The Germanization of Early Medieval Christianity: A Sociohistorical Approach to Religious Transformation (Hardcover)

by James C. Russell (Author) "Each historical instance of an attempt to Christianize a society is unique and dependent upon many factors..." (more)
Key Phrases: comitatus relationship, societal conversion, papal missionary strategy, New York, Oxford University Press, University of California Press (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A provocative and admirable work."--Choice
"Fascinating. It is a very important contribution to the growing awareness of the bright light of the 'Dark' Ages."--Ronald Murphy, Georgetown University
"There is far more to the book than simply a demonstration that Christianity was powerfully influenced by Germanic--and by extension, Indo-European--'world-accepting' religious ideas at a crucial phase in its evolution. Indeed, Russell develops a general model of religious change that ought to be of interest to anyone concerned with the sociology (or anthropology) of belief systems per se, let alone the history of the Church."--C. Scott Littleton, Occidental College
"An intelligent synthesis of observations from a wide range of anthropological, historical, and other literature....An overarching schema that identifies and explains important Germanic contributions to Christendom."--Catholic Historical Review


Product Description
While historians of Christianity have generally acknowledged some degree of Germanic influence in the development of early medieval Christianity, Russell goes further, arguing for a fundamental Germanic reinterpretation of Christianity. This first full-scale treatment of the subject follows a truly interdisciplinary approach, applying to the early medieval period a sociohistorical method similar to that which has already proven fruitful in explicating the history of Early Christianity and Late Antiquity. The encounter of the Germanic peoples with Christianity is studied from within the larger context of the encounter of a predominantly "world-accepting" Indo-European folk-religiosity with predominantly "world-rejecting" religious movements. While the first part of the book develops a general model of religious transformation for such encounters, the second part applies this model to the Germano-Christian scenario. Russell shows how a Christian missionary policy of temporary accommodation inadvertently contributed to a reciprocal Germanization of Christianity.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 13, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195076966
• ISBN-13: 978-0195076967
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,173,282 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A scintillating and compelling analysis, July 27, 2001

By	Elliot B. Bougis (Taichung, Taiwan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Germanization of Early Medieval Christianity: A Sociohistorical Approach to Religious Transformation (Paperback)

I stumbled upon this book while researching for a study of the conjoined paganization/Christianization of Medieval literature. What a find! As the reviewer above mentioned, Russell's strength lies in the amazing range of his scholarship. This intellectual breadth, however, does not detract from Russell's more focused, balanced, and lucid examination of key points (e.g., anomie as a factor in social religious conversion, fundamental worldview clashes between Christianity and Germanic converts, etc.). Russell covers a lot of ground in a mere 200+ pages. Moreover, his final assertions are modest enough to be credible, and yet daring enough to remain highly interesting. Plus, from a research perspective, the bibliography alone is worth a handful of other books. This book has been normative in my decisions about the contours of any future scholarship I pursue. Alas, I was left hungering for a continuation of many of the themes, to which Russell often just alludes (e.g, the imbibed Germanic ethos as the animus for the "Christian" Crusades, the contemporary implications of urban anomie for our globalizing world, etc.). Of course, such stellar scholarship cannot be rushed. Surely Russell's next inquiry is worth the wait!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and innovative study of Germanic religiosity, September 1, 1999

By A Customer

Scholar James Russell has given us an important work with this detailed study. Subtitled "A sociohistorical approach to religious transformation," it is an exceedingly well-researched and documented analysis of the conversion of the Germanic tribes to the imported and fundamentally alien religion of Christianity during the period of 376-754 of the Common Era. Russell's work is all the more dynamic as he does not limit his inquiry simply to one field of study, but rather utilizes insights from sources as varied as modern sociobiological understanding of kinship behaviors, theological models on the nature of religious conversion, and comparative Indo-European religious research. Dexterously culling relevant evidence from such disparate disciplines, he then interprets a vast array of documentary material from the period of European history in question. The end result is a convincing book that offers a wealth of food for thought-not just in regards to historical conceptions of the past, but with far-reaching implications which relate directly to the tide of spiritual malaise currently at a high water mark in the collective European psyche. The first half of Russell's work provides an in-depth examination of various aspects of conversion, Christianization and Germanization, allowing him to arrive at a functional definition of religious transformation which he then applies to the more straightforward historical research material in the latter sections of the book. Along the way he presents a lucid exploration of ancient Germanic religiosity and social structure, placed appropriately in the wider context of a much older Indo-European religious tradition. Russell completes the study by tracing the parallel events of Germanization and Christianization in the central European tribal territories. He marshals a convincing array of historical, linguistic and other evidence to demonstrate his major thesis, asserting that during the process of the large European conversions Christianity was significantly "Germanicized" as a consequence of its adoption by the tribal peoples, while at the same time the latter were often "Christianized" only in a quite perfunctory and tenuous sense. Contrary to simplistic models put forth by some past historians, this book illustrates that conversion was not any sort of linear "one-way street"; a testament to the fundamental power of indigenous Indo-European and Germanic religiosity lies in the evidence that it was never fully or substantially eradicated by the faith which succeeded it. As Russell shows, a more accurate scenario was that of native spirituality and folk-tradition sublimated into a Christian framework, which in this altered form then became the predominant spiritual system for Europe. Russell's Germanization of Early Medieval Christianity is wide-ranging yet commanding in its contentions, and academia could do well with encouraging more scholars of this calibre and fortitude who are able to avoid the pitfall of over-specialization and produce works of great scope and lasting relevance. Make no doubt about it, this is a demanding and complex book, but for those willing to invest the effort, the benefits of understanding its content will be amply rewarding, and of imperative relevance for anyone who wishes to apprehend the past, present and future of genuine European religiosity.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting thesis, although a bit thin and contradictory, January 24, 2007

By	The Northern Light "The Kingdom of God Is Wit... (Europa, Close to Ultima Thule) - See all my reviews

I stumbled upon this book by accident, and found the title so intriguing that I just had to buy it. The book is divided into two parts of the more or less exact same length, 100 pages. The first part reads a bit like a textbook in sociology/history/religion than a case-study, and I found this to be a very slow read. I can't really tell what it is about the author's prose that makes it such a slow read, but there's something there. It deals with various aspects of religious transformation, and is fairly generalized. I guess he is trying to make a theory about religious transformation in general, but I don't really feel he quite made it.

The second part of the book is much more interesting, dealing specifically with the reciprocal effect the Germanic (and Indo-European in general) people(s) and Christianity had on each other. His idea is that to be able to draw converts and proselytes to itself, the missionaries of early Christianity had to adapt the new faith to the Indo-European Weltanschauung, which sounds plausible. I feel he could have used more specific examples, but I guess that is the author's prerogative. The first chapter of the second part is about the general religion and beliefs of the Indo-European peoples and the two other chapters deal with the Germanization & Christianization of respectively the period of 376-678 and then 678-754. His theory is that the Christians had to adapt the faith, but that they only intended for the adaptation to be temporarily, until the Indo-Europeans tribes had gained enough of Christian and Classical culture to be able to understand and appreciate the more Judaic concepts of Christianity, but that in time the Indo-European peoples instead changed Christianity. This is something he probably is correct in, because as he states himself, the vitality of the Indo-European race triumphed over their original subversive intent, and Christianity was transformed into something decidedly European, and to a large extent Germanic. He then subtly adds that all of this ironically was changed largely through the efforts of Germanic derived members of the Second Vatican Council, but the reasons for that is another story.

(I read a different edition)