Lisa M. Bitel
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195336528
- eISBN:
- 9780199868599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195336528.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History, Early Christian Studies
This chapter begins the comparison of the cults of Genovefa and Brigit of Kildare. It describes the three phases of Ireland’s christianization during the 4th through 5th centuries. Because the Romans ...
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This chapter begins the comparison of the cults of Genovefa and Brigit of Kildare. It describes the three phases of Ireland’s christianization during the 4th through 5th centuries. Because the Romans had never invaded Ireland, the Irish had a different relationship with the empire and its religions than other Europeans. In the first phase of conversion, the island’s inhabitants sought trade in Roman goods via Britain. In the second phase, romanized Christians such as Saint Patrick used this trade network to bring new religious ideas to Ireland. In the third phase, Christian leaders in Ireland began to organize the politically fragmented rural landscape and its ancient pagan sites into recognizably Christian, Roman-style places.Less
This chapter begins the comparison of the cults of Genovefa and Brigit of Kildare. It describes the three phases of Ireland’s christianization during the 4th through 5th centuries. Because the Romans had never invaded Ireland, the Irish had a different relationship with the empire and its religions than other Europeans. In the first phase of conversion, the island’s inhabitants sought trade in Roman goods via Britain. In the second phase, romanized Christians such as Saint Patrick used this trade network to bring new religious ideas to Ireland. In the third phase, Christian leaders in Ireland began to organize the politically fragmented rural landscape and its ancient pagan sites into recognizably Christian, Roman-style places.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter examines the notion of simplicity and of the simple believer, which had a complex history—both Christian and non-Christian—and was in use long before the Council of Chalcedon. In the ...
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This chapter examines the notion of simplicity and of the simple believer, which had a complex history—both Christian and non-Christian—and was in use long before the Council of Chalcedon. In the first centuries of Christian history, pagans attacked Christians for being simple, uneducated, and credulous, but Christians themselves would also acknowledge their simplicity and take pride in the triumph of the Christian message over the wisdom of the world. Stories were told suggesting that a Christian with simple faith could defeat and convert even learned philosophers skilled in debate. Indeed, labeling someone “simple” could also be a polemical tool, and the notion of the simple believer played an important role in the language Christian leaders used to discuss teachings they opposed; accusing adversaries of leading the simple astray was a well-worn tactic.Less
This chapter examines the notion of simplicity and of the simple believer, which had a complex history—both Christian and non-Christian—and was in use long before the Council of Chalcedon. In the first centuries of Christian history, pagans attacked Christians for being simple, uneducated, and credulous, but Christians themselves would also acknowledge their simplicity and take pride in the triumph of the Christian message over the wisdom of the world. Stories were told suggesting that a Christian with simple faith could defeat and convert even learned philosophers skilled in debate. Indeed, labeling someone “simple” could also be a polemical tool, and the notion of the simple believer played an important role in the language Christian leaders used to discuss teachings they opposed; accusing adversaries of leading the simple astray was a well-worn tactic.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter focuses on the most consequential kind of Christian–Muslim interaction: conversion. It considers legitimate and illegitimate reasons for converting from one religion to another. For some ...
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This chapter focuses on the most consequential kind of Christian–Muslim interaction: conversion. It considers legitimate and illegitimate reasons for converting from one religion to another. For some Christian leaders, becoming a Muslim was something that people did out of a number of motivations, some of them more unholy than others: in addition to a desire for material benefits or a drive for status and power, there were family or tribal connections that drew people to convert. There was also an attraction to a religious framework that allowed a greater range of human behaviors and activities. People might also become Muslims under compulsion. Tellingly, these leaders could not conceive that a person might convert out of sincere religious motivation. Conversions that took place with reference to doctrines or beliefs were seen as cases where people had been deceived or had acted out of a lack of education and ignorance.Less
This chapter focuses on the most consequential kind of Christian–Muslim interaction: conversion. It considers legitimate and illegitimate reasons for converting from one religion to another. For some Christian leaders, becoming a Muslim was something that people did out of a number of motivations, some of them more unholy than others: in addition to a desire for material benefits or a drive for status and power, there were family or tribal connections that drew people to convert. There was also an attraction to a religious framework that allowed a greater range of human behaviors and activities. People might also become Muslims under compulsion. Tellingly, these leaders could not conceive that a person might convert out of sincere religious motivation. Conversions that took place with reference to doctrines or beliefs were seen as cases where people had been deceived or had acted out of a lack of education and ignorance.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter looks at the most powerful tool for community formation that Christian leaders had at their disposal: the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist. The sacraments united the simple and the ...
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This chapter looks at the most powerful tool for community formation that Christian leaders had at their disposal: the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist. The sacraments united the simple and the learned alike. In the world of simple believers, the Eucharist was much more than a mystery one took at church, and baptism was much more than a rite of Christian initiation. Seeing the enormous power ascribed to these things and others provides a better understanding of why they could help produce the sort of confessional indifference among the simple that so exercised church leaders like Jacob of Edessa. Moreover, considering the extra-ecclesial life of the sacraments will help illustrate why controlling them might prove fundamental to forming a communal vessel that did not have leaks and why controlling them was ultimately more powerful than any dialectical argument.Less
This chapter looks at the most powerful tool for community formation that Christian leaders had at their disposal: the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist. The sacraments united the simple and the learned alike. In the world of simple believers, the Eucharist was much more than a mystery one took at church, and baptism was much more than a rite of Christian initiation. Seeing the enormous power ascribed to these things and others provides a better understanding of why they could help produce the sort of confessional indifference among the simple that so exercised church leaders like Jacob of Edessa. Moreover, considering the extra-ecclesial life of the sacraments will help illustrate why controlling them might prove fundamental to forming a communal vessel that did not have leaks and why controlling them was ultimately more powerful than any dialectical argument.
Scott G. Bruce
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452994
- eISBN:
- 9781501700927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452994.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter recreates the plight of the abbot of Cluny by interconnecting three distinct but related topics: the perils and promises of transalpine travel for merchants and pilgrims around the year ...
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This chapter recreates the plight of the abbot of Cluny by interconnecting three distinct but related topics: the perils and promises of transalpine travel for merchants and pilgrims around the year 1000; the impact of the Muslims of Fraxinetum on Provencal society; and the career of Maiolus himself, who travelled repeatedly through the Alps during his tenure as abbot of Cluny (954–94). The chapter asserts that the Muslims of Fraxinetum were an entrepreneurial community that took advantage of the lawlessness of tenth-century Provence—pursuing profitable enterprises like kidnapping and slave trading. The inadvertent capture of Maiolus was not insignificant, for Christian leaders responded to this offense by organizing a military campaign that eventually eradicated the Muslims of Fraxinetum.Less
This chapter recreates the plight of the abbot of Cluny by interconnecting three distinct but related topics: the perils and promises of transalpine travel for merchants and pilgrims around the year 1000; the impact of the Muslims of Fraxinetum on Provencal society; and the career of Maiolus himself, who travelled repeatedly through the Alps during his tenure as abbot of Cluny (954–94). The chapter asserts that the Muslims of Fraxinetum were an entrepreneurial community that took advantage of the lawlessness of tenth-century Provence—pursuing profitable enterprises like kidnapping and slave trading. The inadvertent capture of Maiolus was not insignificant, for Christian leaders responded to this offense by organizing a military campaign that eventually eradicated the Muslims of Fraxinetum.
Allan W. Maccoll
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748623822
- eISBN:
- 9780748653379
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748623822.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Scottish Studies
The Disruption of the Established Church of Scotland in 1843 and the misery which followed the widespread failure of the potato crop in the years after 1846 had the effect of bringing social and ...
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The Disruption of the Established Church of Scotland in 1843 and the misery which followed the widespread failure of the potato crop in the years after 1846 had the effect of bringing social and religious matters together more closely in the minds of many Christian leaders. This chapter discusses the opinions of leading ministers in order to gain a fuller understanding of the Presbyterian response to the social crisis. Particular emphasis is given to the views of two prominent Highlanders who were deeply engaged in the amelioration of destitution, Mackintosh Mackay, minister of the Free Church at Dunoon, Argyll; and the Established Church minister Norman MacLeod, of St Columba's Gaelic congregation in Glasgow. A central issue addressed is the role of the doctrine of providence in shaping Presbyterian attitudes to the causes of famine, the provision of philanthropic relief, and the necessity of emigration.Less
The Disruption of the Established Church of Scotland in 1843 and the misery which followed the widespread failure of the potato crop in the years after 1846 had the effect of bringing social and religious matters together more closely in the minds of many Christian leaders. This chapter discusses the opinions of leading ministers in order to gain a fuller understanding of the Presbyterian response to the social crisis. Particular emphasis is given to the views of two prominent Highlanders who were deeply engaged in the amelioration of destitution, Mackintosh Mackay, minister of the Free Church at Dunoon, Argyll; and the Established Church minister Norman MacLeod, of St Columba's Gaelic congregation in Glasgow. A central issue addressed is the role of the doctrine of providence in shaping Presbyterian attitudes to the causes of famine, the provision of philanthropic relief, and the necessity of emigration.
Terry Lindvall and Andrew Quicke
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814753248
- eISBN:
- 9780814765357
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814753248.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Christian filmmaking, done outside of the corporate Hollywood industry and produced for Christian churches, affected a significant audience of church people. Protestant denominations and individuals ...
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Christian filmmaking, done outside of the corporate Hollywood industry and produced for Christian churches, affected a significant audience of church people. Protestant denominations and individuals believed that they could preach and teach more effectively through the mass medium of film. Although suspicion toward the film industry marked many conservatives during the early 1930s, many Christian leaders came to believe in the power of technology to convert or to morally instruct people. Thus the growth of a Christian film industry was an extension of the Protestant tradition of preaching, with the films becoming celluloid sermons. This is the first historical study of this phenomenon. It highlights key characters, studios, and influential films of the movement from 1930 to 1986—such as the Billy Graham Association, with its major WorldWide Pictures productions of films like The Hiding Place, Ken Curtis' Gateway Films, the apocalyptic “end-time” films by Mark IV (e.g. Thief in the Night), and the instructional video-films of Dobson's Focus on the Family—assessing the extent to which the Church's commitment to filmmaking accelerated its missions and demonstrating that its filmic endeavors had the unintended consequence of contributing to the secularization of liberal denominations.Less
Christian filmmaking, done outside of the corporate Hollywood industry and produced for Christian churches, affected a significant audience of church people. Protestant denominations and individuals believed that they could preach and teach more effectively through the mass medium of film. Although suspicion toward the film industry marked many conservatives during the early 1930s, many Christian leaders came to believe in the power of technology to convert or to morally instruct people. Thus the growth of a Christian film industry was an extension of the Protestant tradition of preaching, with the films becoming celluloid sermons. This is the first historical study of this phenomenon. It highlights key characters, studios, and influential films of the movement from 1930 to 1986—such as the Billy Graham Association, with its major WorldWide Pictures productions of films like The Hiding Place, Ken Curtis' Gateway Films, the apocalyptic “end-time” films by Mark IV (e.g. Thief in the Night), and the instructional video-films of Dobson's Focus on the Family—assessing the extent to which the Church's commitment to filmmaking accelerated its missions and demonstrating that its filmic endeavors had the unintended consequence of contributing to the secularization of liberal denominations.
