How did Christianity spread to northern Europe?

Answer 1

We know that by the time of St Paul, Christianity had spread throughout much of the Near East and Greece, and at least as far as Rome. It may be that part of the reason for this spread was the spread of the diaspora Jews through the Roman Empire. However, Paul undoubtedly played a major part in this early expansion into Europe.

By the early fourth century, Christians formed a significant minority of the population of the Roman Empire, estimated at around ten per cent. When Constantine became the Roman Emperor, he gave Christianity state patronage and expended considerable state funds on a major program of church building and maintenance. When German tribes were conquered, Constantine required as part of the peace treaty that they convert to Christianity. Soon Christians were to be found throughout the empire. Before the end of the fourth century, Christianity was declared the state religion of the Roman Empire, and the public worship of the old gods was banned.

After the collapse of the western Roman Empire, parts of the former Empire, such as Britain were repaganised, if they had ever really been fully Christian.

A Christian mission sent in 597 from Rome to Britain, under Augustine, visited the king of Kent who agreed it would be politically valuable to have continental support, and so became Christian. Essex became Christian again in 603. And so, in various parts of Britain, faith swung between Christianity and paganism for several more centuries.

The Christianisation of Vikings began in 911 when King Charles the Simple of France invited a Viking raiding party to settle, on condition they became Christian. The settlers became known as Normans and were later to conquer England.

A Russian ruler was persuaded that it would be advantageous to have cultural links to the remainder of Europe. He invited representatives from the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church and Judaism to explain each faith and the benefits that would accrue by following that faith. After consideration, he chose to adopt Orthodox Christianity and mandated conversion for all Russians.

So, voluntary conversion did play a part in the spread of Christianity, particularly in the early years of Christianity. However, the main impetus for its spread was that people accepted the decisions of their rulers,who, in turn, often chose to accept Christianity for quite cynical reasons.

Answer 2

Christianity did not spread from Europe, but from the Middle East. In its early days, there were certainly more Christians outside Europe than in Europe. Philip Jenkins (The Lost History of Christianity) says that by around 1000 CE, Asia had 17 to 20 million Christians, with a further 5 million in Africa. He estimates that Europe had some 25 to 30 million Christians, whose faith in many cases was very notional indeed compared with the ancient churches of Asia and Africa. The gradual abandonment of Christianity outside Europe resulted in the modern emphasis on Europe, almost as if Europe was the origin of the faith.

However, Christianity reached the New World of the Americas, parts of Africa and East Asia, and to Australia and the Pacific from Europe, as a result of colonisation.

Answer 3

They were looking for order and unity.They were confused and coflicted

Answer 4

It spread by Saint Benedict going to Great Britain and asking for help.

Answer 5

What alps do you mean?

People traveled by foot or sailed from country to country.