The Code And Ethelbert's Conversion To Christianity In Augustine Of Canterbury

870 Words4 Pages

Before Augustine of Canterbury stepped foot on Thanet’s coast in 597 AD, Kent already absorbed Christian beliefs prior to Roman and Celtic epochs. Paganism only became rampant due to numerous barbaric invasions which taken place to put up small kingdoms in Kent . Apparently, there are some hesitations in Augustine’s mission in Kent considering the presence of barbarians and heathens on the land. But Pope Gregory highly convinced the missionaries through his epistle . Thus in 597 AD, Augustine of Canterbury as an instrument of God with his forty men arrived at the northeast part of Kent called the Isle of Thanet where he initially and overwhelmingly gave the saviour’s message about eternal salvation to 600 families who inhabited the island . …show more content…

The code and Ethelbert’s conversion to Christianity may show to be an adaptable manoeuvre against the inevitable i.e. the influence of Christendom that may for sure out shadow the existing Anglo-Saxon way of life.
Certain factor to be considered is that Ethelbert is married to Bertha who is of a Christian family (The daughter of Charibert, king of Paris) who could be the main reason as to why Ethelbert allowed and accepted the presence of Augustine and his missionaries in the premise of his kingdom and there is a claim that Augustine’s conversion of Ethelbert just happens to be shallow so this may be able to attest the argument that his laws or his “dooms” are not just a law to impose order, but a protectionist stance of the Anglo-Saxon crown and culture against the rising force of …show more content…

Considering his assertion to be true, this case shows that the church is in a position where it has the power to induce an edict. Consequently, an article from Harvard suggests that even the Pope is quite knowledgeable about the law and thereafter suggest a system of compensation that is based on the church idea of penance . This is in reference to the system of wergild employed by the law which is viewed to be another aspect that exhibits the church’s influence. Grounding on this notion, it appears the church gained a status that is equal to that of a