliristiaii inessage to Iiis nobles; Rede referred to tliis as 'a beautiful ~iglit'~'. Iii such a way preacliiiig of sorts could be doiie.

But tlie iiew religioii could also inipiess in non-verbal ways. Sucli foriii of instruction is expressed iieatly arid beautifully about Aidan: 'lie tauglit theni iio other way of life tlian tliat whicli he hiiiiself practised aiiioiig Iiis fellows'". Teach- ing by personal exainple was infectious aiid thus eveii inore effective. Kiiig Oswald appears io Iiave practised it". In such ways Irish clerics became iiiiportaiit conveyors of the Cliristiaii Inessage eveii if they did not ~iiaster thc language of tlieir flock to perfection. Also there were iniracles performediO.

If oiie coinpares tlie inuterial for the conversion of the Aiiglo-Saxoiis to Cliris- tiaiiity with other societies, Ireland in the fifth century7', Gaul in tlie sixtli ceii- turyi2, Saxoiiy in tlie ciglith ceiituryi3, to iiaiiie oiily the nearest i i i time and space,

64 C. 1-1. I n l b o f , Tlie Aiigio-Snxon iiiiscionaries in Gesiiiaiiy, Loiidoii 1954, p. 91, iio. 21. Latiii lext iii tlir editiaii bg 'Tmigl (as abovc note 30). no. 35, p. 60.

65 Sec above y . 370f. 66 qr?glori!,,! lir,ganr,i pe,/ecte noii iiozicint, liE 111, 3, p. 132. 67 iJiiiciiri-iiiiio snrpc spcctnciilo coi,tigit e t . . . i r x suis decibus nc ~fii,iistris i,ifarliies iier-bi . . .

cnclesfis , IiE 111, 2, p. 132; Mn!,,.-lini-tirig, p. 256. 68 ,>o>! nliter q,,teliexit u i i iringiinc prudciitinc, qzioii si ~>~.nec ip i

i t eiiierges tlial tlie evidence for tlie Aiiglo-Saxoiis is not exceptional in its iiiability to aiiswer soine of tlie crucial questioiis adequately. Wliy Cliristiaiiity becaiiie eventually accepted reiiiaiiis largely elusive. Wliat was coiiveyed of Cliristiaiiity caii not, oii the wliole, b e specified. Most of the iiiaterial contaiiied in Bede's Ecclesiastical li istory conceriic the aristocracy. Of Course it was of crucial irnpor- taiice tliat tlie aristocracy accept the iiew faitli; tliis was the precoiiditioii for preaching it to the lower classes and the rural populatioii. Iii the latter case, Cuthbert especially distinguislied hiinself. Tlie anonymous biographer is niore explicit o n this than is Bede w h o later revised that Life74.

Bede's Ecclesiastical History does not e n d oii a riote of triuinph. Tlie Eiiglish people, i t is true, were forinally Cliristian, but coiiversion, teachiiig, tliese tasks were not coinpleted; tliey started aiiew witli each generation. Tliis is inipressively coiiveyed in Bede's letter to Ecgbert of York, writteii towards the end of liis life, in which he both laineiits tlie lack of pastoral work in the country and coiiveys tlie iieed for teacliing of the niost basic kind:

'In expouiidiiig this preacliing to the people, I tliink tliat you ouglit before everythiiig eise see to i t witli all urgeiicy that you endeavour to impress deeply oii the ineinory of all uiider yoiir rule the Catliolic faith wliich is coiitaiiied iii tlie Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's I'raycr which tlie text of the Holy Gospel teachec U S ' ~ ~ .

Such - basic - teacliing would result in uiiderstaiiding, love, Iiope, and faitli as well as in eageriiess to inquire furtlier into tlie nature of tlie lieaveiily gifts proin- ised7! TThs tlie main task of the Christiaii teachers after foriiial conversion was to inake the tiew flock interested in the intriiisic values of Christianity.

1972; 1: i lcatei, ed., The grcatest Englicliman. Essays on St Buniface arid tlic cliurch at Crediton, Exetcr 1980.

74 B. Colgi.n?ie, Two Lives of Saint C~ithbest, Cambridge 1940, Baok IV, ch. 5, p. 117if., cli. 7, p. 121, cli. 8, p. 123 (Aiioiiymaus); Bedc'c Psocc Lile ch. 9, p. 187 (= IHE IV, 25 1271). p.269f.

75 in q w videiicef pl.oediciitio,ic popiiiis cxliibciidn, iioc pine cetei-is ciir~i oiiiiri ijistnntin proci cy,jtboio co,itiitetiii, ct doiriiiiicmii ornfiolieiir, qi