The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England [Paperback]

Henry Mayr-Harting (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0271007699 | ISBN-13: 978-0271007694 | Publication Date: October 1, 1991 | Edition: 3

The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England is more than a general account of the conversion of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. It is a probing study of the way in which Christianity was fashioned in England, giving full weight to the variety of wealth of the traditions that contributed to early Anglo-Saxon Christianity. It is also a study in the process of christianization, as it was carried out by churchmen who, according to Mayr-Harting, prepared themselves by prayer and study and travel as well as by social awareness to christianize their world.For this edition, the author has added a new preface in which he reconsiders some of his earlier conclusions and addresses recent developments in the scholarship. In a completely new chapter, Mayr-Harting appraises the work of Boniface of Devon, the greatest missionary of the early Middle Ages whom he calls the "Mirror of English History." Mayr-Harting thereby extends his account of early Anglo-Saxon Christianity from the Gregorian mission of the late sixth century up to the eighth-century English mission to the Continent, perhaps the crowning achievement of early English history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Henry Mayr-Harting is Fellow and Tutor in History at St. Peter's College, Oxford. He is a contributor to the Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity (1990).

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press; 3 edition (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271007699
• ISBN-13: 978-0271007694
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More expansive than its title lets on, June 28, 2000

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J. Hart (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England (Paperback)

This is easily one of my favorite works of English Ecclesiastical History. Mayr-Harting's writing is clear, readable, and often witty, and the book becomes an enjoyable reading experience for it.

Despite the title, Mayr-Harting's main focus is not on the conversion of England as the development of Christianity and English Christian Society. He divides the work into two sections, the shorter covering the initial post-Roman conversion, and the importance of Bede and his Ecclesiastical History. The second part is longer, and covers development from the Synod of Whitby up through St. Boniface.

This is easily the best single overview of early English church history I've read. Mayr-Harting handles major subjects like liturgy and Celtic vs. Roman Christianity as easily as he does the characters of some of the period's major ecclesiastical players: Bede, Wilfrid, Boniface. The result is a brilliant piece of historical scholarship.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, erudite, witty!, October 8, 1999

By 

Lois Huneycutt (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England (Paperback)

Primarily written for scholars, but an excellent all-around book, written with style and erudition. If you have an interest and some background in early England or early Christian history, you'll find the book worthwhile, even fun to read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delicious, August 26, 2003

By 

jrmspnc (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England (Paperback)

Reading the Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England is like going to a dim-sum restaurant. Mayr-Harting brings out cart after cart delectable goodies, almost all of them enjoyable. However, there is no menu to provide organization for the cuisine, and you're left wondering just what it was that you ate.

What I mean is this. The book lacks any overall narrative, and the lack leaves those with little familiarity with Anglo-Saxon England feeling a little lost. Even a timeline as an appendix would have been helpful, showing us when St. Augustine arrived, when the King of East Anglia was converted, etc.

In fact, the lack of chronological narrative means that the book is *not* the story of the coming of Christianity to England. Rather, it is simply about organized Christianity in early England and some of the major ecclesiastical figures involved. Nevertheless, we are given highly enlightening vignettes of Anglo-Saxon England and the early Church, with brief forays into Ireland, Gaul, Spain, and elsewhere. We learn of a time when Rome was not the all-powerful center of Catholicism, when the Irish were at the forefront, and British (Roman and Celtic) Christians were fading into the sunset. Every page, and nearly ever paragraph, provides an interesting tidbit about worship, monasticism, folklore, and almost any subject one would care to think of.

Perhaps most satisfying of all is to read about Church figures who truly were "Christian", genuinely concerned about spreading the Gospel as opposed to accumulating power or triumphing in doctrinal disputes. A refreshing perspective that those more used to following events in Rome, Constantinople, and Alexandria all too seldom see.

This is not a book for those who solely wish to have an overview of the conversion of Anglo-Saxon England. It is, however, full of delights for the discerning reader.