Anglo-Saxon Christianity [Paperback]

Paul Cavill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 1999

Celtic spirituality was not the only form of early Christianity in the British Isles. In fact, a larger number of original texts from the Anglo-Saxons remain today. This rich vein of simple, but moving, prose and poetry is explored in Anglo-Saxon Christianity. The key figures of Bebe, Cuthbert and others are introduced alongside new translations of classic texts taken from Beowulf and Old English poetry. For all who appreciate Celtic spirituality, here is a fresh and alternative source of nourishment and inspiration. For those looking for an authentic Christian faith Anglo-Saxon Christianity reaches back into the very birth of the English people.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Celtic spirituality was not the only form of early Christianity in the British Isles. In fact, a larger number of original texts from the Anglo-Saxons remain today. This rich vein of simple, but moving, prose and poetry is explored in Anglo-Saxon Christianity. The key figures of Bebe, Cuthbert and others are introduced alongside new translations of classic texts taken from Beowulf and Old English poetry. For all who appreciate Celtic spirituality, here is a fresh and alternative source of nourishment and inspiration. For those looking for an authentic Christian faith Anglo-Saxon Christianity reaches back into the very birth of the English people.

About the Author

Paul Cavill is a lecturer in English and research fellow for the English Place-Name Society for School of English Studies at the University of Nottingham. He is also the author of Anglo-Saxon Christianity and Vikings. He resides in Leicester, England, with his wife and their two children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (June 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006281125
• ISBN-13: 978-0006281122
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,599,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Recent Book On This Subject As Far As I Know, August 24, 2000

By 

D.A.Knight (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anglo-Saxon Christianity (Paperback)

This must be the best book on Anglo-Saxon Christianity at this time. Though I have no shortage of books about Anglo-Saxons, and Anglo-Saxon poets, this is especially placed in my collection. It is the logical extension of the growing interest in Celtic Christianity that Anglo-saxon Christianity should be popularly explored as well. Ironically, the books on Celtic Christianity, are not as well arranged as this, in its well-written commentary and selection of works explored. The chapters on Caedmon, and on the Synod of Whitby (certainly an important historical event in Christian history which is too often glossed over in classes, if discussed at all) were the strongest parts of the book. Though he relies heavily on Bede at times, he gives commentary on Bede as he does so, putting things into context for those new to this field. His chapter on Beowulf, would certainly be a good introduction to that fine classic of earliest "English" literature, for those who enjoyed Chrichton's appropriation of the story for his Eaters Of The Dead / 13th Warrior. Highlights of course, are the poems, Caedmon's Hymn and The Dream Of The Rood, included with insightful commentary. Also included are a few scenes from Beowulf, and less glorious, yet revealing, documents of the time. If there was one criticism I had of the book, it would be that there was next to nothing on the Anglo-Saxon version of the Apocryphal book, The Acts of Saint Andrew, aka Andreas. A personal favourite of mine, which I am sure Cavill could get a whole book out of. I suspect very much however, that Cavill is not done with this topic, and must leave something for the next book. And there should be a "next book" from Cavill: it is rare to see such scholarly stuff written so well, and so very approachable to the non-expert. A high five.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The history of Christianity through the history of the English language, August 19, 2006

By 

Tom Blair "dancer" (Perkiomenville, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anglo-Saxon Christianity (Paperback)

Anglo-Saxon Christianity, a book written for the historical and theological layman, is particularly interesting because it covers a subject matter too little explored. Roman Catholicism, historically triumphant, defines formal Christian doctrine today. Celtic Christianity - like all things Celtic, is undergoing a revival today (primarily for cultural rather than doctrinal reasons). But Anglo-Saxon Christianity is vitally important because it would ultimately become the formulation for the Church of England, its language, the Book of Common Prayer, and the King James Bible - which have given a spiritual foundation for much of the modern world.

This book covers a critical time in the history of Christendom when the fundamental doctrines of the faith were still being worked out. England between the time of the Saxon invasion (approx. 550AD) the Norman invasion (1066AD) was politically, culturally, and spiritually unstable. Until Alfred The Great there was no single King nor recognized boundaries. There were military hostilities with the Celts in the North, Welsh to the West, and eventually Scandinavians from the East. In Northumbria Celtic Christianity contended with Roman Christianity and Saxon paganism for the hearts and minds of the people.

I enjoyed Cavill's descriptions of Anglo-Saxon monastic life as not just a place of spiritual separation and contemplation - but a busy center of political, military, and cultural activity - "Celtic Christianity depended, nevertheless, on a radical separation between secular and religious life. English Christianity by the time of Bede had expanded beyond the confines of the monastery, and involved kings and politics, territories, and estates, power and influence. The concern for Anglo-Saxon Christianity was not so much the separation of secular and religious but of integration."

Cavill is a lecturer in Old English. His love of the English language is apparent throughout this book. His reference to and analysis of many famous and not-so-famous works of Anglo-Saxon literature enhance this book and whisper into the ear of modern day Christians reminding us of a glorious past - "Anglo-Saxon Christianity, like that of some later eras, used language with delight and sensitivity, with a creativity that was mirrored in other arts like book production and illumination. Modern Christianity has tended to wed itself to a bland scientism which is suspicious of art and any feeling or emotion other than generalized happiness."

It is apparent both from his text and his publisher, Zondervan, that Mr. Cavill writes from a Christian point of view. But this in no way biases his analysis of the heathen/Christian and Celtic/Roman Christian struggles. I highly recommend this book - indeed I wish it would be more widely read because it is not simply the history of an obscure branch of the church, but the history of Christianity itself analyzed through the history of the language that dominates much of the civilized world.

3.0 out of 5 stars More about Bede, February 3, 2010

By 

Theophan Edwards (Santa Clarita, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anglo-Saxon Christianity (Paperback)

Cavil's book ANGLO-SAXON CHRISTIANITY is a tantalizing title and promises a new or resurrected field in the history of the early middle ages in England. I rated it as a 3 because the information in is good, but it does not offer much in anything distinctly Anglo-Saxon. He does well in acknowledging her Celtic roots in the north and Roman in the south. What he fails to mention is the Eastern influence on the Celts, thus drawing a couple of wrong conclusions about Anglo-Saxon soteriology and anthropology. The bulk of the book seems to be an interplay with aspects of the Venerable Bede's History of the English Peoples. Here he does a wonderful job, but the focus in my opinion is more on Bede as an historian of that period. For this reason, I believe the book is good to have in one's library. But for something more detailed and interactive with more sources and their interpretation it would be better to look elsewhere.