Christianity in I celand

Abstract Christianity has been a part of Iceland's culture since the beginning of human habitation on the island. Irish monks came to Iceland sometime in the 6th or 7th century, 150 years before the Norse settled the island in the 870s. Their purpose was probably either to proselytize the nativ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Symeon Magnússon, Ágúst
Format: Other/Unknown Material
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470670606.wbecc0688
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9780470670606.wbecc0688
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/9780470670606.wbecc0688
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Summary:Abstract Christianity has been a part of Iceland's culture since the beginning of human habitation on the island. Irish monks came to Iceland sometime in the 6th or 7th century, 150 years before the Norse settled the island in the 870s. Their purpose was probably either to proselytize the native population — they didn't know it was nonexistent — or to continue the tradition of the Egyptian desert fathers, to disappear into an unforgiving wilderness to engage in spiritual warfare. When the Norse settlers started arriving on the island the monks quickly disappeared, most likely because they did not want to engage with the emerging pagan culture.