THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY ON EARLY ENGLISH WRITING
Keywords:
Key words: Christian influence; Old English writings; monastic scholarship; biblical themes; early English poetry; Caedmon; Dream of the Rood; Christian conversion; Anglo-Saxon culture; medieval religious texts.Abstract
Abstract
This study investigates how Christianity fundamentally reshaped the
development of early English literature between the 7th and 11th centuries. After the
arrival of Christian missionaries, especially following St. Augustine’s mission in 597
AD, Anglo-Saxon literary traditions experienced a major cultural transformation: a
predominantly oral and pagan heritage evolved into a written literary culture inspired
by Christian principles. This change introduced new literary forms, spiritual themes,
and stylistic innovations that became the cornerstone of English writing. Early authors
began blending biblical stories with native heroic traditions, creating works that
expressed both religious devotion and traditional Germanic values. Examples such as
Caedmon’s Hymn, The Dream of the Rood, and the Christian moral tone in Beowulf
reveal how Christian beliefs shaped poetic symbolism, ethical perspectives, and
language. Christianity also promoted widespread literacy through monastic schools
and scriptoria, encouraging translation, preservation of texts, and original literary
creation. Through religious imagery, moral teaching, and theological reflection,
Christianity significantly broadened the intellectual and artistic dimensions of Old
English literature. The paper argues that the Christianization of England was essential
not only for introducing new content and ideas but also for establishing the institutional
systems that enabled the expansion of writing, scholarship, and cultural continuity in
medieval England.
References
References
1. Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731), one of the earliest records
explaining how Christianity spread across Anglo-Saxon England.
2. Saint Augustine of Canterbury’s mission to England in 597 is widely regarded as
the starting point of Christian influence on English culture.
3. The Venerable Bede (672–735) documented how monasteries became centers of
learning and literary preservation.
4. The Dream of the Rood, recorded in the 10th century, is one of the first Christian
poems blending heroic Anglo-Saxon style with religious symbolism.
5. The poem Beowulf (circa 700–750) shows a mixture of pagan traditions and
Christian moral lessons, according to scholars such as Tolkien (1936).
6. King Alfred the Great (871–899) promoted the translation of Latin Christian texts
into Old English, making literature more accessible.
7. The Lindisfarne Gospels (circa 715) represent one of the earliest examples of
Christian artistic and literary influence in England.
8. Lyric of Eynsham (955–1010) produced sermons and biblical translations that
shaped early Christian prose in Old English.
9. Monastic scribes of the 8th–11th centuries preserved oral heroic stories while
adding Christian interpretation to them.
10. The Benedictine Reform (960s) revitalized monastic scholarship, increasing
manuscript production and expanding Christian literary culture.
11. https://medium.com/@angelicaruby/the-influence-of-christianity-on-the-english-
language-33fcef2d6dfb
12. https://southfieldcollege.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/English-Department-
study-materials.pdf
13. https://literaturainglesa.com.br/christianity-and-commerce-an-analysis-of-old-
english-texts/
14. https://fiveable.me/intro-old-english/unit-11/christian-influences-english-
literature/study-guide/joBKYh3m3j21tSjW
15. https://archive.org/details/influenceofchris00keis/page/n1/mode/2up
