How did the church convert barbarian peoples to Christianity?

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Staffordshire Hoard Artifact with Biblical InscriptionThis strip of gold bears a biblical inscription in somewhat misspelled Latin asking God for help against enemies. Made in the seventh century, it was buried sometime later along with hundreds of garnet-inlaid gold and silver weapon parts, and was discovered in 2009 in Staffordshire, England, as part of the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found. Who made it, who owned it, and who buried it will no doubt be a source of debate for decades as the hoard modifies scholarly opinion about Anglo-Saxon England. (© Birmingham Museums Trust)

TTHE MEDITERRANEAN SERVED as the highway over which Christianity spread to the cities of the Roman Empire. Christian teachings were initially carried by all types of converts, but they were often spread into the countryside and into areas beyond the borders of the empire by those who had dedicated their lives to the church. Such missionaries were often sent by popes specifically to convert certain groups.

Throughout barbarian Europe, religion was not a private or individual matter; it was a social affair, and the religion of the chieftain or king determined the religion of the people. Thus, missionaries concentrated their initial efforts not on ordinary people but on kings or tribal chieftains and the members of their families, who then ordered their subjects to convert. Germanic kings sometimes accepted Christianity because they came to believe that the Christian God was more powerful than pagan gods and that the Christian God would deliver victory in battle. They also appreciated that Christianity taught obedience to kingly as well as divine authority. Christian missionaries were generally literate, and they taught reading and writing to young men who became priests or officials in the royal household, a service that kings appreciated.