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Christian Faith In Beowulf

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Christian faith was slowly evolving during the middle ages in Europe. The most common principle of Christian faith in medieval Europe revolved around the belief that everything comes from God and is part of a greater plan. As the Christian faith grew more powerful in medieval Europe, forms of non-Christian religions were banned and frowned upon. “Beowulf” is an ancient Germanic story about a respected pagan hero, even though it is the work of a Christian poet. During this time, the idea of a Christian poet writing about a pagan legend seemed like a conflict of religion. Although the poet strays from the oral tradition, it stays faithful to the value of the story, and doesn’t create a clash between the two different religions. “The Dream of the Rood” is a poem portraying an Anglo-Saxon Paganistic view of Christ as he died …show more content…

The relationship between the king and thane are the fundamentals to this Germanic heroic code. The King was usually the patriarchal figure of the group, while the thane would pledge an allegiance to the lord. The Christian God is the father of his people, and his followers follow him at their mercy. Immense value was placed on the bravery of the individuals in the pagan community. All warriors had expectations they had to live up to: they must face any danger without fear, and revenge those who hurt his kinsmen. “Beowulf” shows the surviving members of his culture, what Saints are to future generations of Christians: legends. The heroic code isn’t a contradiction of Christian ideals, but it is an application of these ideals to a pre-Christian world. Many of the characters in this epic live by commonly known rules and regulations as to how a good pagan should live. The poet of “Beowulf” successfully merges two extremely different religious ideologies from two very different time periods to create a work that has impact to its

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