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<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:21.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">Christianity, Judaism</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span><b><span style="font-size:21.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">or
Islam?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;"><o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">When did Christianity or other related religions
gain footing on Gotland? We know nothing about it. However, we know that the
Gotlanders were tolerant against dissident religions. We must be aware that the
Gotlanders had experience of several Christian and non-Christian beliefs. The
tribal kindred, the Goths, were early Arian Christians and we have several
examples of early Christian symbolism on Gotland and in the rest of southern
Scandinavia. Åke Ohlmarks, among others, believes that there is evidence of
Arian Christian graves on Gotland as early as the 500s. Gotlandic merchants
have sure- ly met with Christians on their trading voyages to the South already
in the 300s and came very early in contact with different types of Christianity.
This view is supported by the simple and factual story in Guta Saga: “Although
the Gotlanders were heathen, they nevertheless sailed on trading voyages to all
countries, both Christian and heathen. So the merchants saw Christian customs
in Christian lands. Some of them then allowed themselves to be baptised, and
brought priests to Gotland”.</span><span style="font-family:Times;"><o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">To understand the earliest Christianity in the
Nordic countries it is also required to answer the question why there are no
Christian churches at that time. The answer is very simple. The original Arian
Christian church had no church buildings, clergy or a Pope. All this is a
compromise in areas where you had to give up old traditions with cult buildings
and an autocratic clergy. From this time we find in Gotland and Sweden burial
grave orbs with carved patterns which clearly go back to Capernaum, which in
381 is mentioned as an important pilgrimage. Later Syrian stonemasons were
fetched to Ravenna for the construction of Theoderic the Great’s grave mausoleum.
Characteristic features of the decoration of the mausoleum are found on jewelry
in the Nordic countries from the same time. Features of the Baltic Sea Region
art, and the archaeological findings, suggest that in the 600s there were trade
relations between the British Isles and the Baltic Sea region, mainly Gotland.
The peoples along the Baltic Sea coasts were within the orbit of the
Iro-Scottish mission in the 700s. The Anglo-Saxon church historian Bede
Venerabilis (</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">673- 735</span><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">) mentions that even the
Irish missionary Egbert, a precursor to the Frisian missionary Willibrord, at
the end of the 600s had the intention to visit these peoples. The idea was
apparently to carry out missionary work and get these peoples to trading
partners. From the sources we can see that Willibrord also visited the ‘savage
pagans’ of Denmark and tried to convert them, probably about the year 700.
Assuming that it was a pretty strong Christian influence from England in
southern Scandinavia, Gotland and central Sweden during the 700s, it is much
easier to explain the cultural development during the same time. In the 700s
there were at Broa in Halla a workshop that produced gilded bronze crosses as
components to horse head ornaments. From this it is, however, impossible to
determine whether Christianity gained some successes at that</span><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">time.
However, one can detect northwest European elements in the artistic
design.
Willibrord represents a style with a braided pattern, which among other
things, is found around several of the Gotlandic picture stones. This woven
pattern is later known from the Lindisfarne Gospels, an illuminated Latin
manuscript of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the British
Library. The manuscript was produced in Lindisfarne in Northumbria in the late
600s or early 700s, and is generally regarded as the finest example of the
kingdom’s unique style of religious art, a style that combined Anglo-Saxon and
Celtic themes, what is now called Hiberno-Saxon art, or Insular art. Since
Willibrord’s braided pattern style has been so pervasive, it is likely that a
number of missionaries appeared simultaneously.</span><span style="font-family:
Times;"><o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">There are many graves without finds on Gotland
from the end of the 700s and throughout the 800s. This usually means that
Christians were buried, because it is a non-Christian custom to add items to
the dead. If finds occur, mostly simple jewelry, they sometimes have Christian
motifs. These jewelry come from all the countries with Christian traditions
with which the Gotlanders in those days could come into contact. One can thus
detect both Irish, Frankish-Carolingian and Orthodox influence. A cist stone
from Ire in Hellvi, which is dated to after 600 can be interpreted as a
representation of Christ’s resurrection. Even this one is surrounded by a
border with the ‘braided pattern style’ (</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">Fig 76</span><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">).
The archaeological finds accept the premise that there has been a period of
overwhelming Western-Christian influence in the 800s, which may have begun as
early as the end of the 700s.</span><span style="font-family:Times;"><o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">Using the Guta Saga and treasure and grave finds,
the Christianizing sequence can be outlined thus: about 800 the Christian idea
is permanently rooted in Gotland, mediated by missionaries and those</span><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">who
the Gotlanders encountered in their international relations. The Christian
minority is believed to take the actions it is able to secure for their
salvation (</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">e.g. earth free funeral</span><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">).
At the end of the 900s, most population in the upper layer is believed to have
become Christians.</span><span style="font-family:Times;"><o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">In the Gotlandic Merchant Farmers’ Republic the
prerequisites for the introduction of Christianity as exclusively a state
religion and subservience to foreign masters as bishops on the mainland to the
east, west or south is not in their interest. As we have seen the Gotlanders
want to put down their own conditions. However, the Christian social group one
has apparently still not sufficient means to self-enforce even that a Gotlandic
Church is accepted. Byzantine-Christian motives in the tomb finds from this
period such as necklaces and painted eggs of clay are found in graves on Gotland,
on Helgö and on Björkö from the second half of the 800s.</span><span style="font-family:Times;"><o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">In the 800s the Gotlanders also had lively
contacts with Judaism in Khazaria and Islam in Volga Bulgaria. The later had
converted to Islam beginning of 900s. In 912 the Gotlandic merchants in
Constantinople embraced the Christian faith according to al-Marwazi and in late
900s Christianity does appear to be well established in Gotland (</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">note
24</span><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">).
We must also take the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen into account,
who had the Pope’s explicit commission to mission in the Scandinavian
countries. They had the papal legate for the Nordic countries. It is not
possible that they would not have cared to have their version of Christianity
spread on Gotland, the most important country for the entire Baltic Sea trade.
The Church’s missionary policy has always been that whenever there is a viable
Christian community, to appoint a bishop, and to charter the local church
organization with ordinances that were only reserved for a bishop. And from
this diocese work towards neighboring countries.
The Gotlanders did not accept
that any church could indirectly gain power over them through religious
blackmail and other such means. Therefore was the Gutna Althingi the higest
authority over the</span><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">Gotlandic Church. Not the Pope.
The Guta Saga remembers very well
that bishops came to Gotland, although in memory immediately attach themselves
to those who were pilgrims on their way to the holy Jerusalem.
On Gotland,
there were different ideas about the dead man’s journey into the kingdom of
death (heaven). Then it is not much outside influence needed for a change in
form of burial. We find different types of graves, cremations and skeleton
graves, abundant food for the journey and equipment and almost no equipment at
all, a boat, a symbol of the boat and the direction in which the skeleton lay.
Gotland’s
long-distance trade relations from end 700s went largely to the east and
southeast. The Gotlanders were known as Varangian businessmen and al-Rus’ from
the island in the Baltic Sea, and their trips were in the beginning primarily
to the Volga Bulgaria Muslims and the Jewish Khazaria kingdom.
In 911 the
Gotlanders signed a trade agreement with the emperor in Miklagarðr Leo VI and
during the 900s and 1000s the Gotlanders also served as mercenaries in
Miklagarðr and came in close con- tact with the Byzantine religion. The
Gotlandic Merchant Farmer was a powerful person who could influence his
immediate surroundings with the new ideas he had come in contact with in the
East. On Gotland is a find category, called cemetery finds. Since the 1800s, on
a wide range of Gotland’s more than 90 rural cemeteries, the grave digging and
excavation for lightning conductors, etc. have come across skeletons of corpses.
These have been buried with full sets of costume buckles and other jewelry,
combs, knives, keys, etc., all in late Viking Age forms.
This find category has
puzzled the scientific re- searchers. However the cemetery finds on Gotland seem
to be Christian, as evidenced by the fact that one can observe a strict
separation of the graves of women north of the church, and the men in the
south. This can not be done until there has been a church building (</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">note
25</span><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">).<o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Garamond;">Similar tombs are found on Björkö, usually
locally separated from the usual non-Christian graves.<o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">The first known </span><span style="font-size:
14.0pt;background:white;">Romanesque stone churches on
Gotland date to 1029.<o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">We know the inauguration year for 45 </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;background:white;">Romanesque stone churches
from the 1000s:<o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">Fardhem (1029), Hejnum (1029), </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">Stenkyrka (1032 H), Havdhem
(1040), </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">Sjonhem (1040 H),</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">Dalhem (1046), Hamra (1046 SB), St Lars Visby
(1046), Klinte (1046), Atlingbo (1049 B), Eskelhem (1049 B), Hablingbo (1050),
Rute (1050), </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">Väte
(1050 B), Dalhem (1052), Follingbo (1052), </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">Gammelgarn (1052), Gothem
(1052), Rute (1052), Barlingbo (1058), Lye (1058), Sanda (1058 B), </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">Sproge (1058), Vamlingbo
(1058 B), </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;">Vänge (1058 H), Ala (1072), Källunge (1072 B),
Vamlingbo (1072SB), Garde (1086 B), Lärbro (1086), Roma (1086), Othem (1086),
St Drotten Visby (1086), Hejde (1090 B), Grötlingbo (1090 S), Rone (1090), St
Mikael Visby (1090), Väskinde (1090 M),
Bara (1091), Burs (1096), Fole (1096), Hörsne (1096), St Nicolai Visby
(1097), St Olofs kyrka Visby (1097).<o></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.b4press.com/index.php/historia/hela-kategorin/221-gotland-the-pearl-of-the-baltic-sea.html">http://www.b4press.com/index.php/historia/hela-kategorin/221-gotland-the-pearl-of-the-baltic-sea.html</a></p>
<!--EndFragment--><div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>On 07 Feb 2014, at 15:00, <<a href="mailto:d.faltin@hispeed.ch">d.faltin@hispeed.ch</a>> <<a href="mailto:d.faltin@hispeed.ch">d.faltin@hispeed.ch</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="font-family: Helvetica;font-size: 12px;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;letter-spacing: normal;text-align: start;text-indent: 0px;text-transform: none;white-space: normal;"><div id="ygrp-mlmsg" style="font-size: 13px;font-family: Arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"><div id="ygrp-msg"><div id="ygrp-text" style="font-family: Georgia;"><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p>In the vast majority of cases it is non-sensical to speak of Christan smear campaigns or attempts by "the" Christians to wipe out "the" pagans and their culture. The reality is that by far most Germanic pagans voluntarily adopted Christianity. Some earlier, like the Goths and some a lot later like the various peoples of Scandinavia.</p><p>Clearly, conflicts arose from time to time with Christian rulers rallying their troops under the pretence of Christianization or solidifying their rule with the help of the clergy. On the other hand, some missionaries were killed some pagans persecuting Christians (again the Goths under Athanaric serve as example). On the whole, however, it makes no sense to portray history in this Christian-pagan dychotomy. Usually, the pagans shifted to Christianity gradually and voluntarily meaning that they at least considered the gains bigger than the losses. This does not mean that there are people today that clamour for the ancient pagan religions, of which they know so little and which they certainly don't understand.</p><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p>Cheers,</p><p>Dirk<var id="yui-ie-cursor"></var></p><div> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size: 1px;font-family: Arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;">.</span></div></div></div></div><img src="http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=1020598/grpspId=1705739206/msgId=11152/stime=1391781639" width="1" height="1"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);height: 0px;"></div></div></blockquote></div><br></p>
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