Tag Archives: Christianity

A History of Christianity Part 1.

06 Monday Jun 2011

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ChristianityWith all that has been written about the beginnings and growth of Christianity, it has been said that the history of Christianity’s origin could appear to be nothing more than a fairytale.  Many people feel that it is too implausible that the story – for that is what it is to all intent and purposes, of Jesus Christ, his followers and all that surrounded his birth, death and resurrection – actually took place.

Yet the Christian faith, unlike any other religion, is formed through historical events, including the pivotal fact of Jesus’ resurrection.  Were this historical fact not made valid through reported evidence of key witnesses, then Jesus Christ’s claims of being the Son of God would be continuously questioned.

Christianity is the world’s largest religion.  It began to spread from Jerusalem, through to the Near East, to Armenia by 301, Ethiopia in 325, Georgia in 337 and to the State Church of the Roman Empire in 380.  Early Christianity was split into two periods: firstly, the apostolic period stemming from a faithful group of men who began to follow Jesus, calling him teacher and becoming his disciples and learning that mankind had lost its relationship with God due to sin.  Jesus taught them that a “new covenant” would restore love and forgiveness with God and Jesus paid the price of humanity’s sins by being crucified upon a Roman Cross before rising back to life three days later, having conquered death and creating the possibility of everlasting life.

The apostolic period was then followed by the post-apostolic period, under which the Episcopal structure was developed, led by the Bishops and supported by the deacons who took on the role of looking after the poor and sick.  This was a time when intense persecution of the Christians took place by the Romans, and it was not until AD 313 under the reign of Constantine the Great that such persecution finally came to an end.

Constantine played an important role in the leadership of the Church, issuing the Nicene Creed in 325 which first introduced the idea of “One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church”.  Yet this period of respite from unrest was once more challenged when Julian, Constantine’s son, became Emperor and chose to renounce Christianity and chose instead to embrace a mystical form of Paganism, which shocked the Christian leaders – such contrast in religions is explored in Denny Bradbury’s soon to be released novel, Borvo.

Whilst in charge, Julian began to re-open the Pagan temples, working to re-introduce the prestige of the old Pagan beliefs by carefully modifying them so they would resemble Christian traditions.

Such battles between Paganism and the emergence and strengthening of Christianity continued throughout the 1st Century.  Converting Pagan Saxons to Christianity became the task of both the Celtic Church in Scotland to reform the North and the Roman Church led by missionaries from Rome to convert the South.  Counties such as Northumbria converted to Christianity under the rule and baptism of King Edwin of Northumbria, but upon his death many reverted back to Paganism before being converted all over again by Celtic monks. Church

Although by the end of the 7th Century all of England was largely Christian, many people continued to secretly worship the Pagan gods as late as the 8th Century. Denny Bradbury explores such religious divisions in Borvo, with a young pagan healer determined to continue to practise his healing powers in a country dominated by King Alfred’s fervent belief in Christianity.

Yet when Christianity began, what it did was to initially create a religion that was independent of man’s political loyalties – establishing order amongst local rites, pagan myths and what was originally seen as the cult of the Emperor.

In Part II we shall discuss how the beginning of the Christian faith led to the relevance of Christianity in our world today.

 

Elizabeth Bridgefield

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury

Monastic Life – From Postulant to Monk

30 Monday May 2011

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Denny Bradbury’s latest book ‘Borvo’ looks at an important period of Anglo-Saxon history.  It’s a pivotal period where paganism and Christianity ‘clash’ – out with the old beliefs of polytheism and in with the new monotheism.

Denny’s titular character, brought up with multiple deities, combines the two beliefs when he attends a Catholic monastery in Winchester (see the earlier article on Winchester Cathedral).

Today we start our exploration of monastic life – the communities and the route from postulant to monk.

Monasteries were communities where people would go to dedicate their lives to God.  In the early years, both men and woman could attend within the same walls, but lived separate lives within the enclave.

Over time, practices changed and separate communities were formed; abbeys and priories, nunneries and convents.

Within the boundary walls (the enclave) you would find several buildings – a church, workshops, kitchen and cells (the monks’ individual rooms for sleep and prayer).

The Abbott would be in charge of the Abbey (having been elected by his brethren) and the Prior would oversee the running of a Priory (smaller community).  Others within the community were ‘choir monks’ and ‘lay brothers’.  Tasks between them differed and very often it was due to their ‘status’ and ‘abilities’ gained in existence outside the walls before the move into the monastery.

When Denny’s character Borvo turned up at the doors of the monastery in Winchester, he would not have entered strict rule immediately.

He would have been known as a ‘postulant’ – someone living within the walls on a ‘trial basis’.  Not making any vows, he would have been free to leave at any time.

The trial would only have given him an insight into the life, the sacrifices and the rewards of monastic teaching, usually over a few months.  To truly access the lifestyle, a postulant would request permission to stay.  If the rest of the brethren agreed, he would be given his ‘habit’ (clothing) and be known as a ‘novice’.  The novice would now dress appropriately and participate in monastic life (the structure and duties of which we will examine in a later article).

When the ‘novice’ feels ready, which can be about a year after they begin their training, they can take their ‘solemn vows’: poverty, obedience and chastity.  These can be renewed annually until such time as they are prepared to make their ‘permanent vows’ which, as the name suggests, ties them for life to the rule of their order.

Within the Benedictine order, ‘religious vows’ were also taken which were similar to the solemn vows – obedience, conversion of life, and stability (the latter ensuring the monk would be buried within the walls).

Once basic training was complete (of course, life was one continuous training event), they could either be ‘regular’ or ‘secular’ clergy.

‘Regular’ came from the latin ‘regula’ meaning ‘rule’ – in this instance meaning the strict lifestyle they would lead within the monastery walls.

‘Secular’ is from the latin ‘saecularis’ meaning ‘of the world’ – and this related to priests who would leave the safety of the monastery and visit the people (not just to spread the word but to trade/sell produce).

We shall explore the clothing and routines of those within the monastery next time, and look at why people chose to leave their families and villages, choosing to sacrifice their independent life for one of servitude and hard labour.

Laura Scott

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury

How they lived in King Alfred’s Time- Part II

26 Thursday May 2011

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PagansAnglo-Saxon England at the time of King Alfred’s reign was the epitome of a country paralysed by fear.  The constant battles with the Pagan Danes meant that England was not only losing men who were fighters but also losing valuable farmers, which in turn had a detrimental effect on the country’s ability to sustain itself as a thriving nation.

King Alfred’s biographer, and also his friend, Asser, writes that in the spring of 871 when Alfred was crowned “he did not think that he alone could ever withstand such great harshness from the pagans unless strengthened by divine help, since he had already sustained great losses of many men while his brothers were alive.” 

For much of Alfred’s reign he was doing battle with the heathen Viking King Guthrum, yet England in this period, despite being Christianised, still had many pagan tendencies.  Although Alfred was a Christian King who ultimately converted a pagan ruler such as Guthrum to Christianity through the ritual of Baptism at his final defeat, Alfred did commit a pagan act of vengeance against his defeated opponent by such a conversion.

Denny Bradbury’s latest novel, Borvo, due for release in July, draws upon a combination of Christianity, represented by King Alfred himself, and Paganism represented by the young healer boy who utilises the pagan rituals of healing through nature.  Just as Alfred himself lived for a time as a peasant in the marshes of Athelney , when he was in hiding from the Danes – a humbled and appreciative King living with his wife and children alongside his own people – so too in Borvo does the King form a friendship with a young boy of no social standing but remarkable skill and eventual vital necessity to the King.Marshes

When Alfred came to the throne of Wesssex as a young boy aged twenty one, his kingdom lay in ruins.  Pagan Vikings, led by Guthrum, had destroyed the country’s crop, torn down and looted churches and monasteries and burned whole towns to the ground.  Through Alfred’s sheer determination, applied knowledge and skill, and his unwavering faith in God, he began to slowly rebuild his kingdom for his people, making it his mission to rescue and restore the culture of England that the Pagans had all but destroyed.  Alfred not only trained and taught the next generation to stand firm in their belief in the Christian faith, resisting what he saw to be the influences of paganism such as fame, fate and vengeance, he also worked extremely hard to promote and grow a cultural vision steeped in Christianity through many mediums such as art, literature and education, teaching men how to read and creating his own written law code.

His time spent in hiding, learning to live like one of his own people, meant he developed a strong bond with those of humble origins who later helped him to fight for, and reclaim, his crown.

In Denny Bradbury’s “A Denagerie Of Poems” there is a poem entitled “Heathland” where she writes:

“Heathland calls and pulls my heart,
This is not where I made my start,
I came to view on journey wild,
And found my place, as though a child.”

As in Borvo, and during the reign of King Alfred, the land and those who worked the land were vital in sustaining the country’s growth.  Denny explores this theme by mixing in both the elements of Paganism and Christianity at a time of great change and unrest, illustrating the plight of a pagan folk healer in the wake of Christian dominance and how common ground can be found between the two.

To read more about Paganism versus Christianity, please click here.

Elizabeth Bridgefield

 

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury

Healing – Pagan versus Christianity

23 Monday May 2011

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The 'wise' or the 'witches'

We have already ventured into the world of healers, focussing on the Anglo-Saxon era around the time of King Alfred.  Indeed this topic and this time-frame is the source of Denny Bradbury’s new book ‘Borvo’.

One area Denny touches upon is the plight of folk-healers in the face of Christian dominance.

Within their communities, folk-healers were respected and a vital part of survival for the villages.  Their tasks varied from nurses, midwives and counsellors to pharmacists and surgeons.

Indeed, they have been described as the ‘unlicensed doctors and anatomists of western history’ (Ehrenreich/English 1971).

As mentioned in ‘Anglo-Saxon Healing – Potions, amulets and chants‘, knowledge of anatomy and treatments tended to be handed down through generations of family; each person learning from their predecessor and adding their own refined methods to the vault of history.

Working with Mother Nature and using the forces around them was a main characteristic of folk-healing, and that was a form of pagan religion.

Unfortunately it is always the victor of any battle who will write its’ history and paganism got a raw deal at the hands of Christianity.

The Edict of Milan in AD313 sealed the fate of paganism and other druid religions, confirming Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire.

Pagan healers were written into history as devil worshippers.  Christians believed any illness was God’s will – pain was a form of punishment – and only faith and prayer for forgiveness would alleviate the condition if, indeed, it was God’s desire for them to be healed.

As such, should anyone try to heal by other means, such as folk-healers and their herbs, then they were working against God.  Any successes were therefore attributed to the devil and any treatments were deemed ‘evil’.

Prayers vs chants; faith in God vs belief in Mother Nature.  The two ‘religions’ were very similar yet on a political scale one was accepted; the other was to be feared.

The role of the physician as a profession only really came about in the 13th century.  The Church up to this point was deemed to have hindered the development of medicine and anatomical knowledge: faith was preferred to science.

The folk-healers did not understand ‘science’ as such but they are respected in the present day for their understanding of ailments and cures.

It was only through the crusades an experience of the Arab world that medicine became recognised.  From that moment, the idea of treatment was becoming more acceptable and the Church assisted in the improvement of knowledge.

Until this time any physicians used to treat royalty and the upper classes tended to get their training through reading Latin texts which based ideas on theology and astrology – monks and priests.

Peasants would not have had access to these ‘doctors’ and had all folk-healers been eradicated, which was the attempt during the witch-trials of 14th-17th century, then there is no doubt that society would be very different today.

It is a sorry state of affairs when the people call healers ‘wise’ yet the authorities term them ‘witches and charlatans’.

Laura Scott

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury