[gothic-l] Franks: Arianism vs. Catholicism

[czobor at CANTACUZINO.RO]

Hails allaim!

I wrote in previous messages (No. 3784 and 3796) that I found the view 
that language affinity played also a (little, secondary) role in the 
decision of Franks for Catholicism rather than Arianism in Wolfram's 
"Die Germanen", but I was not shure. I checked and found out that I 
was right. I quote below the relevant passage (from: Herwig Wolfram - 
"Die Germanen", 3rd Ed., Verlag C.H.Beck, München, 1997, page 85):
"Die Besonderheit und Widersttandskraft der wulfilanischen Tradition 
beruhte nicht zuletzt auf ihrer Volkssprachigkeit. Vereinzelte 
Versuche römisch-katholischen Bischöfe,durch Predigten in der 
Volkssprache die gothischen Seelen zu gewinnen, konnten dagegen kaum 
etwas ausrichten. Die während des 5. Jahrhunderts in den Westen 
abgewanderten gotisch-vandalischen Völker brachten ihren Glauben mit, 
waren aber ihrerseits zu schwach, um die in Westen längst gefallene 
Entscheidung zugunsten des Katholizismus rückgängig zu machen. Es ist 
daher kein wunder, daß der Merowinger Chlodwig, der als Franke der 
gotischen Glaubensüberlieferung wie der Sprache Wulfilas ferner stand, 
sich - zumindest nach einigem Zögern - doch für den Katholizismus der 
römischen Mehrheit seines Herrschaftsgebiets entschied. Dagegen waren 
die Könige der Goten, Vandalen, Burgunder und schließlich die der 
Langobarden zu Herren ihrer arianischen Kirche geworden, die jeweils 
gleichsam den Platz der alten Stammsreligion einnahm."
Below I try a tentative of translation (in English, I hope):
"The specificity and power of resistance of the Wulfilan tradition 
was based not in the last instance on its popular laguage character.
Isolated tentatives of romano-catholic bishops to gain the Gothic 
souls through sermons in the popular language were not very 
successful. The Gothic-Vandalic peoples that emigrated in the 5th 
century westwards brought with them their faith, but were to weak to 
revert the decision for Catholicism taken by the West long ago. For 
this reason it is not surprisingly that Chlodwig the Merovingian, who 
as a Frank stood farther from the Gothic religious tradition as well 
as from Wulfila's language, decided - at least after some hesitation - 
for the Catholicism of the Roman majority of his possession. On the 
other hand, the kings of the Goths, Vandals, Burgundians as well as 
those of the Longobards became the heads of their Arian church, that 
replaced the old tribal religions."
As you can see, Wolfram mentioned the language argument only 
incidentally and did not make it the main reason for the decision of 
Franks for Catholicism. As in many cases, it was in the first line a 
political decision, influenced by the fact that Catholicism was 
the religion of the Gallo-Romanic majority of his kingdom.

Francisc





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