PERIOD IV.

FROM GREGORY I. TO CHARLEMAGNE (590-800).

THE FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH AMONG THE GERMANIC NATIONS.

CHAPTER I.

THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY: THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF

MOHAMMEDANISM.

CHRISTIANITY had become the religion of the old nations of the empire and of those Teutonic peoples who came down from the

Progress of

north and settled in Italy, Gaul, and Spain. The gosChristianity. pel was now to extend its influence into regions where the Roman arms had never penetrated, or whence they had receded at the first alarm from the barbarian invaders. AngloSaxon England, Germany, and the new nations along the Danube were to be reached by the Christian faith. In this period, also, it was to receive a terrific blow in the rise of Mohammedanism, and the victorious march of Islam over Syria, Palestine, Africa, and Spain.

The Christianity which was to accomplish this work of conversion, and to come into conflict with these opposing forces, had, un

Degenerate

Christianity.

happily, parted with its ancient purity and simplicity. character of The kingdom of God had become identified with the visible Church, through whose mediation, it was thought, salvation was alone possible, and obedience to whose laws was often the sum of the requirements laid on converts. The religious training of the medieval peoples was analogous to that of the Jews under the completed hierarchical system. But the inner, living principle of the gospel was still in being, and was powerful enough to survive, despite obscurations, and to preserve the elements of a purifying reaction. The development of Christianity Traits and re was influenced in an important manner by the character of the German nations, and especially of those who dwelt somewhat beyond the reach of Roman traditions. In their sense of personal independence, in their courage, faith

ligion of the

German nations.

fulness and purity, the Germans excelled other barbarian tribes. The Teutonic religion reflects the strength and warlike propensities of the peoples to whom it belonged. The voluptuous and effeminate side of the classic mythology is absent. The religion of the Germans is closely allied to that of the Scandinavians, with which we are made acquainted in the Eddas. The more prominent divinities are recalled in the names of the four days of the week: Tuesday (named from Thiu, god of war); Wednesday (from Woden, the chief divinity, the god of the air and sky, the giver of fruits, and delighting in battle); Thursday (from Thor, the Scandinavian equivalent of Donar, the god of thunder and the weather, armed with a hammer and thunderbolt); Friday (from Freyr, Scandinavian for Fro, god of love). The name Easter also comes from Ostara, goddess of the morning light, or of the return of the sun in spring. The popular belief in dwarfs, fairies, and elves, which lingered for ages, recalls to remembrance the lesser Teutonic divinities. The Germans were the Protestants of heathen nations. Deep woods were often their only temples. It was the myterious, and not the sensuous, that called out reverence. They consecrated venerable trees to their gods. Unlike the Celts they had no powerful priesthood. Every head of a family might perform the rites of worship in his own household without the intervention of the priest of the community. Women were held to be peculiarly wise and skilful in learning the will of the gods. This feeling also manifested itself in a belief in witches, a belief which unhappily long survived the decay of the Teutonic religion. As was the custom with other savage tribes, human victims were sometimes slain in the sacrifices. Brave warriors expected at death to be received in Walhalla, where they were to sit at banquet with the gods.

of the Germans.

Christianity had to overcome many obstacles in the conversion of the Germans. It not only aimed to supplant the gods Obstacles to whom they had been taught by their fathers to honor, the conversion and to whom they traced the lineage of their kings, but it seemed to threaten their national independence. It was brought to them by ecclesiastics who were subjects of a foreign power; its services were held for the most part in Latin; and its converts were generally required to look to the Bishop of Rome as their lord in spiritual things. They were told by the missionaries -men of ascetic manners and frequently of narrow views-that their own gods were demons, and that to worship them was a damnable sin, for which their ancestors were suffering eternal tor

ments. Later in this period, among the Frisians and Saxons on the continent, and even in some parts of England, Christianity was looked upon as the badge of slavery to a foreign despot, and all the patriotism of the people was awakened in the defence alike of their homes and of their gods.

Aids in the

And yet, notwithstanding these hindrances, the Germans were rapidly converted to the principles of Christianity. It has been suggested that perhaps the old religion was insensibly conversion of losing its hold upon their minds. Political influences the Germans. and the intermarriage of princes had also much to do with the introduction and progress of the gospel among the various tribes. The minds of the rude multitudes were attracted by the sight of wonder-working relics. Marvels occurred in their presence, which their fancies or their fears, wrought upon by the stories of the missionaries, readily accepted as miraculous attestations of the truth of the new religion. That holy men could work miracles was never for a moment doubted. Even missionaries like Boniface and Ansgar, although disclaiming such supernatural gifts for themselves, believed that others possessed them.

The Anglo-Saxons were the first who now became objects of the missionary efforts of the Church. They did not receive Christianity from the Britons, because in the bitter struggle which the Anglo- attended their conquest of Britain the Celtic inhabitants Saxons. were driven, step by step, back to the western part of

Conversion of

the island, and with them went their civilization and religion. In Ireland, however, "the island of the saints," were preparing influences that would help in bringing a part of England again under the influences of the gospel. From Ireland Columba went out in the last half of the sixth century, and converted the Northern Picts. Upon the island of Hy, given by them, he founded the monastery of Iona, which had the highest reputation for the learning and piety of its inmates.

But Christianity was to come to the Anglo-Saxons first from Rome. Gregory, an abbot of a Roman convent, was attracted by the faces of some young captives in the slave-market. Tradition said that when informed that they were Angles, he exclaimed: "Not Angles, but angels." He forthwith became interested for the conversion of their countrymen, and although he was prevented from going to them himself as a missionary, he did not forget them when he was called to fill the chair of St. Peter. Ethelbert, King of Kent, who had married Bertha, a Frankish princess, allowed her to observe freely the rites of her reli

Conversion of
Ethelbert.

gion. At this opportune moment, Gregory sent the abbot Augustine, with a numerous train of followers, as missionaries to the English. After some delays they landed on the island of Thanet, east of Kent. It was nearly two hundred years since the legions of the empire had been withdrawn, and now this band of monks came to reunite the country to Rome, not, however, to the seat of imperial but of spiritual authority. The king hastened to meet Augustine, but, fearful of magic, received him and his companions in the open air. The simple and unselfish life of the monks won the confidence and respect of all. The minds of the people were impressed by the mysterious ritual and by the miracles which they believed that the missionaries performed. Ethelbert gave Augustine a residence in Canterbury. He soon yielded to the influence of his wife and of the preachers. His conversion led multitudes to embrace Christianity. Augustine, who now received episcopal consecration, carried out the moderate policy which Gregory had outlined. Temples were changed into churches, and furnished with relics. For heathen festivals, there were substituted Christian festivals on sacred days of the Church. At the time of the conversion of Kent, Ethelbert exercised a sort of jurisdiction over Essex. He therefore used his influence to introduce Christianity there. About the year 601, Augustine was made archbishop, with power not only over the English churches, but over the British likewise. He still resided in Canterbury. This Canterbury. place and not London, as Gregory at first intended, became, on account of the political divisions of the country, the metropolitan town. Augustine required of the British conformity to the Roman ritual and submission to himself as primate. Being unable to accomplish his purpose, he is said to have threatened them with the vengeance of the Anglo-Saxons. After the death of Ethelbert, Christianity met with serious reverses in his dominions. But it was soon to find a potent ally in the north. Edwin, King of Northumbria, became the most powerful ruler in England. He married a daughter of Ethelbert, who brought with her a bishop, Paulinus. The king, although he abandoned Paganism, did not immediately accept Christianity. He was finally moved to call together his wise men to decide between the two religions. At this council one of them thus addressed him: "The present life of man on earth, O king, seems to me, in comparison with that time which is unknown to us, like the swift flight of a sparrow through the room where you sit at supper in winter. The sparrow flies in at one door and immediately out at another, and, whilst he is within, is

Augustine made Archbishop of

safe from the wintry storm; but he soon passes out of your sight into the darkness from which he had emerged. So this life of man appears for a short space, but of what went before, or what is to follow, we are utterly ignorant. If, therefore, this new doctrine. contains something more certain, it seems justly to deserve to be followed." The high-priest of paganism was the first to declare for Christianity. Northumbria had, however, become Christian, but, a few years before, it lost its power through the rise of the heathen kingdom of Mercia. Paulinus fled to the south. Soon another champion was raised up in King Oswald, and under him the Irish missionaries from Columba's monastery at Iona carried on the work left by Paulinus. Aidan was made bishop, and given a residence at Lindesfarne. But Christianity was not safe from the attacks of Mercia until Oswin, Oswald's successor, defeated the Mercians in 655. In the meantime devoted men had carried the gospel to the other nations of the island.

Northumbria and Mercia.

Saxon Chris

As soon as political affairs in the north were in a more settled condition, strife arose between the British and the Romish churchStrife between men. Colman, who now presided over the NorthumBritish and brian see which Aidan had held, was, like his predetianity. cessor, of the Scottish persuasion. The differences in ecclesiastical customs between the British, or Scottish party, and the Romanists had become a source of trouble, even dividing the royal family upon the question respecting the day on which to observe Easter. Not to dwell on a peculiar style of tonsure in vogue among the British, and the non-observance of a rule of celibacy by their clergy, the Easter question was the most important point of conflict. The British adhered to the old method of reckoning which had been in use at Rome until the reform introduced by Dionysius Exiguus. Furthermore, they did not hesitate to hold Easter on the 14th of Nisan, the Jewish lunar month, if that came on Sunday, while in such a case the Romans postponed the festival one week. The British were not Quarto-decimans in the sense which this term had in the second century, and therefore from their customs nothing can be inferred in favor of a direct Asiatic origin for their Church. To adjust the differences, a conference was held at Whitby in 664, in the presence of Whitby. King Oswin, between Colman and his Scottish friends on the one side, and the Saxons, led by the presbyter Wilfred, afterwards Archbishop of York, on the other. The king decided for Rome, influenced probably by a reverence for the divine au thority claimed for it, although he expressed his feeling as a fear

Conference at