The Germanization of Early Medieval Christianity: A Sociohistorical Approach to Religious TransformationWhile historians of Christianity have generally acknowledged some degree of Germanic influence in the development of early medieval Christianity, Russell goes further, arguing for a fundamental Germanic reinterpretation of Christianity. This first full-scale treatment of the subject follows a truly interdisciplinary approach, applying to the early medieval period a sociohistorical method similar to that which has already proven fruitful in explicating the history of Early Christianity and Late Antiquity. The encounter of the Germanic peoples with Christianity is studied from within the larger context of the encounter of a predominantly "world-accepting" Indo-European folk-religiosity with predominantly "world-rejecting" religious movements. While the first part of the book develops a general model of religious transformation for such encounters, the second part applies this model to the Germano-Christian scenario. Russell shows how a Christian missionary policy of temporary accommodation inadvertently contributed to a reciprocal Germanization of Christianity. |
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ancient anomie appears Arian attitudes baptism Barbarian beliefs bishops Boniface California Press Cambridge Carolingian Catholic century chapter Chris Christentums Christianization efforts Clovis Columbanus comitatus concept contemporary contributed conversion discussion doctrinal Dumézil early Christianity early medieval Early Middle Ages Engen ethical ethos and world-view Europe European existence faith folk religions folk-religious Frankish Franks Gallo-Roman Gaul Georges Dumézil Germanic ethos Germanic religiosity Germanic society Germanization of Christianity Greek Gregory Gregory's group solidarity Heliand Hellenistic Hillgarth History Ibid idem ideological individual Indo-European societies Indo-European studies influence inquiry J. M. Wallace-Hadrill king Kingship liturgy MacMullen magicoreligious Merovingian mission notes notion original Ostrogothic Oxford University Press pagan perspective political pre-Christian Germanic relationship religiopolitical religious culture religious transformation Roman Empire Rome sacral saints salvation significant social structure Sociology of Religion socioreligious syncretism tianity tion traditional trans Ulfila universal religions urban Verlag Visigoths warrior Western world-accepting world-rejecting York
Popular passages
Page 119 - Haec dignitas, hae vires, magno semper electorum juvenum globo circumdari, in pace decus, in bello praesidium. Nec solum in sua gente cuique, sed apud finitimas quoque civitates id nomen, ea gloria est, si numero ac virtute comitatus emineat : expetuntur enim legationibus et muneribus ornantur et ipsa plerumque fama bella profligant.
Page 82 - If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Page 119 - Nec solum in sua gente cuique, sed apud finitimas quoque civitates id nomen, ea gloria est, si numero ac virtute comitatus emineat: expetuntur enim legationibus et muneribus ornantur et ipsa plerumque fama bella profligant. 14. Cum ventum in aciem, turpe principi virtute vinci, turpe comitatui, virtutem principis non adaequare. Jam vero infame in omnem vitam ac probrosum, superstitem principi suo ex acie recessisse.
Page 109 - Ceterum nec cohibere parietibus deos neque in ullam humani oris speciem adsimulare ex magnitudine caelestium arbitrantur: lucos ac nemora consecrant deorumque nominibus appellant secretum illud, quod sola reverentia vident.
Page 55 - Look upon the world as you would on a bubble, look upon it as you would on a mirage: the king of death does not see him who thus looks down upon the world.
Page 13 - A people's ethos is the tone, character, and quality of their life, its moral and aesthetic style and mood; it is the underlying attitude toward themselves and their world that life reflects. Their world view is their picture of the way things in sheer actuality are, their concept of nature, of self, of society. It contains their most comprehensive ideas of order...
Page 82 - I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.
Page 64 - Any one who turns from the great writers of classical Athens, say Sophocles or Aristotle, to those of the Christian era must be conscious of a great difference in tone. There is a change in the whole relation of the writer to the world about him.
Page 64 - It is a rise of asceticism, of mysticism, in a sense, of pessimism; a loss of self-confidence, of hope in this life and of faith in normal human effort; a despair of patient inquiry, a cry for infallible revelation; an indifference to the welfare of the state, a conversion of the soul to God.
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Germanization of Early Medieval Christianity: A Sociohistorical Approach to Religious Transformation |
| Author | James C. Russell |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 1996 |
| ISBN | 0195104668, 9780195104660 |
| Length | 258 pages |
| Subjects | › Philosophy / Religious |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |