Force of Words

The Northern World

North Europe and the Baltic c.400–​1 700 ad
Peoples, Economies and Cultures

Editors

Jón Viđar Sigurđsson (Oslo)

Piotr Gorecki (University of California at Riverside)
Steve Murdoch (St. Andrews)
Cordelia Heß (Greifswald)
Anne Pedersen (National Museum of Denmark)

volume 90

The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/​nw

 Force of Words
A Cultural History of Christianity and Politics
in Medieval Iceland (11th-​13th Centuries)

By

Haraldur Hreinsson

LEIDEN | BOSTON
Cover illustration: A fragment of the boards from Flatatunga. It depicts two figures with halos, possibly
Christ and an apostle. National Museum of Iceland.

Library of Congress Cataloging-​in-​Publication Data

Names: Haraldur Hreinsson, 1985-​author.

Title: Force of words : a cultural history of Christianity and politics in
Medieval Iceland (11th-​13th centuries) /​by Haraldur Hreinsson.
Description: Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2021] | Series: The Northern world,
1569-​1462 ; volume 90 | Revision of the author's thesis
(doctoral)–​University of Münster, 2019. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2020054325 (print) | lccn 2020054326 (ebook) | isbn
9789004444966 (hardback) | isbn 9789004449572 (ebook)
Subjects: lcsh: Christianity and culture–​Iceland–​History. | Christianity
and politics–​Iceland–​History. | Iceland–​Church history.
Classification: lcc BR115.C8 H378 2021 (print) | lcc BR115.C8 (ebook) |
ddc 322/​.109491209021–​dc23
LC record available at https://​lccn.loc.gov/​2020054325
LC ebook record available at https://​lccn.loc.gov/​2020054326

Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”. See and download: brill.com/​brill-​typeface.

issn 1569-​1 462

isbn 978-​9 0-​0 4-​4 4496-​6 (hardback)
isbn 978-​9 0-​0 4-​4 4957-​2 (e-​book)

Copyright 2021 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi,
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Contents


Acknowledgments ix

Abbreviations xi

List of Figures xiii

1 
Introduction 1
1.1 Historiographical Context 4
1.1.1 History of Medieval Christianity in Iceland: A Fragmented
Field 4
1.1.2 Church and Society in Medieval Iceland 11
1.2 Theoretical Considerations 17
1.2.1 Ecclesiastical Discourse 17
1.2.1.1  Discourse 18
1.2.1.2  Discourse: Religious and Ecclesiastical 22
1.2.2 Perspective of Empire 24
1.2.2.1  The Roman Church as an Empire in Medieval
Iceland 25
1.2.2.2  The Perspective of Empire: A Text Oriented
Approach 27
1.3 Source Material 31
1.3.1 Textual Sources 31
1.3.2 Material Sources 34

2 
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 36
2.1 Christianization of Iceland 37
2.1.1  The Roman Ecclesiastical Empire 37
2.1.1.1  The Rise of the Papal Center 39
2.1.1.2  From Center to the Periphery 42
2.1.1.3  On the Outskirts 46
2.1.2  Expanding Boundaries: Christianization of Scandinavia 48
2.1.3  Christianization of Iceland 53
2.1.4  Conclusion: Becoming Christian 59
2.2 Christianization and the Production of Religious Texts 60
2.2.1  Background: The Roman Church as a Cultural Hegemon 61
2.2.2  Iceland’s Earliest Religious Manuscripts 66
2.2.2.1  Collections of Hagiographic Material 67
2.2.2.2  Collections of Sermonic Material 74
2.2.2.3  Manuscripts with Mixed Content 78
vi Contents

2.2.3 Beyond the Manuscripts: The Materiality of Religious

Discourse 82
2.2.4 Conclusion: Texts in Motion 87
2.3 
Icelandic Ecclesiastics and Their Audiences 89
2.3.1 Representing Rome: Ecclesiastics in Iceland 89
2.3.1.1  Clerics in the Free State: Socially Diverse or
Homogenous? 90
2.3.1.2  Clerical Education: Practical but
International 95
2.3.1.3  In Whose Authority? 101
2.2.2 Audiences of All Kinds 103
2.2.2.1  Audience according to Religious Source
Material 104
2.2.2.2  Audience According to Contemporary Narrative
Sources 108
2.3.3 Pastor and Flock: Points of Encounter 114
2.3.3.1  Translatio Ecclesiae: A Medieval Icelandic Textual
Community 114
2.3.3.2  Social Significance of the Church: Panopticon or a
Heterotopia 117
2.3.4 Conclusion: Conflicts of Interests 119
2.4 
Ecclesiastical Imagination 120
2.4.1 Icelanders in the Sixth Age 120
2.4.2 Typological Thought 124
2.4.3 Typological Thought in Medieval Icelandic Literature 127
2.4.4 Conclusion: Beyond the Written Word 130

3 
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 132
3.1 Authority 133
3.1.1 Teaching 134
3.1.1.1  The Original Teaching 135
3.1.1.2  Teaching in the Icelandic Free State 139
3.1.2 Apostolic Authority 144
3.1.2.1  Apostolic Mandate 145
3.1.2.2  Apostolic Domination 150
3.1.3 Hierarchy 159
3.1.3.1  Primatus Petri 160
3.1.3.2  Church Hierarchy 166
3.1.4 Conclusion: Powering Over 170
Contents vii

3.2 
The ‘Other’ 171
3.2.1  Enemies of the Church 172
3.2.1.1  Heretics 174
3.2.1.2  Heathens 177
3.2.1.3  Jews 185
3.2.2  Encountering the ‘Other’ 188
3.2.2.1  Expansion of Error 189
3.2.2.2  Becoming Other 192
3.2.3  Conclusion: Making Enemies 196
3.3 
Perish or Prosper 197
3.3.1  Peace or Unrest? 198
3.3.1.1  Performing Peace 199
3.3.1.2  Peace of the Church 201
3.3.1.3  Fighting for Peace 204
3.3.1.4  The Danger of Unrest 206
3.3.2  Heaven or Hell? 209
3.3.2.1  War 209
3.3.2.2  Anger of God 214
3.3.2.3  Justice 217
3.3.2.4  Punishment 222
3.3.2.5  Rewards 225
3.3.3  Conclusion: The Only Way 228

4 
Rome Goes North 230
4.1 
In the Beginning 231
4.1.1  Chaotic Beginnings 231
4.1.2  Echoes from Rome 236
4.1.3  Gizurr’s Age of Peace 242
4.1.4  Conclusion: The Chieftain Church Rises 246
4.2 
The Reform of Bishop Þorlákr 247
4.2.1  Libertas Ecclesiae in Iceland 248
4.2.1.1  Backdrop: Libertas Ecclesiae in Norway 248
4.2.1.2  The First Clash of Church and Chieftains 251
4.2.2  The Authority of the Archbishop 254
4.2.3  Enemies of the Church 257
4.2.4  Conclusion: On the Other Side 263
4.3 
Reform and Violence: The Rule of Bishop Guðmundr 264
4.3.1  Guðmundr’s Rise to the Episcopacy 264
4.3.2  Religious Fervour and Armed Battles 268
viii Contents

4.3.3 Iceland’s Salvation 273

4.3.4 Conclusion: Framing Violence 275

5 Conclusion 277

Appendix Manuscript Sources 281

Bibliography 294
Index of Biblical References 317
General Index 319
Acknowledgments

This book is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation which I submitted

and defended at the University of Münster in Westfalen, Germany, in 2019. In
the process of writing the dissertation and, at a later stage, when preparing its
publication, I received encouragement, assistance, and support without which
this book would never have seen the light of day.
First, I wish to thank my supervisors in my doctoral studies, Wolfram Drews
and Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, for accompanying me along the way. Through their
supervision, I am grateful for having come to know the two academic tradi-
tions they represent each in their own way, the German on the one hand and
the Scandinavian on the other. In Münster, Wolfram Drews provided me with
much freedom to work on my research which challenged me at times but also
contributed to my independence as a scholar. In Aarhus, Agnes offered me
invaluable support through her active engagement with my work, detailed
readings of my text, astute remarks, and constructive criticisms, but last but
not least for her encouragement and moral support in the moments when it
was needed the most.
I carried out the research for this book within the confines of the Graduate
School of the Cluster of Excellence: Religion and Politics at the University of
Münster which supplied it with a constructive institutional and academic con-
text and financial support which I am highly grateful for. In the course of my
studies in Münster, in lectures, colloquia, research groups and regular meet-
ings with other doctoral students, I came across new ideas and perspectives
which contributed to my work in various ways. Most of this book was written
in the office in Johannisstraße 1 in Münster, where I was fortunate enough to
share working space with people who became my friends: Elke Spiessens and,
at a later stage, Nadeem Khan. I am particularly grateful for the special support
I received in the Cluster from Rüdiger Schmitt, who was always willing to meet
and discuss my concerns, whether they were of academic or practical nature.
Special thanks are also due to the administrative staff of the Cluster, especially
the coordinators of the Graduate School, Julia Simoleit and Vít Kortus, for their
advice and kind support throughout the process.
I am indebted to the Arnamagnæan Commission which funded a three
months stay at the Arnamagnæan Institute at the University of Copenhagen,
in the early stages of my research. These few months were fruitful and in many
ways decisive for the direction my research would later take.
Thanks to the editorial board of Brill’s Northern World series for accepting
this volume into their series as well as to Marcella Mulder and Theo Joppe,
x Acknowledgments

editors at Brill, for their kind but professional management of the publication
process. Further, I want to thank Philip Roughton for allowing me to use his
translation of the hagiographic material from am 652/​630 4to and am 645 4to
and Camilla Basset for her permission to use her translation of Hungrvaka.
I am also grateful to the Árni Magnússon Insitute for Icelandic Studies in
Reykjavík for the permission to use their manuscript pictures as well as the
children of Hörður Ágústsson for allowing me to use their father’s illustrative
drawings from the book, Dómsdagur og helgir menn á Hólum.
At all stages of the project, I have benefited from conversations and exchange
with friends and colleagues who have generously given me their time with spe-
cial thanks going out to Ralf Ahlers, Andra Alexiu, Ólafur Haukur Árnason,
Richard Cole, Markus Dreßler, Mitchell Duffy, Ásdís Egilsdóttir, Sigurjón Árni
Eyjólfsson, Pétur Hreinsson, Hjalti Hugason, Gottskálk Þór Jensson, Steinunn
Kristjánsdóttir, Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Stefán Einar Stefánsson, and Orri
Vésteinsson. My father, Hreinn S. Hákonarson, read through the whole man-
uscript before I submitted it for defense and Tiffany Nicole White read proofs
before publication. For all this help I am very grateful while, naturally, all mis-
takes the book may contain remain my own.
Since I began my doctoral studies, I have been supported by my family and
friends who have made everything easier. My parents, Sigríður and Hreinn,
my siblings, Dóra, Jóhanna, and Pétur, my grandmother, Halldóra, my friends,
Hermann, Hlöðver, and Sigurður; my heartfelt thanks go out to all of these and
many other relatives and friends for their care and steadfast support. Last but
not least, I thank Silke for the friendship, for the love, and, of course, for going
through all of this with me.

Leipzig, October 10, 2020

Haraldur Hreinsson
Abbreviations

am Manuscripts from the collection of Árni Magnússon.

bhl Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina.
Cleasby-​Vigfusson Richard Cleasby, Gudbrand Vigfusson. An Icelandic-​English
Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon, 1874. Accessible on: http://​www.
ling.upenn.edu/​~kurisuto/​germanic/​oi_​cleasbyvigfusson_​about.
html
di Diplomatarium Islandicum. Íslenzkt fornbréfasafn, 16 vols
(Copenhagen and Reykjavík: Möller and Hið íslenzka bókmenn-
tafélag, 1857–​1952).
Fritzner Online version of Johan Fritzner’s Ordbog over det gamle norske
Sprog. Accessible on http://​www.edd.uio.no/​perl/​search/​search.
cgi?appid=86&tabid=1275
hms i and ii Heilagra manna søgur. Fortællinger og legender om hellige mænd
og kvinder. Vols. i and ii. Ed. by C. R. Unger. Christiania [Oslo]: B.
M. Bentzen, 1877.
ihb Icelandic Homily Book: Perg. 15 4to in The Royal Library, Stockholm.
Ed. by Andrea de Leeuw van Weenen. Icelandic Manuscripts: Series
in Quarto 3. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi, 1993.
íb i Íslensk bókmenntasaga i. Ed. by Guðrún Nordal, Sverrir Tómasson,
and Vésteinn Ólason. Vol i. Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 1992.
íb ii Íslensk bókmenntasaga ii. Ed. by Böðvar Guðmundsson,
Sverrir Tómasson, Torfi H. Tulinius, and Vésteinn Ólason. Vol ii.
Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 1993.
íf Íslenzk fornrit
íh Íslensk hómilíubók: Fornar stólræður. Ed. by Sigurbjörn Einarsson,
Guðrún Kvaran, and Gunnlaugur Ingólfsson. Reykjavík: Hið íslen-
ska bókmenntafélag, 1993.
kí i Hjalti Hugason. Frumkristni og upphaf kirkju. Vol. i of Kristni á
Íslandi. Reykjavík: Alþingi, 2000.
kí ii Gunnar F. Guðmundsson. Íslenskt samfélag og Rómakirkja. Vol. ii
of Kristni á Íslandi. Reykjavík. Alþingi, 2000.
klnm Kulturhistorisk lexikon for nordisk middelalder fra vikingetid til
reformationstid, 22 vols. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde og Bagger,
1956–​1978.
Leifar Leifar fornra kristinna fræða íslenzkra: Codex Arna-​Magnæanus
677 4to auk annara enna elztu brota af íslenzkum guðfræðisritum.
Ed. by Þorvaldur Bjarnarson. Copenhagen: Hagerup, 1878.
xii Abbreviations

Mombritius Boninus Mombritius. Sanctuarium Seu Vitae Sanctorum, i-​i i.

Paris: apud Albertum Fontemoing, 1910.
pl Patrologia cursus completus, sive bibliotheca universalis, integra,
uniformis, commoda, oeconomica, omnium ss. Patrum, docto-
rum scriptorumque ecclesiasticorum, sive latinorum, sive graeco-
rum. Series Latina. 217 vols. Ed. J. P. Migne. Paris: Frères Garnier,
1841–​1855.
Post Postola sögur: Legendariske fortællinger om apostlernes liv deres
kamp for kristendommens udbredelse samt deres martyrdød. Ed. by
C. R. Unger. Christiania [Oslo]: B. M. Bentzen, 1874.
Roughton i Study part (Part i and ii) of Philip G. Roughton’s am 645 4to and
am 652/​630 4to: Study and Translation of Two Thirteenth-​Century
Icelandic Collections of Apostles’ and Saints’ Lives. Unpublished
Doctoral Dissertation. University of Colorado, Boulder, 2002.
Roughton ii Translation part (Part iii.) of Philip G. Roughton’s am 645 4to and
am 652/​630 4to: Study and Translation of Two Thirteenth-​Century
Icelandic Collections of Apostles’ and Saints’ Lives. Unpublished
Doctoral Dissertation. University of Colorado, Boulder, 2002.
Sturlunga i and ii Sturlunga saga. Árna Saga biskups. Hrafns saga Sveinbjarnarsonar
hin sérstaka. Vols. i and ii. Ed. by Örnólfur Thorsson. Reykjavík: Mál
og menning, 2010 [1988].
Vg. Biblia Sacra Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem. 5th ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche
Bibelgesellschaft, 2007.
List of Figures

1 The map shows the locations of the two episcopal sees, the monasteries known
to have been established in the course of the Middle Ages and two of the most
important centers of clerical education. 2
2 The archbishopric of Niðarós consisted of Norway’s five episcopal sees as well
as those of Orkney (Kirkwall), the Faroes (Kirkjubø), the Isle of Man, Iceland
(Skálholt and Hólar), and Greenland (Garðar). 26
3 The image shows the movement of the Christian religion between Iceland,
Scandinavia, the British isles and the continent. Irish influence in Iceland
remains a controversial issue and is marked with a dotted line 50
4 Among the earliest and best preserved medieval ecclesiastical artefacts is the
Door of Valþjófsstaður. The upper circle shows a knight fighting a lion. The
lower circle shows four winged dragons. The door has been dated to the late
12th century. National Museum of Iceland 84
5 The image shows one fragment of the boards from Flatatunga. It depicts
two figures with halos, possibly Christ and an apostle. National Museum of
Iceland 85
6 Part of an amice. Depicts Christ, sitting on a throne surrounded by the
symbols of the evangelists and apostles to his side. It is believed to have been
made around 1200 and used at the cathedral of Hólar in Hjaltadalur. National
Museum of Iceland 88
7 Icelandic Homily Book, Stock. Perg. 15 4to, 93r. The Árni Magnússon Institute
for Icelandic Studies 140
8 Icelandic Homily Book, Stock. Perg. 15 4to, 68r. The Árni Magnússon Institute
for Icelandic Studies 142
9 An image showing the crucifixion of the apostle Andrew dating to the 13th
century. Andrew’s X shaped cross is missing. The statue belonged to the church
at Teigur in Fljótshllíð. National Museum of Iceland 156
10 
God as King. Illustration from a mid 14th century manuscript am 227 fol.
containing a Norse translation of the Old Testament. Árni Magnússon Institute
for Icelandic Studies 211
11 
Demon. Illustration from a mid 14th century manuscript am 227 fol. containing
a Norse translation of the Old Testament. Árni Magnússon Institute for
Icelandic Studies 212
12 
A drawing by Hörður Ágústsson of the images preserved on the panels from
Bjarnastaðahlíð. Image: Hörður Ágústsson, Dómsdagur og helgir menn á
Hólum, 15 219
newgenprepdf

xiv  List of Figures

13 
The Crozier’s head shows a gaping creature. It was discovered in Bishop Páll’s
grave in 1954. National Museum of Iceland 220
14 
A creature from a panel from Bjarnastaðahlíð, believed to repesent a serpent
surrounding Satan’s throne. National Museum of Iceland 222
15 
Hörður Ágústsson’s reconstruction of the Judgment picture. Unpaginated
picture sheets between pages 62 and 63 in Hörður Ágústsson, Dómsdagur og
helgir menn á Hólum 226
 ­c hapter 1

Introduction

The period between 1000 and 1300 stands out as particularly significant in the
religious history of Iceland.1 During these centuries, the people living on the
island abandoned the Old Norse religion practiced in Scandinavia for centu-
ries and adopted another one, Christianity, which since then has played a cen-
tral role in the formation of Icelandic society. As the Icelanders2 were getting
accustomed to the new Christian religious ideas and practices, they also wit-
nessed the introduction of a phenomenon which was to become the wealth-
iest and most powerful institution in medieval Icelandic society: The Roman
Church.3 Many aspects of the rise of the Church in Iceland have been thor-
oughly studied by historians. Its growth as an institution has, for example, been
investigated down to the smallest preserved details. It has been shown how the
Church slowly grew from being a side project of the most powerful families
in the country into an autonomous and self-​sustaining institution, thoroughly
integrated into the institutional hierarchy led by the bishop of Rome. This
process brought with it some wide-​ranging changes: All around the country,
small churches rose close to farmsteads. The country was divided into two dio-
ceses: that of Skálholt in the South, and Hólar in the North. Monasteries were
established, the earliest one in 1133 (see figure. 1). In 1097, Icelanders agreed
to pay a tithe in order to maintain churches and sustain priests. With time,
through a series of political and sometimes armed conflicts, the Church grad-
ually managed to gain more control of its own affairs. These changes, adminis-
trative and economical in nature, have been the subject of numerous historical

1 In the historiography of medieval Iceland, these centuries fall mostly within a period which
in English speaking scholarship is either termed the Commonwealth Period or the Free State
Period (þjóðveldisöld) during which time there existed no centralized, executive authority
in the country. It is taken to begin with the foundation of the general legislative and judicial
assembly (Alþingi) in 930 and ends with a pledge of allegiance made by the Icelandic chief-
tains to King Hákon Hákonarson of Norway (r. 1217–​1263).
2 The term ‘Icelanders’ will be used in the socio-​geographic sense of the people living on
the island with no claim made to the problematic idea of an existing collective (national)
identity of that group. For a discussion of the different group-​identities among medieval
Icelanders, see Sverrir Jakobsson, Við og veröldin: Heimsmynd Íslendinga 1100–​1400 (Reykjavík,
2005), pp. 328–​352.
3 When capitalized, the word ‘Church’ refers to the medieval Roman Church and the manifes-
tation it took in Iceland after its introduction in the course of the 10th and 11th centuries.

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2021 | DOI:10.1163/9789004449572_002

2 Chapter 1

HÓLAR
HÓLAR
MÖĐRUVALLAKLAUSTUR
MOĐ
MO ĐRUVALLAKLAUSTUR
FLATEYJARKLAUSTUR REYNISTAĐARKLAUSTUR
REYNISTA
REYNISTAĐ
ĐARKLAUSTUR
MUNKAþVERÁRKLAUSTUR
MUNKAþþVER
MUNKA VERÁ
ÁRKLAUSTUR
þþINGEYRARKLAUSTUR
INGEYRARKLAUSTUR
HELGAFELLSKLAUSTUR SAURBÆ
SAURB
SAURBÆJARKLAUSTUR
ÆJARKLAUSTUR
SKRIĐUKLAUSTUR
HÍTARDALSKLAUSTUR
HÍTARDALSKLAUSTUR

VIĐEYJARKLAUSTUR
VIĐ
VIĐEYJARKLAUSTUR HAUKADALUR
SKÁLHOLT
ODDI SKÁ
SK KIRKJUBÆJARKLAUSTUR
ÁLHOLT KIRKJUB
KIRKJUBÆ
ÆJARKLAUSTUR

þþYKKVABÆJARKLAUSTUR
YKKVABÆJARKLAUSTUR

figure 1 
The map shows the locations of the two episcopal sees, the monasteries known
to have been established in the course of the Middle Ages and two of the most
important centers of clerical education.

studies and figure more prominently in the scholarly literature on the medie-
val Church in Iceland than any other topic in the field.
Although such structural changes made the Church’s presence clearly
apparent, there were other features of its operation which, in the long run,
were to have more impact on people’s everyday-​life. While bishops and chief-
tains were debating over matters like church property, all around the country
the Church’s ordained servants continued to provide their flocks with spiritual
nourishment and edification. That was, after all, the divinely sanctioned pur-
pose of the Church as the channel of salvation in the world and the mystical
body of Christ. In churches, chapels, and monasteries, medieval Icelanders
were taught what to believe and how to behave as good Christians. Through
hymns and prayers, preaching and readings, they soon came to learn about
their place in the world and the sacred history of the Church. Much informa-
tion can be gained about how Christianity was practiced in Iceland during
these centuries through the preserved source material, such as religious texts,
artefacts, and archaeological remains, all of which will be included in the
present study. Of most significance, however, is a group of religious texts con-
sisting primarily of sermons containing theological reflections and scriptural
Introduction 3

interpretations and hagiographic narratives telling of the lives of the saints.

It is the contention of the present research, central to its argumentation, that
this body of texts what was being mediated to Christian Icelanders of all social
standings. The study further argues that these texts contain layers of meaning,
of much significance for understanding the social and political developments
Icelandic society went through after the arrival of the Church.
No historian of medieval Iceland would deny the importance of religious
ideas and practices for the institutional growth of the Church in Iceland. This
is, however, not reflected in scholarship. In fact, it often appears as if important
decisions regarding church politics and finances were made in isolation from
the religious ideas and practices lying at the center of the Church’s activities.
Along such lines, scholarship has existed in two distinct sides or spheres: an
outer one concerned with the Church as a political entity, protecting its inter-
ests, striving to increase its wealth and power, and an inner one dealing with
the religious ideas and practices. Whilst much is known about each sphere
respectively, much has been assumed and less systematically investigated
about the ways in which these two spheres may have come together, crossed,
clashed, and overlapped. The present study locates itself in this area of inter-
section. Central to its reasoning is the notion, often overlooked in the histo-
riography of medieval Iceland, that when it comes to matters of medieval
Christianity and the Church, the political is religious and the religious is polit-
ical. As the Church was emerging, growing, and establishing itself in Iceland,
its political dealings–​conflicts, losses, and victories –​had a highly significant
religious side. Similarly, the religious message mediated by clerics in churches
and elsewhere had a strong political layer which consistently came into play in
other fields of society.
As this study proceeds, its course of inquiry centers around the following
thesis: The religious message the Church was mediating before and during its
institutional consolidation, accessible through sermonic and hagiographic
sources from the period, played an important role as the Church was gain-
ing ground in Iceland. This message served as a religious framework for the
Church’s advance, providing a firm basis for its authority, supporting its insti-
tutional structures and legitimizing the ways in which it encountered oppo-
sition. In other words, it provided the Church and its representatives with a
discursively constructed position of power, of which it made ample use in any
dispute or conflict. For describing this neglected aspect of the Christianization
process, instructive parallels can be found in how other large-​scale political
entities have legitimized their imperial expansion and maintained control over
distant territories. The following introduction is intended to further prepare
and substantiate this central claim by exploring the study’s research-​historical
4 Chapter 1

context, explaining its theoretical premises and introducing the most import-
ant source material.

1.1 Historiographical Context

Compared to the scholarship on many other regions of medieval Europe, the

political aspects of Christian religious thought have received limited attention
in the context of medieval Iceland. Questions pertaining to how religious ideas
(as they are reflected in religious texts and images) came into play in the social
and cultural changes taking place after the introduction of Christianity, have
remained in the shadow of analyses of institutional structures and economic
developments. To further explain the research environment that shapes the
main thesis of this study, two research trajectories will be explored, each with
its own set of challenges and knowledge gaps. These are, on the one hand, the
broader scholarly tradition of the history of medieval Christianity in Iceland,
and, on the other hand, the more narrow scholarly debate concerning the rela-
tionship of the Christian religion to Icelandic society, in which it established
itself during the period between 1000 and 1300.

1.1.1 History of Medieval Christianity in Iceland: A Fragmented Field

The reasons behind the lack of interest in the social and political significance of
religious discourses and practices in Free State Iceland are complex. First of all,
the history of medieval Christianity in Iceland has been, and to a certain extent
still is, in a somewhat fragmentary state. This means that the attention given to
the subject has, more often than not, been limited and short-​spanned, driven
by goals other than the ones attributed to the field of history of Christianity.4

4 As it is carried out in this book as a scholarly field of inquiry, ‘History of Christianity’ is pri-
marily indebted to two scholarly traditions. First, it shares the goals of the history of the
Christian religion as it is practiced within the field ‘history of religions.’ As such, it aims
to analyse and explain a particular historical manifestation of the Christian religion as
any other sociohistorical phenomenon deserving the label ‘religious,’ which is much the
same as “discussing the temporal, contextual, situated, interested, human, and material
dimensions of those discourses, practices, communities, and institutions that characteris-
tically represent themselves as eternal, transcendent, spiritual, and divine.” Bruce Lincoln,
“Theses on Method,” in Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars: Critical Explorations in the
History of Religions (Chicago, 2012), p. 1. Second, this study also identifies with the direc-
tions taken by the discipline of church history as carried out within academic theological
faculties in recent decades. As described by church historian Albrecht Beutel, the disci-
pline’s object of research has been expanded to include any historical phenomenon mak-
ing a claim (Insanspruchnahme) –​whether explicit or implicit –​to represent the Christian
Introduction 5

Concentrated efforts of bringing together the research done by scholars in

different corners in order to construct a comprehensive view of the Christian
religion in Iceland during the Middle Ages are few and far between, although
important attempts have been made in the last two decades.5
The reasons for this development are found in the fact that the scholars
shaping the discourse and research agenda of the field of medieval Icelandic
society and culture had other main interests than the Christian religion. Most
important of these were, on the one hand, scholars oriented towards literary
studies (historians of literature, literary analysts, philologists, linguists, and
codicologists (material philologists)) collectively grouped together under the
umbrella term Nordic studies (Norræn fræði) and, on the other hand, historians
of the Middle Ages. Although these two fields overlapped and supplemented
each other, their division of labour could be roughly described in the following
way: While scholars of Nordic studies were exploring the history, nature, and
context of the indigenous saga literature, medieval historians were preoccupy-
ing themselves with topics of political, constitutional, and economic history, pri-
marily during the period before and leading up to the incorporation of Iceland
into the Norwegian kingdom in 1262–​1264. Of course, granted the central role
it played in medieval European societies, the Christian religion and the Church
were topics frequently addressed and studied in both fields. It is nonetheless
safe to say that the Christian religion was more often treated as a background
element; certainly an important background element but only to the extent
that it was capable of throwing light on the field specific questions being dealt
with each time.6 By the same token, fields that did not serve such purposes, for

religion. According to such an understanding, the concept ‘church’ refers broadly to any
historical materialization of Christian religiosity. Albrecht Beutel, “Vom Nutzen und
Nachteil der Kirchengeschichte: Begriff und Funktion einer theologischen Kerndisziplin,” in
Protestantische Konkretionen (Tübingen, 1998), p. 5.
5 Symptomatic of the fragmentary state of the field, the most important contributions to the
history of the Christian religion dating to the 20th century can be found as subchapters in
overview writings on Icelandic history and Icelandic literature, in introductions to critical
editions of medieval sagas and journal articles. Arguably, a large part of the most original
research done during this period on medieval Christianity in Iceland is dispersed around the
22 volumes of the Kulturhistorisk lexikon for nordisk middelalder, published between 1956 and
1978. Kulturhistorisk leksikon for nordisk middelalder fra vikingetid til reformationstid, 22 vols.
(Copenhagen, 1956–​1978).
6 Exceptions include the work of the French literary scholar Régis Boyer, La vie religieuse en
Islande (1116–​1264) d‘après la Sturlunga Saga et les Sagas des Évêques (Paris, 1979) and Arnved
Nedkvitne, Lay Belief in Norse Society 1000–​1350 (Copenhagen, 2009). See also Peter Hallberg,
“Imagery in Religious Old Norse Prose Literature: An Outline.ˮ Arkiv för nor disk filologi 102
(1987), 120–​170.
6 Chapter 1

example the content of the religion remained largely an unploughed field until
a few decades ago, with the exception of the ground research done by art his-
torians and archaeologists. Elsewhere, such concerns would be attended to by
theologians and historians of religion, but apart from the important work done
by Magnús Már Lárusson7 and Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson8 (and a number of
final theses and articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers) theologians
were practically absent from the discussion.9
The last two decades have witnessed a marked interest in medieval
Christianity in Iceland. On the occasion of the thousand year anniversary of
Christianity in the country, a four volume overview work was published in the
year 2000.10 Of the four volumes, two are devoted to the Middle Ages: The first
one dealt with the conversion period and the earliest phase of Christianity,
written by the main editor Hjalti Hugason and the second volume on the
Church in the High and Late Middle Ages was written by the historian Gunnar

7 The most important work done by Lárusson, professor of history and theology at different
points during his career, was his participation in the editing of the Kulturhistorisk lex-
ikon and the numerous entries he wrote for it on various topics relating to the medieval
Christianity in Iceland. See also Lárusson’s collection of articles Fróðleiksþættir og sögu-
brot (Hafnarfjörður, 1967).
8 The research of Aðalsteinsson, who pursued his academic career within the disciplines of
ethnology and anthropology, was to a large extent directed at the conversion from pagan-
ism to Christianity. Well-​known is his theory, set forth in his doctoral dissertation Under
the Cloak, on the shamanic role of the lawspeaker Þorgeirr when deciding for Christianity
over the pagan religion during the law-​assembly at Þingvellir in the year 999. Jón Hnefill
Aðalsteinsson, Under the Cloak: The Acceptance of Christianity in Iceland with Particular
Reference to the Religious Attitudes Prevailing at the Time (Uppsala, 1978).
9 The reasons are of both cultural and practical nature. In the predominantly protestant
cultural and religious Icelandic environment, the scholars holding the only professorship
endowed for church history at the University of Iceland, have concentrated on those peri-
ods of history of most interest and use for the students of the theological faculty of the
University of Iceland, whose primary aim has been and still is to educate pastors for the
Icelandic national church (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland). Consequently, they
have focused on Early Christianity and Post-​Reformation Iceland, leaving the medieval
period to scholars of other fields.
10 Hjalti Hugason, ed. Kristni á Íslandi i-​i v (Reykjavík, 2000). The last overview work on
Icelandic Christianity was that of bishop Jón Helgason (1866–​1942), published in 1925 and
1927 and the one before that bishop Finnur Jónsson’s (1704–​1789) Historia Ecclesiastica
Islandiæ, 4 vols., (Copenhagen, 1772–​1778). Interestingly, already after the publishing of
Jón Helgason’s Islands Kirke fra dens Grundlæggelse til Reformationen, in 1925, the his-
toriography of the Church in medieval Iceland was being criticized for being fragmen-
tary. In a review of the work, the renowned (and later notorious for his support of the
nsdap) protestant theologian Emanuel Hirsch criticized it for being to a large extent
simply “Bischofsgeschichte,” in which “das Licht wird stärker gesehen als der Schatten.”
Theologische Literaturzeitung 23 (1927), 541.
Introduction 7

F. Guðmundsson.11 The two volumes provide a good overview of the state of

knowledge in the field at the time. From a historiographical point of view, the
novelty is to be found in their focus on cultural historical aspects which had
until then not received much attention, including chapters on religious ideas
and practices. Such an emphasis is apparent in the last part of Hugasonʼs vol-
ume and still more visible throughout Guðmundssonʼs second volume, simply
because the source material is richer for the period under inspection.12 Despite
the attention given to cultural historical concerns, the two volumes can rather
be said to reproduce the fragmentation of the field instead of working towards
its unification. Illustrative of this tendency is the organization of Hugason’s vol-
ume where the discussion on ‘religious life and society” (trúarlíf og samfélag) is
kept separate from the much more extensive parts on the conversion and the
history of the Church as an institution –​the rise of the parish system, the epis-
copacy, the tithe –​which happen to be the topics most discussed by medieval
historians and literary scholars through the years. Apart from short interludes
between the volumeʼs different sections, it does not make an attempt to give
a holistic view of the period, primarily because it is not allowed by previous
research. It is, as Orri Vésteinsson put it in his overall positive review, a frag-
mentary history (brotasaga), a narrative woven together to the extent possible
out of the fragments available.13
Along similar lines, the research done in the last two decades –​which
has been considerably vigorous –​has been carried out along the traditional

11 The work received generally positive reviews. It was hailed as an “epoch-​making work”
and coming equal to bishop Finnur Jónsson’s Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiæ. Sigurjón
Árni Eyjólfsson, “Kristni á Íslandi: umfjöllun um tímamótaverk,” Kirkjuritið 68/​2 (2001),
38–​48; Gunnar Karlsson, “Verkið sem tókst að vinna: Um Kristni á Íslandi I-​IV,” Ný saga 12
(2000), 28.
12 Jón Viðar Sigurðsson pointed out that the work “directed its attention more towards
the religion itself and its many sides than done in previous work on church history,”
adding that more work was needed. Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, “Allir sem sjá líta þó ekki
jafnt á: sagnaritun um íslenskar miðaldir fram um 1300,” in Íslensk sagnfræði á 20. öld,
eds. Guðmundur J. Guðmundsson, Guðmundur Jónsson and Sigurður Ragnarsson
(Reykjavík: Sögufélag, 2009), 51–​52. Hubert Seelow described it as “tatsächlich eine
Darstellung der Kulturgeschichte Islands unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der
christlichen Religion.” Hubert Seelow, “Hjalti Hugason et al. (Hg.): Kristni á Íslandi,”
Skandinavistik 23/​1 (2002), 58. Orri Vésteinsson also expressed his appreciation of these
features of the work but stressed at the same time that it first and foremost exposes the
research gaps existing in the field which could not be filled in an overview work such
as Hugason’s volume. Orri Vésteinsson, “Brotasaga: Um fyrsta bindi Kristni á Íslandi” in
Kristni á Íslandi: Útgáfumálþing á Akureyri 15. apríl 2000 og í Reykjavík 23. október 2000, ed.
Ágústa Þorbergsdóttir (Reykjavík, 2001), pp. 114–​115.
13 Orri Vésteinsson, “Brotasaga,” p. 115.
8 Chapter 1

disciplinary trajectories described above. Literary scholars have paid increased

attention to religious literature, particularly hagiography.14 The literary activity
surrounding the bishops Þorlákr Þórhallsson and Guðmundr Arason –​the two
Icelandic bishops who were venerated as saints –​has been thoroughly stud-
ied, and in Þorlákr’s case with careful attention to the Latin literary context in
which it took place.15 Old Icelandic sermonic literature has attracted the atten-
tion of philologists (mostly those working in North America and Italy) who
continue to publish critical editions of fragments of sermons not published
before or only partly in dated editions.16 These texts have, however, not been
subject to much historical contextualization. One of the most fruitful fields
of research for medieval Christianity is that of archaeology, but recent exca-
vations of medieval monasteries, churches, and cemeteries have brought out
much new material relating to medieval Christianity.17 In fact, largely fuelled

14 See for example Ásdís Egilsdóttir’s numerous articles on the subject, for exam-
ple those collected in a recent Festschrift published on the occasion of her 70th
birthday: Fræðimæmi: Greinar gefnar út í tilefni 70 ára afmælis Ásdísar Egilsdóttur
(Reykjavík, 2016).
15 For a general discussion on bishop Þorlákr, see Ásdís Egilsdóttir’s introduction to her crit-
ical edition of Þorláks saga in íf xvi. On the Latin literary context, see Gottskálk Jensson,
“Nokkrar athugasemdir um latínubrotin úr Vita sancti Thorlaci episcopi et confessoris,” in
Pulvis Olympicus. Afmælisrit tileinkað Sigurði Péturssyni, eds. Jón Ma. Ásgeirsson, Kristinn
Ólason and Svavar Hrafn Svavarsson (Háskólaútgáfan, 2009), pp. 97–​109; Susanne Miriam
Fahn and Gottskálk Jensson, “The Forgotten Poem: A Latin Panegyric for Saint Þorlákr in
am 382 4to,” Gripla 21 (2010), 19–​60; Gottskálk Jensson, “*Revelaciones Thorlaci Episcopi –​
Enn eitt glatað latínurit eftir Gunnlaug Leifsson munk á Þingeyrum,” Gripla 23 (2012), 133–​
175. Bishop Guðmundr has been the subject of two doctoral dissertations in recent years,
Joanna A. Skórzewska, Constructing a Cult: The Life and Veneration of Guðmundr Arason
(1161–​1237) in the Icelandic Written Sources (Leiden, 2011) and Gunnvör S. Karlsdóttir,
Guðmundar sögur biskups: Þróun og ritunarsamhengi unpublished doctoral dissertation
(University of Iceland, 2017). A critical edition of the different versions of the saga of
bishop Guðmundr is also expected in the series Íslenzk fornrit.
16 Examples being the following articles: Carla Cucina, “En kjǫlrinn jarteinir trú rétta.
Incidenza di tropi classici e cristiani sulle tradizioni anglosassone e scandinava.” Rivista
Italiana di Linguistica e di Dialettologia xii (2010), 25–​93; Stephen Pelle, “Twelfth-​Century
Sources for Old Norse Homilies: New Evidence from AM 655 XXVII 4to,” Gripla xxiv
(2013), 45–​75 and Dario Bullitta, “The Story of Joseph of Arimathea in AM 655 XXVII 4to,”
Arkiv för nordisk filologi 131 (2016), 47–​740.
17 Churches and cemeteries have been excavated in the region of Skagafjörður, see Guðný
Zoëga, “Early Church Organization in Skagafjörður, North Iceland. The Results of the
Skagafjörður Church Project,” Collegium Medievale 27 (2014), 21–​ 60; Guðný Zoëga
2015, “A Family Revisited: The Medieval Household Cemetery of Keldudalur, North
Iceland.” Norwegian Archaeological Review 48 (2015),105–​28; Guðný Zoëga and Douglas
Bolender, “An Archaeology of Moments: Christian Conversion and Practice in a Medieval
Household Cemetery,” Journal of Social Archaeology 17 (2017), 69–​91. See also Steinunn
Introduction 9

by recent excavations of monasteries, the sphere of medieval Christianity

which has enjoyed the largest share of attention is that of the Benedictine and
Augustinian monasteries founded in Iceland during the medieval period (see
figure. 1). As for historical scholarship, strictly defined, apart from the studies
of Orri Vésteinsson and Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, which will be discussed in more
detail shortly, few major works have been published dealing specifically with
medieval Christianity in Iceland during this period.18 Scholars of religion have
only partaken in the discussion of medieval Christianity in Iceland to a lim-
ited degree.19 The most prolific religion scholar in the field is the medievalist
Margaret Cormack, who has done much work on the historical development
of the cult of the saints in Iceland. In her doctoral dissertation, for example
The Saints in Iceland, she has done important groundwork for any cultural his-
torical work in the field by providing an extensive survey of the material and
literary items related to every saint recorded to have been known in Iceland
during the Middle Ages.20
The tendency to keep within the traditional disciplinary boundaries has
resulted in many questions relating to the relationship between religion and
society being left unattended. In some cases, this has led to overly static and
one-​sided view of the socio-​political capabilities of the Christian religion as

Kristjánsdóttir numerous publications on monasteries in Iceland, the most recent of

which is Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin að klaustrunum: Klausturhald á Íslandi í fimm
aldir (Reykjavík: Sögufélag, 2017).
18 Two extensive studies are concerned with medieval Christianity in the late Middle
Ages: Lára Magnúsardóttir’s 2007 dissertation on excommunication and ecclesiasti-
cal power in the late Middle Ages, Bannfæring og kirkjuvald á Íslandi 1275–​1550: Lög og
rannsóknarforsendur (Reykjavík, 2007) and Erika Sigurdsson’s 2011 dissertation on the
institutional organization of the Church in Iceland in the 14th century, The Church in
Fourteenth-​Century Iceland: The Formation of an Elite Clerical Identity, The Northern
World 72 (Leiden, 2016).
19 After the publishing of Kristni á Íslandi in 2000, Hjalti Hugason has been primarily con-
cerned with early modern and modern church history, although he has regularly pub-
lished articles on matters concerning bishop Guðmundr Arason of Hólar. For the present
study, his most important recent publication is “Átök um samband ríkis og kirkju: Deilur
Guðmundar Arasonar og Kolbeins Tumasonar í kirkjupólitísku ljósi,” Saga xlvii (2009),
122–​148.
20 See Margaret Cormack, The Saints in Iceland: Their Veneration from the Conversion to 1400,
Subsidia hagiographica 78 (Brussels,1994). Among other work done by Cormack valu-
able for the present research, in addition to her many articles, are her edited volumes
Saints and their Cults in the Atlantic World (Columbia, 2007) and Muslims and Others in
Sacred Space (Oxford, 2012). In recent years, Cormack has been working on developing an
interactive geographical database on churches and veneration of saints in the diocese of
Hólar. See Saints and Geography Portal, accessible on http://​www.saintsgeog.net/​.
10 Chapter 1

it manifested itself in the Icelandic Free State.21 An example of such would

be the contradiction between the Church’s proclamation of peace on the one
hand and the participation of its ordained servants in various conflicts, repro-
duced time and again by scholars of medieval Icelandic culture and society.
Along such lines, the Church’s program has been described in terms of estab-
lishing “the ideals of unselfish behaviour, abnegation of worldly desires, love
of others and duty to God” which were supposed to “undermine the codes
of vengeance” characterizing Icelandic society in the 11th, 12th, and 13th cen-
turies.22 Clerics of all ranks are portrayed as men of peace who should not
participate in conflict unless for the purpose of mediating between warring
parties.23 According to such views, putting down one’s weapon is seen “as a
testimony of a living Christian faith,” while doing the opposite is rendered
problematic.24 Surely, as will be discussed later on, peace was a prominent
theme in the proclamation of the Church in Commonwealth Iceland but that
does not mean that the attitude of the Icelandic clergy and Christian laymen
towards disputes or conflict should be reduced to unquestioning pacifism.
Neither does it entail that the notion of peace, as it is constructed in the earli-
est Christian source material, is under all circumstances nonconfrontational
and nonviolent.
The preserved source material from medieval Iceland gives access to a rich
array of religious ideas and interpretations, which came into play in diverse
ways. Religion is, from this point of view, an essentially boundary-​crossing
phenomenon, thoroughly enmeshed in the social, cultural, political, and
economic lives of religious individuals. Applying such an understanding
to the significance of religious thought in Free State Iceland, this research
seeks to illuminate the great social changes taking place in the course of the
Christianization process as well as the disputes, altercations, and armed con-
flicts accompanying it.

21 Certainly, there exist exceptions, Torfi H. Tulinius’ Skáldið í skriftinni: Snorri Sturluson og
Egils saga, Íslensk menning (Reykjavík, 2004) being a particularly impressive example.
For a revised version in English, see Torfi H. Tulinius, The Enigma of Egill: The Saga, the
Viking Poet, and Snorri Sturluson, Islandica lvii, trans. Victoria Cribb (Ithaca, 2014).
22 Guðrún Nordal, Ethics and Action in Thirteenth-​Century Iceland (Odense, 1998), pp. 20
and 47.
23 Sverrir Jakobsson, Auðnaróðal: Baráttan um Ísland 1096–​1281 (Reykjavík, 2016), p. 29;
Ármann Jakobsson, “Hinn fullkomni karlmaður: Ímyndarsköpun fyrir biskupa á 13.
öld,” Studia theologica islandica 25 (2007), 124; Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of
Iceland: Priests, Power, and Social Change 1000–​1300 (Oxford, 2000), p. 211.
24 Guðrún Nordal, Ethics and Action, p. 186.
Introduction 11

1.1.2 Church and Society in Medieval Iceland

Although scholars of medieval Iceland have been rather reluctant to address
concrete examples of the social and political significance of Christian thought
and discourses, there has not been a lack of large-​scope, all-​encompassing
paradigms to describe the relationship of the Christian religion to the circum-
stances –​social, cultural, and political –​in which it was taking root. Between
around 1940 and 1970, an influential group of scholars formulated the view
that medieval Icelandic society was marked by a clear division between a cler-
ical, European cultural sphere on the one hand and an indigenous, national,
and secular sphere on the other. An example of how such a division was con-
structed is found in the Age of the Sturlungs by Einar Ólafur Sveinsson, one
of the proponents of the group which came to be known as the ‘Icelandic
school’ in Nordic scholarship.25 Opposed to the political arena where the
chieftains of the most powerful families fought for domination of the island
in the thirteenth century, was the ‘world’ of the Church and Christian reli-
gion: “In cloisters, in churches, and on the episcopal sees there is a different
world, a world with its own contrasts and its own struggles, but very different
from the other.”26 Not to say that scholars influenced by the Icelandic school
disregarded the role of the Church entirely; rather, the Christian Church and
its representatives were considered as guests, external to an Icelandic cul-
ture and political system which constituted something unique when com-
pared to the rest of Christian Europe.27 According to this view, which the
Swedish literary scholar Lars Lönnroth, an adamant critic of the Icelandic
school, called the ‘theory of the two cultures’ (Sw. Tesen om de två kultur-
erna), Icelandic culture reached its zenith with the production of the saga

25 The Icelandic school was primarily known for its Buchprosatheorie, i.e. its strict emphasis
on the Icelandic sagas as works of literature, opposed to the Freiprosalehre which pre-
ceded it, according to which the writing of the sagas is considered as a final point of a long
development of oral mediation of the sagas content, reaching as far back as the 9th cen-
tury when the events they describe took place. Notable proponents of this school were
the literary scholars Sigurður Nordal (1886–​1974) and Einar Ól. Sveinsson (1899–​1984) and
the historian Jón Jóhannesson (1909–​1957).
26 Einar Ól. Sveinsson, The Age of the Sturlungs: Icelandic Civilization in the Thirteenth
Century, Islandica xxxvi, trans. Jóhann S. Hannesson (Ithaca, 1953), p. 5.
27 For an overview of this discussion, see Jesse L. Byock, “History and the Sagas: The Effect
of Nationalism,” in From Sagas to Society: Comparative Approaches to Early Iceland
(Enfield Lock, 1992), pp. 43–​59 and Guðmundur Hálfdanarson, “Interpreting the Nordic
Past: Icelandic Medieval Manuscripts and the Construction of a Modern Nation,” in The
Uses of the Middle Ages in Modern European States: History, Nationhood, and the Search for
Origins (Basingstoke, 2011), pp. 52–​71.
12 Chapter 1

literature, representing a pure manifestation of Germanic culture, unaffected

by Latin Christendom.28
According to this view, the rise of the Church and its most important institu-
tional structures had to be reconciled with the economic and political interests
of the ruling class. Along these lines, the Icelandic chieftains were depicted
as autonomous representatives of the indigenous Icelandic culture and the
Church portrayed accordingly as a vehicle for bolstering their power. Sigurður
Nordal, arguably the most influential scholar of medieval Icelandic culture in
the first half of the 20th century, coined the term ‘Chieftain Church’ (goða-
kirkja) to describe the church order in the 11th and 12th centuries. Nordal was
first to point out how the imposition of the Tithe Law of 1097 increased the
wealth of church owning chieftains explaining how swiftly and smoothly it
seems to have been accepted by the Icelandic ruling class.29 Björn Þorsteinsson
probed further into the specifics of the emerging system and used the term
‘church chieftains’ (kirkjugoðar) and the term ‘church chieftain supremacy’
(kirkjugoðaveldi) to describe the political and religious affairs between 1118
(the death of Bishop Gizurr Ísleifsson) and the beginning of the Age of the
Sturlungar (usually dated to the year 1220).30 According to Þorsteinsson, the
church chieftains constituted a new ‘class of magnates’ who grew in wealth and
influence through the system engendered by the tithe law. Having bequeathed
their land and property to their church, which they continued to handle as if
it were their own, they received half of the tithe as well as other profits, which
were exempt from taxation. This led to an increase in wealth which the church
chieftain families used to buy more land. Gradually, this led to the power con-
solidation and social differentiation that characterized the thirteenth century.
Even though few still adhere to Þorsteinsson’s Marxist historiographical para-
digm, his findings that the political developments of the 13th century should
be explained in view of the tithe and the social and economic consequences it
entailed is still widely accepted today.
Much of the scholarship immediately following the era of the Icelandic
school came as a reaction to its view of the relationship between Church

28 Sigurður Nordal’s essay “Samhengið í íslenzkum bókmenntum,” in Íslenzk lestrarbók 1400–​

1900 (Reykjavík: Bókaverzlun Sigfúsar Eymundssonar, 1924), pp. ix-​xxxii, is often cited as
representing such a view. For criticisms (of which there are plenty), see for example Torfi
H. Tulinius, “The Self as Other: Iceland and the Culture of Southern Europe in the Middle
Ages,” Gripla xx (2009). 199–​215.
29 Sigurður Nordal, Íslensk menning i, p. 296.
30 For the translations of technical terms from Icelandic medieval history, I rely on Orri
Vésteinsson’s list of terms at the end of his Christianization of Iceland, pp. 287–​296.
Introduction 13

and society, calling for a reconsideration of the limited role ascribed to the
Christian religion in the shaping of society and, primarily perhaps, culture, as
it is represented by the production of saga literature. Already in 1964, Lönnroth
called for a farewell “to the image of the Icelandic farmer, who afar from the
European culture of clerics and courtiers, entertains himself by writing down
old accounts from his home.”31 Another scholar objecting to this view was
Hermann Pálsson, who in his work on the medieval writing Hrafnkels saga
insisted that the Icelandic medieval literature was, first and foremost, an off-
spring of “the Christian tradition of medieval Europe,” and that the content
of the Icelandic family sagas “is seen through Christian eyes and intended
for Christian ears.”32 Inevitably, the tension between the two views extended
itself to the field of history, crystallizing in Sveinbjörn Rafnsson’s reviews of
the second and third volumes of the overview work Saga Íslands (E. History
of Iceland), published in 1975 and 1978. Particularly notable was Rafnsson’s
harsh criticism of the volumes’ chapters on the Church in Iceland, written
by Magnús Stefánsson, professor of medieval history in Bergen. Among other
things, Rafnsson found fault in Stefánsson’s espousal to an outdated historical
paradigm in his overemphasis on the national traits of the Church in Iceland
during the Free State period. Rafnsson’s criticism of the second volume was
directed towards the “old nineteenth-​century-​perspectives” characteristic of
the volume including its lack of comparison with other regions of Europe.33
Throughout his career, Rafnsson has been untiring in his attempts at illustrat-
ing the cogency of viewing Icelandic society and literary culture as an inte-
grated part of Latin Christendom. His main field of research has been medieval
Icelandic codes of law, more specifically the law code of the Free State, Grágás,

31 “Tiden är inne att vinka farväl åt bilden av den isländska bonden, som fjärran från klerk-
ers och hovmäns europeiska kultur roar sig med att skriva ned gamla berättelser från
hembygden.” Lars Lönnroth, “Tesen om de två kulturerna: Kritiska studier i den isländska
sagaskrivningens sociala förutsättningar,” Scripta islandica 15 (1964), 97.
32 Hermann Pálsson, Art and Ethics in Hrafnkel’s saga (Copenhagen, 1971), p. 10.
33 Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, “Saga Íslands III,” Skírnir 153 (1979), 208. Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, “Saga
Íslands I-​II,” Skírnir 149 (1975): 220. It should be noted that not all historians expressed as
sharp criticisms towards Stefánsson’s chapter. As late as in his 2007 introductory writing to
Icelandic medieval history, Gunnar Karlsson singled out Stefánsson’s essays as a “great and
in parts a completely new church history” which at the time made itself clearly felt from
a historiographical point of view. Gunnar Karlsson, Inngangur að miðöldum: Handbók í
íslenskri miðaldasögu (Reykjavík, 2007), 37. For a discussion on the theoretical differences
between Karlsson and Rafnsson, see Arngrímur Vídalín, “Ný bókfestukenning? Spjall um
aðferðir,” Saga liii (2015), 124–​138.
14 Chapter 1

which he has argued, by way of a number of test cases, to have been influenced
by European law.34
The last decades have seen a growing tendency to strike a balance between
these two views, portraying Icelandic society as not purely ‘Icelandic’ nor
entirely ‘Christian,’ but both.35 Such a perspective is evident in several stud-
ies on medieval Christianity, emphasizing how Christianity came to be slowly
incorporated into Icelandic society. From a strict sociohistorical and socioeco-
nomic perspective, this development has been described most thoroughly by
Orri Vésteinsson. While being a proponent of the Chieftain Church-​paradigm –​
emphasizing strongly how the interests of the Icelandic aristocracy shape the
rise of the Church –​he takes issue with the notion that the Christian Church
arrived in Iceland with a fully-​fledged ‘corporate identity’ which shaped the way
in which its representatives behaved and organized themselves.36 According
to Vésteinsson, it took decades and centuries for the Church to form into the
autonomous institution it was to become in the Late Middle ages “with its own
jurisdiction, its own property, and an institutionalized influence over the gov-
ernance of the State.”37 Instead, the Christian religion and the Church consti-
tuted only “one aspect of life” among many as the political elite carried out its
affairs. From such a perspective, Vésteinsson describes in detail the socioeco-
nomic and sociopolitical circumstances under which important ecclesiastical
institutions and features took shape, the most important ones being the tithe,
regulations on church property, the priesthood and the episcopacy. Central to
Vésteinsson’s thesis is his argument that Icelandic aristocratic families viewed
it as both politically and financially advantageous to affiliate themselves with
the Church and the Christian religion. At different stages during the process,
it was the economic and political interests of the ruling elite which weighed
heavy on the decision-​making.38 Despite the sweeping scope and the strong

34 Such conclusions cast doubt on the basis of much research done on the constitutional
history of Iceland but for many historians, Grágás has served as a central source for
the reconstruction of the political and constitutional system of the tenth and eleventh
centuries. See Gunnar Karlsson, Goðamenning: Staða og áhrif goðorðsmanna í þjóðveldi
Íslendinga (Reykjavík, 2004), pp. 28–​59.
35 Although it is of marginal significance for the current research project, the most vivid
discussion on the topic over the last decades has taken place in the field of saga studies
after the rise of the so-​called ‘anthropological school.’ For an overview, discussion, and
bibliography of that influential body of writings see Gísli Pálsson’s edited volume, From
Sagas to Society: Comparative Approaches to Early Iceland (Enfield Lock, 1992).
36 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, 4.
37 Ibid.
38 Although of a broader geographical scale, a similar kind of argumentation is found in
Anders Winroth’s interpretation of the conversion of Scandinavia, emphasizing that
Introduction 15

explanatory capabilities of Vésteinsson’s study, it tends to overestimate the

significance of political and economic factors on the expense of cultural and
religious elements.
In her Property and Virginity, a study of marriage in medieval Iceland (1200–​
1600), Agnes. S. Arnórsdóttir explores and explains the changes of the practice
and understanding of marriage after the advent of Christianity in the country.
Throughout her study, she portrays how a non-​Christian institution of mar-
riage –​marked by its economic and political concerns within a kinship social
system –​gradually merged into a variation of a Christian marriage, in which
notions like mutual consent, individual decision-​making based on love and
affection, as well as virginity and purity had gained a notable significance.
For the present purposes, Arnórsdóttir’s study is of particular significance as
regards its attention to how the Christian religion, its ideas and norms, came to
influence Icelandic society through the institution of marriage. In her inquiry,
Arnórsdóttir directs her attention far beyond the traditional historiographi-
cal topics of medieval Iceland –​institutional and constitutional history –​and
in the spirit of cultural history, asks “how change in the symbolic meaning of
marriage affected the wider understanding of marriage.”39 Thus, in addition
to reconstructing the development of the legal and ritual representation of
marriage in medieval Iceland, she shows how the Christianization of mar-
riage came to influence gender identity and, further still, the social structures
of medieval Iceland. Significantly, she shows that this process was not a one
way street but a slow-​moving, complex and dynamic development, charac-
terized by compromises between the ‘old,’ traditional practices and the ‘new’
Christian ones. Central to this development was the influence of canon law
and changes in ritual practices, but in line with scholars like Peter Landau and
Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, Arnórsdóttir emphasizes the early influence of canon
law on Icelandic law-​making and society.
As noted, the studies of Vésteinsson and Arnórsdóttir highlight the ways in
which Christianity slowly seeped into Icelandic society. Neither Christianity

Christianity was not brought to Scandinavia “as the result of conquest, colonization,
and mission” but, assuming for more autonomy on behalf of the kings and magnates of
Scandinavia, they chose to accept Christianity primarily because it was advantageous for
them economically and politically. Christianity was not forced upon them; they accepted
it because it was profitable for them to gain access to “prestigious gift-​giving capital of
Christianity” and be able to frame their leadership in terms of divine kingship. Anders
Winroth, Conversion of Scandinavia: Vikings, Merchants, and Missionaries in the Remaking
of Northern Europe (New Haven, 2012), pp. 161–​163.
39 Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, Property and Virginity: The Christianization of Marriage in Medieval
Iceland 1200–​1600 (Aarhus, 2009), 29.
16 Chapter 1

nor the Icelandic culture in which the Christian religion was becoming infil-
trated are considered as fixed, clear-​cut entities. The meeting, merging and
interaction of the two is viewed as a matter of adaptation and negotiation for
which there is no predetermined formula. Along the lines of how transcultural
history has been carried out in recent decades, they emphasize the active and
creative role of both the arriving culture and the receiving one. This study shares
this understanding of the sociocultural situation in Iceland as being in flux or,
to use a much-​debated term, in a process of acculturation. However, while the
studies by Vésteinsson and Arnórsdóttir focus on the processes and the out-
come of the cultural negotiation, the concern of the present study leans deci-
sively towards the Roman Church as a participant in such a cultural interaction
and the content of what it brought to the negotiating table. In more technical
terms, it focuses on the ways in which the agents of the Church constructed
their position as they participated in sociopolitical encounters and confronta-
tions and the discursive framework within which they did so. In most recent
years, such a position has become increasingly visible, most prominently in
Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir’s extensive study on the monasteries established in
Iceland in the course of the Middle Ages. In addition to the wealth of new
information gained through the archaeological investigations and excavations
carried out by Kristjánsdóttir and her team around the country, she provides
her readers with a useful model for reconstructing the historical development
under inspection and the role played by the medieval Church in it.40
As shown above, previous studies have thoroughly explored the wide-​
ranging social changes caused by the introduction of Christianity in Iceland.
The present study wishes to investigate the sociopolitical significance of the
religious source material by asking how the discourses it preserves and rep-
resents comes into play in these social changes, in particular in the conflicts to
which they led between individuals, groups, and institutions. In doing so, the
study is indebted to the theoretical approach frequently termed ‘the new cul-
tural history.’41 When applied to the topic of political and social conflicts, such
an approach focuses on reconstructing the discourses and practices which

40 Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin að klaustrunum, see esp. pp. 454–​465. A similar emphasis
can be seen in Gottskálk Þór Jensson’s convincing attempt to contextualize the founding
of monasteries in Iceland in the church political landscape of North Western Europe.
Gottskálk Þór Jensson, “Íslenskar klausturreglur og libertas ecclesie á ofanverðri 12. öld,”
in Íslensk klausturmenning á miðöldum, ed. Haraldur Bernharðsson (Reykjavík, 2016),
pp. 9–​57.
41 A well-​known collection of articles setting the agenda for the new cultural history is The
New Cultural History: Essays, ed. Lynn Hunt (Berkeley, 1989). For a more recent overview,
see Peter Burke, What is Cultural History? (Cambridge, 2008), pp. 51–​76.
Introduction 17

give access to the structures of meaning employed by the political actors each
time.42 It stresses that decisions taken and actions made in society’s different
spheres cannot be understood in isolation from the cultural context in which
they take place.43 From such a point of view, this study seeks to contextualize
and analyse the religious source material preserved from the first centuries of
Christianity in Iceland, arguing that it constitutes an important component of
the cultural context in which chieftains and churchmen of the Icelandic Free
state communicated, made their deals, and came into conflict.

1.2 Theoretical Considerations

In his History and Cultural Theory, historian Simon Gunn defines culture “as
made up of complex networks of interacting discourses, socially located and
permeated by forces of conflict and power.”44 This citation brings together two
important theoretical vantage points for this study. First, its indebtedness to
the theorizing taking place within the field of cultural studies and cultural his-
tory. Second, the critical perspective from which society is seen –​in its entirety
down to its smallest constituents –​as a locus of conflict and power politics.
The following discussion will center on two theoretical components enjoying
particular prominence in this study: First, the concept of discourse, but the
religious source material under analysis is here viewed as source material for
the religious discourse being disseminated across Iceland since early in the
process of Christanization. Second, it is necessary to outline the critical her-
meneutical framework underlying the historical analysis, or what in the pres-
ent research is called the ‘imperial perspective.’

1.2.1 Ecclesiastical Discourse

The following discussion is intended to explain in more detail the theoretical
background behind the phrase ‘ecclesiastical discourse.’ With the use of such a
phrase, it is emphasized that the discourse under inspection was always both
religious and socio-​political at the same time. The adjective ‘ecclesiastical’ has
been defined as describing that which is “of or relating to a church especially as
an established institution.”45 Given that this study preoccupies itself with how

42 Barbara Stollberg-​Rilinger, “Was heißt Kulturgeschichte des Politischen? Einleitung”

in Was heißt Kulturgeschichte des Politischen?, ed. Barbara Stollberg-​Rilinger (Berlin,
2005), p. 13.
43 Ibid., p. 11.
44 Simon Gunn, History and Cultural Theory (London, 2006), p. 81.
45 Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, s.v. “Ecclesiastical.”
18 Chapter 1

the early Christian religious discourse contributed to the consolidation of the

Church as an institution it seems as if the word ‘ecclesiastical’ encompasses
both the religious dimension of the discourse under inspection and the insti-
tutional framework out of which it emerged and sustained.

1.2.1.1 Discourse
The concept ‘discourse’ and the theoretical background on which it rests, aptly
offers itself for any research focusing on the relationship between the source-​
material (mostly but not exclusively texts) under inspection and the society to
which it belongs. The term has been used and defined in various ways through
the centuries and has frequently been applied to a formal, reasoned discussion
on a particular topic, a well known example being René Descartes’ (1596–​1650)
treatise Discours de la méthode from 1637. Since the second half of the 20th cen-
tury, however, it has come to be inextricably linked to the works of the French
structuralists and within the field of history to the work of Michel Foucault
(1926–​1984) in particular.46 While Foucault employed the term ‘discourse’ in
several different ways in his own writings, his major contribution consisted of
viewing discourses as historically situated social practices and not as trajecto-
ries of thought isolated from their social surroundings. From such a perspec-
tive, all discourse is viewed as a practical, social, and cultural phenomenon and
every discursive action must be inspected in view of its interaction with the
context for which it was intended and out of which it sprung. No document,
statement or utterance –​not even the phenomenon of language itself –​exists
in isolation but are social processes.47
Following recent theorizing within the field of discourse studies, this study
adopts what can be termed a discursive research perspective.48 In so doing,

46 See especially Michel Foucault, The Archaeology of Knowledge. And the Discourse on
Language, trans. A. M. Sheridan Smith (New York, 2010 [1972]).
47 An influential articulation of this premise is that of Mikhail Bakhtin stating that “[t]‌he
living utterance, having taken meaning and shape at a particular historical moment
in a socially specific environment, cannot fail to brush up against thousands of living
dialogic threads, woven by socio-​ideological consciousness around the given object of
an utterance; it cannot fail to become an active participant in social dialogue.” Mikhail
M. Bakhtin, “Discourse in the Novel,” in The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays by M. M.
Bakhtin, ed. Michael Holquist, trans. Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist, University of
Texas Press Slavic Series 1 (Austin, 1981), p. 276.
48 Scholars have also proposed terms such as a ‘research style,’ ‘resarch programme,’ and
‘thought style’ (Denkstil). See Kocku von Stuckrad, “Discourse” in Vocabulary for the Study
of Religion 1 A-​E, eds. Robert A. Segal and Kocku von Stuckrad (Leiden, 2015), 433 and
Reiner Keller, “The Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD),“ Human
Studies 34 (2011), 51.
Introduction 19

it aligns itself with approaches which are broadly concerned with the ways
in which discourses shape the socio-​historical contexts within which subjects
construct meaning and produce knowledge and how discourses are shaped
by the socio-​historical contexts as well. Within such a theoretical framework,
scholars have defined the concept of discourse in various ways. What the
definitions always share, however, is the principle that reality is constructed
through a socially shared use of language and that discourses provide access to
the processes through which that takes place. Thus, building on both Foucault
and the sociology of knowledge tradition (Wissenssoziologie) for his develop-
ment of what he calls the ‘Sociology of Knowledge Approach do Discourse
(skad), Reiner Keller defines discourse as a “regulated, structured practices of
sign usage” which he further understands as “a social practice” reflecting “the
(re)-​production/​transformation of social orders of knowledge.”49 In a similar
way, historian of religion Kocku von Stuckrad has defined discourse as “a com-
municative structure that organizes knowledge in a given community” which
“establishes, stabilizes, and legitimizes systems of meaning and provides col-
lectively shared orders of knowledge in an institutionalized social ensem-
ble.”50 Discourses are usually seen to consist of ‘statements’ or ‘utterances’ and
even ‘opinion’ about a given topic which together form “relatively stable –​but
changing and changeable –​meaning systems.”51 Through the examination of a
selected corpus of sources a historical analysis of discourse aims to throw light
on the discursive conditions within which knowledge is produced and mean-
ing made at a given time and place in the past.
It should be noted that a ‘discursive research perspective’ does not neces-
sarily mean the employment of discourse analysis as a method.52 A discursive
research perspective allows for a broad variety of methods of both qualita-
tive and quantitative nature depending on the research questions and source
material each time. Methods which traditionally have been referred to as ‘dis-
course analysis’ aiming at analyzing in detail the linguistic features of a text

49 Keller, “The Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse,“ p. 51.

50 von Stuckrad, “Discourse,” p. 433. It should be noted at this point, however, that this study
does not entirely share the epistemological premises of von Stuckrad’s theoretical frame-
work which have been described as “radical constructicvist.” Markus Dressler, “The Social
Construction of Reality (1966) Revisited: Epistemology and Theorizing in the Study of
Religion,”Method and Theory in the Study of Religion (2018), 12–​13.
51 Teemu Taira, “Discourse on ‘Religion’ in Organizing Social Practices: Theoretical and
Practical Considerations,” in Making Religion: Theory and Practice in the Discursive Study
of Religion, eds. Frans Wijsen and Kocku von Stuckrad (Leiden, 2016), p. 126.
52 Achim Landwehr, Historische Diskursanalyse, 2nd ed., Historische Einführungen 4
(Frankfurt a. M., 2009), p. 100.
20 Chapter 1

are useful for in-​depth study of individual discursive moments but remain dif-
ficult to apply for the study of long-​term developments through a large corpus
of source material. Thus, while insights of such linguistic or textual leaning
methods will not be completely absent from the analysis carried out in the
present study, it has more in common with approaches which are indebted
to both Foucauldian historiography and the sociology of knowledge tradition
(Wissenssoziologie) which have been termed cultural studies approaches or
historically-​leaning approaches.53 With regard to method, this study will be
applying a combination of historical-​criticism, content analysis and textual
interpretation inspired by postcolonial/​imperial hermeneutics.
A frequently addressed topic in the study of discourse relates to the role of
particular discourses for social power dynamics. Power, to quote von Stuckrad,
has been described as an “an element of discourse that plays a role in any form
of analysis.”54 Discourses are seen to represent and maintain structures of
power and questions as to how they produce and reproduce such structures
plays a prominent role in the research of discourse. How prominent a place
such questions should be given, however, and the way in which they are for-
mulated, remains a dividing issue among discourse theorists. Scholars such as
Norman Fairclough, one of the founders of critical discourse analysis (cda)
and Titus Hjelm, who in a recent article has outlined a framework for what
he calls a critical discursive study of religion (cdsr), see it as an inherent and
necessary part of the work of the discourse analyst to take a normative stance
towards uncovering social injustice and inequalities.55 While acknowledging
the relevance of power as an element of discourse, critics of such claims allow
for the possibility that discursive research does not always have to deal with
critical questions of social injustice and domination.56

53 Teemu Taira, “Discourse on ‘Religion’ in Organizing Social Practices: Theoretical and

Practical Considerations,” in Making Religion: Theory and Practice in the Discursive Study
of Religion, eds. Frans Wijsen and Kocku von Stuckrad (Leiden, 2016), pp. 126–​129.
54 von Stuckrad, “Discourse,” p. 430.
55 Among Norman Fairclough’s extensive writing on the topic, see esp. his Language and
Power, 3rd ed. (Abingdon, 2015). Titus Hjelm, “Theory and Method in Critical Discursive
Study of Religion: An Outline,” in Making Religion: Theory and Practice in the Discursive
Study of Religion, eds. Frans Wijsen and Kocku von Stuckrad (Leiden, 2016), 15–​34. See
also Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a
Radical Democratic Politics, 2nd ed. (London, 2001) who see the main goal of the anal-
ysis of discourse as the reformation of modern democracies. For a thorough discussion
the discouse theory of of Laclau and Mouffe, see Marianne W. J Jørgensen and Louise
J. Phillips, Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method (Los Angeles, 2010), pp. 24–​59.
56 Kocku von Stuckrad, “Religion and Science in Transformation: On Discourse
Communities, the Double-​Bind of Discourse Research, and Theoretical Controversies,” in
Introduction 21

The main concern of the present study is the role of Christian religious dis-
courses in the social, cultural, and political process through which the Roman
Church became a dominant institution in Icelandic medieval society. Granted
the nature of the research topic and the questions posed, issues of critical
nature relating to power and domination are bound to figure prominently.
A more detailed discussion on how these issues will be formulated –​for exam-
ple through insights gained from postcolonial/​imperial hermeneutics –​is
found in the next section of this introduction. As for how the role of discourse
is understood in this process, an informative account is provided by historian
of religion Bruce Lincoln in his Discourse and the Construction of Society who
grounds his theorizing in the works of Antonio Gramsci (1891–​1937) and Pierre
Bourdieu (1930–​2002) and to a certain extent Foucault as well. According to
Lincoln, discourse is conceived of as one of two principal means of social con-
struction, the other being the use of (or threat thereof) physical force.57 While
force is a temporary measure –​in many cases an effective one –​for moving
society in a particular direction, it can never hold in the long run and must
always be supplemented by discourse. “Together, discourse and force are the
chief means whereby social borders, hierarchies, institutional formations,
and habituated patterns of behavior are both maintained and modified.”58
According to this view, discourse serves the role of persuading people of the
value of ideas and practices on the one hand and invoking sentiments of affinity
and estrangement on the other, both of which are imperative for a particular
social change to remain effective.59 For the present purposes, an illustrative
example is that of an empire forging on into new territories. Whereas imperial
potentates may find it necessary to apply force while initially assuming con-
trol over new territories, a successful incorporation of people into an empire

Making Religion: Theory and Practice in the Discursive Study of Religion, eds. Frans Wijsen
and Kocku von Stuckrad (Leiden, 2016), pp. 218–​219.
57 Much of the following relies on the work of Bruce Lincoln, an important theorist for
the conceptualization of religious discourse and religious texts as discourse, see Bruce
Lincoln, Discourse and the Construction of Society: Comparative Studies of Myth, Ritual,
and Classification (Oxford, 1989); Bruce Lincoln, Authority: Construction and Corrosion
(Chicago, 1994), and Bruce Lincoln, Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars: Critical
Explorations in the History of Religions (Chicago, 2012).
58 Lincoln, Discourse and the Construction of Society, p. 3.
59 Lincoln defines the sentiments out of which social borders are constructed in the follow-
ing way: “These I refer to as affinity and estrangement, meaning to include under the gen-
eral rubric of these terms, on the one hand, all feelings of likeness, common belonging,
mutual attachment, and solidarity –​whatever their intensity, affective tone, and degree
of consciousness –​and, on the other hand, those corresponding feelings of distance, sep-
aration, otherness and alienation.” Discourse and the Construction of Society, p. 10.
22 Chapter 1

depends on the slow process of persuasion and identity formation as the new
imperial subjects gradually come to see themselves as such. Whether or not
such discourses work relies on a variety of factors such as how widely it can be
propagated, how persuasive it actually is –​both in terms of content but also
the receptive context –​and how successful it is in calling forth a following.60

1.2.1.2 Discourse: Religious and Ecclesiastical

The discourse under inspection can be defined as both religious and ecclesias-
tical. It can be termed religious on account of characteristics distinguishing it
from other kind of discourse in several ways.61 First of all, a central feature is its
claim to a supernatural authority.62 Its claim of a divine and eternal origin, par-
ticularly if it is accepted by a significant number of people, brings it to a status
surpassing that of other discursive practices produced in the same society. As
will be thoroughly discussed at a later stage in this study, these discourses are
primarily found in texts which differ from other texts in that they enter society
as a part of a program or a package of a religious system which upholds, com-
pliments, and boosts the religious discourses they contain.63 They enter, for
instance, as a part of a ritual integral to the operation of the Church which fur-
ther secured the perpetual broadcasting to the people around the country. It is
thus very likely that the earliest Christian religious texts in Iceland possessed

60 Lincoln, Discourse and the Construction of Society, p. 8.

61 In this regard, the present study aligns itself with Lincoln and other scholars who adhere to
analytical definitions of ‘religion’ and therefore ‘religious discourse’ as well. For a critique
of such definitions, see for instance Timothy Fitzgerald, The Ideology of Religious Studies
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2000) and William Arnal and Russell T. McCutcheon,
The Sacred is the Profane: The Political Nature of “Religion” (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2013). With regard to this particular theoretical debate, it suffices for the purposes
of this research to subscribe to Markus Dressler’s position as he maintains that the the-
oretical concern with the ‘existence’ of religion is not productive for empirical research.
“Productive is,” Dressler states, “to ask whether a particular notion of religion as an ana-
lytical category is helpful in deciphering –​that is, making legible –​social and historical
contexts.” Dressler, “Epistemology and Theorizing,” 10.
62 Bruce Lincoln, “Theses on Method,” (repr.) in Gods and Demons, Priests and
Scholars: Critical Explorations in the History of Religions (Chicago, 2012), 1. Cf. Tim
Fitzgerald, “Bruce Lincoln’s “Theses on Method”: Antitheses,” Method and Theory in the
Study of Religion 18 (2006): 402. See also Bruce Lincoln, “How to Read a Religious Text,” in
Gods and Demons, pp. 5–​15.
63 An example of the liturgy of the medieval Church referred to as a ‘package,’ see Åslaug
Ommundsen, “The Word of God and the Stories of Saints: Medieval Liturgy and its
Reception in Norway,” in The Performance of Christian and Pagan Storyworlds, eds. Lars
Boje Mortensen and Tuomas M. S. Lehtonen, Medieval Identities: Socio-​Cultural Spaces 3
(Turnhout, 2013), p. 50.
Introduction 23

a greater authority in their historical context than the renowned saga writings
even though the vast reception history of the latter might suggest otherwise.
Early Icelandic Christians were shaped by the spaces of medieval Iceland
in which they lived, moved and existed. And these spaces, especially ecclesias-
tical spaces, such as the interiors and surroundings of churches, monasteries
and so on, were filled with statues, images, ornaments and objects which were
an important part of the ongoing religious discourses and conversations of the
time. In the historical sciences, the concept of discourse has been extended
beyond the level of texts to include all kinds of social practices and phenom-
ena, material manifestations included. In the words of Laura Salah Nasrallah, a
scholar of Early Christianity, “religious discourse emerges not in some abstract
zone, but in lived experiences and practices in the spaces of the world” and
the same remains true for 11th-​13th century Iceland.64 From this perspective,
it is tempting to view the rapid rise of churches around Iceland during the 11th
and 12th centuries as reinforcing, supplementing and amplifying the religious
discourse encountered in sermonic and hagiographic sources. It should also be
taken into account that most of the textual material was also performative. It
was heard by an audience when read aloud or retold in churches, monasteries
and elsewhere and so its content extended beyond the group of the few liter-
ates to those who could neither read nor write.
The discourse being explored in this study is not only ‘religious’ but also
‘ecclesiastical,’ which means for the present purposes relating to the Roman
Church as an institution. As will be thoroughly explained in more detail at a
later point in this study, this discourse is understood as an inherent part of how
the Roman Church operated as an institution. It was produced and diffused by
ecclesiastics through ecclesiastical media.
Even though much of the discussion is based on sermonic and hagiograph-
ical texts, the same discursive themes can be expressed by different means,
for instance through liturgical texts and material objects. The concept thus
includes several modes of religious discourse ranging from texts to objects to
spoken utterances related to the ecclesiastical realm in one way or another.
However, despite the fact that the scope of the concept sweeps diverse kinds
of sources under its hat, it is texts which enjoy a central place (quantitatively
speaking) in the source material. Ecclesiastical texts might be defined as texts
produced and primarily used within the confines of an ecclesiastical or monas-
tic setting. The ecclesiastical texts represent something new, at least something

64 Laura Salah Nasrallah, Christian Responses to Roman Art and Architecture: The Second-​
Century Church Amid the Spaces of Empire (Cambridge, 2010), p. 1.
24 Chapter 1

recent in Icelandic society. What constitutes the largest part of the corpus is
not in the strictest sense ‘original’ material but translations, copies, and repro-
ductions of material that had been imported from elsewhere, much of which
dates far back into late antiquity and the early middle ages.65 However, even
though the corpus of early Icelandic ecclesiastical literature consists mostly of
translations, it should not be considered as something foreign or alien to the
native Icelanders but as a discursive reservoir they came to make use of and
respond to according to their own understanding and for their own purposes
in the socio-​cultural context in which they lived.

1.2.2 Perspective of Empire

The postcolonial hermeneutic optic is based on the concept of ‘colonialism’
broadly referring to “a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation
of one people to another.”66 In similarly broad terms, the concept of postcolo-
nialism can be defined as a wide range of responses to the legacy of colonial-
ism. As a theoretical system, however, postcolonial studies rest upon a bulk of
writings of differing nature, ranging from elaborate works of literary theory
to shorter and simpler works more resembling revolutionary pamphlets than
anything else.67 Closely related to postcolonial hermeneutics is the imperial

65 A fact which, among others, certainly accounts for Icelandic scholars’ longstanding
lack of interest in them, especially during the period of romantic nationalism and inde-
pendence struggle with an almost exclusive focus on all that was truly and originally
Icelandic at the expense of imported material. A clear indicator towards such a propen-
sity is that the majority of scholars carrying out the most important research on Icelandic
ecclesiastical literature through the years are non-​Icelanders, e.g. Ole Widding, Hans
Bekker Nielsen, L. K. Shook, Lucy Grace Collings, Margaret Cormack, Phillip Roughton,
Simonetta Battista, and Kirsten Wolf.
66 Margaret Kohn, “Post-​colonial theory,” in Ethics and World Politics, ed. Duncan Bell
(Oxford, 2010), pp. 202–​203. Historically, terms such as postcolonialism trace their roots
to the European practice of subjugating non-​European areas beginning in the 15th and
continuing through the 19th century. The present research addresses an era well outside
this time frame. That fact, however, does not exempt the sources from the critical per-
spective which has been in development within postcolonial scholarly circles over the
last decades. Broadly understood as a critical perspective aimed at disclosing structures
of subjugation and domination, postcolonialism has been applied to a variety of sources
throughout all periods of history.
67 Among works of central importance for postcolonial theory are the following (in order of
appearance): Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks (London, 1986 [1952]; Edward Said,
Orientalism (New York, [1978]); Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak “Can the Subaltern Speak”
in Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture, eds. Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg
(Champaign, [1985]), pp. 271–​313; Homi K. Bhabha, The Location of Culture (London,
1994); Dipesh Chakrabarty, Provincializing Europe: Postcolonial Thought and Historical
Difference (Princeton, 2000).
Introduction 25

framework which has a stronger focus on the phenomenon of empire and how
it exercises its power through its networks and strategies of expansion. In this
section, it will be explained how and why this perspective is relevant for the
present analysis of the earliest Icelandic ecclesiastical source material and the
historical context in which it emerged.

1.2.2.1 The Roman Church as an Empire in Medieval Iceland

It is not entirely unproblematic to apply the perspective of empire to the his-
torical context of the earliest Icelandic ecclesiastical texts. The political situa-
tion was complex. Risking simplification, three political streams were shaping
their courses in Icelandic society at the time. First, there were the Icelandic
chieftains representing the Icelandic commonwealth while many were also
striving to increase their own power and property. As discussed above, the
Church was on the rise but still not in the position of power it later was to
attain. Far across the sea -​but not too far -​the Norwegian king loomed, build-
ing up his power through his emissaries and Icelandic attachés. While this
might appear simple, the Icelandic political landscape was not so well defined.
Representatives of each stream often acted in the interest of multiple parties
simultaneously, with ordained chieftains being a case in point. It should also
be kept in mind that despite the, at times stormy, relationship between king
and Church during this period, they had a common interest in the growing
influence of each party in Iceland with the eventual political incorporation of
Iceland into the Norwegian kingdom in 1262–​4.68
Despite the complexities of the political context of 11th, 12th, and 13th cen-
tury Iceland the question of empire leads directly to the Roman Church. This
fact will become increasingly clear in the following pages. The position of the
medieval Western Church as an empire is a central premise for the hermeneu-
tical framework of this study and warrants an examination of a number of
important characteristics of historical empires at this point.69 The geographic
extent alone shows that other political entities in the Scandinavian realm,

68 See Magnús Stefánsson, “Kirkjuvald eflist,” p. 59.

69 It should be noted that the present understanding of the Church as an empire has lit-
tle to do with “the imperial church system” or the Reichskirchensystem in the sense of
how the Church, its offices and property, was employed as an instrument of royal govern-
ment, most famously under Ottonian and Salian rulers. Rudolf Schieffer, “Reichskirche”,
in Lexikon des Mittelalters 7, cols. 626–​628, in Brepolis Medieval Encyclopaedias -​Lexikon
des Mittelalters Online). See also Timothy Reuter, “The ‘Imperial Church System’ of the
Ottonian and Salian Rulers: A Reconsideration,” Journal of Ecclesiastical History 33 (1982),
pp. 347–​374.
26 Chapter 1

Hólar
Hólar
✝
✝ Niðarós
Skáálholt
Sk
Skálholt
✝ Kirkjubø
Kirkjubø ✝
Bergen
✝ Hamar
Kirkwall ✝ ✝
✝ ✝ Oslo
✝ Stavanger
Garðar

✝Peel

figure 2 
The archbishopric of Niðarós consisted of Norway’s five episcopal sees as well
as those of Orkney (Kirkwall), the Faroes (Kirkjubø), the Isle of Man, Iceland
(Skálholt and Hólar), and Greenland (Garðar).

such as the Norwegian kingdom, pale in comparison to the geographical reach

of the papal regime, covering around a million square kilometers, amounting
to the scope of the Persian and Roman empires of antiquity.70 In a recent work
on historical Empires, Alejandro Colás identifies three characteristics of an
empire, i.e. expansion, hierarchy, and order.71 All of them can be applied to the
Roman Church with relative ease. It is a well-​established fact that the Roman
Church was an organized, large-​scale network of political and cultural expan-
sion under the head of a single monarch, the pope, with authority over arch-
bishops, bishops, clerics and other ecclesiastics. This hierarchical infrastruc-
ture had been present in Iceland in an embryonic state since the arrival of the
first missionaries at the end of the 10th century but did not reach full maturity
until 1153 with the establishment of the Archbishopric of Niðarós (medieval
name of Trondheim) (see figure. 2).
It should be noted that the medieval Roman Church was not an empire in
the strict sense as sometimes employed by political scientists working with
a definition shaped within the context of international politics. According to
such conceptualizations, empires have to be defined in contrast to institutional

70 Michael Mann, The Sources of Social Power, vol. 1, A History of Power from the Beginning to
A.D. 1760 (Cambridge, Eng., 1986), p. 379.
71 Alejandro Colás, Empire (Cambridge, Eng., 2007), p. 9.
Introduction 27

territorial states as well as hegemonic structures of dominance.72 Even though

the medieval Western Church surely made itself felt in the realm of interna-
tional power politics, it was not an empire in the same right as the Roman
empire or the British empire. As a religious institution it did not make the
same claims to power over people and territories as rulers of a more secular
sort. But even though, for this reason, categories of international politics do
not apply to the medieval Church, it did operate and expand by power struc-
tures comparable to other empires, as will be further explored in view of recent
developments in the field of the historical study of empires.

1.2.2.2 The Perspective of Empire: A Text Oriented Approach

Recent decades have seen a renewed interest in the historical phenomenon
and concept of empire producing a range of scholarly works distinguishing
themselves in several ways from previous historical scholarship on the sub-
ject. The classic approach to writing the history of an empire would be the
diachronic approach, following the historical trajectory of one of history’s
empires through its ups and downs, victories and losses, expansions and con-
tractions.73 Traditionally, such scholarly enterprises pay a great deal of atten-
tion to the imperial center and decisions made by authorities located there,
inspired by a conscious imperialistic will to rule.74 Recent studies of empire
have moved away from such diachronic accounts of an empire’s history from
its birth to its wake in directions significant for the present project in at least
three ways.
Firstly, in line with much postcolonial scholarly literature focusing on the
power relationships between imperial ruling classes and subjected and even
subaltern groups of people, scholars of empire have come to view the concept
of an ‘empire’ not only as a particular form of political arrangement manifest-
ing itself in history’s many examples of empires, but also as a broad, inclusive
concept referring to various means of maneuvering power within a structure of
power and/​or domination shaped by a movement between an imperial center

72 Herfried Münkler, Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the
United States, trans. Patrick Camiller (Cambridge, Eng. 2007), pp. 4–​8.
73 For classical examples of the traditional approach of writing empire history, see Otto
Franke, Geschichte des chinesischen Reiches: Eine Darstellung seiner Entstehung, seines
Wesens und seiner Entwicklung bis zur neuesten Zeit, 5 vols (Berlin, 1939–​1952) and
Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 8 vols (London,
1984–​1990).
74 Münkler, Empires, p. 8.
28 Chapter 1

and its peripheries.75 Instructive for such viewpoints are comparative works
taking numerous empires and imperial formations into consideration with
the intention of identifying and analyzing structures and processes common
to their operation. Two examples of such comparative projects are Herfried
Münkler’s Imperien, published in German in 2005 and translated into English
with the title Empires in 2007, and Alejandro Colás’ Empire, also published
in 2007. Although both of these authors ground their discussion in cases of
empires as traditionally defined, such as the Roman Empire, the Chinese Han
Empire, the Ottoman Empire or the European Colonial Empires of the 19th
and 20th centuries, their analysis of what Münkler calls the ‘action logic’ of
empires and Colás might call ‘imperial experience,’ consisting of characteris-
tics common to various imperial formations, makes it possible to move beyond
the ‘traditional’ or ‘commonplace’ empires of history and discuss the medieval
Western Church and its mode of operation within the hermeneutic parame-
ters of empire studies. Even though the Roman Church of the Middle Ages is
not included in treatments of empire like Münkler’s and Colás’, it bore enough
imperial traits to be considered an empire in the broad sense of the term and it
is into such imperial tendencies which this study intends to inquire.
Secondly, as stressed by Münkler and others, even though the imperial
center must receive its due attention, traditional historical accounts of impe-
rial operations, “must be supplemented with a focus on the periphery –​on
power vacuums and economic dynamics, request for intervention by losers in
regional conflicts and decisions made by local authorities.”76 Empires are not
created single-​handedly by imperial monarchs by virtue of their brilliant strat-
egies and decisions taken from their throne located at the power center of the
empire. In many cases, they are more rightly described as moderators in –​and
in some cases even as simply spectators to –​the course of events taking place
at the extremes of the empire. Such points of emphasis are particularly rele-
vant for the present project since Iceland, Ultima Thule as historians and car-
tographers both ancient and medieval sometimes called it, lay at the outskirts
of the known world and the papal authorities in Rome could intervene only
indirectly in what was taking place there, especially during the period before
the establishing of the archbishopric of Niðarós in the mid-​12th century.77 As

75 The movement between center and periphery is emphasized e.g. in Herfried Münkler and
Grit Straßenberger, Politische Theorie und Ideengeschichte: Eine Einführung (München,
2016), p. 378.
76 Münkler, Empires, p. 8.
77 Such an emphasis on peripheries and regional differences goes hand in hand with the
increased emphasis on the cultural diversity characterizing medieval Europe. See Michael
Introduction 29

pointed out by Münkler, when it comes to the relations between imperial cen-
ter and periphery, each case has to be investigated in its own right.78 What
makes the Icelandic case interesting is that church buildings and religious
texts seem to have predated the institutional consolidation of the Church. The
fact that the Church in Iceland gradually moved from isolation and ‘indepen-
dence’ towards integration into the international Church provides an interest-
ing context for the emergence of the ecclesiastical textual world in the vernac-
ular. Inevitably, hagiographical discourse and tropes had a part to play in such
a development as they progressively seeped into society. Thus, it could be said
that through the diffusion of the ecclesiastical discourse under analysis here,
the ground had been made ripe when the Church started strengthening its
position in Icelandic society as a formal part of the Roman Catholic ecclesias-
tical empire. To continue with Münkler’s terminology, turning to his discussion
of different parts of the imperial elite, it might be said that the interpretative
elite –​in this case text-​producing clerics –​had begun their work before the
decision-​making elite had done so, keeping in mind that in many other cases it
is the other way around.79
Thirdly, coinciding with the move away from approaches restricted to a top-​
down, chronicle-​like perspective is the increased awareness among scholars of
a need for a ‘multilayered’ and ‘multidisciplinary’ approach in order to grasp
the complexities of individual imperial formations. Such approaches usually
require the narrowing of the scope to a single or few events or aspects –​polit-
ical, legal, economic, cultural –​in the relationship between large imperial
polities and the various objects of their expansion. As might be clear already
from previous discussion on discourse and religious texts, the present study
locates itself at the ideological, or in broader terms, the cultural level of impe-
rial expansion.80 It views texts as the carriers of ideas employed by imperial
potentates and their various envoys to increase their influence and control
over assets and resources. This is much in line with the imperial reading of
biblical texts as it has been developed within the field of biblical studies. On
the basis of the broad sense of the empire-​concept as a particular sort of power

Borgolte, Europa endeckt seine Vielfalt 1050–​1250, Handbuch der Geschichte Europas 3
(Stuttgart, 2002).
78 Münkler, Empires, p. 8.
79 Ibid., p. 85.
80 See ibid., pp. 80–​107, esp. pp. 84–​96. On several occasions, Münkler resorts to sociologist
Michael Mann’s theorizing, e.g. Münkler, Empires, p. 47. For Mann’s discussion of ideo-
logical power in the context of his notion of the four sources of power, see his Sources of
Social Power 1, pp. 22–​24. See also Colás’ informative discussion of empire as culture in his
Empire, pp. 116–​157.
30 Chapter 1

relationship, there has been an increased interest among biblical scholars

in how biblical texts promote “the power of empire, which as “power over”
demands submission, subordination, and subjection.”81 Considering that the
majority of texts under inspection are either biblical, apocryphal offshoots
complementing a biblical narrative or linked to canonical texts in some other
way, there is no reason not to read them in the same way.82 An important task
for the present research, therefore, would be to address the questions: who
were employing the texts and derivative discourses, in what kind of circum-
stances were they doing so and and to what end? –​which is much the same
as repeating feminist biblical scholar Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza’s statement
that “the crucial question for interpretation is not so much what do these texts
mean but what do these texts do to those who submit to their world of vision
and power of imagination in various contexts that also determine the meaning
of the text?”83 In the troublesome political situation of the 12th and 13th cen-
turies it can be assumed that all kinds of people had availed themselves of the
kind of discourses produced by the emerging ecclesiastical textual world for
purposes submissive or violent. It does, nevertheless, stand to reason that the
more strongly a person was linked to the Church, more likely it seems for him
(rarely her) to have made use of its discourse.
The significance of the source material must not, however, be reduced to
its interpretive framework since clinging too stringently to a particular herme-
neutical position, may produce forced readings of the source material. Thus, it
should be avoided by all means to automatically view the texts under inspec-
tion and related sources as ‘weapons’ from the Church’s ‘arsenal’ to be used in
whatever conflict its ‘troops’ found themselves. Similarly, one should not jump
to the conclusion that they were being consciously or strategically produced
and wielded for reaching particular ends in the Christianization process. As
will be discussed at length later on, they were an essential, even intrinsic, part
of the operation and appearance of the Roman Church as it was settling into
this new territory. It should be clear from the outset, that the material is in
full agreement with the theological currents and aesthetics of the medieval
Western Church and does not offer anything radically ‘unexpected.’

81 Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, The Power of the Word: Scripture and the Rhetoric of Empire
(Minneapolis, 2007), 59.
82 “While this pattern of submissiveness functions differently in different early Christian
documents and their social-​ecclesial-​historical contexts, the imperial pattern of submis-
sion seems to be characteristic throughout.” Schüssler Fiorenza, Power of the Word, p. 155.
83 Ibid., p. 60.
Introduction 31

‘Not radically unexpected,’ however, does not equal being ‘socially void.’ One
of the main concerns of this study is to investigate how the emerging ecclesias-
tical discourse shaped the social reality of medieval Iceland. It recognizes and
wishes to actively accentuate the social potentials and ultimately the political
dimension of the sources under inspection and the discourses they produced
and sustained. Furthermore, it seeks to specifically inquire into the reciprocal
relationship between the ecclesiastical discourse and the historical agents in
11-​13th century Iceland; it wishes to ask how it came into contact with medi-
eval Icelanders and shaped the way in which they perceived the world, their
place in it, other people and the events taking place there. As already touched
upon, there has been a longstanding emphasis on the ‘master topic’ of politi-
cal history as well as the developments of the most important institutions of
society such as the Church, the most influential families, powerful chieftains,
and eventually, the Norwegian king. While the this study will not be directly
concerned, at least to begin with, with questions regarding economic systems
and political institutions, it is by no means indifferent to it.

1.3 Source Material

The sources for the earliest ecclesiastical discourse are both textual and mate-
rial and will be thoroughly discussed in part 2.2 of this study. As noted, the bulk
of the source material consists of religious texts. It has to be kept in mind, that
the material world in which the textual production of the Church took place,
belonged to the same discursive framework as the texts under analysis, telling
the same stories, promoting the same ideas. Although most of the discussion
will be based on the analysis of texts, it is important to resort to the material
remains available, including archaeological sites, artifacts and other physical
remains.

1.3.1 Textual Sources

Manuscripts containing religious material intended for wider dispersion
among both ordained and laypeople, that is sermons and hagiographical
texts, constitute the most important parts of the corpus under analysis.84
Manuscripts more likely to have been used exclusively for private study or
meditation of ecclesiastics –​for example those containing theological, litur-
gical or computistical material –​will keep a supplementary status and only

84 For an exhaustive list of the manuscripts belonging to the corpus, see the Appendix.
32 Chapter 1

included in the analysis when able to clarify or contextualize the analysis of

the hagiographic and sermonic texts. Hagiographic and sermonic texts consti-
tute a sizeable portion of the Icelandic manuscript tradition. As an example,
the number of extant manuscripts of saints’ lives alone amounts to the sum
total of manuscripts of family and kings’ sagas and in view of the number of
Catholic religious texts lost during the Protestant reformation they probably
further outnumbered them originally.85
Apart from the manuscripts’ content, several features they have in common
should be mentioned, relating to their provenance, time of production and
their outward appearance. All of the manuscripts were made and presumably
used in Iceland before the end of the thirteenth century and most of them are
in quarto format without major ornamentation. Still another common aspect
is the fact that all of the manuscripts contain text which has been copied at
least once from an original. Regarding the manuscripts’ state of preservation,
the corpus is characterized by a considerable degree of diversity, ranging from
single leafs to relatively intact codices.
Since it is practically impossible to date the earliest translations of hagiog-
raphic literature on the basis of their content, it is necessary to rely on the dat-
ing of the earliest manuscripts and external references in order to estimate the
date of their earliest appearance. The earliest manuscript dates to around 1150
and it is safe to assume that the production of comparable texts began earlier.
A mentioning of ‘holy expositions’ (þýðingar helgar) in The First Grammatical
Treatise, a writing on orthographics dating to the mid-​12th century, strongly
supports that such texts were in existence at least around the same time the
historiographer Ari Þorgilsson was composing his works (The Book of Icelanders
is considered to have been composed between 1122 and 1133).86 What sort of
expositions this particular author had in mind is not known with certainty.
Jónas Kristjánsson assumes that “the Grammarian was presumably referring
in a general way to works of religious edification.”87 Lars Boje Mortensen con-
tends that it may refer to patristic biblical commentaries, translations of bibli-
cal material (the Psalter for instance) and possibly translations of hagiograph-
ical texts.88 On such grounds, the emergence of ecclesiastical literature in the

85 Roughton i, pp. 18–​19.

86 Hreinn Benediktsson, The First Grammatical Treatise: Introduction, text, notes, translation,
vocabulary, facsimiles, University of Iceland publications in linguistics (Reykjavík, 1972),
p. 209.
87 Jónas Kristjánsson, Eddas and Sagas: Iceland’s Medieval Literature (Reykjavík, 1988), p. 127.
88 Lars Boje Mortensen, “Den formative dialog mellem latinsk og folkesproglig litteratur ca
600–​1250,” in Reykholt som makt-​og lærdomssenter i den islandske og nordiske kontekst, ed.
Else Mundal (Reykholt, 2006), p. 257.
Introduction 33

vernacular could be dated to the early 12th century at the latest. Important
centers for such early translation endeavors were the relatively young episco-
pal sees, the schools in the South at Oddi and Haukadalur and certainly, after
its establishing in 1133, the first monastery in Iceland, the Benedictine monas-
tery of Þingeyrar in Vesturhóp (see Figure 1).
It is a well-​known fact that the preserved manuscript material dating to
the 12th and 13th centuries is only a fragment of what actually existed at the
time. Sermons had to be available to churchmen and a collection of sermons
must have been a standard property of clergymen. Hagiography, on the other
hand, can be assumed to have been a sizable part of libraries of cathedrals,
cloisters and, major churches. Based on what is known about the dedication
of Icelandic churches it can be assumed that the vitae of the respective patron
saints were available even though they are not among the material preserved
from the period under inspection. In this regard, the analysis will be restricted
to material dated throughout the 13th century and to texts that are known with
certainty to have existed at the time. From a literary historical point of view
this period ends around the time when hagiographical material starts to be
written in a more elaborate style than the sermo humilis which had marked
the writing of the hagiography preserved from the 12th and 13th centuries.89
This demarcation entails that even though 14th and 15th century versions of
texts that likely existed at the time are accessible (for example lives of saints to
whom churches had been dedicated in the course of the 11th, 12th, 13th centu-
ries) they will not be included in the analysis.
As noted, most of the scholarly work on the earliest ecclesiastical liter-
ature of Iceland in the vernacular has been carried out by literary scholars
with a decisive source critical and philological focus. This body of scholarly
literature –​especially the works dating to the second half of last century –​is
marked by its preoccupation with the relationship between the translated
hagiographic material and original and indigenous works of literature such as
family sagas and kings’ sagas.90 Even works exclusively concerned with literary

89 Jónas Kristjánsson, “Learned Style or Saga Style?” in Speculum Norroenum: Norse Studies
in Memory of Gabrielle Turville-​Petre, ed. Ursula Dronke et al. (Odense, 1981), pp. 260–​
292. For a more recent discussion, see Jonas Wellendorf, “Ecclesiastical Literature and
Hagiography,” in The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas, eds.
Ármann Jakobsson and Sverrir Jakobsson (London and New York, 2017), pp. 50–​51.
90 See for instance Gabriel Turville-​Petre, Origins of Icelandic Literature (Oxford, 1953) Jónas
Kristjánsson, “Sagas and Saints’ Lives,” in Cultura classica e cultura germanica settentrio-
nale: atti del Convegno internazionale di studi, Università di Macerata, Facoltà di lettre e
filosofia: Macerata-​S. Severino Marche, 2–​4 maggio 1985, eds. Pietro Janni, Diego Poli and
Carlo Santini, Quademi linguistici e filologici 3 (Macerate, 1988), pp. 125–​143.
34 Chapter 1

analysis of hagiographic material, such as the works of Lucy Grace Collings

and Phillip Roughton, openly express a certain unease about the secondary
status to which vernacular hagiography is frequently relegated when com-
pared to the original saga literature.91 While the question as to whether and in
which ways the ecclesiastical literature may have influenced the composition
of Icelandic saga writing is certainly an intriguing one it is not a concern of the
present study. Only when the saga literature can be perceived to contribute to
the primary objective of eliciting the religious context and dynamics of early
Icelandic Christianity will they be consulted.

1.3.2 Material Sources

Material remains, church inventories and various narrative sources from the
period under inspection suggest that like elsewhere in Western Europe, reli-
gious motifs figured prominently in ecclesiastical art and ornamentation in
Free State Iceland. It can be assumed that churches in Iceland offered their vis-
itors a visual experience in which they could encounter the same ecclesiastical
discourses found in the textual material described above.92 What separates
Iceland from other regions in Western Europe, however, is the limited extent
to which material remains have survived from the medieval period. This is par-
ticularly applicable for the church buildings themselves. Churches in medieval
Iceland were not made of stone but of less durable building material like wood
and turf.
However regrettable it is, this scarcity makes it possible to include material
culture in this analysis, whereas it would have otherwise exceeded the scope of
this study. Instead, the number of artefacts and other material sources remains
considerably limited. Of the few surviving material remains from church build-
ings –​both interior and exterior –​is a small number of wooden boards used
for wall panelling in three different churches in northern Iceland, all of which

91 Thus, Collings, in her discussion about such comparisons says that the sagas have “been
accepted as normative and the terms used in [their] description, such as objective,
laconic, restrained, have become imbued with an aura of excellence, any work to which
they do not apply assuming a position of inferiority” Lucy Grace Collings, The Codex
Scardensis: Studies in Icelandic Hagiography (doctoral dissertation, Cornell University,
1969), pp. 147 and similarly Roughton states that his findings are meant to vindicate the
status of the Norse apostolic lives, which are in his opinion “undeserving of the common
and at best lukewarm literary appraisal of medieval hagiographical narrative.” Roughton
ii, p. 930.
92 Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Messuföng og kirkjulist: Búnaður kirkna í kaþólskum sið,”
in Hlutavelta tímans: menningararfur á Þjóðminjasafni, eds. Árni Björnsson and Hrefna
Róbertsdóttir (Reykjavík, 2004), pp. 246–​259.
Introduction 35

have been dated to the mid 11th century. Apart from these panels and a small
number of other objects, remains of medieval churches giving direct access to
religious discourses are not available. A number of statues and other ornamen-
tation also survive from the period including crucifixes and statues of saints,
in addition to various types of objects used for the celebration of the Eucharist
such as chalices and patens.
 ­c hapter 2

The Roman Church in Free State Iceland

All religious discourse is situated in a particular social context which deter-

mines how it is received and, in turn, impacts its surroundings. From such a
point of view, the notion of context has been defined by Teun A. van Dijk as
“the structure of those properties of the social situation that are systematically
(that is, not incidentally) relevant for discourse.”1 Following such definitions,
in order to gain a sufficient understanding of how the earliest Christian dis-
course in Iceland came into play in its social enviroment, several contextual
factors will be explored.2 First, an overview will be provided of the historical
and institutional context in which the sources of discourse were produced
and the discourse was carried out. Such a survey is of particular importance
for explaining how the historical developments taking place in the religious
sphere during the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries warrant an impe-
rial reading of the source material. Central to this discussion is the expan-
sion and institutional organization of the Roman Church, reaching its peak
with the papal reign of Innocent iii (1198–​1216) and the related topic of the
Christianization of the North. Second, a detailed study of the source material
itself will give a clearer picture of how and where the religious content was
mediated. The exploration of the medial context will lead directly into a dis-
cussion of a third contextual factor focusing primarily on the participants, that
is the mediating agents, their audience and the physical setting in which the
religious discourses are being mediated, addressing the question posed in the
following way by historian and discourse theorist Achim Landwehr: “where
and when who is doing what”.3 Given the importance of ordained servants of

1 Van Dijk, “Discourse as Interaction in Society,” p. 11. Italics original.

2 The division of the discursive landscape into different contextual components is loosely
based on Achim Landwehr’s discussion in his Historische Diskursanalyse, pp. 105–​110.
Working with a similar understanding of context as Van Dijk, Landwehr suggests four steps
of context analysis: situational context, medial context, institutional context, and historical
context. Here, this scheme has been adapted to the needs of the project by merging the his-
torical and institutional context –​which seemed fitting in view of its preoccupation with
the Church as an institution and a main actor in the religious developments taking place in
High Medieval Iceland. Also, in view of how radically different it is from the modern one,
Landwehr’s scheme has been complemented with a section on the medieval Christian her-
meneutical and theological framework as a contextual factor.
3 Landwehr, Historische Diskursanalyse, p. 107.

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2021 | DOI:10.1163/9789004449572_003

The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 37

the Church for the mediation of the discourse, this part will direct its attention
especially towards the figure and role of clerics and their audiences in medi-
eval Icelandic society. In view of the religious nature of the discourse under
inspection, it is important to consider the socially shared religious knowl-
edge influencing how the discourse was received and understood. Central to
Medieval Christian religiosity was its strong hermeneutical tradition, shaped
by the Christian theological world view which will be the topic of the fourth
and last section of the discursive context of the earliest Christian religious
discourse in Free State Iceland.

2.1 Christianization of Iceland

Central to this research is the relationship between the earliest Christian dis-
course in Iceland and the sociopolitical context in which it emerged. A rea-
sonable first step is therefore to throw light on the sociopolitical context itself,
with a particular focus on the most important developments in the religious
sphere. In that regard, it is the process of Christianization which immedi-
ately offers itself as the most significant event taking place. In the following,
the Christianization will be discussed from two sides. First, it is important to
acknowledge that the introduction of Christianity meant the introduction of
the Roman Church, a religious institution which strove to increase its power
through its distinctive ways of operating and organizing itself. Therefore, it
meant the introduction of a particular power structure which would gradu-
ally develop as the Christian religion gained ground around the island. The
first part of this chapter will discuss the main characteristics of the power
structure of the Roman Church, which in many respects resembles that of
an empire. However, such power structures cannot be applied in abstracto
to the environment in which they were being established. They were not
adopted wholesale overnight but slowly grew via adaptation and negotiation.
Therefore, it is also necessary to provide an overview of the Christianization
process in Scandinavia and, most significantly, the events for how the pro-
cess played out in Iceland. Both of these sides are important to keep in mind
when considering the significance of the emerging religious discourse under
inspection.

2.1.1 The Roman Ecclesiastical Empire

In his now classic book, Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages,
Richard Southern brings out the strong similarities between the medieval
papacy and the ancient Roman empire in the following way:
38 Chapter 2

If for Roman law we read canon law, if we replace the frontier legions
of Rome by Crusaders, if we look on medieval kings as tributary dynas-
ties under the general supervision of the Roman pope, and if we think of
Dante as the Virgil of the new Rome, we shall begin to see that the attempt
to keep the Roman Empire alive was not entirely chimerical. Looked on
in this perspective it is not absurd to say that the Roman Empire achieved
its fullest development in the thirteenth century with Innocent iv play-
ing Caesar to Frederick ii’s Pompey.4

For obvious historical reasons, Southern chooses the Roman empire for his
comparison, but the points which he highlights –​legal and administrative
apparatus, military expansion, centralized authority, and cultural propa-
ganda –​are all frequently mentioned when discussing the commonalities of
imperial formations in general. Resorting to concepts introduced in the first
part of this study, such circumstances are ideal for producing what has been
termed an ‘imperial experience’ or an imperial ‘action logic.’5 In what follows,
these elements will be explored and applied to the case of the Christianization
of Iceland and the rise of the Roman Church in the northernmost parts of the
Christian world.
Although medievalists do not frequently apply such categories to the medi-
eval Church, the resemblances do not have to come as a surprise, given how
strongly papal government was influenced by classical Roman ideas of govern-
ment and legislation.6 Nevertheless, it should be emphasized at the outset of
this discussion, that the medieval Roman Church was not an empire in any tra-
ditional sense of the term.7 Such a literal comparison would always offer itself
as problematic, if only because of the consistent efforts in Christian thought to
separate between secular and spiritual power, one of the most debated topic in
medieval political theory.8 Apart from the so-​called Papal States on the Italian
peninsula, over which the pope ruled as a secular prince, the Church did not

4 Richard Southern, Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages, The Pelican History of
the Church ii (Harmondsworth, 1970), p. 25.
5 See section 1.2.2 above.
6 Canning, History of Medieval Political Thought 300–​1450 (London, 2005 [1996]), pp. 29–​30. See
also Lexikon des Mittelalters, s.v. “Bischof, -​samt, iii. Merowinger-​und Karolingerzeit,”, cols.
230–​231. See also Peter Landau, “Kirchenverfassungen,” in Theologische Realenzyklopädie 18,
eds. Gerhard Müller, Horst Balz, and Gerhard Krause, 36 vols. (Berlin, 1976–​2004), pp. 114–​116.
7 For definition, see section 1.2.2.
8 See Canning, History of Medieval Political Thought, pp. 84–​110. See also Brian Tierney, The
Crisis of Church and State 1050–​1300: With Selected Documents (Englewood Cliffs, 1964), pp. 7–​
15 and pp. 24–​73.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 39

make comparable claims to power over people as other secular rulers in the
Middle Ages. That, however, does not mean that they did not make any claims
to power over people. It was, after all, a visible body of believers (corpus fide-
lium) which found itself in the world and as any other group of people in need
of organization and governance. Despite the limitations of the Church’s power,
which was the subject of long-​standing debates throughout the Middle Ages,
its structure of governance bore enough resemblances to imperial structures
of ruling to validate a comparison with the empires of history, providing an
important background for how this study perceives and approaches the reli-
gious discourse it sets out to analyse.

2.1.1.1 The Rise of the Papal Center

Around the middle of the 11th century the Roman Church began to make bolder
claims than before to wide-​ranging authority and leadership in the Christian
World, marking the beginning of what the German historian Rudolf Schieffer
has called the papal-​historical turn (Papstgeschichtliche Wende) closely linked
to the grand topic of reform in the high medieval Church.9 This development
had begun in the 10th century, as monastics and other churchpeople increas-
ingly came to view the situation in the Church, particularly its relationship to
secular authorities, as severely faulty.10 It was marked by “a general transgres-
sion against the right order of things –​namely, the subordination of the sacred
to the profane and the ecclesiastical to the regal.ˮ11 As scholars have repeatedly
explained, an important background to understand this general dissatisfaction

9 See Rudolf Schieffer, “Motu Propriu. Über die Papstgeschichtliche Wende im 11.
Jahrhundert,” Historisches Jahrbuch 122 (2002), 27–​42.
10 It is often traced back to 10th century monastic reforms most importantly the one led
by the Burgundian house of Cluny, established in 910. The founding charter of Cluny
expresses a decisive turn away from the common practices of the time, that is lay power
over churches and other ecclesiastical property: “I hand over from my own rule [the
founder Duke William I of Aquitane’s] to the holy apostles, Peter, namely and Paul, the pos-
sessions over which I hold sway […] And let the monks themselves, together with all the
aforesaid possessions, be under the power and dominion of the abbot Berno […] but after
his death, those same monks shall have power and permission to elect any one of their
order whom they please as abbot and rector […] in such wise that neither by intervention
of our own or of any other power may they be impeded from making a purely canonical
election.” Citation from Tierney, Crisis of Church and State, pp. 28–​29. Other monastic
movements of note include the short-​lived Lower-​Lotharingian Brogny-​movement, also
what has been called the Gorzian reform after the monastery of Gorz as well as roughly
corresponding developments in England and Italy. Werner Goez, Kirchenreform und
Investiturstreit 910–​1122, 2nd ed. (Stuttgart, 2008), pp. 26–​33 and pp. 41–​56.
11 Kevin Madigan, Medieval Christianity: A New History (New Haven, 2015), p. 120.
40 Chapter 2

within the Church was the chaotic situation in Europe caused by the dissolu-
tion of Emperor Charlemagne’s empire in the 9th century. The precarious polit-
ical conditions characterizing the wake of Charlemagne’s reign, intensified by
outside threats (Muslims, Scandinavians, and, to a lesser degree, Magyars)
had spawned a situation in which lay lords and national monarchs had taken
it upon themselves to protect churches and ecclesiastical property with the
cost that they came to regard it as their own possession. It should be noted
that what has been called the reform movement of the High Middle Ages was
not a unified movement organized to reach a single goal but the reactions of
multiple groups and individuals to a cluster of topics which they found unsat-
isfactory regarding the Church as well as its interaction to non-​ecclesiastical
authorities. At the same time, however, these developments lead to the growth
and centralization of the papacy as an institution, while it continued to extend
its claims to authority and influence in the Christian world.
These topics were forcefully put on the agenda during the pontificate of Leo
ix (r. 1049–​1054), the first reforming pope of the period, who gathered to the car-
dinalate important advisors –​including Humbert, Peter Damian and Hildebrand
(later Gregory vii) –​vigorously championing for reform within the Church by all
means possible. Pope Leo ix is credited with changing the papacy in significant
ways, expanding its reach from Italian local politics to the wider scope of a leading
force of the entire Western Church.12 During his travels and at councils, Pope Leo
promoted and enforced his program of reform, calling for the obedience of other
bishops and ecclesiastics as he attempted to improve the morals of the Church
by purifying it of endemic sins like simony and clerical marriage. Thereby, he set
in motion a development aiming for the hierarchical centralization of the Latin
Church under the leadership of the pope. Such claims had been well-​known and
acknowledged for centuries but now they were carried out with an unseen deci-
siveness and would reach their height during the investiture controversy (lis inves-
titurarum) with both pope and emperor claiming authority over the other. After
Emperor Henry ivʼs famous rejection of Gregory vii as pope, Gregory excommu-
nicated the emperor and more importantly deposed him with an authority which
is most explicitly set forth in the papal document Dictatus papae.13
Through reform initiatives in the field of papal organization and commu-
nication, the Christian world grew “larger and thicker,” as described by Ernst-​
Dieter Hehl.14 The papal sphere of influence was growing and so did also the

12 Ibid., pp. 126–​130.

13 Ibid., pp. 137–​138.
14 Ernst-​Dieter Hehl, “Das Papsttum in der Welt des 12. Jahrhunderts. Einleitend
Bemerkungen zu Anforderungen und Leistungen,” in Das Papsttum in der Welt des 12.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 41

papacy’s “compulsion to intervene,” as Herfried Münkler chooses to describe

the reluctance of a central imperial power to remain neutral towards compet-
ing powers in its reach.15 Two factors were of particular importance for this
development: First, the theoretical body concerning the unique position of
Rome and its bishop grew significantly. Second, as will be explained in the next
section of this chapter, the administrative apparatus of the Roman Church was
expanded.
As regards the first factor, throughout the era of reform, the authority of the
bishop of Rome within the Christian Church was being consistently elaborated
on in the overlapping and mutually reinforcing fields of ecclesiology and canon
law. In letters and other writings of theological nature, the Roman bishop, suc-
cessor and vicar of the apostle Peter, was claimed to be the exclusive holder of
the plenitudo potestatis –​the fullness of power –​and the Roman Church was
interchangeably referred to as the heart (cardo) of the Church, its head (caput),
fountain (fons), foundation (fundamentum), and mother (mater).16 Such ideas
received its best-​ known manifestation in the aforementioned document
Dictatus papae, which contained dictates like “[t]‌hat the Roman pontiff alone
can with right be called universal,” “[t]hat it may be permitted to him to depose
emperors,” and “[t]hat he who is not at peace with the Roman Church shall
not be considered Catholic.”17 This development was also reflected in papal
imagery and propaganda for Roman primacy which had been underway since
the fifth century but reached its zenith at this point. The episcopal residence
at the Lateran was turned into a palace –​called a patriarchium since the 7th
century and a palatium since the 9th –​where the architecture, iconography
and even furniture underlined the heightened authority of the pope and the
primacy of Rome.18 The papal seal (bulla) was changed from being exclusively
verbal to containing images, inspired by imperial seals. Often they showed
images related to the topic of Petrine primacy (keys and pastor) and during

Jahrhunderts, Mittelalter-​Forschungen 6, eds. Ernst D. Hehl and Ingrid H. Ringel (Stuttgart,

2002), p. 9.
15 Münkler, Empires, pp. 14–​17.
16 Yves M.-​J. Congar, “Der Platz des Papsttums in der Kirchenfrömmigkeit der Reformer
des 11. Jahrhunderts,” in Sentire Ecclesiam: Das Bewusstsein von der Kirche als gestaltende
Kraft der Frömmigkeit, eds. Jean Daniélou and Herbert Vorgrimer (Freiburg i. B., 1963),
pp. 199–​200.
17 Madigan, Medieval Christianity, pp. 137–​138.
18 See for example Francesca Pomarici’s discussion on papal cathedrae and chairs in “Papal
Imagery and Propaganda: Art, Architecture, and Liturgy,” in A Companion to the Medieval
Papacy: Growth of an Ideology and an Institution, eds. Keith Sisson and Atria A. Larson,
Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition 70 (Leiden, 2016), pp. 94–​96.
42 Chapter 2

the reign of Gregory the vii, they would show the figures of the apostles Peter
and Paul.19 During the period of reform, popes seem to have begun wearing a
pointed hat, a predecessor of the papal tiara which would become a central
symbol for the pope’s earthly power. In this light, it is not without significance
that the Roman episcopatus came during this period to be interchanged with
the word papatus, thereby adding a layer to the ecclesiastical hierarchy above
the episcopacy.
Another important outlet for these ideas was in the field of canon law, which
was flourishing at the time. Since the Early Middle Ages, it was acknowledged
that the pope had a special position of authority when it came to making law
and ecclesiastical regulations. Until the time of the papal reform, however, his
authority did not amount to “a universally active force as supreme law-​giver or
law maker.”20 From the reign of Leo ix and especially after Gregory vii and the
Dictatus papae, it becomes clear that the reform movement was determined to
increase the active involvement of the pope in legislation and law interpreta-
tion. Vitally important for the success of these efforts was Gratian’s Decretum
(Concordia discordantium canonum) around the mid-​12th century and sub-
sequent works of canon law which have been described as a cornerstone in
the development towards a more homogenous Church.21 As an example, the
process of aligning the position of the pope to that of the Roman emperor
as constructed in Roman law began with Gratian’s work. At the beginning
of his Tractatus de legibus, Gratian equated papal and imperial power and
established the foundation for how the Church’s “earthly and juridical qual-
ity” should be treated –​while of course not disregarding the Church’s unique
spiritual essence. As set out by Gratian, the pope, as Peter’s successor, the
‘highest priest’ (summus pontifex) was the head of the Roman Church. He had
the “power to rule and command” (potestas regendi et iubendi) and enjoyed a
position from which he “judges all and is judged by no one” (cunctos ipse iudi-
caturus a nemine iudicandus).22

2.1.1.2 From Center to the Periphery

Another factor particularly instrumental for the growth of the papal sphere
of influence was the institutional expansion of the Church. Through the

19 Pomarici, “Papal Imagery and Propaganda,” p. 90.

20 Atria A. Larson, “Popes and Canon Law,” in A Companion to the Medieval Papacy: Growth
of an Ideology and an Institution, eds. Keith Sisson and Atria A. Larson, Brill’s Companions
to the Christian Tradition 70 (Leiden, 2016), p. 147.
21 Johrendt and Müller, “Zentrum und Peripherie,” p. 10.
22 Larson, “Popes and Canon Law,” p. 147–​148.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 43

consolidation of its administrative apparatus manned by an elite of ordained

servants, the theoretical formulation of the position of the pope in ecclesiology
and canonical legislation could be carried out in practice. The expansion of
administrative organization and the bolstering of its bureaucratic infrastruc-
ture, its ‘tools of government’ as termed by Southern, constituted an import-
ant way in which the papal center was able to maintain control and author-
ity over distant territories.23 The most significant tools of government were
papal decretals, papal legates, judges-​delegate (iudices delegati), and church
councils. As the Church was establishing itself at the Northern margins of the
Christian world, these measures were regularly put into use.
A papal decretal or a decretal letter (epistola decretalis) can refer to a wide
spectrum of papal communication. Defined broadly, it refers to any papal
communication of importance for canon law but more narrowly, it refers to a
written response to a question or plea sent by an ecclesiastic or even a lay per-
son on issues regarding canon law.24 During the era of reform, but in particular
after the mid-​12th century, the number of papal decretals increased radically.25
At this time, the significance of decretals as source of law also increased sig-
nificantly, as they came to be understood to belong to a consistent and con-
tinuing body of decretals, contributing to the canonical tradition.26 Scholars
have interpreted this increase as indicating the intensifying relationship
between the Roman center and the periphery of the Church.27 In the words
of Charles Duggan, “the weapon of decretal legislation” made popes capable
of making their authority felt “throughout the length and breadth of Western
Christendom.”28 The rise in the number of decretals is closely linked to the
implementation of Roman primacy and in particular with the pope being
widely acknowledged as the iudex ordinarius ominum, the judge ordinary of all

23 Southern, Western Society and the Church, p. 106.

24 Atria A. Larson and Keith Sisson, “Papal Decretals,” in A Companion to the Medieval
Papacy: Growth of an Ideology and an Institution, eds. Keith Sisson and Atria A. Larson,
Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition 70 (Leiden, 2016), p. 158.
25 Scholars have dated around 7000 decretals to the period between 1159 and 1198, amount-
ing to 1750 decretals on average per decade. In the preceding millennium, the number
of decretals was much lower, amounting to around 1000 per century. Larson and Sisson,
“Papal Decretals,” p. 164. See also Southern, Western Society and the Church, p. 108.
26 Larson and Sisson, “Papal Decretals,” p. 163.
27 Lotte Kéry, “Dekretalenrecht zwischen Zentrale und Peripherie,” in Römisches Zentrum
und kirchliche Peripherie: Das universale Papsttum als Bezugspunkt der Kirchen von den
Reformpäpsten bis zu Innozenz III, eds. Jochen Johrendt and Harald Müller (Berlin,
2008), p. 22.
28 Charles Duggan, Twelfth-​Century Decretal Collections and Their Importance in English
History, University of London Historical Studies 12 (London, 1963), pp. 24–​25.
44 Chapter 2

men. In that light, a papal decree possessed a heightened authority and in local
parishes all around the Christian world, clerics and other ecclesiastics began to
turn rather to the papal curia than their episcopal courts.29
In occasions of heightened importance, sending a letter was not always a
sufficient resource and a more influential type of representation needed. For
such instances, the Church made use of the papal legates –​the pope’s eyes
and alter ego –​who made the one they represented, the pope, fully and virtu-
ally present with their own physical appearance. In legal matters and politi-
cal affairs, the legates represented the bishop of Rome as they ran his errands
around the Christian world. Harald Müller ascribes immense significance to
the legates, particularly the cardinal legates, for the developing and stabiliz-
ing of Roman authority taking place at the time.30 There were three types of
legati: perpetual legates (legati nati), nuncios (nuntii, legati missi), and legates
sent directly by the pope (legati a latere).31 Among these, the legati a latere
could be described as an elite group among the legates, commissioned for proj-
ects of particular importance and were understood to have a special share in
the pope’s fullness of power. The nuntii seem to have generally been assigned
to more specific tasks and the legati nati served as the pope’s representatives in
specific regions and their power was territorially limited. These were the arch-
bishops of Salzburg, Prague, Cologne, Gniezno, and Esztergom-​Budapest.32
Apart from the duties specifically ascribed to the legates, the legates’ role
was highly important in that they “formed a flexible bond of communication
between the curia and regional churches of Latin Christendom” which corre-
sponds quite accurately to how the role of administrative elites in imperial for-
mations and large-​scale political entities has been defined.33 As distinguished

29 Lotte Kéry, “Dekretalenrecht zwischen Zentrale und Peripherie,” pp. 24–​25.

30 Harald Müller, “The Omnipresent Pope,” in A Companion to the Medieval Papacy: Growth
of an Ideology and an Institution, eds. Keith Sisson and Atria A. Larson, Brill’s Companions
to the Christian Tradition 70 (Leiden, 2016), p. 209.
31 In addition, there were all sorts of expressions in play: ‘the apostolic vicar’ who repre-
sented the pope in discipline and teaching, the apocrisiarius, representing the pope in
Constantinople, the defensor ecclesiae, had the project of safe-​guarding papal property,
and legati vagantes who were primarily missionaries. Ibid., pp. 205–​206.
32 Ibid., p. 205.
33 Ibid., p. 208. For a discussion of pre-​modern elites and the elite concept, see for exam-
ple Jeroen Duindam, “Pre-​modern Power Elites: Princes, Courts, Intermediaries,” in The
Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites, eds. Heinrich Nest and John Higley (London, 2018),
pp. 161–​179. For a more theoretically oriented treatment of the elite concept see Richard
Lachmann, “Hegemons, Empires, and Their Elites,” Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas 75
(2014), 9–​38 and John Higely, “Continuities and Discontinuities in Elite Theory,” in The
Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites, eds. Heinrich Nest and John Higley (London, 2018),
pp. 25–​39.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 45

from the role of messengers, they had powers to involve themselves in disputes
and other matters in order to bring about an acceptable solution –​for Rome,
most importantly. These could be issues of discipline, church organization,
doctrinal and legal issues and did not even have to be restricted to the eccle-
siastical sphere but could also directly concern the more secular authorities.
The increased use of papal emissaries happened in the High Middle Ages and
was directly caused by the extended claims of the Roman bishop to a univer-
sal papacy.34 This is clearly evident from the postulations of Gregory vii, who
made ample use of legates for staying on top of things in distant regions and
make sure that his policies were being enforced.35 If sent by the pope, Gregory
vii maintained, legates who had been granted full powers superseded other
bishops and could even depose them. Such ideas reflect the absolute suprem-
acy and preeminence of the bishop of Rome. And they did not come without
problems. The notion that the pope could involve himself in local affairs was
bound to produce problems with bishops and churches used to govern their
own matters to a significant degree. Also, it was also not entirely clear how it
was to be practically carried out that a legate could represent the pope in such
literal ways.
Still another way in which the power of the pope was being outsourced
during this period was through the judges-​delegate whose main role was to
solve legal disputes. In the High Middle Ages the number of appeals to Rome
grew rapidly and the pope and the cardinals could in no way deal with all of
them. The judges-​delegate were assigned particular cases and were supposed
to reach findings on behalf of the pope. Their verdicts had the status of a papal
decision, a binding conclusion which only the pope could turn. The judges
acted as vices and stressed their position as representatives of the pope, pos-
sessing apostolic authority (apostolica auctoritas). It was not self-​evident that
the Roman bishop could involve himself in judicial matters far away from the
regular jurisdictional bounds and would sometimes cause resistance. Although
not without difficulties, the entitlement to a universal jurisdictional primacy
as the iudex ordinarius omnium was of high importance for papal reform. The
possibility of appealing to Rome strengthened the papacy and the primary
position of the papal tribunal over against regional courts and hierarchies and
bound to further strengthen the homogenization of Latin Christendom under
papal leadership.36

34 Müller, “The Omnipresent Pope,” p. 203.

35 Ibid.
36 Ibid., p. 216.
46 Chapter 2

Finally, conciliar gatherings were a significant component of papal gov-

ernment in the High Middle Ages. The size and scope of the councils differed
radically, but most important for the present discussion are the general coun-
cils –​ generalia concilia –​which were summoned and presided over by the
pope.37 The period between the mid-​eleventh century and the thirteenth has
been described as momentous in the conciliar history of the Western Church
because of the high number of such councils and ecclesiastical assemblies.38
The precise nature of their significance, however, is debated. During the reform
period, councils summoned by the pope were intended as legislative assem-
blies and their decrees were supposed to have a bearing on canon law. By such
means, the reforming popes of course attempted to promote and enforce their
policies while simultaneously illustrating papal authority and prestige through
various means. At the same time, particular cases could be addressed and
processed. In that way, the councils also served as a supreme tribunal of the
Church. It has, however, been pointed out that the value of conciliar decrees
depended to a great extent on their reception and application, both in the law
schools and, no less important, their local dissemination. In this regard, the
fate of conciliar decrees differed considerably. As an example, it was only in the
case of the Third Lateran Council of 1179 that all the conciliar decrees ended
up in authoritative canonical collections.39 It has been shown that at the local
level, bishops and archbishops could be relatively selective when it came to
the application of conciliar decrees, and in some cases, it seems as if they were
understood rather as suggestions than binding prescriptions.40

2.1.1.3 On the Outskirts

Any comparison of the medieval papacy to an empire is meaningless with-
out considering how it managed to permanently stay in power in the different
regions of Western Christendom. For such purposes, of course, the papal court
did not only rely on decretals and legates or other short-​termed interventions.
Theoretically, the papal center in Rome secured its influence through both the
ecclesiastical hierarchy and the organizational system of dioceses and par-
ishes. The notion of ecclesiastical hierarchy has since the Middle Ages referred

37 Danica Summerlin, “Papal Councils,” in A Companion to the Medieval Papacy: Growth of

an Ideology and an Institution, eds. Keith Sisson and Atria A. Larson, Brill’s Companions
to the Christian Tradidion 70 (Leiden, 2016), p. 189.
38 Ian S. Robinson, The Papacy, 1073–​1198: Continuity and Innovation (Cambridge, Eng., 1990),
p. 121.
39 Summerlin, “Papal Councils,” p. 194.
40 Ibid., pp. 194–​195.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 47

to, in the words of Siegfried Widenhofer, “the legally ordered, layered clerical
authority over consecration and jurisdiction.”41 In the course of the Middle
Ages, the power of the Roman bishop over archbishops and bishops around
the Christian West gradually increased and bishops lost the great amount of
autonomy and authority they had enjoyed since the 4th century. In that regard,
the papacy of Pope Leo ix is seen as a dividing line when subordination to the
pope became an unquestionable obligation.
Outside Rome, the highest-​ranking members of the hierarchy were the met-
ropolitan bishops or the archbishops as they came to be called in the sixth cen-
tury, although their power would only decrease in the course of the High Middle
Ages.42 Their absolute subordination to the pope was symbolized with the pal-
lium which since the time of Pope Gregory vii had to be acquired personally
from the pope. The archbishops’ role was to provide leadership within their
diocese, supervise their suffragan bishops and visit their dioceses. Moreover,
they were allowed to summon provincial councils, confirm the election of new
bishops before they ordained them, carry out judgments in cases which had
been appealed to their court and involve themselves in various other adminis-
trative affairs of their suffragan bishops under particular circumstances.43
Each archbishopric was divided into smaller dioceses, each with its own
bishop. Since the 4th century, bishops had ruled over specifically delineated
areas called dioceses or bishoprics, originally the centers of the late Roman
civitates. The power of the bishop in both spiritual and more secular affairs
rose to its heights during the Carolingian period while bishops and kings still
enjoyed the mutual benefits of their cooperation.44 In the course of the 10th
and 11th centuries, with the decline of royal power, much of the bishops’ inde-
pendence was transferred to the Church’s center in Rome. As time passed,
a central role of the bishop came to be “to assist the pope in exercising his
plenitude of power.”45 It was indeed a period of a wide-​ranging transition
of the episcopal office which at this point can only be treated superficially.
Tasks related to the bishops’ position as a local magnate, highly involved in
the business and politics of his region were transformed into bureaucratic

41 Siegfried Wiedenhofer, s.v. “Hierarchie”, in Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4th ed.
42 There existed the honorary title of a primas among the archbishops of a given region,
enjoyed for example by the archbishops of Bourges, Canterbury, and Salzburg. Since the
establishing of the archbishopric of Uppsala, the archbishop of Lund had the status of a
primas among the three Scandinavian archbishoprics.
43 Landau, “Kirchenverfassungen,” pp. 133–​134; Jarl Gallén, “Biskop,” klnm i, col. 611–​612.
44 Southern, Western Society and the Church, p. 176.
45 Ibid., p. 188.
48 Chapter 2

duties. Their administrative and judicial obligations grew significantly as the

highest ranking officials of the ecclesiatical hierarchy in their dioceses. Slowly,
the loyalty of the local bishop came to be directed to the center at Rome.
Bishops were to follow orders as they were delivered through papal letters and
his representatives. At the same time, they were responsible for their parish
priests and by extention the salvation of their parishioners. At the end of the
13th century, the bishops had lost much of their independence although their
local influence was not greatly diminished. They were still landowners and
important players in local politics and at the same time they enjoyed a great
deal of authority through their place in the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the
papal administrative apparatus. As described by Robert Swanson, the role of
bishops and priests was critical within medieval Western societies since they
served as “the point of contact both between people and institution, and (in
many ways) between people and God.”46 They were not only responsible for
pastoral care and providing the people with the means to salvation, but were
also the people on whom the papacy relied when something came up in their
dioceses.

2.1.2 Expanding Boundaries: Christianization of Scandinavia

Christianity had been known in Scandinavia as long as there had been inter-
action between the region with the rest of Christian Europe, perhaps since the
reign of emperor Constantine.47 Although the Christian religion had not been
formally introduced as a comprehensive set of religious ideas and practices it
had reached Scandinavia by various means before, during, and after the arrival
of missionaries in the early 9th century. It had, therefore, at least since then
been present among other world views in a porous religious landscape.48 As
shown in a recent study, archaeological evidence indicates that through trade
and gift giving, travels and raids, various components of the Christian religion
became slowly infiltrated into the area.49 During the centuries-​long period of
Christianization, it seems as if the Christian religion was not as fixed, clear-​cut
and immediately victorious as many medieval chroniclers would have it, but
fluid and ambiguous.50

46 Robert N. Swanson, “Manning the Church: Priests and Bishops,” in The Routledge History
of Medieval Christianity 1050–​1500, The Routledge Histories (London, 2015), p. 32.
47 Winroth, Conversion of Scandinavia, p. 129.
48 Winroth, Conversion of Scandinavia, pp. 128–​135. See also Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir,
“Kristnitakan. Áhrif tilviljanakennds og skipulegs trúboðs,” Saga xlv/​1 (2007), 118 and 123.
49 Winroth, Conversion of Scandinavia, p. 129.
50 Ibid., p. 133.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 49

A decisive factor in the Christianization of Scandinavia was the cultural

exchange between Scandinavia and the British Isles which had begun during
the Viking Age. It was then largely increased after Haraldr Sigurðarson’s defeat
at Stamford Bridge in 1066 which lead to many Scandinavians retreating over-
seas to their original homelands. It was, for instance, on English ground that
Norway’s first Christian kings, including the famous missionary kings Ólafr
Tryggvason and Ólafr Haraldsson, came into contact with Christianity.51
Christianity in Scandinavia was thus influenced by Christian currents in the
British Isles but also by ecclesiastical centers on the continent, most impor-
tantly in Saxony.52 In the case of Norway, the Western Part (the Atlantic Coast
of Southern Norway) was more influenced by Anglo-​Saxon Christianity, while
Viken (the area surrounding the Oslofjord and Skagerrak) came into contact
with the new religion as it protruted out of the diocese of Bremen through
Denmark (see figure. 3).
The conception of Christianization as a prolonged process, beginning with
a slow infiltration leading to institutional corroboration, is much in line with
the research done on the topic over the past half a century.53 Before, schol-
ars had rather tended to emphasize the importance of particular individuals
and events and thereby depicting a scenario much like the one set forth in
the medieval writings themselves in which missionaries and missionary kings
fought the devilry of their pagan enemies and converted entire regions through
battles or contracts. However, even though stories of missionaries can inform
about significant figures in the early progress of Christianity in Scandinavia, it

51 As has been pointed out by Nora Berend and others, Christianity/​Christendom in the
Middle Ages is not an unproblematic concept. In this discussion, it refers to Latin
Christianity and in the case of local variations, the broader concept of Christianity
is qualified with reference to the region in question, e.g. Anglo-​Saxon Christianity, as
is customary in the field of Scandinavian medieval history. For a further discussion of
the concept, see Nora Berend, “The Concept of Christendom: A Rhetoric of Integration
or Disintegration?” in Hybride Kulturen in mittelalterlichen Europa/​Hybrid Cultures in
Medieval Europe, ed. Michael Borgolte, Europa im Mittelalter 16 (Berlin, 2010), pp. 51–​61.
52 For more detailed discussion, see kí i, pp. 18–​37.
53 The earliest and most influential attempt to outline the Christianization process of
Scandinavia is that of Fridtjov Birkeli, Norske steinkors i tidlig middelalder: Et bidrag til
belysning av overgangen fra norrøn religion til kristendom (Oslo, 1973). Other import-
ant works are Jan Arvid Hellström, Vägar till Sveriges kristnande (Stockholm, 1996); Jón
Viðar Sigurðsson, Kristninga i Norden 750–​1200 (Oslo, 2003), pp. 12–​13; Orri Vésteinsson,
Christianization of Iceland; kí i, pp. 7–​11; Winroth, Conversion of Scandinavia; and Stefan
Brink, “Early Ecclesiastical Organization of Scandinavia, Especially Sweden,” in Medieval
Christianity in the North, eds. Kirsi Salonen, Kurt Villads Jensen and Torstein Jørgensen,
Acta Scandinavica 1 (Brepols, 2013), pp. 24–​25.
50 Chapter 2

Irish-Scottish Christianity

Anglo-Saxon Christianity
Christianity from the
Continent
The Gregorian Mission

figure 3 
The image shows the movement of the Christian religion between Iceland,
Scandinavia, the British isles and the continent. Irish influence in Iceland remains
a controversial issue and is marked with a dotted line

remains true, as historian Anders Winroth puts it that “[i]‌n real life, conversion
is a much messier business than how our medieval narrators portray it, with
many shades of gray.”54
Although the tendency in recent decades has rather been to downplay the
role of the indiviudals carrying out the mission work in the Christianization
process, Scandinavia boasts of a long history of missionary activity which
should not be entirely overlooked. There exist several narratives of hagiog-
raphic nature about the first missionaries in Scandinavia. Among the first
missionaries venturing into Scandinavian territories was Archbishop Ebo of
Rheims (775–​851) who went to Denmark in 823.55 The most important figure

54 Winroth, Conversion of Scandinavia, p. 128.

55 Traditionally, the first missionary in Scandinavia was Willibrord of Utrecht (658–​739)
but the historical value of Alcuin of York’s Vita Willibrordi for Willibrord’s travels into
Denmark has been called into questioning. Ibid., p. 15.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 51

for the missionary history of Scandinavia, however, and the one who is tra-
ditionally regarded as ‘the apostle of Scandinavia’ is the monk Ansgar (801–​
865). Although the information preserved about Ansgar through Rimbert’s
Vita Anskari is considerable, it should be kept in mind that his biography was
composed primarily in order to promote him as a saint and might have lead
historians to overestimate his significance for the Northern mission and under-
estimate the contributions of others. As recent research has shown, it proba-
bly also led scholars –​ever since Adam of Bremen’s Gesta Hammaburgensis
Ecclesiae Pontificum –​to exaggerate the alleged downswing of Christianity after
the time of Ansgar, simply because there are no extant textual sources for the
period.56 According to Anders Winroth, it was not missionaries who brought
the Christian religion to Scandinavia.57 Missionaries were first and foremost
responsible for introducing the ‘idea of conversion’ to the Scandinavians, by
which Winroth refers to a particular way, well-​known from various hagiog-
raphic writings, of constructing the historical reality of conversion periods as
a clear-​cut event in which Christianity overcomes the formidable forces of the
pagan religions.58
Recently, the role of kings and other magnates of a more secular sort has
been stressed by Anders Winroth. Christian kings and chieftains provided
political protection, securing a favorable environment for the Church to
stabilize itself as an institution. When Scandinavian kings, beginning with
Haraldr Bluetooth Gormsson, realized the political advantages of adopting
Christianity, they made use of the religion in order to strengten their own
power position. As Winroth explains, the Christian religion was better suited
than the Old Norse pagan religion to maintain control over the large political
entities emerging in the North. Not only did it provide them with a way to
counter potential opposition, with an ideology of divine kingship legitimiz-
ing their position of sole authority over their kingdoms, but as they were in
control over the clerical caste they could monopolize religious services and
distribute them as goods or gifts to their subjects.59 In addition, Christianity
was affiliated with much prestige, as it was adhered to by the most powerful
kings of Europe. Seen in this light, the decision to convert to Christianity was
first and foremost of a political nature, a point repeatedly stressed by Winroth
throughout his book.60

56 Ibid., pp. 105 and 194.

57 Ibid., p. 146.
58 Ibid., pp. 121–​137 and 162.
59 Ibid., pp. 152–​160.
60 See esp. ibid., pp. 145–​168.
52 Chapter 2

Thus, it was in the tenth century when Scandinavian kings became inter-
ested in Christianity and thereafter converted and before the formation of
structures of elaborate administration, that the Christian religion settled itself
for good in the North. This happened first in Denmark with the conversion of
King Haraldr Bluetooth (r. 958–​986) in the 960s. In Norway, a series of Christian
kings (Hákon the Good, Haraldr Greycloak, Ólafr Tryggvason) attempted to con-
vert Norway but failed because of the opposition of powerful pagan magnates.
It was not until the reign of Ólafr Haraldsson, the martyr king and patron saint
of Norway, that Norway was ultimately Christianized. As for Sweden, accounts
exist saying that the Swedish King Erik had been baptized in Denmark and his
son Olof had striven to Christianize the region; but these sources are highly
problematic.61 Having accepted Christianity as the official religion of their
kingdoms, themselves becoming the heads of their ‘national churches,’ the
Scandinavian kings accepted at the same time the administrative structures of
the Roman Church as an inherent part of their kingdoms. The first bishoprics
were founded in Denmark in the mid-​tenth century. At the synod of Ingelheim
in 948, three bishoprics –​Schleswig (Hedeby), Ribe, and Aarhus –​were estab-
lished in Jutland and subordinated to the archbishop of Hamburg-​Bremen.62
Around 1060, the diocesan structure had reached a stable form in Denmark,
which is around the same time the first bishoprics were set a foot in Iceland and
Norway. Around 1070, three bishoprics were established in Norway –​Niðarós,
Bergen, and Oslo –​to which two more, Stavanger and Hamar, were added in
the twelfth century. In Sweden, the formation of a stable diocesan structure
took longer than elsewhere in the North, with the first bishopric established in
1020 and the last in 1170, which according to Jón Viðar Sigurðsson was due to
Sweden having weaker royal power than Denmark and Norway. The opposition
against Christianity was also heavier in Sweden than elsewhere in the North.63
The first archbishopric in Scandinavia was that of Lund in Denmark,
founded in 1104 after a long-​standing tension between the archbishop of
Hamburg-​Bremen and the Scandinavian kings. Already during the papacy
of Leo ix, the Danish king, Sweyn ii (1047–​1076), had appealed to the pope

61 Ibid., p. 117. See also a concise yet informative overview in Lutz E. von Padberg, Die
Christianisierung Europas im Mittelalter, 2nd ed. (Stuttgart, 2009), pp. 115–​136.
62 So-​called because the archbishop of Hamburg had to flee to Bremen in the 830s because
of the raids of Vikings and others. When the bishop of Bremen died in 845, the boundaries
of Hamburg were expanded to include Bremen, which had before belonged to the archdi-
ocese of Cologne. The seat of the archbishop stayed in Bremen and the archbishopric was
consequently named after both cities.
63 Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Kristninga i Norden, p. 64.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 53

to found an archepiscopal see. The archbishops of Hamburg-​Bremen had

actively opposed the founding of new archbishoprics in the North, which
would decrease their sphere of influence. The Scandinavian kings were aware
of the political implications of the subordination to a German archbishopric
which placed them in an uncomfortable position over against the German rul-
ers. This tension was solved when the existence of the archbishopric of Lund,
comprising entire Scandinavia and the islands in the West, was confirmed by
Pope Paschal ii (r. 1099–​1118). Within a relatively short time span, the archdi-
ocese of Lund was divided into three smaller archdioceses with the upgrade
of the two dioceses furthest North: Niðarós in 1152/​1153 and Uppsala in 1164.
In addition to the five Norwegian bishoprics, the bishoprics on the Isle of
Man, the Hebrides, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Hólar and Skálholt in
Iceland belonged to Niðarós. Six bishoprics were subordinated to the Uppsala-​
archdiocese: Uppsala, Västerås, Strängnäs, Linköping, Skara, and Växjö. Eight
bishoprics belonged to Lund: Lund, Roskilde, Odense, Slesvig, Ribe, Aarhus,
Viborg, and Børglum. This diocesan structure, which had begun in the mid-​
10th century, was to last throughout the Middle Ages.

2.1.3 Christianization of Iceland

Similar to the larger region of Scandinavia, the Christianization of Iceland
should be conceived of in terms of a slow process, beginning with informal cul-
tural exchange well before the official conversion in 999 and ending in a fully
fledged institutional Church in the 14th century.64 Due to the extensive recep-
tion history of Ari Þorgilsson’s account of the events taking place at the law
giving synod at Þingvellir in the summer of 999, according to which Icelandic
magnates, Christian and pagan, agreed on accepting Christianity through
the mediation of the pagan law-​speaker Þorgeirr, Iceland’s Christianization
has very commonly been reduced to that particular conversion event.65 But
even though scholars generally agree that the broad strokes of Ari’s account
hold, they amount to nothing more and nothing less than that. When paint-
ing his picture of the early Christian landscape, Ari’s brush strokes come
closer to a sketch, as it were, of a single episode (albeit an important one) in
a long and complex process than a source for the Christian religion in 11th

64 Traditionally, the event of the Christianization of Iceland on Alþingi is dated to the year
1000 but after a closer inspection into the chronological reasoning of Ari the Wise, a date
of the summer of 999 seems more precise. See Ólafía Einarsdóttir, Studier i kronologisk
metode i tidlig islandsk historieskrivning, Bibliotheca historica Lundensis 13 (Stockholm,
1964). Cf. Jakob Benediktsson, in íf i, pp. xxix–​x lii.
65 íf i, pp. 14–​18.
54 Chapter 2

century Iceland. As scholars have increasingly pointed out in recent years,

there are other accounts of the arrival of the Christian religion in the coun-
try. Summarizing the available sources for how Christianity was introduced,
Sverrir Jakobsson adds two narrative strings to the one found in Ari’s Book of
Icelanders. First, there is the view found in Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae
pontificum composed by Adam of Bremen between 1073 and 1076, according
to which Icelanders did not become Christian until Ísleifr Gizurarson had been
ordained by Adalbert, archbishop of Hamburg and bishop of Bremen. Another
version is found in the Book of Settlements, which assumes that Christianity
existed in the country since the settlement given that some of the first settlers
were Christians.66
None of these narratives can sufficiently account for how Christianity
arrived and established itself in Iceland on its own. Read together, however,
they provide a relatively comprehensive picture of the Christianization pro-
cess as it has been explained by recent scholarship. Each narrative can thus
be understood as representative for the most important components of the
process respectively. First, representing what could be called the classical view
of the Christianization, is the account found in Ari’s Book of Icelanders, empha-
sizing the agency of the Icelandic political elite and the ways in which the
upper layers of Icelandic society made it possible for Christianity to develop
in the country as one vehicle among many with which they could preserve
and employ their social and political power. An obvious representative for this
view in recent scholarship is Orri Vésteinsson who in his research of the early
development of Christianity in Iceland has argued that the Church in Iceland
had not developed an independent institutional identity until after 1200 and
not fully until the end of the 13th century.67 At the same time, it was becoming
increasingly integrated into the international Church, adopting and applying
its hierarchy and other power mechanisms to the Icelandic context. It should
be noted that Vésteinsson’s framework is largely based on economic and polit-
ical changes accompanying the Christianization process and the institutional
development of the Church. In order to throw light on the “main threads and
thresholds in a long and complex develoment,” Vésteinsson has suggested a
periodization in which he divides the development into a tripartite frame-
work of conversion (990–​1090), formation (1090–​1140) and consolidation
(1140–​1240).68

66 Sverrir Jakobsson, Auðnaróðal, p. 25.

67 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, pp. 4–​5, 167–​178, and 238–​246.
68 Orri Vésteinsson, “The Formative Phase of the Icelandic Church ca 990–​1240 AD,”
in Church Centres: Church Centres in Iceland from the 11th to the 13th Century and Their
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 55

The conversion period began with the arrival of foreign missionaries,

decades before the official acceptance of Christianity by the general assembly
at Þingvellir, an event which Vésteinsson appropriately terms a ‘political con-
version’ given that it was a decision made by the holders of political power at
the time. The conversion period ends according to Vésteinsson when Gizurr
Ísleifsson (r. 1082–​1118) succeeds his father as the bishop of Skálholt, formally
establishing Skálholt as an episcopal see by donating parts of his family estate
to the cathedral. Landowners and aristocracy were involved in the matters of
the Church, which is evident from how easily ecclesiastical taxation was intro-
duced in 1097. Many chieftains owned churches and served as priests which
made them entitled to a substantial share of the tax revenues.69 In the begin-
ning of the 12th century the people of Northern Iceland are said to have asked
for their own see, which they received in 1106 at Hólar along with their own
bishop, Jón Ögmundarson. At the end of the formation-​phase, “all the principal
elements of an institutional Church are in evidence.”70 In Vésteinsson’s view, it
was the establishment of Þingeyrar-​monastery in 1133 (see Figure 1) that ush-
ered in the consolidation-​stage in the development of earliest Christianity.71
During the years between 1140 and 1240, the proponents of the nascent Church
were busy putting order to the operations of the ecclesiastical network in the
country. Around 1200 there were around 360 churches with priests attached
to them, 6 monasteries and over a 1000 lesser churches and chapels, which
called for increased organization and bureaucracy; this set its mark on the

Parallels in Other Countries, ed. Helgi Þorláksson, Snorrastofa: Rit 2 (Reykholt, 2005),
pp. 73–​74.
69 See part 2.2.1 above.
70 Orri Vésteinsson, “Formative Phase of the Icelandic Church,” p. 79.
71 The role of monasteries in the Christianization process is the subject of ongoing research
both for the Icelandic context but also for the broader Scandinavian one. Until 1200 there
were around 100 monasteries established in the North of which by far the highest number,
around 60, was in Denmark. Denmark was also the country where the earliest monaster-
ies were established in the end of the eleventh century. Beginning in the early twelfth cen-
tury, nineteen monasteries were founded in Norway, twelve in Sweden, and six in Iceland
between 1130 and 1150. The high number of monasteries in Denmark is explained by the
fact that the country had the highest population at the time. In the North, it was usu-
ally kings and bishops who established monasteries and not the aristocracy like in other
parts of Latin Christendom. In Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, the earliest monasteries
belonged to the Benedictine order and were located close to an episcopal seat, which they
supported in various ways. The bishop served as the leader of the abbots and the monks
often supported the administrative efforts of the bishop. Later in the 12th century, mon-
asteries of the Augustinian and Cistercian orders were founded in Norway and Denmark
and in Sweden, the Cistercians remained the dominant order. See Jón Viðar Sigurðsson,
Kristninga i Norden, pp. 72–​74 and Padberg, Christianisierung Europas, pp. 115–​136.
56 Chapter 2

first half of the period in question. According to Vésteinsson, it is not until the
13th century that he detects a significantly increased influence of the inter-
national Catholic Church. This did not result in any significant changes right
away but lead to the Icelandic clergy’s increasing awareness of their Church,
in the words of Vésteinsson, being “too insular, too non-​professional and too
awkwardly entwined in secular interests.”72 That this was the opinion of the
new archiepiscopal Niðarós-​authorities as well, was confirmed in 1237 when
the episcopal candidates chosen by the Icelanders and sent for ordination in
Niðarós were rejected and non-​Icelandic priests ordained as bishops in Hólar
and Skálholt.73
The second perspective on the Christianization of Iceland places more
emphasis on the institutional expansion of the Roman Church and the intia-
tives of ecclesiastical authorities. As noted, such a view is reflected in Adam of
Bremen’s Gesta where Icelanders are first said to have become Christian with
the ordination of their first bishop Ísleifr. This perspective has been gathering
support among modern scholars in recent years but is perhaps set forth most
clearly in a 2017 article by literary scholar Gottskálk Þór Jensson. According to
his reading, the most significant events of the Christianization process came
about through the influence of powerful ecclesiastics carrying out the policies
of the Church administration. The growth of Christianity in Iceland should pri-
marily be read over against the expanding jurisdictional claims of the Church’s
centralized government and only secondarily in view of local interests and
initiatives. Even in the very beginning, Jensson implies, there was a stronger
relationship between the archbishopric of Bremen and the first Icelandic bish-
ops and the establishing of the first bishoprics than the medieval sources have
been taken to suggest.74 Moreover, significant events like the founding of Hólar
bishopric, the establishing of the monastery of Þingeyrar, and even the confir-
mation of the tithe should be viewed as indicators of an increased interest of
the papacy in the North and the wide-​ranging strengthening of ecclesiastical
governmental structures accompanying it. A milestone in that development
was the founding of the archdiocese of Lund in 1104 and the administrative
reorganization undertaken during the episcopacy of the first archbishop,
Özurr (r. 1104–​1137). In his time, new bishoprics were founded in the Faroe

72 Orri Vésteinsson, “Formative Phase of the Icelandic Church,” p. 80.

73 For a detailed discussion, see Heidi Anett Øvergård Beistad, “An Almost Fanatical
Devotion to the Pope? Power and Priorities in the Integration of the Niðarós Province
c. 1152–​1300,” (Doctoral thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2016),
pp. 59–​80.
74 Gottskálk Jensson, “Íslenskar klausturreglur og libertas ecclesie,” p. 20.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 57

Islands and Greenland and the establishing of Hólar should be seen as part
of these changes. Thus, contrary to what the vita of Bishop Jón Ögmundarson
suggests, it was not the ‘people of the North’ who had the biggest say in the
establishing of Hólar bishopric. The earliest Christian law was introduced in
Iceland between 1122 and 1133 on the initiative of Archbishop Özurr which
among other things confirmed the tithe law which had been put into use in
1097. Jensson also suggests that the establishment of the Benedictine mon-
astery of Þingeyrar was carried out according to the directives of Archbishop
Özurr as well seeing that in the first decades of the 12th century, Benedictine
monasteries were being set up all around Scandinavia.75
Jensson highlights the great significance of the visits of papal legates to the
North.76 Each of the four legatine visits during the Middle Ages, he contends,
brought about changes in the realms of church politics, administration and
theology. After the second Lateran council in 1139, the papal legate and cardinal
Theodwin (d. 1153), bishop of Porto and Santa Rufina, presided over an eccle-
siastical synod in the North the main purpose of which was to establish the
independence of the archbishopric of Lund over the archbishop of Hamburg
and Bremen. Of no less significance was Nicholas Breakspear’s (later Pope
Hadrian iv (r. 1154–​1159)) legatine visit in the years 1152–​1154. Breakspear had
been commissioned by Pope Eugene iii (r. 1145–​1153) to found two new arch-
bishoprics in the North in order to strengthen the ecclesiastical administration
and more specifically to secure papal influence in the region in the conflict
against the German emperor. During this visit, Breakspear only founded one
new archbishopric, that of Niðarós but the founding of the archbishopric of
Uppsala had to wait until 1164. No less important for the ensuing developments
in the church political realm was Breakspear’s instigation of cathedral canons
who, through their education in France and England, most importantly at the
St. Victor Monastery in Paris, would bring about the influence of Augustinian
canons who flocked to the North in the following years. Among the promis-
ing and aspiring churchmen sent to Paris were men like Eysteinn Erlendsson
and Eiríkr Ívarsson, later archbishops of Niðarós, and Þorlákr Þórhallsson, later
bishop of Skálholt, who were to become important proponents of the reform
movement in Scandinavia as will be discussed at greater length below. During
this period, most new monasteries belonged to the order of the Augustinian
canons.77 In Iceland, the first Augustinian monastery was set afoot by Þorlákr

75 Ibid., p. 24.
76 Ibid., pp. 24–​29.
77 Ibid., pp. 33–​34. In the case of at least two monasteries, those of Þykkvibær and Helgafell,
there can be established plausible links to the Abbey of Saint Victor in Paris. Gunnar
58 Chapter 2

Þórhallsson in Þykkvibær in Southern Iceland in the year 1168. As pointed out

by Jensson, soon after the establishing of these monasteries, the influence of
the Norwegian Archbishop seems to increase significantly.
The emphasis on the institutional expansion of the centralized Roman
Church as a driving force in the Christianization process has also been adopted
by Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir who has applied that perspective to the rise of mon-
asteries in the country. In her comprehensive survey, she discusses the estab-
lishing of the seven monasteries founded in the 12th century under the head-
ing “The Roman Church Settles Itself in Iceland” (“Rómarkirkja hreiðrar um
sig á Íslandi”) which already suggests an increased emphasis on the role of the
centralized Church in that time compared to more traditional Christianization
paradigms. She emphasizes, contrary to much previous research, that both in
regard to their organization as well as their architectural design, monasteries
in Iceland were in all main respects comparable to monasteries elsewhere
in Europe.78 The model came from Rome, she states, and as for the role they
played in the development for Icelandic religion and society, the same should
be assumed.79 The establishing of the first, large monasteries of the country –​
for example those of Þingeyrar, Munkaþverá, Þykkvibær, and Hítardalur –​were
“without doubt the direct result of the expansion of the Roman Church and
the Rule of Benedict in the 12th century.”80 In the beginning, a primary objec-
tive of the monasteries was to provide the people with religious knowledge.
Furthermore, as time passed, they came to provide the most important sup-
port in the Church’s struggle for power and independence.81
The third perspective on the Christianization process could be described
as the ‘bottom up’ point of view in contrast to the ‘top down’ emphasis on the
decision-​making of either the Icelandic aristocracy or ecclesiastical authori-
ties. Such a perspective, which in the Icelandic context has been promoted
by the aforementioned Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, emphasizes how before and
during the institutional consolidation of the Church, Christianity was being
accepted and appropriated in diverse ways as it spread unsystematically and
randomly between people, even as early as the settlement period as suggested

Harðarson, “Viktorsklaustrið í París og norrænar miðaldir,” in Íslensk klausturmenning á

miðöldum, ed. Haraldur Bernharðsson (Reykjavík: Miðaldastofa Háskóla Íslands, 2016),
pp. 136–​142. See also Guðmundur J. Guðmundsson, “Tíu páfabréf frá 15. öld,” Saga xlvi:1
(2008), 69.
78 See discussion in Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin að klaustrunum, pp. 49–​53.
79 Ibid., p. 456.
80 Ibid., p. 457.
81 Ibid., p. 454.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 59

by the Book of Settlements.82 In a 2015 article, Kristjánsdóttir develops these

ideas further, defining Christianization as a “long-​term transformation orga-
nized through everyday resistance, reactions, negotiations and compromises”
involving all members of society as they made sense of the tension between
the traditional and the post-​traditional, new and old, which are not under-
stood as fixed opposites but as coexisting and overlapping elements.83 Such a
process does not have a fixed beginning nor an end but is in a constant process
of ‘becoming,’ a concept she adopts from postcolonial historiography. In that
sense, the process of ‘becoming’ refers to “transforming processes in which
new forces and struggles are produced through continuous communication.”84
Relying on Foucault’s theorizing on the operation of power in society, she
highlights how the process of Christianization was not only carried out by the
official holders of authority in medieval Icelandic society –​chieftains and the
Church –​but also, she emphasizes, everyday communication between less dis-
tinguished individuals and groups. In fact, adhering to a broad understanding
of the postcolonial, every cultural form or identity has come into being through
a cultural encounter which can be defined as colonial, in which values, habits,
and identities are being renegotiated between the meeting forces. Through a
variety of examples of Christian material –​ranging from stone crosses to archi-
tectural developments –​reflecting such a colonizing moment, Kristjánsdóttir
suggests that “the Icelanders became Christian by dealing with new knowledge
in their everyday practices that were coloured by memories of old habits.”85

2.1.4 Conclusion: Becoming Christian

The Christianization of Iceland was a complex process leading to multifarious
changes in all spheres of society. As should be clear from the above discussion,
any attempt to provide an all-​encompassing narrative of how these changes
took place is fraught with difficulties. The history of the Christianization is bet-
ter conceived of as a compilation of separate yet interconnected stories com-
plementing each other. The present study chooses to bring the Roman Church
into the spotlight, highlighting its capacities as an institution built around
hierarchical administrative structures with which it strove to maintain and
expand its powers around its spheres of influence. As Iceland and other regions

82 Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, “Kristnitakan. Áhrif tilviljanakennds og skipulegs trúboðs,”

pp. 113–​130.
83 Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, “Becoming Christian: A Matter of Everyday Resistance and
Negotiation,” Norwegian Archaeological Review 48 (2015), 28.
84 Ibid., p. 29.
85 Ibid., p. 42.
60 Chapter 2

of the North were becoming Christian, these structures gained relevance, but
they did not do so in a vacuum. As has been thoroughly explained by schol-
ars such as Anders Winroth and Orri Vésteinsson, they were given relevance
by local kings and magnates who allowed them to be used to the extent they
found agreeable and compatible with the existing political situation. Receiving
less attention –​Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir’s discussion of Iceland’s ‘becoming
Christian’ as a noteworthy exception –​is the way in which ordinary people of
all standings were being introduced to religious ideas which directly and indi-
rectly supported such power structures. At the same time that the Church was
gathering support and building its infrastructure, there was an ongoing cul-
tural negotiation where people were summoned to position themselves for or
against these new ideas and developments. Through its diverse operations and
especially its production of religious texts and imagery, which will be the sub-
ject of the following sections, the Church assumed the role of a primus motor
in the dialogue. Gradually, as the present study contends, it became clear that
this dialogue did not take place on the level of equals and that deciding against
the Church would have dire consequences.

2.2 Christianization and the Production of Religious Texts

At the same time that imperial powers and other expansive political forma-
tions were developing their administrative and economic infrastructure, they
produced conceptual frameworks or, as one scholar put it, “enduring hierar-
chies of subjects and knowledges” explaining, legitimizing and maintaining a
desirable order of the world.86 The sources under analysis give access to reli-
gious discourses which sustained and legitimized the position of the Church as
a dominating power in Icelandic society. This section is intended to illuminate
the media in which these discourses are found, that is the forms of discourse,
and how they can be understood in the context of the cultural hegemony the
Church was gradually establishing in the Icelandic Free State. The most prom-
inent form of media under analysis are manuscripts written in the Icelandic
vernacular. The largest part of the following section will therefore be devoted
to throwing light on the nature of the corpus of manuscripts under inspection,
addressing questions relating to the content, purpose, and context of the dif-
ferent types of manuscripts. It is, nonetheless, also important to recognize the

86 Gyan Prakash, “Introduction,” in After Colonialism: Imperial Histories and Postcolonial

Displacements, Princeton Studies in Culture/​Power/​History, ed. Gyan Prakash (Princeton,
1994), p. 3.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 61

plurality of media at play. Even though the most important source material
consists of manuscripts, the dispersion of the early Christian discourse should
not be limited to the communicative radius of manuscripts. The Christian
message was also mediated visually, through illustrations and art work which
medieval Icelanders were confronted with in and around churches and other
religious buildings. For this reason, at the end of this section, the possibilities
for the visual dispursement of religious discourse in the church space will also
be explored.

2.2.1 Background: The Roman Church as a Cultural Hegemon

The cultural developments set in motion by the introduction of the Church
in Icelandic society supported its growth in several interlocking ways which
have received considerable attention by scholars in recent years. A highly sig-
nificant component of the process was the introduction of literacy and Latin
learning.87 How literacy, introduced and maintained by the Church, came to
succeed a predominantly oral culture as the accepted form of preserving and
producing knowledge is a thoroughly studied topic.88 The Church’s introduc-
tion of literacy as a new form of knowledge production is by no means insig-
nificant for the present study given the role it played in securing its position
of authority in Icelandic medieval society.89 Scribal modes of communication
and preserving knowledge came to supplement, and to an important degree,
replace the oral culture which had predominated before the arrival of the
Christian religion.90 Religious knowledge was imported from abroad, stored

87 Gísli Sigurðsson, Túlkun Íslendingasagna í ljósi munnlegrar hefðar: Tilgáta um aðferð

(Reykjavík, 2002), pp. 22–​23; Ásdís Egilsdóttir, “From Orality to Literacy: Remembering
the Past and the Present in Jóns saga helga” in Fræðinæmi: Greinar gefnar út í tilefni 70 ára
afmælis Ásdísar Egilsdóttur (Reykjavík, 2016), p. 235.
88 Two classical books on the topic in the context of the Middle Ages are the collection of
articles edited by Rosamund McKitterick, The Uses of Literacy (Cambridge, Eng., 1990) and
Michael T. Clanchy’s study, From Memory to Wrtten Record: England 1066–​1307, 2nd ed.
(Oxford, 1993). For the Scandinavian realm, see for example Arnved Nedkvitne, The Social
Consequences of Literacy in Medieval Scandinavia, Utrecht Studies in Medieval Literacy
11 (Turnhout, 2004) and a volume edited by Pernille Hermann, Literacy in Medieval and
Early Modern Scandinavian Culture (Odense, 2005). Among those who have studied the
topic of orality and literacy in the Icelandic context, although primarily with regard to its
implications for interpreting Icelandic saga literature is Gísli Sigurðsson, see for example
his The Medieval Icelandic Saga and Oral Tradition: A Discourse on Method, Publications
of the Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature 2 (Cambridge, Mass., 2004).
89 Gísli Sigurðsson, Túlkun Íslendingasagna í ljósi munnlegrar hefðar, pp. 58–​71.
90 See Pernille Hermann, “Literacy,” in Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval
Icelandic Sagas, eds. Ármann Jakobsson and Sverrir Jakobsson (London and New York:
62 Chapter 2

and mediated through the medium of the book which came to enjoy a central
position for the introduction of Christianity. The item of the book was not only
theologically and practically indispensable for the operation of the Christian
religion but also, as will be addressed later, a source of authority. Thus, liter-
ary and scribal culture became the primary although not the only trajectory
through which Christian religious ideas, or ‘Christian ideology’ as some schol-
ars have put it, were mediated to the people.91
Of ultimate importance for this development were ecclesiastical insti-
tutions where books were collected, produced, copied, and used and where
people –​most importantly those aspiring to a clerical career –​received edu-
cation in how to keep such activities running. Most significant was the cul-
tural activity taking place at the episcopal seats and larger churches –​the so-​
called church centers as some scholars have called them –​but also and no less
importantly, the monasteries established in the course of the 12th century.92
These places were centers for religious and intellectual life where ideas were
discussed, books read and copied, literary works composed and art works pro-
duced. Literary activities outside the confines of ecclesiastical institutions, for
example at larger farmsteads, are believed to have been strongly shaped by
ecclesiastical practices.93 The episcopal seats and larger monasteries were also
the main points of contact with the wider Christian world where new currents
arrived and made their first mark. Since the late 11th century, the episcopal
seats were part of the Church’s diocesan system, which made them an obvious
destination for people coming from abroad; likewise, the monasteries belonged
to international monastic orders and maintained contact with religious houses
abroad. These places were also centers for education and scholarly activities.
The top layer of the Icelandic clergy, upper class clerics and bishops-​to-​be were
sent abroad to study at religious and cultural centers on the continent and

Routledge, 2018), pp. 34–​47. For a more general description of the development, see
Sverrir Jakobsson, Auðnaróðal, pp. 19–​36.
91 For an explicit discussion of the establishing of the Christian religion in Iceland in terms
of ideological hegemony, see Sverrir Jakobsson, Við og veröldin, p. 65. See also Steinunn
Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin að klaustrunum, p. 128 and Hermann, “Literacy,” p. 35. One of the
better known formulations of the Christian religion in the medieval West as a powerful
ideology shaping the medieval mentalité can be found in the writings of Jacques Le Goff,
for an explicit discussion see Jacques Le Goff, The Medieval Imagination, trans. Arthur
Goldhammer (Chicago, 1992), pp. 2–​5.
92 See discussion in Church Centres: Church Centres in Iceland from the 11th to the 13th
Century and their Parallels in Other Countries, ed. Helgi Þorláksson, Rit/​Snorrastofa 2
(Reykholt, 2005).
93 Haraldur Bernharðsson, “Kirkja, klaustur og norskublandið ritmálsviðmið,” in Íslensk
klausturmenning á miðöldum, ed. Haraldur Bernharðsson (Reykjavík, 2016), p. 164.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 63

in England.94 If prospective priests did not go abroad for their studies, which
must have been the case most of the time, they received their education at
such places.
The most important educational centers in medieval Iceland remained at
or in strong relation to the two episcopal seats, Skálholt in Biskupstungur and
Hólar in Hjaltadalur. Thus, Ari Þorgilsson tells in his Book of Icelanders that
after his return from his studies in Saxony, people sent their sons to Bishop
Ísleifr in Skálholt because of his excellent learning.95 These educational efforts
of Ísleifr’s and later his son and successor Gizurr’s in the second half of the
11th century might have amounted to a cathedral school, but the information
available is admittedly very limited.96 It is also well possible that the descrip-
tions of the earliest educational activity rather reflect the cultural situation
when texts such as the Book of Icelanders and the Bishops’ sagas were com-
posed at least several decades later.97 Not very far from Skálholt episcopal see
at Haukadalur in Biskupstungur, and a little bit further to the south at Oddi in
Rangárvellir, promising candidates for the clergy were housed and tutored by
individuals renowned for their learning. Some scholars have speculated that
Teitr Ísleifsson in Haukadalur, Ari’s mentor and Bishop Gizurr’s brother, might
have overseen clerical education for his brother as Skálholt cathedral’s scholas-
ticus.98 In Oddi, on the side to his scholarly endeavors, the famous Sæmundr
Sigfússon received students and apparently was succeeded by his son Eyjólfr
who taught Bishop Þorlákr before he left Iceland for studying in Paris and
Lincoln.99 These may not have been schools in any formal sense but since an
educational process operating on the base of private mentoring amounted to

94 Well known examples include the following: According to Hungrvaka, Ísleifr Gizurarson,
the first Icelander ordained as bishop, studied at the nunnery of Herford in Saxony. íf
xvi, p. 6. Ísleifr’s son, Gizurr, also studied in Saxony, in Herford as his father if Jóns saga
Helga is to be believed, íf xv2, p. 182. In his Book of Icelanders, Ari claims that Sæmundr
the Wise studied in France [Frakkland] but where exactly remains an open question, íf
i, pp. 20–​21. See discussion in kí i, p. 229. Bishop Þorlákr studied in Paris and Lincoln,
íf xvi, pp. 52 and 147. See discussion in Sverrir Tómasson, Formálar íslenskra sagnar-
itara á miðöldum: Rannsókn bókmenntahefðar, Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, Rit 33
(Reykjavík, 1988), p. 23. Þorlákr’s successor, bishop Páll Jónsson studied in England, íf
xvi, pp. 297–​298.
95 Ari claims that two of his students became bishops, the first bishop in the North, Jón and
Kolr who became bishop in Norway (Viken). íf i, p. 20.
96 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 5.
97 kí i, p. 226.
98 íf i, 4. See e.g. Gunnar Ágúst Harðarson, “Inngangur,” in Þrjár þýðingar lærðar frá
miðöldum (Reykjavík: Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag, 1989), p. 11.
99 íf xvi, p. 49.
64 Chapter 2

a school in the Middle Ages, in that sense it can be said that there were sev-
eral ‘schools’ active in Iceland since very early on.100 The first institution men-
tioned in the sources that might have resembled a school in the more formal
sense is that of Hólar episcopal seat, that is to say a cathedral school founded
by the first bishop of Northern Iceland, Jón Ögmundarson, shortly after his
ascension to the episcopal throne in 1106. For the activities he hired learned
teachers and even talented musicians from abroad.101
Monasteries became centers for book production and in that regard gath-
ered funds by providing service for other ecclesiastical institutions, individuals
and even for export (see Figure 1).102 Well-​known is the literary activity of the
monks of Þingeyrar-monastery around 1200 which would have needed a siz-
able library.103 Although the evidence for the cultural and educational role of
monasteries is scarce and circumstantial, most scholars seem to find it more
likely than not that they had a role to play in the education of clerical candi-
dates.104 Scholars have suggested that such a role was particularly prominent
in the operation of the Augustinian monasteries which had scholarly activiti-
ties and the education of clerics as a main objective. It has been pointed out
that after the founding of the monastery of Þykkvibær in Álftaver in 1168, the
largest share of the most influential churchmen in the ensuing centuries seem
to have received their education there.105 It has furthermore been suggested
that the monastery of Helgafell, founded in 1184, a daughter house of St. Victor
monastery, served as an educational center for Skálholt diocese.106 The mon-
asteries founded in the course of the 12th century and later were located close

100 kí ii, pp. 171–​172.

101 íf xv2, pp. 204–​205, 217, and 231–​232.
102 For a thorough discussion of the book production taking place in Icelandic monasteries,
see Guðvarður Már Gunnlaugsson, “Voru scriptoria í íslenskum klaustrum?” in Íslensk
klausturmenning á miðöldum, ed. Haraldur Bernharðsson (Reykjavík, 2016), pp. 173–​
199. See also Ásdís Egilsdóttir, “Að kunna vort mál að ráða,” in Fræðinæmi: Greinar gef-
nar út í tilefni 70 ára afmælis Ásdísar Egilsdóttur (Reykjavík, 2016), p. 251 and Steinunn
Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin að klaustrunum, p. 128. On the export of Icelandic manuscripts, see
Stefán Karlsson, “Islandsk bogeksport til Norge i middelalderen,” in Stafkrókar: Ritgerðir
eftir Stefán Karlsson gefnar út í tilefni sjötugsafmælis hans 2. desember 1998, ed. Guðvarður
Már Gunnlaugsson (Reykjavík, 2000), pp. 188–​205.
103 Ásdís Egilsdóttir, “Klausturreglur og bókmenntir,” in kí ii, p. 241.
104 Sverrir Tómasson, Formálar íslenskra sagnaritara, p. 28. Gunnar Ágúst Harðarson states
that schooling was mostly restricted to monasteries and cathedrals, “Inngangur,” p. 11. Cf.
kí i, p. 231, emphasising the role of home schooling of clerical candidates up until the 19th
century.
105 Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin að klaustrunum, pp. 196–​197.
106 Ibid., p. 233.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 65

to the most important travel routes around the country.107 Thus, they were
not isolated from the rest of society. In fact, monasteries did not only serve
exclusively as residences for monks and nuns but also poor people as well as
laypeople who had donated their earthly possessions to the monastery and
were allowed to reside at the monastery instead. The number of people resid-
ing at monasteries could therefore have amounted to several dozens, although
the number of the actual monastic people was not necessarily very high, only
around 12 on average.108
Such an account of how the Church came into the position of a hege-
monic cultural force is widely accepted among scholars of medieval Iceland
although it is usually not framed in such critical terms. The concept of hege-
mony is widely used in order to describe forms of domination more subtle
than the use of brute force, for example through the production of dom-
inating discourses (constitutive of myths or ideologies) or through control
of cultural institutions for example those in charge of education.109 From
such a standpoint, hegemony is a prerequisite for a a successful consolida-
tion of a foreign power and, ultimately, the formation of a subject assent-
ing to the hegemonic representation of reality. Whether applied to imperial
expansion and colonization –​as it is most frequently employed –​or the pro-
cess of religious conversion, the concept seems equally fitting. The cultural
and literary activity taking place at episcopal seats and monasteries and the
ways in which it was mediated around the country by the clergy provides an
interesting example of the relationship between the production of knowl-
edge –​in this case religious knowledge –​and sociopolitical power, and how
that shaped medieval Icelandic society. The Church was in control of both

107 Ibid., p. 59. For a thorough discussion of the most frequented travel routes at the time,
see Helgi Þorláksson, Gamlar götur og goðavald: Um fornar leiðir og völd Oddaverja í
Rangárþingi, Ritsafn Sagnfræðistofnunar 25 (Reykjavík, 1989). See also Helgi Þorláksson’s
“Sauðafell: Um leiðir og völd í Dölum við lok þjóðveldis,” in Yfir Íslandsála: Afmælisrit
til heiðurs Magnúsi Stefánssyni sextugum 25. Desember 1991, ed. Gunnar Karlsson and
Helgi Þorláksson (Reykjavík: Sögufræðslusjóður, 1992), pp. 95–​109 and Orri Vésteinsson,
Christianization of Iceland, pp. 243–​245. The significance of the major travel routes for
the monasteries was the topic of Guðrún Helga Jónsdóttir’s master thesis: “Þjóðleiðir
viðklaustrin á kaþólskum tíma: Hvað geta leiðir sagt um stöðu miðaldaklaustranna í sam-
félaginu?” (Master’s Thesis, University of Iceland, 2016).
108 Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin að klaustrunum, pp. 120–​121, 206–​207, and 256–​257.
109 The concept of hegemony was originally coined by Antonio Gramsci who famously
defined it as “the ‘spontaneous’ consent given by the great masses of the population to the
general direction imposed on social life by the dominant fundamental group.” Antonio
Gramsci, Selection from the Prison Notebooks, eds. and trans. Quentin Hoare and Geoffrey
Nowell Smith (New York, 1971), p. 2.
66 Chapter 2

the resources and technology through which it managed to become a leading

actor in medieval Icelandic culture. From such a point of view, all religious
products produced by ecclesiastics at this time can be seen as contributing
to the cultural and religious hegemony of the Church, including the source
material under inspection.

2.2.2 Iceland’s Earliest Religious Manuscripts

Of the 69 manuscripts which have been dated to the earliest period of man-
uscript production in Iceland, that is before 1300, the great majority is of reli-
gious or ecclesiastical nature.110 As noted, manuscripts containing religious
material intended for wider dispersion among both ordained and laypeople,
that is sermons and hagiographical texts, constitute the most important part
of the corpus under analysis.111 Manuscripts more likely to have been used
exclusively for private study or meditation of ecclesiastics –​for example those
containing theological, liturgical or computistical material –​will keep a sup-
plementary status and only included in the analysis when able to clarify or
contextualize the analysis of the hagioraphic and sermonic texts. Apart from
the manuscripts’ content, important features which they have in common are
their provenance, time of production and their outward appearance. All of the
manuscripts were made and presumably used in Iceland before the end of the
thirteenth century and most of them are in quarto format without major orna-
mentation. Still another common aspect is the fact that all of the manuscripts
contain text which has been copied at least once from an original. In terms of
the manuscripts’ state of preservation, the corpus is characterized by a consid-
erable degree of diversity in size and preservation, ranging from single leafs to
relatively unimpaired codices.
On grounds of the manuscripts’ content, they can be divided into three
groups: First, there are manuscripts containing only hagiographic narratives,
that is, narrative accounts revolving around the lives, deaths, and miracles of
the saints. Second, there is a small group of manuscript fragments containing
only sermons and homilies, and third, there is a group of miscellaneous manu-
scripts containing mixed material, that is both hagiographic, sermonic/​homi-
letic, and sometimes also theological and liturgical material as well.

110 Hreinn Benediktsson, Early Icelandic Script As Illustrated in Vernacular Texts from the
Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, Icelandic manuscripts (series in folio) 2 (Reykjavík,
1965), pp. 13–​18; Stefán Karlsson, “Íslensk bókagerð á miðöldum,” in Stafkrókar: Ritgerðir
eftir Stefán Karlsson gefnar út í tilefni sjötugsafmælis hans 2. desember 1998, ed. Guðvarður
Már Gunnlaugsson (Reykjavík, 2000), p. 225.
111 For an exhaustive list of the manuscripts belonging to the corpus, see the Appendix.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 67

It should be noted that the manuscripts’ state of preservation poses prob-

lems for such a grouping. Most of the manuscripts consist only of few sheets
making it difficult to say anything with certainty about what sort of book it
originally belonged to.112 In some cases, codicological and palaeographic infor-
mation have been used to speculate on the original context of manuscripts
preserved only fragmentarily, sometimes only single leaves. In many cases, as
pointed out by the philologian Hreinn Benediktsson, “the original manuscripts
may have been anything from a booklet of a few leaves to a codex containing
even some dozens of leaves.”113 This situation will inevitably lead to the most
intact manuscripts receiving the most attention in the following discussion.
Such attention is also warranted by the significance of these manuscripts for
this study, seeing that these are the manuscripts by far the most cited in the
upcoming analysis of the manuscripts’ content.114 In other instances it will be
necessary to hypothesize on less concrete grounds, often with recourse to what
is known about practices elsewhere in Medieval North Western Europe.

2.2.2.1 Collections of Hagiographic Material

The most important manuscripts in this group are large collections of hagiog-
raphic lives like those found in am 645 4to and am 652/​630 4to. As for such
sizeable hagiographic compendia, it is more likely that they belonged to the
libraries of episcopal seats or monasteries than individual churches which
would not have needed other texts than the lives of their patron saints and not
entire collections. It has been argued that am 645 4to was composed at Skálholt
episcopal seat while less can been established about the provenance of am
652 4to. It is, nonetheless, generally assumed that it was based on the same
12th century original as am 645 4to.115 Assuming that the codices belonged to
a library of an episcopal seat or a monastery, they would have been accessible
there for private study, communal reading or preparation for the celebration of
the feast day of the saints in the book. If they belonged to a church, they would
have been available for the priest there and possibly other literate people living
at the farmstead, perhaps for private devotion or communal reading.
This group also contains the biggest number of manuscript fragments,
containing parts of saints’ lives which in many cases survive in younger
versions.116 That does not mean, of course, that all of these fragments were

112 Hreinn Benediktsson, Early Icelandic Script, p. 15.

113 Ibid., p. 15.
114 See Part 3 below.
115 íb i, pp. 424–​425; Roughton i, p. 2.
116 Most of these belong to the manuscript compound am 655 4to.
68 Chapter 2

originally parts of collections exclusively containing hagiographic material

since they could also have been part of mixed manuscripts like those belong-
ing to the third category discussed below.
The little information available about the book supplies of churches indi-
cates that churches do not seem to have been in possession of a large number
of books and, if so, they were usually of direct practical use for the celebra-
tion of the mass.117 According to medieval church charters, two churches are
recorded to have been in the possession of collections of hagiographic vitae.
According to a charter from the church at Húsafell in Hvítársíða, the oldest
part of which dates to 1170, there was a book containing eight sagas of holy
men (“bok er ȁ eru viij heilagra manna sogur”).118 When exactly the church
came into the possession of this book is difficult to say since this particular
clause is most likely a later addition to the charter. Another charter, made in
the summer of 1170 mentions a “passionalem Apostolorum” belonging to the
church at Vallanes in Vellir.119
It is not entirely clear for which purposes text collections like those found
in am 645 4to and am 652/​630 4to were made. An important starting point
for establishing that is to ask how comparable text collections, containing the
same or similar texts, were used elsewhere in Europe. As previous scholar-
ship on the topic frequently mentions –​Carl Richard Unger already does so
in his foreword to the first (and to this day the only comprehensive) edition
of the old Icelandic accounts of the apostles –​there can be no doubt that the
texts found in am 652/​630 4to and am 645 4to rely to a significant degree on
texts known since the early modern period under the heading ‘Collection of
Pseudo-​Abdias.’120 According to Christian hagiographic tradition, Abdias was a
follower of Simon and Jude whom the two apostles ordained as the first bishop
of Babylon and the purported author of a group of vitae of the apostles, as will
be addressed shortly.
To this day, the most important source critical study of the Icelandic manu-
scripts is Philip Roughton’s doctoral dissertation in which he states that “[t]‌he
majority of the texts in am 645 4to and am 652/​630 4to are translations of apos-
tles’ lives as found in the Apostolic History of Pseudo-​Abdias, a sixth-​century

117 Orri Vésteinsson, “Bókaeign íslenskra kirkna á miðöldum” (ba thesis, University of
Iceland, 1990), 212–​225.
118 di vii, p. 2.
119 di ii, p. 84.
120 Unger, “Forord,” in Post, p. i. See also Collings, “Codex Scardensis,” pp. 7–​8; Ólafur
Halldórsson, “Inngangur,” in Mattheus saga postula, ed. Ólafur Halldórsson, Rit 41
(Reykjavík, 1994) p. v; Roughton i, p. 4.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 69

work.”121 From this vantage point, Roughton divides the texts of the two manu-
scripts into three categories, depending on the degree in which they make use
of what he calls Pseudo-​Abdian texts.122 The first group (A) contains accounts
which are “strictly translations of Pseudo-​Abdian texts.”123 The narratives of
the second group (B) are “based primarily on the Pseudo-​Abdian accounts”
but with additions from other works or original prologues or epilogues.124
The third and last group (C) contains only material “from sources other than
Pseudo-​Abdias.”125 For deciding whether or not texts should be considered
Pseudo-​Abdian or not, Roughton relies on previous scholarly work on the
topic, most notably that of the German theologian Richard Adalbert Lipsius
(1830–​1892) who in his major work Die Apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und
Apostellegenden catalogues manuscripts containing narratives on the apostles,
distinguishing between “Abdias-​texte” and other texts.126 This approach is in
line with a comparable source critical project on the fourteenth century com-
pilation of accounts on the apostles found in the Codex Scardensis (sám 1),
undertaken by Lucy Grace Collings in her 1969 doctoral dissertation.127
Recent research of the transmission of the vitae, passiones, and miracula
previously termed Pseudo-​Abdian has shown the premises for previous source-​
critical work to be problematic. This is of course not to say that the studies of
Collings and Roughton have been rendered faulty. Working according to the
Stand der Forschung at the time, they managed to identify the existing sources
behind the Icelandic versions and remain as such invaluable for the research
of Icelandic hagiography. Their studies are nonetheless in need of important

121 Roughton i, p. 4.
122 Ibid., p. 7.
123 These include the accounts of Andrew, Bartholomew and James the Greater in am 645
4to, the accounts of Matthew as found in am 645 4to and am 652 4to, and the accounts of
Thomas and that of Simon and Jude which are only found in am 652 4to. Roughton i, p. 7.
124 These include the accounts of Andrew, Bartholomew, James the Greater, John, Philip and
James the Less as they are found in am 652/​630 4to. Roughton i, p. 11.
125 This includes the accounts of Clement, Martin, Paul as found in am 652/​630 4to, the
accounts of Peter as it is found in am 645 4to and am 652/​630 4to. In this category fall also
Niðrstigningar saga and Þorlákr’s miracle book in am 645 4to. Roughton i, p. 13.
126 Richard Adalbert Lipsius, Die Apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und Apostellegenden: Ein
Beitrag zur Altchristlichen Literaturgeschichte i (Braunschweig, 1893), pp. 124–​149.
127 Even though Collings describes the Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina (bhl) as the “point
of departure” for what she describes as her “source hunting,” the significance of Lipsiusʼ
Apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und Apostellegenden is evident as it is the first work cited
in the majority of the chapters in the source critical part of her dissertation. Lucy Grace
Collings, “The Codex Scardensis: Studies in Icelandic Hagiography,” (Doctoral thesis,
Cornell University 1969), pp. 6–​7.
70 Chapter 2

qualifications in view of recent findings. First, the nomenclature ‘the Pseudo-​

Abdian Collection’ and other derived titles should be abandoned altogether
since it appears to be an early modern construction. The ‘Pseudo-​Abdian col-
lection’ has for long been taken to be, as described by Lipsius, “eine Sammlung
apokrypher Apostelgeschichten” which in its early modern printed versions
received the title “historia certaminis apostolici” or in short “historia apostol-
ica.” This title is, however, not found in any of the medieval manuscripts and
appears first in one of the earliest and most consequential printed editions of
this collection, Wolfgang Lazius’ 1552 edition.128 Lazius (1514–​1565) composed a
praefatio to the entire collection according to his interpretation of certain pas-
sages found in the texts themselves on their authorship, attributing the entire
series to Abdias, the first bishop of Babylon. Apart from the liberty Lazius took
in constructing such a prologue, the attribution itself remains highly prob-
lematic and is universally rejected by scholars in the field. In fact, the core of
the prologue to his entire edition comes from an epilogue which some manu-
scripts add to the account of Simon and Jude and did never apply to the entire
collection but only to the section on Simon and Jude.129 Already by the end
of the nineteenth century, Lipsius called it “ein einfaches Misverständnis” but
was still comfortable with assuming that there was a fixed collection of texts
circulating in the Middle Ages falsely attributed to Abdias. Recent research,
pioneered by the Dutch medievalist Els Rose, has borne a more skeptical
attitude towards the existence of such a collection and Rose herself goes as
far as stating that by constructing the prologue, Lazius “actually created ‘the
Collection of Pseudo-​Abdias.’ ”130
In the broader historical context, the simple issue of nomenclature might
come across as somewhat insignificant but it links into another necessary
point of qualification. The attribution of a ‘collection’ to a certain individual,
‘Pseudo-​Abdias’ conveys the notion of a literary construct characterized by a
significant degree of consistency which, however, is not backed up by the man-
uscript evidence.131 Certainly, there were collections of narratives about the

128 Lipsius, Die Apokryphen apostelgeschichten und apostellegenden i, pp. 124 and 130.
129 According to that same epilogue, the work was translated into Greek by a disciple of
Abdias, Eutropus, and later into ten books in Latin by the historian Julius Africanus.
Lipsius, Die Apokryphen apostelgeschichten und apostellegenden i, pp. 120–​121.
130 Lipsius, Die Apokryphen apostelgeschichten und apostellegenden i, p. 120; Els Rose
“Abdias Scriptor Vitarum Sanctorum Apostolorum? The “Collection of Pseudo-​Abdias”
Reconsidered,” Revue d’histoire des textes viii (2013), 241.
131 As noted by Els Rose, the term collection has to be qualified in so far that it indicates
more consistency and stability than the manuscript evidence allows granted how much
diversity there is between manuscripts, geographical regions, and the order in which the
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 71

apostles circulating since the eighth century and accounts of separate apostles
since much earlier. The reasons for why some manuscripts should be termed
Pseudo-​Abdian and others not have become increasingly vague as it has been
shown how the criteria for establishing which manuscripts contained Pseudo-​
Abdian texts are also not always clear and different between scholars, leading
to a relatively high level of confusion in the scholarly discussion on the topic.132
Instead of thinking of what previously was called “the Pseudo-​Abdian collec-
tion,” as a fixed collection circulating in the Middle Ages, it has led many schol-
ars to abandon the term, replacing it with the title Virtutes Apostolorum which
refers to a transmission of a series of narratives on the apostles, characterized
by, in the words of the Old Norse philologist Matthew James Driscoll, “textual
instability (variance, mouvance, unfixedness).”133 According to a definition
of the phenomenon formulated by Els Rose, the Virtutes apostolorum consist
of a “more or less coherent series” of separate Latin narratives on individual
apostles, containing partly rewritten apocryphal accounts from antiquity, and
partly original compositions. The series should be uninterrupted by other
accounts in between narratives on apostles, and should contain an account of
every one of the twelve apostles. Geographically, Rose also restricts her defini-
tion to the transalpine regions of Bavaria and Francia, excluding thereby col-
lections of accounts of apostles which circulated in Rome and Italy quite inde-
pendently from the tradition of the Virtutes Apostolorum north of the Alps.134
Chronologically, the transmission is restricted to the earliest appearance of a
manuscript in the late eighth century until the late thirteenth century when
large hagiographic compilations like the Legenda aurea start to emerge.135 In

apostles are presented. Moreover, the word collection might also suggest that it was col-
lected by a certain individual, which was not the case even though they were for long
attributed to the legendary bishop of Babylon, Abdias. Els Rose, “The Apocryphal Acts
of the Apostles in the Latin Middle Ages: Contexts of Transmission and Use,” in The
Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles in Latin Christianity, Proceedings of the International
Summer School on Christian Apocryphal Literature (iscal), Strasbourg, 24–​27 June 2012,
ed. Els Rose (Turnhout, 2014 [E-​book Only]), p. 36.
132 Rose points out inconsistencies in selection criteria in major works on the topic such as
Lipsius’ Die apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und Apostellegenden and Junod and Kaestli’s
edition of the Acta Iohannis, see Rose, “Abdias Scriptor Vitarum Sanctorum Apostolorum?”
pp. 233 and 235.
133 Matthew Driscoll, “The Words on the Page: Thoughts on Philology Old and New,” in
Creating the Medieval Saga: Versions, Variability, and Editorial Interpretations of Old Norse
Saga Literature, eds. Judy Quinn and Emily Lethbridge, The Viking Collection 18 (Odense,
2010), p. 90.
134 Els Rose, “Abdias Scriptor Vitarum Sanctorum Apostolorum?” p. 229.
135 Els Rose, “Virtutes apostolorum: Editorial Problems and Principles,” Apocrypha 23 (2012),
15–​18. In the poem De virginitate by Venantius Fortunatus (530–​609), a poet from
72 Chapter 2

order to respond to the high degree of variance, scholars have, instead of cate-
gorizing particular versions as belonging to a Pseudo-​Abdian collection or not,
resorted to distinguishing between different traditions of transmission of the
Virtutes Apostolorum.136
The question as for how manuscripts containing Virtutes Apostolorum were
put into practical use has been addressed in recent years. For answering such
questions, scholars have looked to three factors: place of origin, manuscript
context, and scribal additions and corrections.137 On the basis of her survey
of manuscripts containing such collections from Francia and Bavaria, rang-
ing in time from the late eighth century to the thirteenth century, Els Rose
has shown that most of the manuscripts have a monastic background and are
primarily found in hagiographic compilations called legendaries or passion-
aries. This has lead Rose to describe the most likely context in which these
texts were transmitted to have been a “hagiographic context presumably with
a practice of reading in mind.”138 Elsewhere she has described it as a “perfor-
mative context of reading out loud in a communal setting.”139 Additions of
corrections and glosses, both in Latin and the vernacular, suggest that these
codices were in regular use and that their users read them actively.140 Many of
them also contain stress accents, roman numerals and reading divisions which

Merovingian Gaul, one encounters a list of the twelve apostles also containing their mis-
sionary regions and places of martyrdom, closely corresponding to the narrative versions
of the Virtutes Apostolorum. Another indicator to an origin in sixth century Gaul is the
alleged authorship of bishop Gregory of Tours of the text Liber de miraculis beati Andreae
which constitutes parts of the section of Andrew of the Virtutes Apostolorum. Neither of
these points suffices as a proof for the existence of a comprehensive and consistent series
of narratives on the apostles circulating in Gaul at the time. It is more likely that such a
series might have been known in the Anglo-​Saxon world. Aldhelm, abbot of Melmesbury
and bishop of Sherborne (639–​709), wrote poems which reflect influence from narratives
about the apostles, although they depart in some aspects –​for example in treating Simon
and Jude in separate accounts –​from the Virtutes apostolorum. Although Aldhelm’s
poems do not provide strong grounds for the existence of a series of apostolic Virtutes,
it seems clear that Bede the Venerable made use of such collection for his composition
of Retractatio in Actus apostolorum around 730. Nonetheless, one should not hasten to
conclusions in view of these facts, since, in the words of Els Rose “the series that Aldhelm
and Bede knew is not perforce equal to the continental transmission –​which in itself is
characterized by variety.” Rose, “Virtutes Apostolorum: Origin, Aim, and Use,” Traditio 68
(2013), 71.
136 See detailed discussion in Rose, “Editorial Problems and Principles.”
137 Rose, “Virtutes Apostolorum: Origin, Aim, and Use,” 81.
138 Ibid., 83.
139 Rose, “Contexts of Transmission and Use,” 41.
140 Rose, “Virtutes Apostolorum: Origin, Aim, and Use,” 85.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 73

indicate a reading in a performative context.141 In view of such information,

several contexts of use offer themselves as more likely than others, one of the
most likely being the liturgical practice of the monastic or cathedral office.
The commemoration of the saints was notable in the office but particularly in
the night office (Matins) during which readings from hagiographic narratives
played a large role. Usually, the readings of the hours were taken from the Bible
or patristic writings of religious instruction, but during the night office, a large
part and sometimes the majority of readings could consist of hagiographic
material.142 In this regard, one should also assume for a considerable amount
of variation between monastic houses.
In addition to the liturgical context of the office, other locations in which
these manuscripts were brought into use were the refectories of the mon-
asteries during mealtime according to prescriptions of monastic rules, the
best-​known being the one found in ­chapter 38 of Regula Benedicti: “Reading
will always accompany the meals of the brothers. … Let there be complete
silence. No whispering, no speaking –​only the reader’s voice should be heard
there.”143 A Liber ordinis of the Augustinians of St. Victor in Paris, dating to
the mid-​twelfth century which is around the time Þorlákr Þórhallsson, later
prior of the first Augustinian monastery in Iceland (Þykkvibær) and bishop of
Skálholt, who probably resided in Paris, contains the chapter De lectione men-
sae (no. 48). The chapter contains an entire annual cycle of readings for the
refectory consisting of readings from the Bible accompanied by commentar-
ies and gospel homilies. As for hagiographical readings it only contains the
general statement that on saint’s days the lives and passions of the saint in
question may be read.144 Although reading during meal times was a standard

141 Ibid., 85–​86.

142 The composition of the night office, Matins (Matutinum or Matutinae), also called Vigils
(Vigiliae), could vary according to whether it was carried out in a monastery or a secular
context (most often in a cathedral). One should also assume for considerable variation
between monastic houses. In both monastic and secular contexts, Matins is divided into
three parts, so-​called nocturns, consisting of the reciting of psalms and lessons and a
varying number of chants, i.e. antiphones and responsories. The number of lessons var-
ied according to feast days and seasons (they were fewer in summer). In a monastic set-
ting, the lessons were twelve and in a secular setting they were at least three and at most
nine. See Eric Palazzo, A History of Liturgical Books from the Beginning to the Thirteenth
Century, trans. Madeleine Beaumont (Collegeville, 1998), p. 87; see also Els Rose, “Virtutes
Apostolorum: Origin, Aim, and Use,” 87.
143 rb 1980: The Rule of St Benedict in Latin and English with Notes, ed. Timothy Fry
(Collegeville, 1981), pp. 236–​7.
144 Liber ordinis Sancti Victoris Parisiensis, eds. Ludovicus Milis and Lucas Jocqué, cccm 61
(Turnhout, 1984), pp. 211–​215.
74 Chapter 2

practice in monasteries since the early Middle Ages, it was not until the twelfth
century that it had developed into a cycle of readings corresponding to the
liturgical calendar and readings of the office.145 These readings could be used
to either finish a lesson that was not concluded during Matins, further elabo-
rate on the lessons of Mass or Office through patristic or sermonic writings,
or, importantly for the present discussion, to supplement the celebration of a
saint’s feast with readings from hagiographic material. This would also include
the commemoration of a saint at mealtime even though that particular saint
was not formally celebrated in the liturgy of the community in question.146
A third context in which such texts might have been used was in private
devotion. Certainly, Icelandic ecclesiastics, especially monastic people, read
books on their own for devotional and scholarly purposes. However, it is the
practical use of books in a social situation, when a group of people had gath-
ered for participating in a ceremony, which should be taken as characteris-
tic for the use of the source literature of this study.147 It is important to keep
in mind that even though the modern reader’s access to the medieval text is
most often bound to the private reading of manuscripts or published editions,
the mediation of text was by no means restricted to such practices during the
Middle Ages. On the contrary, as Dennis Howard Green has shown in his study
of the reception and mediation of German literature between 800 and 1300, an
exclusive reading of texts in silence was rare and primarily restricted to specific
literary genres, such as medical texts. The majority of the literature he surveys,
ranging from legal material to lyric poetry, was in all likelihood going to be
either listened to or both heard and read.148

2.2.2.2 Collections of Sermonic Material

The smallest group of manuscripts consists of manuscript fragments con-
taining only sermons.149 This group includes for example one of the earliest

145 Teresa Webber, “Reading in the Refectory: Monastic Practice in England,” London
University Annual John Coffin Memorial Palaeography Lecture, revised text 2013, p. 18.
146 Webber, “Reading in the Refectory,” p. 18.
147 An exhortation to reading, presumably in private in a monastic setting, can be seen in
the Icelandic Homily Book, in a section called “In Capite Jejunii,” where the audience or
readership of the homily is encouraged to frequently read books (oft á bækur sjá) in order
to enjoy fellowship with God. íh, p. 91.
148 Dennis Howard Green, Medieval Listening and Reading: The Primary Reception of German
Literature 800–​1300 (Cambridge, Eng., 1994), p. 232.
149 This study will refer to all preaching material as sermons. The modern distinction between
sermon as “a catechetical or admonitory discourse built upon a theme or topic not neces-
sarily grounded in Scripture” and homily as “a systematic exposition of a pericope (a litur-
gically designated passage of Scripture, usually from a Gospel or Epistle) that proceeds
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 75

Icelandic manuscripts, am 237 fol., which, however, contains only two folios
but it has been suggested, on account of its folio format and division of
the text into two columns, that it belonged to a considerably large collec-
tion of sermons.150 Unfortunately, none of these fragments are preserved
intact –​larger manuscripts like the Icelandic Homily Book contain other
material than the sermonic as well and fall into the category of mixed man-
uscripts –​making it problematic to state anything with certainty about the
original manuscript context. There is, however, no reason to assume that
sermons were grouped together much differently than elsewhere in North
Western Europe, that is to say, arranged into a particular order depending
on the primary use they were intended for, most frequently according to the
liturgical year. Thus, there was a distinction made between sermones de tem-
pore, a series of sermons for Sundays and feasts of the Lord, and sermones
de sanctis, intended for saints’ feasts and arranged accordingly. Another
way of organizing sermonic material was by distinguishing between Sunday
sermons (dominicales), feast days (festiui), sometimes with the category of
Lent weekdays (sermones quadragesimales) and even that of sermones de
communi sanctorum.151 In addition to collections arranged according to the

according to a pattern of lectio continua, commenting on a given passage verse by verse

or phrase by phrase” does not conform well to the Icelandic preaching material preserved
from the Free State era (definition according to Thomas N. Hall, “The Early Medieval
Sermon,” in The Sermon, ed. Beverly Mayne Kienzle, Typologie des Sources du Moyen Âge
Occidental (Turnhout, 2000), p. 205). Such a distinction was also not clear among medie-
val authors who often equated sermo, tractatus, and homilia. Aidan Conti points out that
it is a frequent practice among English speaking scholars to refer to both homilies and ser-
mons as homilies. Aidan Conti, “Gammelt og nytt i Homiliebokens Prekenunivers,” in Vår
eldste bok: Skrift, miljø og biletbruk i den norske homilieboka, Bibliotheca Nordica 3, eds.
Odd Einar Haugen and Åslaug Ommundsen (Oslo, 2010), p. 167. Much of recent scholarly
literature on medieval preaching, however, including major works like Beverly Kienzle’s
edited volume, The Sermon, tends to use the word sermon as a general term connoting
both sermons and homilies, as previously defined. The word used most often in the
Icelandic manuscripts themselves designating the preaching material is “mál” which in
such contexts refers an oral expression on a particular subject matter (In Norwegian: “Ord
hvori man udtaler sig i eller om en Sag”) or a speech (In Norwegian: ”tale, hvad siges”).
Fritzner, s.v. “mál.”. In the Icelandic Homily Book, whose title is not found in the manu-
script itself, the word homilia never occurs but the word sermon twice, in both instances
in sermon headings. íh, pp. 71 and 217.
150 Hreinn Benediktsson, Early Icelandic Script, p. 15; David McDougall, “Homilies (West
Norse)” in Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia, ed. Phillip Pulsiano (New York, 1993),
p. 290.
151 Louis J. Bataillon, “Approaches to the Study of Medieval Sermons,” Leeds Studies in English
11 (1980), p. 20.
76 Chapter 2

liturgical year, a few collections exist which are aimed at specific audiences
or occasions, sermones ad status.152
The above categories are particularly applicable for sermons in Latin but
there is nothing excluding the possibility that vernacular sermons as the ones
represented by the Icelandic fragments might have been grouped together
in such collections. Nonetheless, in order to find out how the Icelandic ser-
mon manuscripts were being used, it should be addressed how collections of
vernacular sermons from the regions of North Western Europe most influen-
tial for the shaping of Christianity in Iceland during its early stages, that is
Germany, England, and Norway, were being collected into manuscript form.
Manuscripts containing sermonic material surviving from these regions are of
various sorts. In her introduction to a comprehensive handbook on German
sermons dating to the 12th and early 13th centuries, Regina D. Schiewer divides
manuscripts containing early German preaching in the vernacular (G. frühe
deutsche Predigten) into two groups. The first contains collections which do
not portray any consistency as regards the nature and the order of the sermons
they contain while the second group contains collections in which a unifying
principle or structure can be discerned. The majority of the German sermons
belong to the second group and show some unifying characteristics although
they can vary considerably.153 Most of the manuscripts belong to collections of
sermons which could be categorized as de tempore or de sanctorale, although
there are exceptions. The so-​called Mettener Collection i, containing two
hortatory texts and an explanation of the Lord’s Prayer, was not transmitted
in a collection of sermons but in a compilatory manuscript, containing both
German and Latin material, intended for preparation of preaching.154 On such
grounds, Schiewer argues that most of the sermon manuscripts were intended
for pastoral use, which she further supports with codicological information.
The manuscript material is of rather low quality, often with holes and other
damages. The codices are usually in quarto or even octavo format without
grandiose ornamentation.155
On the basis of numerous textual examples from sermons, Schiewer asserts
that the main location for vernacular preaching was in a church during mass

152 See Carolyn Muessig, “Audience and Preacher: Ad status Sermons and Social Classification,”
in Preacher, Sermon and Audience in the Middle Ages, ed. Carolyn Muessig (Leiden, 2002),
pp. 255–​276. See also Bataillon, “Approaches to the Study of Medieval Sermons,” p. 20.
153 Regina D. Schiewer, Die Deutsche Predigt um 1200: Ein Handbuch (Berlin, 2008), p. 41.
154 Regina D. Schiewer, “Predigten und Predigtsammlungen,” in Die deutsche Literatur des
Mittelalters. Verfasserlexikon 11, 2nd and rev. edition, (Berlin, 2004) cols. 1264–​1265.
155 Schiewer, Deutsche Predigt um 1200, pp. 70–​71.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 77

on Sundays and other feast days, where the audience could have varied consid-
erably. When exactly the preaching took place during the mass is not as clear,
but many sermons make references to the scriptural texts read shortly before
the delivery of the sermon. Schiewer also mentions that several sermons, many
of which are located at the beginning of a sermon collection, include an exhor-
tation to the present congregation to begin what is termed ‘communal calling’
(gemeine Ruf), which could either refer to a hymn or a song in the vernacular
or a communal recitation of the credo. Other sermons end with an exhortation
to renounce the Devil (abrenuntiatio diaboli) which in all probability refers to
the beginning words of a confessional formula. On these grounds, Schiewer
maintains that the vernacular preaching took place at the end of the liturgy of
the word, before the recitation of the creed, which would lead into the liturgy
of the Eucharist.156
In her discussion of preaching in Anglo-​Saxon England, Mary Clayton
assumes for more variety when it comes to the use of sermonic material.
Emphasizing the public use of such texts, she states that sermons in the ver-
nacular offer “an unparalleled insight into how English people were instructed
from the pulpits in the tenth and later centuries,” providing their readers with
a “vivid sense of what the Anglo-​Saxon Church considered important for peo-
ple to hear and read.”157 The Old English homiliaries contain scriptural exe-
gesis, moral exhortations, Saint’s lives, accounts from the Old Testament and
non-​canonical apocrypha.158 Homiliaries in the vernacular could also contain
various other material written in Old English like prayers, material relating to
confessions and penance, poetry as well as computistical and astronomical
texts.159 Clayton assumes that as in Carolingian times, it is most likely that col-
lections of sermons were used in one of the following three ways: preaching to
the laity, in the liturgy of the night office, or in private devotional readings.160
Central to her discussion are collections of sermons like the Vercelli Book,
the Blickling Homilies, and abbot Ælfricʼs Catholic Homilies, which were com-
posed much earlier than the earliest sermons preserved from Iceland, that is in

156 Ibid., pp. 25–​26.

157 Mary Clayton, “Preaching and Teaching,” in The Cambridge Companion to Old English
Literature, eds. Malcolm Godden and Michael Lapidge (Cambridge, Eng., 2013), p. 159.
158 The apocryphal material includes apocryphal gospels like the Gospel of Pseudo-​Matthew
and the Gospel of Nicodemus, apocalypses like the Apocalypse of Paul and the Apocalypse
of Thomas, apocryphal acts like the Acts of Matthew and Andrew, epistles like Christ’s
Sunday letter, and transitus-​texts on the death and assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Clayton, “Preaching and Teaching,” pp. 165–​166.
159 Clayton, “Preaching and Teaching,” p. 166.
160 Ibid., pp. 162–​163.
78 Chapter 2

the second half of the tenth century, but were used well into the twelfth century.
The earliest collection of sermons in the vernacular is the Vercelli Book which
dates to around 975 which many think was intended for devotional reading in
private while others believe that it was used for public preaching, presumably
by a bishop. The sermons are, however, not written by a single author and dif-
ferent sermons could have been intended for use on different occasions. Some
sermons point to a mixed lay audience, including both males and females.161
The Blickling Homilies contain eighteen texts arranged, more or less, according
to the liturgical calendar, both de tempore and de sanctorale. The collection
was probably intended for a lay audience.162 While the Vercelli Book and the
Blickling Homilies are both anonymous, the so-​called Catholic Homilies were
composed by the Benedictine monk and abbot Ælfric of Eynsham (955–​1010),
which he wrote specifically for delivery at mass for a mixed congregation.
There are, however, indications that Ælfric’s homilies may have served several
purposes, as it was read privately, for example by non-​Latinate monastics or
pious laypeople like Ælfric’s patron, the ealdorman Æthelweard (d. c. 1000).

2.2.2.3 Manuscripts with Mixed Content

Compared to other regions in Europe, the preserved sermonic material from
Norway and Iceland in the Middle Ages is scarce, especially with regard to texts
written in Latin.163 As noted, there are many fragments of sermons about the
use of which nothing can be said with certainty because of their fragmentary
state.164 They could have belonged to a similar sort of collection already men-
tioned to have existed in the neighbouring regions of Germany and England.
For answering the question as to how the religious discourse, as it appears in
the sermonic sources, was mediated, the most important manuscripts contain-
ing sermonic material from Scandinavia are the Norwegian Homily Book (am
619 4to) and the Icelandic Homily Book (Stock. Perg. 15 4to) both of which will
receive special attention in this section.
As one of the best preserved manuscripts containing sermons and related
material from medieval Scandinavia, it is necessary to take the Norwegian
Homily Book into consideration for comparison and context although it does

161 Ibid., pp. 168–​169.

162 Ibid., p. 170.
163 As noted elsewhere in this book, the lack of sermons in Latin is explained primarily
because of the destruction of much material related to Roman Catholic Christianity after
the 16th century reformation.
164 For a comprehensive list of manuscripts containing sermonic material, see Thomas
N. Hall’s contribution to The Sermon, “Old Norse-​Icelandic Sermons,”pp. 661–​709.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 79

not feature in the analysis carried out later in this study. In view of the order of
the manuscript’s material and the content of its texts, the Norwegian Homily
Book has been compared to collections of sermons like St. Père de Chartres,
which is a collection of sermons in Latin composed around 820, and the
Blickling Homilies.165 Palaeographic analysis of the manuscript has revealed
strong English influence.166 It distinguishes itself, however, from these col-
lections in several respects. It has relatively few sermons for Lent and Easter,
which makes it impossible for the manuscript to have served as a liturgical
homiliary on its own. Thus, Kirsten Berg has suggested that it might have
served the purpose of storing sermons which were not accessible for the scribe
in other collections available to him. Possibly supporting such a theory is the
fact, which also separates the Norwegian Homily Book from the other two col-
lections, is the space it gives to non-​sermonic texts, most significantly Alcuin’s
De virtutibus et vitiis, the vita and miracula of King Ólafr Haraldsson, and a
Debate of the body and soul (with the false heading Visio sancti Pauli apostoli).
On such grounds, Berg proceeds to describe the manuscript first and foremost
as a handbook and not a collection of sermons specifically intended for use at
mass.167 Although the possibility cannot be excluded, she is hesitant to place it
in a context where the manuscript’s content was mediated orally. She comes to
the conclusion that the main role of the Norwegian Homily Book was for educa-
tion purposes and belonged to an institution where clerics were being trained
and suggests the John’s Priory in Bergen or the cathedral of Bergen as a likely
place of origin. The scribe might have been the school master of the cathedral
school or, because of the musical notation which the manuscript contains, the
cantor.168
The manuscript containing sermonic material by far the most important
for the present research is the so-​called Icelandic Homily Book.169 The Icelandic

165 Kirsten Berg, “Homilieboka –​for hvem og til hva?” in Vår eldste bok: Skrift, miljø og biletbruk
i den norske homilieboka, eds. Odd Einar Haugen and Åslaug Ommundsen, Bibliotheca
Nordica 3 (Oslo, 2010), p. 39.
166 Michael Gullick, “Skriveren og kunstneren bak homilieboken,” in Vår eldste bok: Skrift, miljø
og biletbruk i den norske homilieboka, eds. Odd Einar Haugen and Åslaug Ommundsen,
Bibliotheca Nordica 3 (Oslo, 2010), pp. 94–​97.
167 Berg, “Homilieboka –​for hvem og til hva?” p. 43.
168 Ibid., pp. 74–​76.
169 The Icelandic Homily Book has been edited several times both as a whole and in part since
its first edition in 1872, made by Theodor Wisén. In 1993, there appeared two editions of
the manuscript’s content: A facsimile edition with a diplomatic transcription by Andrea
de Leeuw van Weenen (ihb) and an edition for a broader audience edited by Gunnlaugur
Ingólfsson, Guðrún Kvaran and Sigurbjörn Einarsson (íh). In this study, citations refer to
80 Chapter 2

Homily Book was composed around 1200. Amounting to a total number of 102
sheets which contain 62 texts or fragments of texts, it remains by far the largest
manuscript containing religious material dating to the formative years of the
Church in Iceland. The largest part of the text it contains are homilies, hence
its traditional title, Icelandic Homily Book (in contrast to the Norwegian Homily
Book, composed around the same time). As the very first sentence of Andrea de
Leuuw van Weenen’s critical facsimile edition of the manuscript reflects, the
manuscript does not offer any specific information as for its provenance: “We
do not know where it was written, nor when, nor by whom, nor anything else
about its history for certain until 1682,” when the notorious manuscript collector
Jón Eggertsson (1643–​1689) bought it for the Swedish College of Antiquities.170
On philological grounds, some scholars have attempted to classify the hom-
ily book with texts that exhibit influence from the First Grammatical Treatise
and speculated for Skálholt episcopal seat as a possible place of composition.
The manuscript itself, however, contains no evidence pointing in that direc-
tion. On the basis of the fact that the manuscript contains a part of the Regula
Benedicti, others have argued for a Benedictine monastery as a place of ori-
gin. As de Leeuw van Weenen points out, this particular chapter of Benedict’s
Rule was a well known sermon in its own right and does not have to point to a
Benedictine provenience, even though she herself seems to lean towards the
Benedictine monastery of Þingeyrar as a likely place of composition.171
In addition to its sermons, the Icelandic Homily Book contains also other
types of material. The arrangement of the material does not exhibit any sys-
tematic order throughout the manuscript although it follows the liturgical cal-
endar in parts which are also interrupted with non-​sermonic material. This
has brought several scholars to describe the Icelandic Homily Book as a clerical
handbook or a handbook for preaching, without necessarily specifying what
that might have implied in praxis. Already in 1935, Fredrik Paasche described
the Icelandic books of sermons as having “served their readers as books of
devotion, and to many priests the written text probably also formed the basis
of their sermons in church.”172 In view of their compilatory nature, Régis
Boyer found the Icelandic Homily Book to bear the appearance of a manual
and Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir describes both of the anthologies mentioned, the

the latter edition but for the few texts not published in the latter edition, de Leeuw van
Weenen’s edition has been consulted.
170 “Part 1: Introduction,” in ihb, p. 3.
171 “Introduction,” in ihb, p. 4.
172 Fredrik Paasche, Homiliu-​bók (Icelandic Sermons). Perg. 4to No. 15 in the Royal Library
Stockholm, Corpus Codicum Islandicorum Medii Aevi 8 (Copenhagen, 1935), p. 21.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 81

Norwegian and the Icelandic one, as “handbooks in which priests could find
sermons upon which they might model their own preaching.”173 Along similar
lines, David McDougall is comfortable with categorizing the two manuscripts
as “homiletic handbooks rather than homiliaries in the strict sense.”174 In an
overview essay on Old Norse and Icelandic sermons, Thomas N. Hall expresses
the same opinion, describing the Icelandic Homily Book as a “debased form of
a liturgical homiliary” to which the term homiliary does actually not apply
because of the lack of systematic order.175 In view of the above, it seems pru-
dent to follow Kirsten Berg in viewing the Icelandic Homily Book as belong-
ing to the group of sermonic manuscripts which the French sermon scholar
Louis-​Jacques Bataillon compared to a ‘commonplace book’ or what in Italian
is called a zibaldone.176 The material in such manuscripts is not necessarily
arranged in any particular order and contains “together with sermons, other
texts not actually preached but useful as preaching material, such as exem-
pla, distinctiones, or short moral or liturgical opuscula.”177 Thus, originally, it is
likely that the Icelandic Homily Book was in the possession of an ecclesiastic –​
perhaps a monk of Þingeyrar-​monastery but could also be a Northern cleric –​
who used it to collect and store material which he came across and considered
of interest and potential use.178
Because of the fragmentary state of most other manuscripts belonging to
the corpus under inspection, it is difficult to establish anything with certainty
about their precise use. Hall has noted that a lack of order is somewhat of a
special trait of the medieval sermon manuscripts preserved from Norway
and Iceland.179 It is thus well imaginable that some of the manuscript frag-
ments containing mixed material originally belonged to anthologies simi-
lar to the Icelandic Homily Book. This might for example apply to am 673 a i
and ii 4to which contain a version of the Physiologus in the vernacular and
allegorical exampla on a ship and the rainbow. Another sizeable manuscript

173 Boyer, La vie religieuse en Islande, 273; Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, “Prose of Christian
Instruction,” in A Companion to Old Norse-​Icelandic Literature and Culture, ed. Rory
McTurk (Oxford, 2005), p. 341.
174 McDougall, “Homilies (West Norse),” p. 290.
175 Thomas N. Hall, “Old Norse-​Icelandic Sermons,” in The Sermon, ed. Beverly Mayne
Kienzle, Typologie des Sources du Moyen Âge Occidental (Turnhout, 2000), p. 670.
176 Berg, “Homilieboka –​for hvem og til hva?” p. 38.
177 Bataillon, “Approaches to the Study of Medieval Sermons,” p. 20.
178 For such an understanding of the use of the Icelandic Homily Book, it is necessary to accept
the hypothesis that the manuscript only exhibits one scribal hand. See “Introduction”
in ihb.
179 Thomas N. Hall, “Old Norse-​Icelandic Sermons,” p. 671.
82 Chapter 2

containing mixed material, although it is predominated by material related

to Pope Gregory the Great is am 677 4to. 17 leaves contain 10 of Gregory’s 40
Homilliae in Evangelia, other 12 contain parts of Gregory’s Dialogi. The remain-
ing seven leaves contain primarily Prosper’s epigrams and a small fragment of
De xii abusivis saeculi. Given Gregory’s enormous popularity in the Middle
Ages, his early literary presence in Iceland is of no surprise. How and whether
this manuscript might have been used for preaching is uncertain although it is
likely that the sermons could have served as model texts for preaching prepa-
ration. Among other manuscript fragments which might have belonged to
such collections would be am 655 xvii 4to containing texts which “are either
homilies or could easily be adapted for preaching.”180 Several manuscript frag-
ments contain only sermonic texts and could thus belong to larger sermonar-
ies, as McDougall suggests about am 237 4to, which would have been arranged
according to the liturgical calendar but, as noted, it is impossible to state any-
thing with certainty on the matter.

2.2.3 Beyond the Manuscripts: The Materiality of Religious Discourse

Although textual sources are central to the present study, it is necessary to
take into account that their content was mediated in church spaces where
the material surroundings and artifacts were bound to resonate with religious
discourses in the texts. In praxis, this means including in the analysis visual
and material manifestations of Christian religious discourse when possible.
Well-​known is Pope Gregory i’s statement from his letter to Serenus, bishop
of Marseilles, that “[w]‌hat writing does for the literate, a picture does for the
illiterate looking at it.”181 Although Gregory’s dictum has to be qualified by the
historical and polemical context in which it emerged in such a way that visual
imagery would never have replaced the written and spoken word entirely, it
still served an important reinforcing or a supplementary function, making it
easier for the people visiting the churches to imagine and visualize narratives
which were being communicated by other means.182
Unfortunately, very few material objects and remains have survived from
the period in question. Even so it is well-​known that religious motifs figured

180 Pelle, “Twelfth-​Century Sources,” p. 52.

181 Translation from Lawrence G. Duggan, “Was Art Really the “Book of the Illiterate”?” in
Reading Images and Texts: Medieval Images and Texts as Forms of Communication, eds.
Mariëlle Hageman and Marco Mostert (Turnhout, 2005), p. 63.
182 Duggan, “Was Art Really the “Book of the Illiterate”?”, pp. 63–​107; Celia M. Chazelle,
“Pictures, books, and the illiterate: Pope Gregory I’s letters to Serenus of Marseilles,” Word
& Image 6 (1990), 138–​153.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 83

prominently in art and ornamentation found in churches in Free State Iceland.

People attending churches were thus confronted with Christian religious dis-
course through visual representation all around the church space. Although
Icelandic medieval churches and religious art has not been well preserved, the
information that can be gained from church inventories and the little mate-
rial evidence preserved gives no reason but to assume that like elsewhere in
Western Europe, Icelandic churches would have offered their visitors a visual
experience.183 One should, nonetheless, assume for a considerable differ-
ence between churches. Smaller, low-​income churches were perhaps only in
possession of the most necessary equipment while wealthier churches were
richly ornamented.184 The episcopal seats were centers for craftsmanship and
artistry in the Middle Ages and the great wooden cathedrals in Skálholt and
Hólar –​the largest wooden buildings in Scandinavia at the time –​were the
churches in the country which were ornamented with the most splendour.185
The bishops hired artisans –​carpenters, carvers, painters, textile makers –​with
the necessary skills to make the episcopal seats as impressive and magnificent
as possible, reflecting at the same time the glory of God and the authority of
the bishop. There are several descriptions in medieval sources of the cathe-
drals which were rebuilt several times during the Middle Ages either because
of general disrepair or damages caused by storms or fires.
Most of the churches were made of wood and turf but after 1150 churches
made exclusively of wood, often much larger than the turf-​churches, became
increasingly frequent. Some parts of the outside of the church –​church-​doors,
door-​frames and possibly other surfaces –​were in some cases ornamented
with carvings which were painted. These carvings were probably showing
animal and plant patterns influenced by Viking age ornamentation, but they
could also depict more specific scenes as can be seen on the renowned Door of
Valþjófsstaður (see figure. 4). According to Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, Icelanders
were decorating their churches with traditional Christian motives as early as
half a century after the official conversion in the year 999.186 Wooden surfaces

183 Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Messuföng og kirkjulist,” pp. 246–​259.

184 Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Sóknarkirkjur og búnaður þeirra,” in kí ii, p. 191.
185 Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Dómkirkjur,” in kí ii, p. 156.
186 As for the original location of the panel boards found at Flatatunga, Hörður Ágústsson
has suggested Hólar cathedral as the most probable location where they might have been
part of the cathedralʼs ciborium or covered the chancel-​end of the church. See Hörður
Ágústsson, Dómsdagur og helgir menn á Hólum: Endurskoðun fyrri hugmynda um fjalir-
nar frá Bjarnastaðahlíð og Flatatungu, Staðir og kirkjur ii (Reykjavík, 1989), 123. Few have
accepted Ágústssonʼs suggestion of Hólar as the original location of the panel boards and
today most scholars lean towards Flatatunga, the finding place, without excluding some
84 Chapter 2

figure 4 
Among the earliest and best preserved medieval ecclesiastical artefacts is the
Door of Valþjófsstaður. The upper circle shows a knight fighting a lion. The
lower circle shows four winged dragons. The door has been dated to the late 12th
century. National Museum of Iceland

and artefacts inside the churches were also carved for example wooden col-
umns as well as freestanding church artifacts like wooden baptismal fonts,
lecterns, chests, chairs, and tabernacles. Among the few preserved material

other 11th century church in the region of Skagafjörður as the original location of the
boards.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 85

figure 5 
The image shows one fragment of the boards from Flatatunga. It depicts two
figures with halos, possibly Christ and an apostle. National Museum of Iceland

remains from churches are wooden boards from the inside of a church with
religious imagery. Surviving from a church at Möðrufell in Eyjafjörður are 16
parts of wooden boards. All of them show the same carved ornamentation, fig-
ures beginning in a spiral at the bottom reaching upwards ending in a stylized
depiction of something which might be taken as both a cross and the crown of a
tree, a frequent theme in medieval iconography. The panel was painted when it
was first put up in the 11th century but no traces of coloring remain. A fragment
of the same kind of wood panelling was also discovered at Hólar in Eyjafjörður
(not to be confused with Hólar episcopal see in Skagafjörður) which might
point to the frequency of this kind of ornamenation in the Eyjafjörður region
during the 11th century. Stylistically, the ornamentation has been interpreted
as showing characteristics of two viking age artistic styles, ringerike-​style and
mammen style.187 More discussed by scholars are the wooden boards found in

187 Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Fyrstu kirkjur landsins,” in kí i, p. 184.

86 Chapter 2

Flatatunga in Skagafjörður in 1952, depicting a series of saints with halos (see

figure. 5). Above them is an elaborately carved ornamentation in ringerike-​
style. All of the boards are damaged but the original height of the panel deco-
ration might have been around 2,2 m, covering the chancel-​end of the church.
Its style has been compared to decorations from the British Isles dating as far
back as the 7th century.
Instead of carvings and wall paintings, inventories show that the walls of
churches were also covered with curtains (cortinae). Such curtains would have
been among the most conspicuous parts of the church embellishments and
served both decorative and practical purposes as they could isolate from cold.
Curtains were usually plain and unillustrated, although a few sources men-
tion painted curtains which would then show patterns or religious motifs.188
No curtains from the Free State period have been preserved but early charters
show that they were part of how churches were decorated from very early on.
More frequently, however, supplementing ribbons (refill, borði) made of better
­fabrics with embroidered images, would be fixed on or just above the curtains.
Curtains of various types and sizes were used to cover and decorate different
parts of the inside of churches, for example lecterns and baptismal fonts. It is
known that hagiographic motives figured regularly on such ribbons.189
It can be assumed that the center of attention for the visitors of the church
were the altar or altars of the church and other parts of the church which had
direct religious significance as objects of veneration like crosses or statues of
saints. Although in many cases they were at some distance from the people
attending the churches, granted that only the ordained were allowed to step
into the quire, they would have attracted considerable interest by the people
attending the church. Altars in Icelandic churches were made of wood with an
illustrated altarpiece. On top of the altarpiece might have been a cross with
the Virgin Mary, the apostle John or a picture of a saint. The frontside of the
altar could also have been illustrated or covered with altar cloths.190 Figures
of Christ –​primarily as part of crucifixes –​have been discovered from very
early stages of the Church in Iceland. Statues of Mary and the saints do not

188 Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Messuföng og kirkjulist,” pp. 249–​251.

189 Elsa E. Guðjónsson, Reflar í íslenskum miðaldaheimildum fram til 1569 (Reykjavík, 1991),
p. 23. See also, Elsa E. Guðjónsson, Traditional Icelandic Embroidery (Kópavogur, 2003);
Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, “Cultural Memory and Gender in Iceland from Mediveal to Early
Modern Times,” Scandinavian Studies 85 (2013), 378–​399.
190 Other artwork, although less visible to the people attending churches, were various
types of altar cloths. See Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Sóknarkirkjur og búnaður þeirra,”
pp. 195–​197.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 87

appear frequently in church inventories until late in the Free State period but
it is likely that they were found in larger churches before the 12th century.
Still another important field of visual impact was the clerical clothing and
other accessories used when celebrating mass. The liturgical garments would
vary according to the ordination of the ecclesiastic; the clothing of deacons
would thus be different from the priests. Most important to take into account
for the present purposes are the outer garments which could bear various
kinds of religous images and symbols. Bishops and priests wore chasubles
(casula, planeta) which often had a simple cross sign on their back but it is
not impossible that wealthier churches, particularly cathedrals, might have
been in the possession of illustrated chasubles. The oldest depictions of clerics
wearing chasubles do not show illustrations and the earliest mentioning of
such an item only specfies the color (a purple-​white chasuble given by Bishop
Gizurr Ísleifsson to the church he had built in Skálholt).191 More likely to bear
images was the cope (pluviale) which could be worn by clerics and came to
be a distinctive trait of the episcopal ceremonial dress. The earliest mention
of a liturgical cope (pellz kantara kapa) is found in a church inventory of the
church at Skarð on Skarðsströnd of 1259. The only cope preserved from medie-
val Iceland dates to the Late Middle Ages, that of Bishop Jón Arason of Hólar (r.
1524–​1550). That particular cope is richly decorated with images of saints and
although it is a late item it may give some indication about how earlier copes
were illustrated. The earliest items of liturgical vestments preserved from the
medieval period are a stole (stola, orarium), a maniple and an amice from
Hólar, dating to around 1200 (See Figure 6). Stoles were worn by all priests and
several parts of stoles have been preserved from the medieval period. The stole
shows the apostles Peter and Paul, each holding their attributive emblems, a
key and a sword. The maniple depicts the bishops Þorlákr Þórhallsson and Jón
Ögmundarson and the amice, worn on the head, depicts Christ and the apos-
tles to his side. These liturgical vestments were imported from England and
might just as well have been worn first by the legendary bishop Guðmundr
Arason. Other items representing the material under inspection are various
liturgical items which in many cases are showing images. These include chal-
ices, patins, aquamaniles, baptismal fonts and other basins, and croziers.

2.2.4 Conclusion: Texts in Motion

It is evident from the above discussion that any study of the source mate-
rial under analysis is bound to find itself in medias res. Such a description is

191 íf xvi, p. 16.

88 Chapter 2

figure 6 
Part of an amice. Depicts Christ, sitting on a throne surrounded by the symbols of
the evangelists and apostles to his side. It is believed to have been made around
1200 and used at the cathedral of Hólar in Hjaltadalur. National Museum of
Iceland

particularly fitting for most of the manuscripts which are the products of a tex-
tual transmission which is both complex and somewhat unpredictable; in most
cases, they represent only a single moment in a long line of copies and cannot
be expected to represent exactly what was delivered, and if so it is not possible
to say anything about where or when the delivery took place. It is, for exam-
ple, not certain if and then how one of the most important manuscripts for
this study, the Icelandic Homily Book, was used for delivery although it is quite
certain that it was used for preparing sermons which were delivered aurally at
some point. Similarly, while it cannot be stated with any amount of precision
how the hagiographic manuscripts were used –​although it is likely that they
were used for aural delivery at one point or the other –​it is sure that they were
an important source for how central hagiographic themes were presented
under diverse circumstances elsewhere. Thus, even though the source material
does not provide a direct access to particular historical moments, it can still
be seen to give indirect access to a broad array of diverse situations. Moreover,
despite the fact of how problematic it is to pin-​point individual manuscripts or
material artefacts to a particular location or course of events, they should be
seen as part of the same overarching sociopolitical process, namely that of the
Christianization where they represent and, as is argued in this study, promote
the position of the Roman Church. Such an open understanding of the medial
context of the discourses under analysis makes it possible to disengage it from
the location where the manuscripts were produced and view it as a significant
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 89

part of the religious message being communicated by the Church to people

around the country. Next section will attempt to reconstruct the main partici-
pants of such an event, most importantly the cleric and his audience.

2.3 Icelandic Ecclesiastics and Their Audiences

At the center of the discursive landscape of the early phases of the Church in
Iceland are the historical agents producing, mediating and reproducing the
ecclesiastical discourse. These are ecclesiastics of all ranks but most impor-
tantly, ordained clerics and their audiences. These were the primary users
of the ecclesiastical texts under inspection and responsible for the constant
reproduction and diffusion of their content. An important meeting point for
these two groups was the ecclesiastical ceremony although such encounters
were not restricted to such occasions. The identity of the priest in Free State
Iceland is a much discussed topic in the field of Icelandic medieval church
history and will be the subject of the first part of this section. Particular atten-
tion will be paid to how ecclesiastics represented the Roman Church, both
as members of the church hierarchy but also through the education they
received, shaping them and making them capable of mediating the content
of the Christian religion as it was done elsewhere in the Christian West. In the
second part of this section, the relatively unexplored topic of the composi-
tion of the cleric’s audience will be taken into consideration and finally, in the
third part, the attention will be directed to the medieval church building as a
location of discourse.

2.3.1 Representing Rome: Ecclesiastics in Iceland

The year 1190 was an important one for Icelandic clergymen. In a letter sent
to Icelandic chieftains, the archbishop of Niðarós, Eiríkr Ívarsson, prohibited
them to be ordained as priests. Until then, Icelandic magnates had been able
to serve the Church as clerics at the same time they were thoroughly involved
in politics and other local affairs. For long, this had not been an incompatible
task. In fact, the affiliation of the Icelandic elite with the Church was import-
ant for the swift and unproblematic introduction of the Christian religion
in the country. As time passed, however, and claims for the independence
and authority of the Church became louder, the conflict of interests became
increasingly manifest. It became problematic, if not impossible, to reconcile
the contending claims. In what follows, a closer look will be taken at the cler-
ical caste with a special focus on how they can be understood to have been
representing the Roman Church from the beginning.
90 Chapter 2

2.3.1.1 Clerics in the Free State: Socially Diverse or Homogenous?

In the scholarly discussion of priests in the Icelandic Commonwealth, there
has been a strong emphasis on their social and political status, primarily
as chieftains, but also as servants and anything in between. In this respect,
few stones have been left unturned by previous research.192 The predom-
inance of such concerns has to a certain degree eschewed the discussion,
coming close to reducing an ordination of the clergy to being a matter of
social and political interests. The following statement of a leading scholar in
the field reflects such tendencies clearly: “It is difficult to see why the chief-
tains should have wanted to become priests if it did not in some way give
them a firmer grip on their followers/​subordinates and an edge over their
rivals.”193 Without underestimating such factors, they should not be taken
as the only motivation for seeking ordination. Important in that regard are
also authentic religious convictions, a belief in the validity of the rituals they
were performing and the truth of the religious message they were present-
ing. In view of how prominent questions pertaining to the social identity
of Icelandic clerics have been in the scholarly discussion, it is inevitable to
introduce its main findings.
Due to the limitations of the source material for the first centuries of
Icelandic Christianity, most of the earliest priests remain unknown. At first,
however, most scholars presume that there was a considerable number of
foreign clergymen in the country.194 According to the preserved accounts on
the earliest missions in Iceland the first missionaries –​such as Friðrekr and
Þangbrandr –​came from Saxony.195 Others came from the British Isles such
as Bjarnvarðr (Bjarnharðr) the learned and possibly Hróðólfr who according
to one version of the Book of Settlements (that of Hauksbók) was said to have
left three monks at Bær in Borgarfjörður interpreted by some as amount-
ing to the founding of a monastery there.196 From even further abroad, the
Old Christian Law section in Grágás assumes for the possibility that non-​
Latin speaking bishops and priests might very well reach Icelandic shores

192 Jón Jóhannesson, Íslendinga saga i. Þjóðveldisöld (Reykjavík, 1956); Björn Þorsteinsson, Ný
Íslandssaga (Reykjavík, 1966); Magnús Stefánsson, “Kirkjuvald eflist,” in Saga Íslands ii,
ed. Sigurður Líndal (Reykjavík: Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag, Sögufélagið, 1975), 57–​144;
kí i; Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland; Gunnar Karlsson, Goðamenning.
193 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 182.
194 kí i, p. 224.
195 íf i, p. 65; íf xv2, pp. 4, 14, 60, and 114.
196 íf xvi, pp. 11–​12. For a thorough discussion of the evidence for a monastery at Bær, see
Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin að klaustrunum, pp. 67–​78.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 91

and specifically singles out clergy of Greek (girskir) and Armenian (ermskir)
origin.197
Very early on, however, there are reports of native Icelanders receiving ordi-
nation, the first one being Ísleifr Gizurarson (1006–​1080), the first Icelandic
bishop and a scion of the Haukdælir-​family, highly influential in Icelandic
society in the Free State period and in a dominating position in churchly mat-
ters well into the twelfth century. A certain Þórðr Sölvason was also ordained
before 1055.198 Ísleifr and Þórðr constitute the earliest examples of the sort of
priests most notable in the sources for Icelandic Christianity’s first two centu-
ries, namely that of upper-​class clerics. They were ordained chieftains and aris-
tocratic householders who often owned their churches and had authority over
men and territory. Some of the most powerful families of the Free State era
seem to have been in close ties with the Church since the beginning, such as
the Haukdælir family in Árnesþing, Oddaverjar family in Rangárþing, and well
into the twelfth century the number of aristocratic families with an ordained
commander in chief only increased.199

197 Grágás: lagasafn íslenska þjóðveldisins, eds. Gunnar Karlsson, Kristján Sveinsson and
Mörður Árnason (Reykjavík, 2001), p. 19. After Magnús Már Lárusson, in a 1960 article,
rejected A. D. Jørgensen’s idea that the Old Christian Law section’s paragraph on the non-​
Latin speaking bishops referred to the eastern religious movement of Paulicians, many
accepted his suggestion, including the editors of the 1992 edition of Grágás, that the word
‘ermskir’ did not denote an Armenian origin but rather meant Eastern (Slavonic) rite
clerics coming from Ermland, i.e. the region Warmia on the south eastern shore of the
Baltic Sea. Magnús Már Lárusson, “On the so-​called “Armenian” bishops,” Studia Islandica
xviii (1960), 23–​38. Granted that Warmia was not Christianized until the 12thcentury the
earliest, as several scholars have pointed out in recent years, it does not seem likely that
there were many indigenous priests and bishops found in the region or, for that mat-
ter, travelling in the North. Also, there is no particular reason to doubt that Armenian
clerics might –​it is even well understandable considering Armenia’s political situation
being pestered by Turkish raids at the time –​have been on the move. On that point, see
Margaret Cormack’s article, “Irish and Armenian ecclesiastics,” in West over Sea: Studies in
Scandinavian Sea-​Borne Expansion and Settlement before 1300, ed. Barbara Crawford et al.,
Northern World 31 (Leiden, 2006), pp. 227–​234, esp. pp. 232–​233. The most recent contri-
bution to this debate is that of Ólafur Haukur Árnason who has provided new philological
evidence for reading the word ‘ermskir’ as denoting Armenian Christians. Árnason has
also linked the presence of these Armenian clerics to King Haraldr Sigurðsson’s (r. 1046–​
1066) close connections with the Byzantine Empire, arguing that they were Chalcedonian
Christians of the Armenian rite. Ólafur Haukur Árnason, “Armenian and Byzantine
Ecclesiastics in 11th-​century Iceland,” presented at the Oxford University Byzantine
Society’s 22nd International Graduate Conference, 2020 (unpublished).
198 Þórðr Sölvason is mentioned in genealogies in the Book of Settlements and Sturlunga. For
further discussion, see Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, pp. 31–​32.
199 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 187.
92 Chapter 2

Despite the high presence of upper-​class priests in the 12th century in nar-
rative sources, there is evidence, albeit scant, for clerics stemming from other
layers of society which has led some scholars to talk about different ‘catego-
ries’ of priests according to their differing social backgrounds and the general
arrangement –​legal and financial –​of their studies and ministry.200 The pri-
mary source for such members of the clergy is the Old Christian Law section
(Kristinna laga þáttr) in which two other groups of priests appear not belong-
ing to the upper layer of society. Interestingly, there is no mentioning of chief-
tain priests in the Old Christian Law section.201 First there is what has been
termed a church priest or a servile priest, a person of lower birth who had been
adopted, as it were, by a church owner who paid for his allowance and educa-
tion and obligated him thereby to serve at his church for the rest of his life.202
According to the Old Christian Law section, the only ways for a priest to get out
of such a contract was either by teaching a clerical candidate, who then would
succeed him, or through a termination of the contract on the church owner’s
behalf in the case of the priest’s longstanding illness. Even after his death, the
church owner could claim a sizeable amount of the priest’s assets for himself
and the church.203 In addition to ordained chieftains and servile priests, the
third group of clergymen, growing in size in the 13th century, was that of dis-
trict priests (þingaprestar or leiguprestar). Much of the Old Christian Law sec-
tion seems to apply to priests working within this sort of an arrangement.204
District priests were neither church owners nor householders. They probably
lived on church-​farms even though they were not required to do so. They only
had to formally settle their abode every spring. They might have served more
than one church but it is unclear whether they were employed by a single
church owner or if the employers could be more than one. The Old Christian
Law section describes their duties and demands in detail.205

200 kí i, pp. 239–​243.

201 The Old Christian Law section is the first part of the laws of the Icelandic Commonwealth,
originally codified in 1122–​1133 but its oldest surviving version was composed somewhat
later, possibly as late as between 1199 and 1217, preserved in a manuscript (Konungsbók)
older than from 1250 (and several other younger ones, the most important being
Staðarhólsbók dating to around 1270). In addition to the necessary precaution when using
normative legal material as historical sources, it is safest to apply the information it pro-
vides to the situation around 1200 even though sizable parts of it might date as far back as
1122–​1133 but there is no knowing what is original and what later additions.
202 Grágás, pp. 14–​15.
203 Ibid., p. 15.
204 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 195.
205 Grágás, pp. 17–​18.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 93

There is not a complete agreement among scholars about what kind of cler-
gymen –​upper class priests, servile priests and district priests –​were most
characteristic for the social composition of the clergy at given periods. The
sources pose a certain discrepancy in this regard which has been interpreted
differently by historians. To a significant degree, the difference in interpre-
tations can be explained on the basis of the historiographical stance taken
towards the source material. Thus, in his analysis of all the relevant sources
for the Commonwealth period, Orri Vésteinsson seems to opt for narrative
sources on the expense of legal sources, at least in his discussion of servile
priests. Vésteinsson describes the development in the following way: During
the 11th century, priests were few in number and those who are known were
chieftains and some renowned for their learning and excellence such as
Sæmundr in Oddi, Bishop Jón Ögmundarson, Teitr Ísleifsson of Haukadalur,
Þórðr Sölvason in Reykholt and Illugi Bjarnarson in Hólar. After 1100 it seems to
have become an established custom that chieftains had their sons ordained.206
Around the mid-​12th century a considerable number, possibly the majority, of
chieftains and aristocratic householders was ordained.207 Towards 1200 there
are indicators that the top layer of the social and political elite is moving away
from the priesthood. First heirs were not being ordained any more but younger
sons and nephews instead. Families falling behind in the race for power began
focusing on careers and influence within the Church. In increasing measure
wealthy, non-​elite individuals were ordained as they sought for social upwards
mobility.208
From a sociopolitical perspective, therefore, active involvement in clerical
ministry seems not to have been as predominantly elite in the latter half of
the 12th and certainly the 13th century as it was before and it is at this point
that the group of district priests really starts growing. This development must
have taken a decisive step forward with the 1190 statute of Archbishop Eiríkr
Ívarsson of Niðarós (r. 1188–​1213) prohibiting the ordination of an owner of
a chieftaincy (goðorðsmaðr) after which point chieftains were keeping to the
lower orders of church ministry. But according to Vésteinsson’s analysis, the
general tendency of society’s upper crust distancing itself from the priesthood
seems to have been underway somewhat earlier.209 With the necessary caveat
that source material such as Sturlunga and Bishops’ Sagas generally show lim-
ited interest in people of lower social standing, Vésteinsson interprets this in

206 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 183.

207 Ibid., p. 187.
208 Ibid., pp. 191–​193.
209 Ibid., pp. 193–​194.
94 Chapter 2

such a way that during the 11th and 12th centuries the priesthood was primarily
an upper-​class concern. It is not until the 13th century that lower-​class priests
start appearing in the narrative sources.210 And except for legal sources, servile
priests are not mentioned at all.211 This leads Vésteinsson to doubt that in the
Commonwealth era “servile priests were in any way characteristic of the con-
dition of Icelandic priests.”212
Church historian Hjalti Hugason, describes the situation somewhat differ-
ently in his first volume of the history of Icelandic Christianity, as does Gunnar
Karlsson in his 2004 book Chieftain Culture. Despite its normative value, both
scholars hold Grágás in considerably high esteem as a historical source for the
period. Accordingly, both scholars express the opinion that the silence about
servile priests in narrative sources does not have to point to that they were few
in numbers as Vésteinsson suggests. Karlsson even mentions a certain priest
named Ljúfini who in his opinion is depicted as every other farm laborer (vin-
numaður) and supposedly a lower-​class priest emerging out of the subaltern
for the sake of narrative.213 In Hugason’s opinion, the discrepancy between the
legal sources and the narrative sources as to their mentioning or not of servile
priests is sufficiently explained by the fact that they are different sources with
different objectives. While the authors and editor of the Sturlunga collection
had no problems with individuals belonging to the group of servile priests not
surfacing in the accounts, the legislator of the Old Christian Law section saw a
need to fix the arrangement of individuals of such standing into the law unlike
ordained aristocrats whose legal arrangement posed no serious problems.
They owned their own churches, served them themselves and went about their
business as they wished; the less about it in legal codices, the better, Hugason
contends.214 And the fact that the group of ordained chieftains was large in
number does not exclude the existence of priests coming from other layers
of society. On the contrary, in Hugason’s estimation a sizable number of elite
clerics probably called for a corresponding number of servile priests so that
behind each ordained chieftain must have been priests of a lower social rank
carrying the weight of his pastoral duties.215 Similarly, Karlsson asserts that

210 Ibid., pp. 188–​189.

211 Jón Jóhannesson, Íslendinga saga i, 199; Gunnar Karlsson, “Frá þjóðveldi til konungs-
ríkis” in Saga Íslands ii, ed. Sigurður Líndal (Reykjavík, 1975), p. 22; Orri Vésteinsson,
Christianization of Iceland, p. 179.
212 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 179.
213 Ibid., p. 426. The priest Ljúfini is mentioned in Sturlunga i, p. 64 (Sturlu saga).
214 kí i, p. 237.
215 Ibid., p. 238.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 95

it can be established with certainty that the social status of priests was very
diverse from the beginning.216 Not all of them had to be ‘servile priests’ by the
definition provided by the Old Christian Law section; there were other types
of priests as Hugason points out and have already been mentioned, but they
were certainly a part of the group of priests performing the pastoral duties
chieftains were not bothering themselves with.217

2.3.1.2 Clerical Education: Practical but International

In light of the discussion above, it seems reasonable to assume that the Icelandic
clergy was rather diverse, especially as more time had passed from the arrival
of Christianity in the country. From the beginning, however, and until the arch-
bishop of Niðarós prohibited magnates to receive ordination, it is likely that
ordained chieftains stood out among them and added religious authority to
the social and political authority they already possessed.218 It is nonetheless
important to emphasize that through their training and education, which in all
likelihood was shaped by practices and traditions in other countries, all priests,
irrespective of their social standing, had much in common.
The topic of the most important centers of clerical education has already
been touched upon, although without addressing in any detail what men aspir-
ing for the clergy might have been taught at episcopal seats, monasteries and
large church farms like Oddi, Haukadalur, and later Reykholt (see Figure 1).
It is most likely that the content of education was practical, directed at the
most important tasks of clerics. There is a broad agreement among scholars
that the content of education and proclamation was comparable to what was
happening elsewhere in Europe, most importantly in the areas known to have
influenced Christianity in Iceland such as Saxony and England via Norway.219
The curriculum was grounded in the framework of the septem artes libera-
les although it should not be assumed that every student occupied himself
with each branch of the trivium and the quadrivium. As in cathedral schools
all around Europe, it is likely that the teaching concentrated on the written
word, the trivium, and in most cases, clerical students must have been occupy-
ing themselves with the elementary principles of Christian theology and the
praxis of the mass and other important rites. Given the state of literacy, many
must have invested much time simply in practicing their reading skills and

216 Gunnar Karlsson, Goðamenning, p. 426.

217 kí i, p. 238.
218 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 189.
219 Sverrir Tómasson, Formálar íslenskra sagnaritara, pp. 19, 26, and 34; Orri Vésteinsson,
Christianization of Iceland, p. 196; kí i, p. 232.
96 Chapter 2

increasing their knowledge of Latin, granted that one of the most important
requirements was being able to read through clerical handbooks when car-
rying out the most important Latin rites. An important elementary book for
reading was the Latin Psalter which, of course, lay at the heart of the Office
Liturgy. Such was the case in Europe since the Carolingian period and there is
no reason to assume that much changed in the education and general require-
ments to the average priest until the late Middle Ages.220
A typical priest had to be able to know the ‘Credo’ and the ‘Paternoster’ by
heart, be able to recite the liturgical prayers of mass, which psalms to chant
and which biblical expositions to resort to. If no handbooks were available he
had to be able to use his memory. In a handbook for episcopal visits composed
by Regino of Prüm (d. 915), a bishop should ask clerics if they were in the pos-
session of an adequately orthodox explanation of the Creeds and the Lord’s
Prayer, and if they could understand them completely and were able to teach
their congegration accordingly. Moreover, they should be asked if they pos-
sessed a martyrology for announcing feast days to the congregation and the
homilies of Gregory the Great and if they read them frequently with adequate
understanding and also if they had the Roman Penitential in their possession.
As it happens, such basic literature is among the oldest preserved manuscripts
of the Icelandic manuscript tradition.221 Two later manuscripts, one dating to
1350–​1365 and the other more broadly dated to the 15th century, describe the
duties and requirements of priests in a similar manner. There it says that a
priest is to sing mass and consecrate salt and water on the Lord’s day (Sunday).

220 Arnold Angenendt, Geschichte der Religiosität im Mittelalter (Darmstad, 2009 [1997]),
p. 448. According to a certain Ulrich Engelberti (d. 1277), the minimal requirements seem
to have become even more flexible seeing that a priest did not have to know more Latin
grammar than being able to pronounce the words correctly and understand at least the
literal meaning of what he was reading. The same applied to churchmen of lower orders.
For the administering of the sacrament he had to know the necessary material and form
of the sacrament and how to properly administer it. And only if pastoral care was part of
his job description he had to know the principles of the Christian faith “as they manifest
themselves in Love” and be able to distinguish between different sins as well as sins and
not-​sins. Citation in Friedrich Wilhelm Oediger, Über die Bildung der Geistlichen im späten
Mittelalter, Studien und Texte zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelalters (Leiden, 1953), p. 55.
See also Angenendt, Geschichte der Religiosität, p. 447.
221 Translations of homilies of Gregory can be found in am 677 4to as well as in the Icelandic
Homily Book (Stock Perg 15. 4to). In the Icelandic Homily Book are also expositions of the
Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. Documents for computation are also among the oldest pre-
served Icelandic manuscripts, examples being am 249b fol. dating to c. 1200. The oldest
undamaged (practically) missal of Icelandic provenience (most likely) is am 788 4to and
dates to the 12th century.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 97

He should consecrate crosses, incense and nourishment. A priest should know

how to perform a wedding ceremony, hear confessions and grant absolution
for sins. Moreover, he should know how to celebrate mass and as for his gram-
matical proficiency in Latin he should be aware whether he is using the mas-
culine or feminine gender. He should be familiar with expositions of the gos-
pels, homilies of Gregory and be versed in computation. He is to understand
a penitential, be capable of overseeing baptism, extreme unction, burials and
the secreto (lágasöngur) is particularly specified among those parts of the mass
a priest should know.222
The topic of Latin skills of Icelandic ecclesiastics has been somewhat
debated among scholars in the field. For long, the general scholarly tendency
was to view the level of Latin learning in Iceland as limited, at least well below
the standard elsewhere in Western Europe. The points of argument most fre-
quently rehearsed supporting a weak position of Latin in Iceland have been
the strong status of the vernacular and the meager preservation of original
Icelandic manuscripts written in Latin dating to the Middle Ages.223 Latin
was, according to this view, only used when there was no other way possible
and mostly restricted to the realm of liturgy and diplomatic exchange. Along
those lines, Iceland (and often Norway as well) has often been mentioned as
an exception in the overwhelmingly Latinized literary environment of the
West.224 As an example, such a view has been promoted by historian Gunnar
Karlsson arguing that the power brokers of society did not need Latin for con-
ducting their plots and business domestically and only used it when there was
no other way possible. In a discussion of the cultural conditions behind the
emergence of Icelandic medieval literature, Karlsson posits an early dismissal
of Latin as a language of official proceedings and bureaucracy as a main rea-
son.225 For more than two centuries the Church in Iceland was governed by
men –​many of them priests themselves –​who were conducting Icelandic
society through their involvement in legislation, judicial proceedings, law

222 Messuskýringar: Liturgisk symbolik frå den norsk-​islandske kyrkja i millomalderen, ed. Oluf
Kolsrud (Oslo, 1952), p. 110.
223 According to a 2005 survey by Guðvarður Már Gunnlaugsson, the number of Latin frag-
ments from Iceland is 218. Guðvarður Már Gunnlaugsson, “Iceland,” in The Beginnings
of Nordic Scribal Culture, ca 1050–​1300: Report from a Workshop on Parchment Fragments,
Bergen 28–​30 October 2005, ed. Åslaug Ommundsen (Bergen, 2006). Gunnlaugsson defines
‘fragment’ as a manuscript which contains less than 50% of a book.
224 Jón Jóhannesson, Íslendinga saga i, 187–​192. See also A. G. Rigg, “Latin literature,” in
Dictionary of the Middle Ages, vol. 7 (New York, 1986), p. 359 and Franz H. Bäuml, “Varieties
and Consequences of Medieval Literacy and Illiteracy,” Speculum 55 (1980), 238, n. 4.
225 Gunnar Karlsson, Goðamenning, p. 439.
98 Chapter 2

enforcement, marriages, alliances and production. While doing so, they did not
have time for busying themselves with Latin letters nor were they interested
in doing so, Karlsson asserts. In his opinion, the Icelandic political elite did
not have any interest in using such a ‘secret language’ (leynimál) for creating a
special culture of their own and isolating themselves from society thereby.226
It seems reasonable to agree with Karlsson and others in assuming that peo-
ple used their mother tongue whenever they could, even if they were ordained.
Latin was a foreign language in Iceland just as it was elsewhere in Scandinavia,
the British Isles and Germanic-​speaking areas on the continent. Learning Latin
demanded much time and effort and if one was to do so, it was with the spe-
cific aim in mind of becoming a member of the clergy. Given that education
at the time concentrated on serving ecclesiastical office, it is reasonable to
assume that in general literacy and Latinity went hand in hand; an elemen-
tary textbook for every clerical student was, for example, the Latin Psalter. In
a society like 12th century Iceland, where the Roman Church had taken root,
the Latin tongue as a central ecclesiastical language had become an inherent
part of the linguistic environment and not something one could so easily dis-
miss.227 While Karlsson is most certainly aware of the significance of Latin
within ecclesiastical circles, his discussion indicates that it did not constitute
a particularly notable component of Icelandic culture and society. There are
however, several reasons for doubting such a view.
First of all, the boundaries between Latin and the vernacular were not clear-​
cut with each language existing relatively independent from the other.228 Such
an understanding is evident in Ernst Walter’s research who assumes that all
priests had knowledge of Latin at a considerably high level, that they were
lateinkundig or skillful. Recent scholarship citing his findings has not seen rea-
son to question his ‘either-​or’ framework.229 Not to mention that episodes from
Icelandic medieval writings telling of priests with limited Latin knowledge
speak against such a situation.230 In general, it seems prudent to assume that

226 Ibid., p. 450.

227 For a further discussion of the term ecclesiastical language or church language, see Georg
Kretschmar, “Kirchensprache”, Theologische Realenzyklopädie 19, pp. 74–​92.
228 Herbert Grundmann’s essay, “Litteratus –​illiteratus,” Archiv für Kulturgeschichte 40 (1958),
1–​65 stands as a classic example of such a dichotomizing view of medieval literacy and
Latin proficiency.
229 Ernst Walter, “Die lateinische Sprache und Literatur auf Island und in Norwegen bis
zum Beginn des 13. Jahrhunderts: Ein Orientierungsversuch.” Nordeuropa 4 (1971), 201.
Cf. Sverrir Tómasson, Formálar íslenskra sagnaritara, p. 34; Gottskálk Þór Jensson, “Lost
Latin Literature of Medieval Iceland: The Fragments of the Vita sancti Thorlaci and Other
Evidence,” Symbolae Osloenses 79 (2004), 150–​170.
230 íf xvi, p. 76; íf xvii, p. 273–​274.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 99

the historical reality was more complex than such a dichotomizing perspective
between those who used Latin and those who did not. It is much more likely,
as has been accentuated in scholarship on medieval Latinity and literacy in
recent decades, that Latin proficiency varied on a scale ranging from complete
illiteracy to the erudition of experts.231 In between were individuals of differ-
ing capabilities of vernacular and Latin literacy; writing and reading laypeople,
clerics partly literate in Latin or just even capable of reciting it by heart.232 As
ample evidence shows, such a broad view of literacy and Latinity seems par-
ticularly pertinent for the Icelandic context, granted that the unusually strong
status of the vernacular on the one hand and the ecclesiastical use of Latin at
a considerably high level on the other hand, produced a wide range of differ-
ing examples of literacy. In such a situation, it is understandable that religious
texts such as homilies and hagiographical literature came to be translated at
an early stage into the vernacular for those who did not have full control of the
Latin. That does not mean, however, that the level of Latin-​skills was as low
as has been suggested. Icelandic priests were of differing capabilities when it
came to the sacred language of the Church, on the one end of the scale there
are priests so lacking in skills that Bishop Þorlákr only reluctantly ordained
them, on the other there are learned men like brother Gunnlaugr Leifsson (d.
1219), monk at Þingeyrar-​monastery and a prolific writer of Latin literature. In
between were ecclesiastics of varying Latin proficiency whose vast majority
must have been sufficiently well versed in order to carry out their office.
Second, Latin was a sacred language and, as such, was furnished with an
aura of holiness, timelessness and universality.233 Curiously for the perspective
of the present study, an argument frequently employed by medieval exegetes
for the sacredness of the Latin language was the intrinsic relationship between
Latin and the divinely ordained Roman imperium and later the papacy.234 As

231 Bäuml, “Varieties and Consequences of Medieval Literacy,” p. 239.

232 Green, Medieval Listening and Reading, pp. 9–​10.
233 In his article, “Lingua dei, lingua hominis: Sacred Language and Medieval Texts,” Viator
21 (1990), 51–​74, Irven M. Resnick thoroughly surveys patristic and medieval sources out-
lining the textual background for the idea that Hebrew, Greek and especially Latin were
sacred languages. Along with Hebrew and Greek, Latin was one of the tres linguae sacrae,
constituting the three languages on the titulus placed by Pilate over Christ’s head.
234 Such reasoning goes back to Augustine’s exegesis of the fourth gospel, In Joannis
Evangelium 117.19.4, pl 35. An admittedly late but well-​known instance of extending the
sanctity of the imperium to the papacy is found in Johann Eck̕s attacks against Martin
Luther, see the chapter “De missa latine dicenda” in Eck’s Enchiridion locorum commu-
nium adversus Lutherum et alios hostes ecclesiae (1525–​1543), Corpus catholicorum 34
(Münster, 1979), pp. 376–​388.
100 Chapter 2

the language of the Vulgate, it was through the Latin language that it was pos-
sible to gain access to God and his will as manifested in the biblical writings.
Even though there existed partial translations of biblical texts into Icelandic
very early, both in homilies and hagiography, and systematic translation efforts
seem to have been underway already in the 13th century, evident from Stjórn
ii and iii, Latin was, in Iceland as elsewhere in Christian Europe, the first
language of the biblical revelation, making it theologically indispensable.235
Furthermore, Latin liturgy constituted the setting in which most people were
confronted with the use of Latin. Although there was room for the vernacu-
lar at particular points during ecclesiastical ceremonies it should be assumed
that the readings, prayers and chants constituting the liturgical ceremony were
recited in Latin. An early testimony to the centrality of Latin is found in the Old
Christian Law section where it is prohibited to pay foreign priests or bishops
for their services if they have had no knowledge of Latin.236 Through the vari-
ous liturgical ceremonies, people with no knowledge of Latin not only learned
to recognize frequently occurring words and fixed phrases, but also patterns in
the liturgical performance. The primary status of Latin in the liturgy also made
it abundantly clear that Latin was the language of prayer and the optimal way
of communicating with the divine, a fact which probably more than anything
else might have led to the elevation of Latin in the ears of the audience. As
a result, the status of Latin as the central language of theology and liturgy
granted it a dominant place in the education of the cleric.
Even though Latin was a foreign language and for most people only heard
during ecclesiastical ceremonies, as the church language at the time it existed
in a symbiotic relationship with Icelanders and shaped their identity as mem-
bers of the Christian Church.237 In view of the above it should be clear that it
held a special status as the first language of the Church, but for obvious rea-
sons, for example that it was only known by a small percentage of the popu-
lation, an exclusive use of Latin was impossible. While every cleric of a higher
order had some minimal knowledge of Latin, needing to be able to get through
each ceremony without much trouble, this is not to say that every cleric was
fluent. There were plenty of occasions when ecclesiastics had to make use
of the vernacular and many of them were probably more comfortable with
using their mother tongue. This makes it possible to assume that a secondary

235 For the dating of the three parts of Stjórn, a partial medieval translation of the Old
Testament into Icelandic, see íb i, 556–​558. Cf. Reidar Astås’ introduction to Stjórn: tekst
etter håndskriftene, ed. Reidar Astås, Norrøne tekster 8 (Oslo, 2009), pp. xvii-​xxxiii.
236 Grágás, p. 19.
237 Kretschmar, “Kirchensprache,” pp. 74 and 80.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 101

ecclesiastical language emerged, examples of which can be found in early

homilies in the vernacular. By such a term “secondary ecclesiastical language,”
it is meant that a certain way of speaking in the vernacular distinguishes itself
from the colloquial through its elevated character and frequent use of Latin
loanwords, especially those well-​known from ritual formulas.
A prime example for such a secondary church language is found in the
Icelandic Homily Book. Not only do the homilies frequently resort to Latin,
both in the use of standard loanwords (fratres being a common one) and rit-
ual commonplaces (such as per secula seculorum), it also provides the user of
the book with an explanation of the Apostles’ Creed, containing an interlin-
ear translation of the textus receptus of the creed, its earliest translation into a
Scandinavian language.238 At one point, the homilist even expresses his con-
cern that the use of the vernacular might lead to something going amiss and
apologizes for it.239 Apologizing for one’s inadequacy to express oneself is a
common trope in medieval ecclesiastical writings –​a literary topos stretching
as far back as Exodus and the biblical prophets (e.g. Exod. 4:10 and Jer. 1:7) –​
but the mentioning of speaking in a language understandable to the audience
shows that this was a concern of clerics at the time.

2.3.1.3 In Whose Authority?

It was the priest’s role of wielding the divine words in the correct manner
as he had been trained for; to use his competence to bring out –​i.e. trans-
late –​what was necessary and customary out of the realm of the sacred and
unintelligible, at least to most people. For such purposes, he need not be a
Latin scholar, he simply had to be able to use the books that, among other
things, legitimized his clerical status to make known the correct teaching to
the people listening so as to facilitate their salvation.240 Although it should

238 Lilli Gjerløw, Liturgica Islandica i Text, Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana xxxv (Copenhagen,
1980), p. 24.
239 íh, pp. 213–​216.
“Nú þó að vér séim mjög vanbúnir til hvorrar, sem vér fremjum, guðsþjónustu, þeirra
er nú hefi eg til tíndar, þá verður þó að hvoru yður það allra auðsýnst, hve mjög vér erum
vanbúnir við því, er vér skulum Guði þjóna á þá tungu og á þá mállýsku, er ér kunnuð
jamt skilja og um að mæla sem vér.”[Now while we are very ill prepared to undertake the
many kinds of service to God I have been enumerating, it should nonetheless be most
clear to you how exceptionally ill prepared we are for serving God in the language and
dialect which you are equally able to understand and speak as we]. íh, p. 3. Here and in
what follows it applies that when no translation of an original is referenced, it is the work
of the author of this book.
240 For examples of the correct teaching being singled out as the way to salvation (heilsugata,
himinríkis gata) see e.g. íh, pp. 11, 20, 24–​25, and 27.
102 Chapter 2

be assumed that the learning of individual churchmen varied greatly, they

were the holders of religious knowledge and had access to religious books the
content of which they read or chanted and further adapted, retold, and para-
phrased as needed. Due to this role, it can be assumed that all clerics received
a considerable amount of authority and could well be described as religious
specialists.241 From such a point of view, the most important question is not
necessarily how much learning Icelandic priests had in general, but rather
how much Latin and literacy was sufficient to keep up appearances as a reli-
gious specialist.
The Old Christian Law section assumes that each priest had in his posses-
sion the most necessary books which he was to show to the presiding bishop
regularly.242 The appearance of the priest, especially in the setting of an eccle-
siastical ceremony, was thus inextricably linked to the item of a book, and
probably more often than not a book written in Latin. An informative epi-
sode is that of the brilliant priest Gísli Finnason in the Saga of Bishop Jón of
Hólar who always kept a book in front of him when he spoke to the people,
not because he needed it but because of his young age, “þótti þeim meira um
vert er til hlýddu at þeir sæi þat at hann tók sínar kenningar af helgum bókum
en eigi af einu saman brjóstviti” [the people listening considered it more wor-
thy of note if they saw that he took his teachings of holy books and not of his
own common sense.]243 Deeming from this text, it could happen that clerics,
presumably more often in the case of more experienced preachers, might have
preached to the people without resorting to written material, but also it clearly
shows that the presence of a book would always add to the authority of the
speaker. It was the priest’s ability to wield such books which constituted his
credibility and consequently his authority.
Thus, the authority of the cleric as cleric was thoroughly grounded in
the corpus of writings, mythical narratives, religious traditions and rituals
which –​all local adaptions and idiosyncracies notwithstanding –​were com-
mon to ecclesiastics all around the Christian West. Thereby, even if they were
in possession of great social and political power, they were acknowledging
the authority of an institution which, as time would tell, was bound to turn

241 Here, it might prove fruitful to make use of the theorizing of French sociologist Pierre
Bourdieu who defined a religious specialist as “socially recognized” as the “exclusive
holder of the specific competence necessary for the production or reproduction of a
deliberately organized corpus of secret (and therefore rare) knowledge.” Pierre Bourdieu,
“Genesis and Structure of the Religious Field,”p. 9. Italics original.
242 Grágás, pp. 15 and 18.
243 íf xv2, pp. 205–​206.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 103

against all local initiatives which disregarded the authority of the central-
ized Church, including the proprietary church system which had allowed for
the growth of Christianity in the 11th and 12th centuries. In case they had
some qualms, they would not stand a chance in negotiating their position
as the Roman Church was in charge of the most important institutions and
intellectual power.

2.3.2 Audiences of All Kinds

There is no dispute among scholars that hagiographic narratives and motifs
were well known among the general Icelandic population. Such texts served
both a liturgical and a pedagogical role, and are often said to have had a broader
appeal than the often dark imagery and arguments found in sermonic sources
such as the Icelandic Homily Book. In his thematic survey of Icelandic reli-
gious texts, Peter Hallberg maintains that works such as the Icelandic Homily
Book and Elucidarius “were intended first and foremost for professionals, so to
speak: theologians, future clerics, and for reading or lecturing in the monaster-
ies.”244 On a similar note, Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir describes instructive litera-
ture such as Gregory’s Dialogi and the Vitae Patrum, as well as the sermons of
the Icelandic Homily Book and saints’ lives as well, to have been “intended first
and foremost for members of religious communities.”245 There is good reason
to question such generalizations. Certainly, it can be assumed that theological
writings such as the Elucidarius would not have reached far outside clerical
circles but the same does not apply to hagiographic and sermonic material. On
the contrary, it is a central premise for this study that both hagiographical and
sermonic sources provide important examples of what was being communi-
cated to people of differing social status all around the country. The evidence
supporting such an inclusive view of the audience of the earliest religious dis-
course is threefold. First, the source material itself does not give a consistent
picture of its audience which rather points to a diverse audience. Second, con-
temporary sources like Bishops’ sagas and the Sturlunga collection show that
Christian religious practices, including listening to hagiographic lectiones and
sermons, constituted a prominent part of the lives of people of all standings.
Third, the theoretical vantage point makes it possible not to restrict the discus-
sion to the audience of specific manuscripts but to view the source material as
examples of discourses which were being produced and reproduced in differ-
ent contexts.

244 Hallberg, “Imagery in Religious Old Norse Prose Literature,”p. 166.

245 Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, “Prose of Christian Instruction,” p. 341.
104 Chapter 2

2.3.2.1 Audience according to Religious Source Material

The information gained from the religious source material itself is inconsis-
ent, which is by no means surprising given the variety of its content. In the
Icelandic Homily Book itself are prayers, exegetical homilies, moral sermons,
hagiographical passages, and even a treatise on music. The information gained
from manuscript sources is twofold: extratextual hints like manuscript rubrics
and intratextual references to an audience.246 There is not much extratextual
evidence to be gained from the source material under inspection. The manu-
scripts are modest and unpretentious, predating large, illustrated manuscripts
like the late 14th century Codex Scardensis (sám 1 fol.) or manuscripts of the
Old Testament translation Stjórn such as am 227 fol., dated to the mid-​14th cen-
tury. Unlike such manuscripts, the earlier source material was not supposed
to impress through appearance and look rather like books that have been in
much use over a longer period of time.247 Along such lines, also keeping its var-
ied content in mind, some scholars have suggested that the Icelandic Homily
Book might have served the purpose of a clerical handbook or a ‘commonplace
book’ as suggested above.248
Intratextual evidence for the actual situation of readings from the source
material provide important information. An obvious piece of information is
the language of the manuscripts. Some might take the sheer fact of the man-
uscripts being composed in the Old Icelandic vernacular as an indicator for
them to have been intended for laypeople, assuming that Latin would be dom-
inant in clerical circles. As already addressed, vernaculars were first used in
ecclesiastical contexts where Latin had to be learned as a foreign language
and Latin skills differed radically among the ordained. The Old Icelandic ver-
nacular does not exclude a monastic setting, since other people than Latinate
monks were living and working there, for example people from a nearby aris-
tocratic family, lay brothers, or novices in training. Cloister churches could

246 Beverly Mayne Kienzle, “Introduction,” in The Sermon, ed. Beverly Mayne Kienzle,
Typologie des Sources du Moyen Âge Occidental 81–​83 (Turnhout, 2000), p. 154.
247 Paleographic analysis of the Icelandic Homily Book has shown considerable changes
in scribal hands, leading some scholars to conclude that it was written by as many as
14 different scribes. See for example Börje Westlund, Skrivarproblemet i isländska
Homilieboken, Stockholm Studies in Scandinavian Philology 10 (Stockholm, 1974) and Eva
Rode, “Palæografiske studier i Den islandske homiliebog med særligt henblik på skriv-
ernes antal,” Specialopgaver til magisterkonferens i Nordisk filologi (Copenhagen, 1974).
Others find it more credible to see only one scribe at work over a longer period of time.
See “Introduction” in ihb. Both theories support the view that it was a much-​used book.
248 Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, “Prose of Christian Instruction,” p. 341. See also section
2.2.2.3 above.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 105

also function as parish churches, serving others than the cloisterpeople living
there.249 In fact, if there is one particular setting in which the manuscripts in
question can be located with considerable probability, it is a monastery. Given
what is known about the book production of monasteries and the size of their
libraries, monasteries remain the most probable locations of origin. It has, for
example, been suggested that the Icelandic Homily Book was in the possession
of Þingeyrar-monastery.250
A second piece of information is the occasion of the reading. Most of the
speeches of the Icelandic Homily Book are written for a particular day of the
calendar year including most of the central periods of the year: Christmas,
Easter, Fast, Pentecost etc. This fact does not tell much about the audience of
the speeches per se but begs the question as to who might have been present
in churches at such occasions. The same applies for the hagiographic mate-
rial. The earliest hagiographical writings, for example those found in am 645
4to and am 652/​630 4to, frequently contain short introductions or prologues
describing the occasion of the reading of text as the feast of the saint in ques-
tion.251 Such references seem to confirm what is usually assumed, that they
were read on the feast day of the saint, either at a monastery, for example its
refectory, or in a church.252
In later hagiographic works, such prologues become more informative. Even
though they fall at the margins or outside the present study’s chronological
scope, there is no apparent reason not to see them as reflecting religious prac-
tices of earlier centuries and therefore worthy of a short consideration. One
of the best-​known hagiographical writers of the 14th century, the abbot Bergr
Sokkason of Ver, explained in a prologue to the Saga of Michael that the writ-
ing should be read “ꜳ messuðagh Michaelis kirkiusoknar monnum til skem-
tanar, einkanlega i þeim stǫðum sem hann er kirkiudrottenn yfir”253 [on the
name day of Michael, for the entertainment of the men attending, especially
in churches under his patronage]. The word ‘kirkjusoknar menn,’ literally
‘the men attending church,’ shows that hagiographic texts would be read in

249 Kirsten M. Berg, “Homilieboka –​For hvem og til hva?” pp. 46–​47.
250 íh, p. vii and Jón Þórarinsson, Íslensk tónlistarsaga 1000–​1800 (Reykjavík: Tónlistarsafn
Íslands, 2012), p. 82.
251 “I dag holldum ver messudag Jacobo postola,” Post, 513; “I dag hỏlldum ver dyrliga hatið
postolum Philippo ok Jacobo …” Post, p. 735; “Messudag holldum ver i dag Bartholomeo
postola …,” Post, p. 743; “Mathias postoli guðs, er ver hỏlldum i dag hatið …,” Post, p. 767.
For a source critical overview of such prologues, see Sverrir Tómasson, Formálar íslenskra
sagnaritara, pp. 331–​395.
252 Sverrir Tómasson, íb i, p. 422.
253 hms i, p. 676.
106 Chapter 2

churches as well as monasteries were people of differing standings might have

attended and enjoyed the entertainment.254 In another prologue, this time to
his edition of the Saga of Nicholas, abbot Bergr gives instructions for how the
reading of that particular text should be carried out. In that case, the author
seems to have a monastic audience in mind, expressing the wish that “hverr
madr i herbergi nærri staddr i upphafi sogu þessarar lesi minni sal til fridar ok
nada elskuligt vers Ave Maria”255 [whoever in a room nearby when the begin-
ning of the story is read, will read for the peace and grace of my soul the dear
verse Ave Maria]. Here, the word ‘herbergi’ points rather to a monastic context
than a church space.256 It is also not likely that the author of a hagiographic
narrative would give instructions for how to frame the reading of such a text
in the relatively fixed context of a mass or the holy office. A bit earlier example
is to be found in a letter from Grímr Hólmsteinsson (d. 1298), the author of
the Saga of John the Baptist, to abbot Rúnólfr Sigmundarson of Ver (1264–​1306)
who had commissioned the composition of the work, Grímr seems to assume
that his work was not restricted to clerical circles but also included unlearned
men (obóckfrodir menn). In the letter he explains that he could not leave the
“beautiful flowers and dark figures” (“hin fog̉ ru blom ok hinar myrku figurur”)
of the text uncommented on, since that would be as useless for unlearned men
as gems are for pics (“sem gimsteinar ero svinum”), even though it had made
the text longer.257 The comments thus served a pedagogical purpose for those
of lesser learning among the attending audience.
Further intratextual indicators consist of direct addresses to an audience in
the source material. The most frequent address in the source material is some
variation of ‘brothers.’258 The few addresses in the early hagiographic sources
are also directed towards brothers.259 It is true that the address ‘brothers’ hints

254 Sverrir Tómasson points out that the word ‘skemtan’ could have a twofold meaning,
depending on whether it was taking place in an ecclesiastical context or secular. In the
former case it refers to a pious, constructive entertainment pleasing to God, and in the
latter, from a clerical point of view, the entertainment was false and frivolous. Sverrir
Tómasson, Formálar íslenskra sagnaritara, p. 326.
255 hms ii, p. 49.
256 See for example Fritzner’s entry, s.v. “herbergi,” in which most of the examples refer to a
room in a monastic context.
257 Post, p. 849.
258 In the Icelandic Homily Book, for example, one comes across the following varia-
tions: bræður [brothers], góðir bræður [good brothers], innilegu bræður [sincere broth-
ers], kærstu bræður [dearest brothers], fratres carissimi [dearest brothers in Latin], góðir
fratres [good fratres]. 55 instances in the Icelandic Homily Book alone.
259 For an example, see Post, p. 737; “Nu er enn skylldugt, goðir brøðr, at segia nỏkkut fra þeim
enum dyrliga guðs postola ỏðrum.”
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 107

at a monastic setting, but it is not a guarantee. It is not impossible that ‘brothers’

would have been used for addressing a mixed congregation including laypeo-
ple of both genders.260 Of the 30 speeches in the Icelandic Homily Book with a
direct address, a dozen of them contains an address to both brothers and sib-
lings/​brothers and sisters.261 In a Lenten sermon, two different addresses even
follow immediately after one another: “Góð systkin, virðið ér, fratres carissimi
hógværi Guðs.” [Dear siblings, respect, fratres carissimi, God’s humility.]262 It
should also be noted that around half of the speeches and treatises found in
the Icelandic Homily Book contain no direct address, which indicates the free-
dom of the preacher to add whatever addresses he found suitable each time,
rather than he would not have addressed the congregation at all. In addition, it
cannot be assumed that the text of the manuscript reflects precisely the deliv-
ered text itself. In many cases, the manuscriptʼs speeches may have served as a
blueprint to be adapted to the performative context each time.263
Before leaving the topic of direct addresses, a Christmas sermon deserves
mentioning, bearing the heading “Alia sermonis,” to be delivered on Christmas
and provides an insight into how varied the audience might have been, at
least at major festival like Christmas. The sermon begins by addressing “good
siblings” and asking them to accept the speaker’s admonition. After a moral
reminder of the importance of repentance and purity of mind, the speaker
proceeds to address different groups of the congregation. First, in celebra-
tion of the virgin birth, he addresses maidens (til meyja), which could sim-
ply mean an unmarried woman or have the more specific meaning of a nun.
A little later, this address is expanded to include all men and women who lead
a pure life (“karlar og konur, er hreinlífi haldið”), which probably means that
there were both monks and nuns present. Next, the speaker addresses married
men (kvongaða men) and reminds of them of maintaining an orderly marriage
(“hafið þær stillilega”). In what follows, widows, poor people, and peasants are
all addressed, indicating that people of all social standings could have been
present during the sermon’s delivery. Given that monastics were specifically
addressed at the beginning of the sermon it is possible that the sermon was

260 In the hagiographic literature, when apostles and saints are shown to address a large
number of people, described with words usually referring to both genders such as man-
nfjoldi [crowd] or allur lyðr [the entire population], they do not necessarily distinguish
between men and women and only use “brothers.” Post, pp. 176–​177; Post, pp. 800.
261 On 25 occasions, the address is directed to “siblings” (systkin or góð systkin [good sib-
lings]) and two times both brothers and sisters, bræður og systur.
262 íh, p. 128.
263 Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, “Prose of Christian Instruction,” p. 341.
108 Chapter 2

intended for a mass at a monastery which also served as a parish church. In any
case, it shows that even if sermons were prepared and delivered in a monastic
setting, it does not mean that they were automatically reserved for members
of such communities. Furthermore, the relative diversity in ways of addressing
the congregation, shows how problematic it is to generalize about the audi-
ence of sources like the Icelandic Homily Book.

2.3.2.2 Audience According to Contemporary Narrative Sources

In a lecture presented at the Ninth International Saga Conference in 1994,
Régis Boyer surveyed the evidence for Christian religious practices in
the Contemporary Sagas and came to the conclusion that they show the
Icelanders as observant Christians, participating in the ceremonies of the
Church on a regular basis and in no way different from other Christians in
Western Europe. In his lecture, Boyer was reacting to a longstanding research
paradigm in Icelandic medieval history, according to which Christianity and
the Church were viewed as a foreign to Icelandic culture and isolated from
society.264 Contrary to such a view, Boyer shows that Icelandic Christians
of the 12th and 13th centuries were “actually ‘good Christians’ and that they
would not seem quite foreign or strange if they would have happened to
live in contintental Germany, or France, or other Christian countries, in that
time.”265 Focusing exclusively on religious practices, Boyer provides plenty
of examples from the relevant source material. He shows that attendance of
offices seems to have been regular and important among them, the practice
of the sacraments is “effective, regular and nothing allows us to take it for
unsincere,” fasting was widespread and usual, crosses were venerated (Boyer
specifically mentions that the practice of praying with the arms crosswise
was well-​known and practiced).266 Boyer takes issue with Sigurður Nordal’s
characterization of penance which he describes as foreign to the Nordic
mindset.267 On the contrary, Boyer contends, penance enjoyed a great impor-
tance among Icelanders, providing numerous examples for this case. Alms,
charity and good works belonged to the “normal way of living” and vows in
the form of gifts to churches or the poor, fasts or other devotive practices
were frequent, all of this leading Boyer to the conclusion that there is nothing

264 See section 1.1.2 above.

265 Régis Boyer, “Were the Icelanders Good Christians according to Samtidarsogur?” in
Samtíðarsögur: The Contemporary Sagas i, Preprint, The Ninth International Saga
Conference (Akureyri, 1994), p. 113.
266 Boyer, “Were the Icelanders Good Christians?” p. 117.
267 Sigurður Nordal, Íslensk menning i, p. 198.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 109

warranting such a view that Icelanders were adopting Christianity in a less

authentic way and practicing it with less seriousness than other people in
Western Europe.268
Whereas Boyer was successful in showing how prominent Christian reli-
gious practices were among medieval Icelandic Christians, he does not touch
upon the related issue of the identity of those who were carrying out these
religious practices. In what follows, Boyer’s convincing account of what
Icelandic medieval Christians actually were practicing, will be supplemented
by approaching it from a slightly different angle, asking who these practicing
Christians actually were. To a certain degree, Boyer’s findings already indicate
that if Christian practices were as inherent to the daily routine of the medieval
Icelander as he shows, it is likely that they would have mobilized all sorts of
people into participating which would also be in accordance with the situa-
tion elsewhere in Western Europe. And even though there is not much explicit
evidence for audiences, it seems as if chieftains, warriors, women, and workers
are all represented among the attending faithful.
The richest information about audiences of ecclesiastical discourse in medi-
eval Iceland concerns the episcopal seats. The two episcopal seats, Skálholt
in the South and Hólar in the North, were the most populous farmsteads of
medieval Iceland. According to the saga of Bishop Páll Jónsson (r. 1195–​1211),
around 120 people resided at Skálholt during his episcopacy, including 70–​80
workers.269 This number multiplied during major Christian feast days. One of
the best known episodes on the practice of preaching and the attending audi-
ence is found in the saga of Bishop Jón Ögmundarson of Hólar. Gísli Finnason,
the cleric from Gothland in Sweden hired by Bishop Jón to oversee the cleri-
cal education taking place at Hólar episcopal seat. According to the saga, Gísli
was a gifted preacher and not infrequently would those who listened to him
be touched by his speeches. Compared to other sources, Gísli’s audience is
described in considerable detail:

Kenningar hans váru linar ok léttbærar ǫllum góðum mǫnnum, en vit-

rum mǫnnum þóttu vera skapligar ok skemmtiligar, en vándum mǫnnum
varð ótti at mikill ok sǫnn hirting. Um allar stórhátíðar þá var þar fjǫl-
menni mikit, því at þannug var þá mikit erendi margra manna, fyrst at
hlýða tíðum, svá fagrliga sem þær váru fram fœrðar, þar með boðorðum
byskups ok kenningum þeim inum dýrligum er þar var þá kostr at heyra,

268 Boyer, “Were the Icelanders Good Christians?” p. 122.

269 íf xvi, p. 305.
110 Chapter 2

hvárt sem heldr váru fram fluttar af sjálfum byskupi eða þessum manni
er nú var frá sagt.270
[His teachings were lenient and light to all good men, while wise men
found them reasonable and entertaining, but evil men experienced a
great fear and true reprimand. A large crowd of people came there for
every major feast, for many men wished to hear mass there, as beautifully
as they were carried out, with message of the bishop and the glorious
teachings one could hear there, either delivered by the bishop himself or
this man we now tell of.]

The first part of this citation, dividing the audience into good men, wise men
and evil men, could be taken to reflect the diversity of people among the
attending congregation but the description is in all probability theologically
inspired, reflecting the Augustinian understanding of the Church as a corpus
permixtum.271 What is more important for the present discussion is the attrac-
tion of crowds to Hólar episcopal seat in order to participate in the celebration
taking place there with a special emphasis on listening to what was being said
there (hlýða, heyra). This point is further expanded on a little later in the saga:

[Á] hverri hátíð sóttu menn á fund byskups, hundrað manna eða stun-
dum tvau hundruð eða nǫkkuru fleiri, því at inn heilagi Jón byskup hafði
þat í formælum sínum at honum þótti því at einu til fullls ef hverr maðr í
hans sýslu ok allra helzt innan heraðs, sá er fǫng hefði á, kæmi um sinn it
sjaldnasta at vitja staðarins á Hólum á tólf mánuðum. Ok fyrir þá sǫk varð
þar svá fjǫlmennt at skírdegi eða páskum skorti þá eigi fjǫgur hundruð
manna, allt saman karlar ok konur.272
[For feast, men came to meet the bishop, one hundred and sometimes
two hundreds or more, for the holy bishop Jón instructed that it was only
sufficient for every person capable from his county and preferrably from
his district, would visit the episcopal seat once every twelve months. For

270 íf xv2, p. 206.

271 In a Christmas sermon from the Icelandic Homily Book, it is also explained that evil men
are necessary for good men to prove their integrity: “Eigi megu góðir menn án of vera
vonda mennina. […] Til þess þarf illa mennina með góðum, að þeir reyna þá, hvort þeir sé
góðir. Þeir reyna í meingerðum og í mótstöðu, svo sem fjándinn reynir mennina innan í
hugskotinu og teygir þá til rangs.” [Good men cannot be without evil men. […] Therefore
are evil men needed among good men, that they test them, if they are good. They test
them with evil doings and adversity, just like the Devil tests the men in their minds and
leads them to wrongdoings.] íh, p. 237–​238.
272 íf xv2, pp. 215–​216.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 111

this reason, the number of people present there on Maundy Thursday or

Easter amounted to no less than four hundreds, counting both men and
women.]

Thus, large crowds of men and women are said to have come to Hólar epis-
copal seat during the major feasts. The people travelling to Hólar were those
who were capable of leaving their farmsteads in the care of their workers and
servants, that is farmers of higher standing. This does not mean, however, that
clerical preaching did not reach the lower layers of society. It is well known
that people from diverse social layers were residing at the episcopal seats for
longer or shorter periods. According to canon law, bishops were obligated to
care for the poor and, as pointed out by Vilborg Auður Ísleifsdóttir, who has
extensively studied poverty in medieval and post-​reformation Iceland, both
episcopal seats in Iceland must have been crowded with impoverished people
throughout the period.273 There can be no doubt that both episcopal seats –​
and monasteries as well –​were locations where people of all standings would
have encountered ecclesiastical discourses such as those under analysis in
this study.
Even though Skálholt and Hólar episcopal seats remained the centers of
Christianity in Iceland, the Christian message reached around the coun-
try through the constant activities taking place in the parish churches.
Preaching and reading hagiography was not among the interests of the
authors of the contemporary sagas and thus descriptions of such activi-
ties are scarce. Churches rose all around the country at an early stage in the
Christianization process. However, even though religious practices are not
central to the narratives of the Sturlunga collection, for example, it stands
to reason that the Roman Church is one of the most important background
elements, already integral to the society in which the events are taking place.
The society described in the Sturlunga sagas is a thoroughly Christian soci-
ety, a tumultous one, but thoroughly Christian nonetheless. Frequently when
events come to pass, people are on their way to church or returning home;
people are attending tíðir which could refer to mass or participating in the
holy office.274 And these can be people of all social standings: chieftains,275

273 Vilborg Auður Ísleifsdóttir, “Öreigar og umrenningar: Um fátækraframfærslu á

síðmiðöldum og hrun hennar,” Saga xli/​2 (2003), 105. In her article, Ísleifsdóttir provides
numerous examples of how medieval bishops cared for the poor, see pp. 105–​112.
274 The Icelandic Homily Book for example uses the word tíðir both in a treatise on the mass
and on the holy office. íh, p. 165 (office) and p. 190 (mass).
275 “Og um vorið eftir fór Hafliði Másson suður yfir heiði í Haukadal til kirkjudags tveggja
postula messu, Filippuss og Jakobs …” [In the following spring Hafliði Másson went south
112 Chapter 2

farmers,276 workers,277 young people,278 women,279 and children.280 There are

a few more expansive accounts in the source material, but none of them detail
the attending audience. In Prestssaga Guðmundar Arasonar for example, the fol-
lowing is said to have happened when a woman named Hallfríður Ófeigsdóttir
attended the mass of Guðmundr Arason in Miklibær in Skagafjörður:

Hún stóð hjá messu Guðmundar prests og hugði að sér vel sem jafnan var
hún vön og horfði jafnan á hann um messuna. En er lesið var guðspjall og
hann snerist utar og sagði dominus vobiscum þá sá hún eld fara af munni
honum í loft upp, bjartara miklu en hún hefði fyrr slíkan séð.281
[She was present when Guðmund said Mass and, as was her cus-
tom, she followed the Mass closely and attentively, observing Guðmund
throughout. When the gospel had been read and he turned towards the
congregation and said: “Dominus vobiscum,“ then she saw fire issuing
from his mouth into the air, much brighter than any she had ever seen
before.]

Other instances show people entering churches late, interrupting the mass,
even when a bishop was celebrating. Over Christmas in the year 1252, the
chieftain Þorgils skarði Böðvarsson was dwelling at Hólar episcopal seat under
the auspices of Bishop Heinrekr Kársson. In Þorgils saga skarða, there is an

across the heath to Haukadal on the day of the Feast of the Two Apostles] Þorgils saga og
Hafliða. Sturlunga i, p. 34. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga ii, p. 56.
276 “En um morguninn eftir hlýðir bóndi tíðumˮ [The following morning the bóndis (sic) went
to divine services] Þorgils saga Skarða. Sturlunga ii, p. 575. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga ii,
p. 352.
277 “Kjartan, hann var húskarl Óspaks í Holti, en Guðbjörg kona […] Svo bar eitt sinn er þau
fóru frá tíðum.”[[Kjartan] was a housecarl of Óspak in Holt. There was a woman named
Guðbjörg […] It happened that one time when they were coming from Mass]. Sturlu saga.
Sturlunga i, p. 68. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga i, p. 78.
278 “Brandur […] var ungur maður og frálegur […] Og einn helgan dag fór Brandur til tíða þan-
gað.” [Brand […] was a fine, young man of promise. […] One saint’s day Brand went across
to divine service] Guðmundar saga dýra. Sturlunga i, p. 136. Trans. R. George Thomas,
Sturlunga ii, p. 163.
279 Þórdís the daughter of Þorgils Skeggjason is accompanied from tíðir by a certain
Guðmundr Steinsson. Ibid., p. 184.
280 When Snorri Sturluson is only a few years old he accompanies his father to Oddi in
Rangárþing, where he was fostered by the chieftain Jón Loptsson. Sturlu saga. Sturlunga
i, pp. 98–​99.
281 Prestssaga Guðmundar Arasonar. Sturlunga i, p. 122. Trans. R. George Thomas, Sturlunga
ii, p. 118–​119.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 113

interesting description of how an evensong sung by Bishop Heinrekr on the

12th day of Christmas (January 5, 1253) was interrupted:

En hinn tólfta dag er biskup var að aftansöng gekk maður í kirkju. Var
hann snjóugur allur. Hann var lágur og kollóttur að sjá en þó gekk hann
heldur en valt. En er hann kom í kirkjuna mælti Þorgils við Þórð: „Þessi
maður er Loðinn Sigurðarson frændi minn.“ Gekk Þorgils að honum og
minntist við hann. Var þá sunginn aftansöngur til lykta.282
[On Twelfth Night while the bishop was at Evensong a man came into
the church. He was entirely covered with snow; he was a short, bald man,
rather unsteady in his walk. When he entered the church, Þorgils said to
Þórð, “That is my kinsman Loðin Sigurðarson.” Þorgils went over to him
and embraced him while Evensong was being completed.]

Later in the same saga, there appears one of the most explicit example about
a reading from a hagiographic narrative in the entire corpus of the contempo-
rary sagas and it so happens that it takes place outside a church. Shortly before
his final and, for Þorgils skarði, fatal encounter with his one remaining enemy,
Þorvarðr Þórarinsson, Þorgils had ridden over to Eyjafjörður and was staying at
the farmstead Hrafnagil. In the evening, he is offered entertainment, either the
reading of sagas or dancing.

Hann [Þorgils] spurði hverjar sögur í vali væru. Honum var sagt að til væri
saga Tómass erkibiskups og kaus hann hana því að hann elskaði hann
framar en aðra helga menn. Var þá lesin sagan og allt þar til er unnið var
á erkibiskupi í kirkjunni og höggin af honum krónan. Segja menn að
Þorgils hætti þá og mælti: „Það mundi vera allfagur dauði.“283
He [Þorgils] asked what sagas there were to chose among and was told
there was the saga of Archbishop Thomas, and he chose this for he loved
him above all other saints. The saga was then read aloud right up to the
part when the Archbishop was assaulted in the church and the crown
of his head struck off. Men said that Þorgils paused at this, and then
remarked, “that would be a fine death.”

A similar episode, showing hagiographic material being told in people’s

homes for enjoyment and spiritual reflection, is found in Hrafns saga

282 Þorgils saga skarða. Sturlunga ii, p. 608. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga ii, p. 389.
283 Þorgils saga skarða. Sturlunga ii, p. 734. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga ii, p. 476.
114 Chapter 2

Sveinbjarnarsonar. When experiencing difficulties falling a sleep, the chieftain

Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson asks for a poem on the apostle Andrew (Andrésdrápa)
to be recounted to him.284 As in the case of Þorgils skarði, this reading takes
place shortly before the death of the protagonist, Hrafn, who was killed that
very night. It could well be the case that these two episodes are literary con-
structs but still they reflect that people would resort to the reading of hagiog-
raphic material in their homes in times of fear and worry, either read from a
manuscript or recounted by memory. The readings of hagiographic material
could thus take place in various settings and the audiences do not necessarily
have to be restricted to the people who might have attended church.

2.3.3 Pastor and Flock: Points of Encounter

Medieval Icelanders could come across the religious discourses under inspec-
tion in various forms under diverse circumstances all around society. The pas-
toral obligations of priests required them to be mobile around their ministries
and in close contact with their parishioners as they engaged in private com-
munication, for example through the sacrament of penance or other instances
of pastoral care. Apart from such duties, ecclesiastics of all levels of ordina-
tion were actively participating in society as magnates, heads of households,
and farmers. In a sporadic and fragmented manner, the ordained servants of
the Church thus had plenty of opportunities to reproduce and apply religious
discourses in their daily routines. The same applies to devout laypeople, who
in all likelihood went about in a similar way.285 As the last section showed,
hagiographic material was accessible on the farmsteads of well-​to-​do farmers
where they were read as spiritual nourishment and late-​night entertainment.
The most important location for the dissemination of the early religious dis-
course, however, was the church building which was the center of religious
activities in each parish.

2.3.3.1 Translatio Ecclesiae: A Medieval Icelandic Textual Community

In addition to the few passages referred to above, relatively little is known
about how the communication between a cleric and his audience took place
exactly. Recent theorizing in the field of medieval literacy and critical the-
ory may, however, provide useful conceptual tools to reconstruct important
elements of the nature of such a communication. As can be seen from the

284 Hrafns saga Sveinbjarnarsonar. Sturlunga i, p. 242.

285 Such sporadic applications of ecclesiastical discourses will be explored in the last part of
this study.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 115

above discussion on clerical authority, holy books increased the credibility

of individuals who might have lacked it for some other reason, such as young
age or low social ranking.286 And even if they were not lacking in credibility
at all, each book would always increase it insofar that it represented and in
a sense contained the body of sacred literature acknowledged and accepted
by the gathered congregation, which would be inaccessible were it not for
the cleric. In a semi-​literate society such as the Icelandic one during the
Commonwealth era, the group was dependent upon individuals who medi-
ated the content to those who could not acquire it, either because they did
not know the language in which it was composed, in this case Latin, or they
were illiterate. As the Church was establishing itself in Iceland, it is possible
to describe its operation in terms of a textual community, particularly in the
event of its communicating its messages to a wider public.287 While this con-
cept does perhaps not need to be applied to all aspects of medieval life in
Iceland, it is instructive for understanding the dynamics of the relationship
between the learned clergy and their audience, particularly in the event of an
ecclesiastical ceremony.
A textual community consists of a small group of literate individuals accom-
panied by a larger group of semi-​literates and non-​literates; although not
everybody in the group is literate, all of the members acknowledge the fact
that behind the communication taking place is a text or a corpus of texts. The
communicative discourses and practices depend on the basic tenets of the text
being familiar to and at least recognized by those present. As a result, central
texts or ‘organizing texts’ were not necessarily read and not even at hand each
time the members of a textual community convened. What mattered was that
the textual basis was accepted as a common frame of reference, within which
different varations of particular themes could be presented and rehearsed each
time. As a religious specialist, the cleric was expected to have mastered the
content of the sacred books through his training and was supposed to mediate
orally to those who could not receive it otherwise, presumably a sizable por-
tion of Icelandic Christians at the time.
In this view, it is not so far-​fetched to describe the role of the clerics as that
of a translator, not only between oral and written modes of reception but also
between the ecclesiastical language of Latin and the Icelandic vernacular.

286 See section 2.3.1.3 above.

287 The concept of a ‘textual community’ is set forth and explained by Brian Stock in his
research of the relationship between the oral and the written medium in the 11th and
12th centuries. See Brian Stock, Implications of Literacy: Written Language and Models of
Interpretation in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries (Princeton, 1983), pp. 88–​92.
116 Chapter 2

Even though Latin was a foreign language and for most people only heard
during ecclesiastical ceremonies, as the church language at the time it existed
in a symbiotic relationship with the Icelanders and shaped their identity as
members of the Christian Church.288 It held a special status as the first lan-
guage of the Church, but for obvious reasons, for example that it was only
known by a small percentage of the population, an exclusive use of Latin was
impossible. As already discussed at some length, every cleric of a higher order
had some minimal knowledge of Latin. But while he had to be able to get
through each ceremony without much trouble, this is not to say that every
cleric was fluent. They were, nonetheless, in the position of having to relate
with people with limited or no knowledge of Latin while still keeping their
ground in the inherently Latinized reference frame of medieval Christian
religiosity.
What the cleric said to his audience was always a version of something
that had been said in Latin before. Contrary to the tendency of modern schol-
ars to reduce ecclesiastical texts to secondary importance as translations,
the exact opposite was the case in the Middle Ages. To Icelandic medievals
with limited understanding of Latin, ecclesiastical texts and paraphrased
on-​the-​spot explanations in the vernacular were important because they
were translations. It was because they were not originally Icelandic which
significantly increased their value.289 For if one wanted to say something
of note during the Middle Ages, not to mention if one wanted to say some-
thing new, one had to do it through words uttered before by an authority
vouching for what was being said.290 It is essential to keep this backdrop in
mind for the interpretation of ecclesiastical texts in the vernacular. In the
communication between a priest and his congregation, the vernacular was
an exegetical medium, and at no point was it intended to replace Latin as
a holy language. Instead, “it gave access to the holy without representing it
directly.”291 What the cleric said to his congregation in the vernacular was
always boosted by the framework in which it took place, the Latin liturgy
that is, which, in turn, was common to all members of the holy and univer-
sal Roman Church.

288 For a further discussion of the term ‘ecclesiastical language’ or ‘church language,’ see
Georg Kretschmar, “Kirchensprache”, Theologische Realenzyklopädie 19, pp. 74–​92, see esp.
pp. 74 and 80.
289 Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, “Prose of Christian Instruction,” p. 340.
290 Umberto Eco, “Auf dem Wege zu einem Neuen Mittelalter,” in Über Gott und die
Welt: Essays und Glossen, trans. Burkhart Kroeber (München, 2013 [1987]), pp. 25–​27.
291 Mortensen, “Den formative dialog,” p. 263.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 117

2.3.3.2 Social Significance of the Church Building: Panopticon or a

Heterotopia?
Although Icelandic clerics came into contact with their parishioners in diverse
ways around their parish, it is the church building which offers itself as the
most significant meeting point between the clergy and the flock. During the
communication, the church building itself should, of course, not be seen as a
neutral social space as scholars of medieval Iceland have pointed out. Much
rather, it should be viewed as actively supplementing –​as a framework and an
extention of –​the interaction taking place between the clergy and the attend-
ing faithful. After the cultural and later the material turn in the humanities,
medieval scholarship has in increasing measure directed its focus towards the
church building as the context or the venue for a “medieval experience of reli-
gion.”292 Some scholars have even spoken of the church building as constitut-
ing an ‘experience’ in itself, defined as a shift in focus towards the audience or
the visitors of the church, i.e. how they were affected by and within the space.
Such a view entails taking a look at how different aspects of the church experi-
ence –​architecture, ornamentation, and liturgy –​worked together to produce
a particular experience.293
This process has also been explained from the theoretical and method-
ological standpoint of memory studies. In her discussion of the importance
of space and particularly architectonic structures for the preservation of cul-
tural memory, Pernille Hermann points out that in medieval Scandinavia, the
church building was a “central site for the preservation and transmission of
rituals and narratives that secure the cultural memory of the Christian con-
gregation.”294 Without expanding further on the processes through which the
congregation sustained its cultural memory –​a point to be addressed later in
this section –​Hermann proceeds to explain how the importance of the church
building is reflected through its serving “as a metaphor for a mnemonic con-
struction in the mind.”295 Using the example of the so-​called stave church

292 Beth Williamson, “Material Culture and Medieval Christianity” in The Oxford Handbook
for Medieval Christianity, ed. John H. Arnold (Oxford, 2014), p. 68.
293 Paul Crossley, “Ductus and memoria: Chartres Cathedral and the Workings of Rhetoric,”
in Rhetoric Beyond Words: Delight and Persuasion in the Arts of the Middle Ages, ed. Mary
Carruthers (Cambridge, Eng., 2010), p. 214. In his analysis, Crossley makes use of the
analogy between rhetorics and ecclesiastical art which was employed throughout the
Middle Ages.
294 Pernille Hermann, “The Mind’s Eye: The Triad of Memory, Space and the Senses in Old
Norse Literature,” European Journal of Scandinavian Studies 47 (2017), 205. See also the
discussion in Henning Laugerud, “To See with the Eyes of the Soul: Memory and Visual
Culture in Medieval Europe,” Arv: Nordic Yearbook of Folklore 66 (2010), 43–​68.
295 Hermann, “The Mind’s Eye,” p. 206.
118 Chapter 2

homily (sometimes called the dedication homily) which is preserved in both

the Icelandic and the Norwegian homily books, she notes how that particular
sermon, building upon a rhetorical tradition involving the making of mental
images, evokes a picture of a church in the audience’s mind which should then
serve as a mnemonic device.296 An important term from the religious vocab-
ulary of medieval Scandinavia reflecting how the mental faculties of thought
and memory were based on inner visualization is the ‘mind’s eyes’ (hugskots
augu). Seen with the mind’s eyes, the church building itself and the church
inventory, furniture and ornaments, could acquire a spiritual layer of mean-
ing which went far beyond the surface of the material things.297 Thus, through
such an allegorical reading, the church building itself became a medium for
religious messages and a storage place for religious truths.
For describing this role of the church, archaeologist Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir
has made use of Michel Foucault’s theories, comparing the church building
in medieval Icelandic society to a panopticon fraught with social power, pro-
viding people with instructions for their behavior and controlling it.298 In her
article, Kristjánsdóttir maintains that the role of representing the ‘Christian
agenda’ superceded other purposes the church might have been intended to
serve, for example the economic interests of the church owner. Thus, it had to
be made clear that the church fulfilled all the basic structural elements and be
built according to a certain architectural style in order that it might function
in such a way.
Another scholar making use of Foucault’s work for a more detailed analysis
of the social significance of the church building in medieval Icelandic society
is Sverrir Jakobsson. Combining Foucault’s theory on the spatial situation of
power with Henri Lefebvre’s definitions of social space, Jakobsson addresses
the question as for “how the Church used spatial discourse to redefine power
relations in a society where the state was not present as an agent of support
to the agenda of the Church.”299 On grounds on Lefebvre’s tripartite scheme
of the social production of space (Lefebvre’s Spatial Triad), Jakobsson empha-
sizes the significance of the church as a ‘space of representation’ or, to use a

296 Ibid., 206–​207. Mental image-​making and other aspects of the medieval ars memoria
or mnemothechnics have been thoroughly studied by Mary Carruthers, The Craft of
Thought: Meditation, Rhetoric, and the Making of Images (Cambridge, Eng., 1998).
297 Such interpretations appear very early. An 8th century example from St. Gallen in which
different parts of the church are allegorized is cited in Arnold Angenendt’s Geschichte der
Religiosität im Mittelalter, p. 438.
298 Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, “Becoming Christian,” pp. 34–​35.
299 Sverrir Jakobsson, “Heaven is a Place on Earth: Church and Sacred Space in Thirteenth-​
Century Iceland,” Scandinavian Studies 82 (2010), 7.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 119

more transparent term, as a ‘lived space’ reffering to the ways in which a space
is experienced –​physically, mentally, emotionally. The churches in Iceland
served as centers “of wealth and social control within the community,” but
no less important was their religious significance as sacred spaces linking
heaven and earth, frequently noted by earlier generations of historians of reli-
gions; it was an axis mundi, the meeting point of heaven, earth and hell.300
Furthermore, it served as a typological point of contact between the present
time and the sacred past of the Church and, with a particular bearing for the
present study, the papacy and Peter the apostle’s successor in Rome.
In his attempt to reconstruct how such conceptualizations of the church
space played out in the social reality of medieval Iceland, Jakobsson resorts to
the example of medieval churches serving as sanctuaries in social unrest and
warfare, a function he defines as “a product of their symbolic and ideological
significance as sacred places, as the places on Earth where Heaven was repre-
sented, but also the hallowed sites of sacred events and the past that belonged
to the Bible and the saints.” Such an understanding of the church space had
gained enough momentum in the 12th and 13th century for warring forces not
to proceed with violence towards those who had sought refuge in churches.
Through this particular conception of the church space, it had become or at
least was in the process of becoming a ‘heterotopia’ of sorts, where the social
rules and conventions were not fully operating.301

2.3.4 Conclusion: Conflicts of Interests

It has been established that it was the cleric who was the most important
distributor of the religious discourses in Free State Iceland. In churches and
around his parish, the cleric would come into contact with people from all
social strata and in one way or the other, mediate the Christian message. That
could be through various practices of pastoral care but also in sermons, read-
ings and other less formal addresses. In the first two centuries of Christianity
in the country, it is likely that the most prominent clerics were also in posses-
sion of much social and political capital as chieftains. This has led scholars to

300 Mircea Eliade, Cosmos and History: The Myth of the Eternal Return, Trans. Williard R. Trask
(New York: Harper and Brothers, 1959), p. 12. On grounds of different biblical locations,
the church has been described as both the meeting place of God and man, in the words
of the patriarch Jacob, “This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven” (Gen. 28:17) and also the meeting place of Christians who came together as one
(1Cor. 11:20) as living stones (1Pet. 2:15) of God’s temple (1Cor. 3:17).
301 Although in a different way, Richard Cole has applied the notion of ‘heterotopia’ to the
medieval Icelandic context in his article, “Homotopia, or Reading Sagas on an Industrial
Estate,” Exemplaria (2018), 105–​128, see esp. 105–​108.
120 Chapter 2

assume that the interests of the Church might have fallen in the shadow of
their own political interests or those of their family. It must, however, be kept
in mind that their education, their behavior, their role, the very words they
spoke, were strongly shaped according to the traditions of the Roman Church.
It is likely that individual clerics, especially if they were in power over peo-
ple and property, negotiated their interests and allegiances in different ways –​
within themselves and to other people. However, even if they were outspoken
opponents of ecclesiastical authorities or policies at a given time, they were
bound to reproduce and reinforce the supreme position of the Church through
the religious discourses they were diffusing, in the liturgy, through prayers and
sermons, through the entire world view and perception of reality, which will
be the subject of next section.

2.4 Ecclesiastical Imagination

The Church did not only import books and woods for church building. It also
brought with it an entire metaphysical and ontological framework which
was in formation during its early stages. With the aid of this framework,
which was introduced very early in the history of Christianity in Iceland,
medieval Icelanders were not only provided with an entire worldview, but
also ways to think about the progress of time and history and their own
place in that process. For the purposes of the present study, it is important
to explore its main features and the evidence for its use in the Icelandic
Free State, for without it the significance of the discourses under inspection
would be unintelligible, granted the great extent in which it determined the
ways in which the discursive themes under inspection were understood and
applied.

2.4.1 Icelanders in the Sixth Age

Very possibly the oldest Icelandic manuscript preserved is am 732 a vii 4to. It
contains an Easter Table (tabula computistica) with a suggested dating between
1121 and 1139.302 As elsewhere in Western Europe, the Church in Iceland based
its calcuation of Easter on the computus of the sixth century monk Dionysius
Exiguus (470–​ 544) which spread around Western and Northern Europe

302 For the most detailed analysis and discussion of the manuscript to date, see Ólafía
Einarsdóttir’s Studier i kronologisk metode i tidlig islandsk historieskrivning. See also Halldór
Laxness’ laudatory assessment of Ólafía Einarsdóttir’s work in his article “Tímatalsrabb:
Dr. Ólafía Einarsdóttir brýtur í blað,” Tímarit Máls og menningar 27/​1 (1966), 31–​42.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 121

through Bede’s writings on computation. It has been suggested that for the
writing of his Book of Icelanders, Ari the Wise made use of an Easter Table sim-
ilar to the one in am 732 a vii 4to.303 There, Ari uses the phrase at alþýðu tali
which is an Icelandic translation of the Latin phrase secundum æram vulgarem
for referring to the Dionysiac calendar while at the same time acknowledg-
ing the existence of alternative computational methods.304 It is likely that the
Dionysiac calendar was taught at the learning center of the Haukdælir fam-
ily, including Skálholt episcopal seat, during the first two centuries.305 Less
is known about which version was used in the diocese of Hólar. A modified
version of Dionysius’ calendar, the computus of Garland (d. 1103) according to
which Christ’s date of birth took place seven years later than Exiguus and Bede
had assumed, gained considerable popularity in Iceland during the 12th and
13th, decades after it had become outdated on the European mainland.306 It
has been argued that the Garlandian computational methods were adopted
by Bishop Jón Ögmundarson of Hólar in the 12th century but fallen out of use
all around the country in the 13th century, possibly due to the influence of the
Fourth Lateran council.307 Many of the most important sources for the devel-
opment of the Christian religion during the Free State Era, such as Hungrvaka
and the vitae of bishops Þorlákr, Jón, and Páll, make use of the Garlandian com-
putus for their dating of events.
Despite the differences between competing computational methods, they
were all grounded in the same underlying metaphysical framework of how
to think about time and the progress of history. According to this view, the
history of the world and its order was intrinsically connected to the biblical
Heilsgeschichte and the history of the Church. History is divided into six stages
or ages (aetates) until it reaches the end of the world, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Some versions count eight ages, adding a seventh age of rest and an age
beyond time after the Last judgment.308 Such an understanding is reflected in
a sermon in the Icelandic Homily Book to be delivered on the feast of Christ’s
circumcision:

303 Jakob Benediktsson, “Formáli,” in íf i, p. xxxi.

304 Ibid., pp. xxix-​xxx.
305 Gunnar Karlsson, Inngangur að miðöldum, p. 395.
306 Another alternative, which did not catch on in Iceland, was set forth by Marianus Scotus
of Mainz (1028–​1082 or 1083), according to which Christ was born 22 years after the point
in time championed by Dionysius and Bede. For a further discussion on the popularity
of Garland’ computus in 12th and 13th century Iceland, see Jón Jóhannesson, “Tímatal
Gerlands,” Skírnir 126 (1952), pp. 76–​93.
307 Jón Jóhannesson, “Tímatal Gerlands,”pp. 76–​93.
308 Jakob Benediktsson, “Verdensaldre” in klnm xix, cols. 651–​653.
122 Chapter 2

Sex eru aldrar heims þessa. Nú er það nauðsyn, að menn nýti sér veittar
stundir og vinni sér til eilífrar hvíldar í heiminum. Inn sjöundi aldur er
paradísarvist til dómsdags. Inn átti aldur er sjálfur upprisudagur með eilí-
fri sælu, þá er góðri önd er eigi mein að líkama sínum, því að þau eru þá
samþykk og eru ávallt hjá skapera sínum.309
[This world has six ages. It is necessary now that men use the time
given to them and earn their eternal rest in the world. The seventh age is a
paradisal stay till the Day of Judgment. The eighth age is the resurrection
day itself, with eternal bliss, when a good soul suffers no harm from the
body, for they are in accordance with each other and eternally with their
creator.]

The version of this scheme most widespread in the Middle Ages had its ori-
gins with Augustine but gained influence in medieval Western and Northern
Europe through popular authors such as Isidore of Seville, Bede the ven-
erable, and Honorius Augustodunensis.310 Beginning with the moment
of creation, the first age ranged from Adam to Moses, the second period
extended from Noah to Abraham, the third spanned the period between
Abraham and David, the fourth between David and the Babylonian Exile,
and the fifth lasted from the Exile until the birth of Christ. From a medie-
val point of view, the period before Christ (ante Christum natum), generally
conceptulized with respect to the Mosaic law (in Latin ante legem or sub
lege; in Icelandic fyrir lög or undir lögum), served the sole purpose of being
fulfilled with the birth of Christ. The Christ-​event marked the beginning of
a new era, the sixth age of history, a period of grace (in Latin sub gratia; in
Icelandic, undir miskunn) in which medieval Icelanders, as elsewhere, found
themselves.311
At the center of this historical framework stood the human being. The
Christian Heilsgeschichte revolved, after all, around the salvation of human-
ity. The human lot, caused by the sin of the first man was to remain in the
fleating mortal and temporal existence as a result of divine justice, wrath, and
revenge.312

309 íh, p. 79. See also a reference to this scheme in íh, p. 37. The world chronicle Veraldar saga
is also organized according to the framework of six aetates.
310 Sverrir Jakobsson, Við og veröldin, pp. 112–​113; Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, “Universal his-
tory in fourteenth-​century Iceland: Studies in am 764 4to” (Doctoral thesis, University of
London, 2000), 63–​68.
311 See íh, p. 57.
312 On the tension between divine justice and divine mercy, see íh, pp. 40–​41.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 123

Frá honum [Adam] er komið allt mannkyn í þenna heim og var ávallt
bundið stríðlega af sekt ins fyrsta manns, og mátti engi maður komast
undan því oki, heldur féllu allir undir ríki eilífs dauða og djöfullegs
máttar.313
[From him [Adam] is the entire human race descended in this world
and is always harshly bound by the guilt of the first man, and for no man
was it possible to escape this plight, but everybody was bound to fall
under the sway of eternal death and devilish power.]

This affects every human being and nobody is able to escape it, not even the
holiest of men, with the exception of the Lord himself. “No men in this world
have been so holy that they have not done something wrong, although the
faults of some are both few and small.”314 The world is covered in the darkness
of sins:

Svo kalla helgar bækur sem nótt myrk synda og villu og þar með reiði Guðs
lægi yfir allri veröld frá synd ins fyrsta manns allt til upprisu Domini, sú
er allt mannkyn leiddi til dauða og til helvítis myrkra héðan úr heimi.315
[The period between the sin of the first man –​which led the human
race into death and the darkness of hell out of this world –​until the res-
urrection of the Lord [Domini], holy books name as the dark night of sins
and error as the wrath of God lay over the entire world.]

And the dark night is evidently seen in the material existence of all people.
Each individual is striving to endure “í vesöld veraldar þessar, í sóttum og
sárleik, hríðum og frostum og óárum, sulti og manndauð og margháttuðum
meinlætum, þeim er hér verða að hafa þeir menn, er heiminn byggva” [in the
misery of this world, in diseases and pains, snowstorms, colds, and bad years,
hunger and losses and all kinds of hardships, the lot of those men who inhabit
the world.]316 Other indicators are the existence, persistence, and success of
all kinds of enemies: pagans, heretics, Jews and of course devils and other
monsters.317 Each prayer of the Lord’s Prayer, at least according to one of its
interpretations found in the Icelandic Homily Book, is meant to counter such

313 íh, p. 65.

314 “Hafa engir menn svo helgir verið í heiminum, að eigi hafi nekkvað misgjört, þótt sumir
hafi bæði fátt og smátt …” íh, p. 223.
315 íh, p. 103.
316 íh, p. 242.
317 See section 3.2. below.
124 Chapter 2

evils, which are ultimately related to the “evil of the Devil, sins and betrayal,
diseases and sorrow and all kind of this-​worldly ailments.“318 And in spite of
everything, the battle for survival is bound to end with the inescapable destin-
ity of death, for “nobody became so potent in the world that he might avoid
death, everybody should accept it, the powerful as the powerless, noble and
humble, old as young, and then receive their recompence in accordance with
their performance.”319
The religious truth of Christ’s resurrection constituted the dawn of “the day
of the bright and correct faith and mercy of the Lord [Domini]” –​in several
senses.320 The eschatological hope of the imminent day of reckoning pro-
vided faithful Christians with some consolation –​and certainly a considerable
amount of dread as well. And in addition to the ultimate judgment day of the
second coming of Christ and his heavenly hosts, there was the judgment day of
every individual Christian taking place at the end of her or his life.321

2.4.2 Typological Thought

With the fall of man, human beings’ access to God and divine truth was
obstructed and their understanding of the divine distorted. As explained by
Hugh of St. Victor, the only eyes unclouded after the fall were the eyes of flesh,
while the eyes of reason (ratio) and the eyes of contemplation (contempla-
tio) were darkened.322 These correspond roughly to the distinction made by
Honorius Augustodunensis between bodily vision (corporalis), spiritual vision
(spiritualis), and intellectual vision (intellectualis) which might lie behind the
Old Icelandic phrase hugskots augu.323 The only way to reach an understanding

318 “[D]‌jöfuls illsku, […] syndum og svikum, sóttum og sorgum og allri þessa heims mein-
semi.” íh, p. 43.
319 íh, pp. 69–​70.
320 íh, p. 103.
321 For the judgment of the individual at the end of life see: “En svo er hverjum komi dómada-
gur, þegar er hann andast, fyr því að veit hver þá þegar sinn hluta, hvort hann skal helvítis
kvalar hafa, þær er aldregi skal þrjóta, eða skal hann hafa hreinsunareld nekkverja stund
og þau meinlæti, er af honum brenni inar smærri syndir, þær er hann hefir óbættar, áður
hann andist” [And upon the death of each arrives his judgment day, as each comes to
know his share, if he will receive eternal tortures in hell, or if he shall have to endure
purgatory for some while and the hardship meant to burn of him the smaller, unsettled
sins, before he passes.] íh, p. 223. To the ultimate day of judgment there are numerous
references, for examples see íh, pp. 19, 25, 27, 26, 33, 41, 44, 60, 62, 69, 72, 85, 92, 94, 107, 124
125, 160, 175, 177, 274, 292, 296–​297, 301.
322 Hugh of St. Victor, The Didascalicon of Hugh of St. Victor: A Medieval Guide to the Arts,
trans. and ed. Jerome Taylor (New York, 1961), pp. 6.
323 Honorius Augustodunensis, Liber duodecim quaestionum 10. pl 172. Col. 1183A.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 125

of God and his will was through symbols which could only give indirect access;
still it was the only bridge to the eternal reality of God. The symbol, which in
the Middle Ages was more frequently referred to as a resemblance (similitudo),
image (imago), type (typus) or figure (figura), belonged to the earthly and vis-
ible reality but was also ‘real’ through its participation in the divine reality
it represented. To take a well-​known example, such an understanding of the
symbol was central to the medieval doctrine of the sacraments. The bread and
the wine, or the species as the physical properties of the sacrament were called,
were conceived as symbols, referring as sacred symbols to the thing itself (res),
that is the body and blood of Christ. Central to such thinking is the notion –​
ultimately grounded in Platonic dualism –​that beyond the visible reality –​
fleeting, fallible, and unreliable as it is –​is another world, more real and more
true than the physical world visible to human eyes.
The divine reality remains beyond temporal progress as known to human
perception, as reflected in the following translation of Prosper of Aquitaine’s
57th epigram, found in am 677 4to:

“Fyr vtan tid er skipan tiþana i eilifri gvds specd enda ero ongver lvter
nyradliger fyr þeim sem von er at er skapþa hever þa hluti þegar er en eru
ocomnir fram oc coma muno”324
[Outside time is the order of times in the eternal wisdom of God for
no things are new for the one who has created those things which already
exist as well as those which have not emerged and will come to pass.]

Historical events are only a faint image of the heavenly eternity which allowed
for an interpretation of historical events and a historical consciousness which
has been termed symbolic, figural, or typological. This means that two his-
torical events or persons, distant in time and space according to human con-
ception, can be taken to reflect symbolically the same eternal, constant, and
divine truth. Other well-​known metaphors for the relationship between type
and antitype are those of shadow and the figure projecting the shadow, child-
hood and maturity, or a sketch and a painting that is already finished. From
the point of view of biblical exegesis, typological thought is grounded in the
notion that the Old and New Testament form an entire whole constituting the
revelation of God.
A short definition of typological interpretation, often also termed fig-
ural interpretation, is, according to Erich Auerbach, the establishing of “a

324 Leifar, p. 13.

126 Chapter 2

connection between two events or persons, the first of which signifies not
only itself but also the second, while the second encompasses or fulfills the
first.”325 Another specialist on the subject, Friedrich Ohly, defined typology
along similar lines:

Sie besteht in der Zusammenschau zweier Geschehnisse, Einrichtungen,

Personen oder Dinge, deren je eines aus dem Alten und dem Neuen
Testament gegriffen und zu einem Ereignispaar derart verbunden wird,
daß durch die Zuordnung zu einem spiegelnden Sichbeleuchten ein
Sinnzusammenhang zwischen den beiden an den Tag gebracht wird.326

As Ohly’s citation indicates, such a hermeneutical stance can be traced back

to how biblical exegesis was practiced already in late antiquity, throughout the
Middle Ages, and beyond.327 As the revealed word of God, the biblical text was
understood to give acess to divine truth which, according to medieval exegetes,
manifested itself in the four (sometimes three) different senses of scripture.
The plain, literal meaning of the text was referred to as sensus historicus which
concerned itself exclusively with facts (res gestae). Beyond the historical sense
of scripture, which did not always lend itself to much theological specula-
tion in itself, medieval exegetes could find different layers of spiritual mean-
ing (sensus spiritualis). Allegoria, the allegorical, mystical or spiritual sense of
scripture, gave access to another, transcendent meaning; as noted by Honorius
Augustodunensis, it refers to those parts of scripture by which something else
is meant than the facts (res) recounted.328 Another spiritual sense of scripture
was the tropological or moral sense (sensus tropologicus or sensus moralis) on
the grounds of which exegetes would construct guidance for human action.
The fourth sense of scripture, which in fact is a type of allegory, was the so-​
called anagogical sense which deals with allegorical similitudes referring spe-
cifically to the eschatological future. By aid of this hermeneutical framework,
which was grounded in the same symbolic thought mentioned above, medie-
val exegetes had access to the eternal and divine reality.

325 Erich Auerbach, “ ‘Figura,’ ” in Scenes from the Drama of European Literature, foreword by
Paolo Valesio, Theory and History of Literature 9 (Minneapolis, 1984), p. 53.
326 Friedrich Ohly, “Typologie als Denkform der Geschichtsbetrachtung,” in Natur, Religion,
Sprache, Universität: Universitätsvorträge 1982/​1983, Schriftenreihe der Westfälischen
Wilhelms-​Universität Münster 7 (Münster, 1983), p. 68.
327 For a clear and informative overview of medieval hermeneutics, see Hans-​Werner Goetz,
Geschichtschreibung und Geschichtsbewußtsein im hohen Mittelalter, 2nd ed., Orbis medi-
aevalis. Vorstellungswelten des Mittelalters 1 (Berlin, 2008 [1999]), pp. 78–​91.
328 Honorius Augustodunensis, De animae exsilio et patria 12. pl 172. Col. 1245C.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 127

The typological or figural understanding was constituted on grounds of the

same ontological principles as the notion of the fourfold meaning of scripture.
Historical persons, events or courses of events could be interpreted in view of
the past in order to make a statement of general validity. From such a point
of view, a preceding type would be taken to refer to its later antitype; a his-
torical figure was understood to ‘prefigure’ a corresponding later figure. When
applied to the progress of history, however, the interpretation was obviously
not restricted to the biblical history although the biblical history enjoyed a
central position for typological interpretation. As can be seen in various works
of medieval historiography, the entire history of the Church and also histori-
cal developments of a more secular nature, for example in politics, reflect this
view of the world and history. Thus, to take two frequently rehearsed exam-
ples, medieval authors would view emperor Constantine as a new Moses and
Charlemagne as a new David.329 History was thus not only understood to tell
of past things but could also be symbolically understood to reflect the fact –​
inevitable to medieval Christians –​that every course of events had a place in
God’s divine order of things.

2.4.3 Typological Thought in Medieval Icelandic Culture

The outlines described above should only be taken as an ideal type of the
Weltanschauung constituted by the theological worldview and hermeneutic
framework promoted by the Christian Church, internalized and adapted by
unlike individuals in different ways and measure. Written sources from medi-
eval Iceland testify about the diverse ways in which such a typological histor-
ical consciousness could manifest itself, ranging from the practice of name
giving to the composition of large works of literature.330 In the late 20th cen-
tury scholars were beginning to pay attention to such issues. Lars Lönnroth,
Gerd Wolfgang Weber, and Hermann Pálsson, emphasized how medieval
Scandinavian historiographers viewed the pagan past of the North in terms of
the Christian understanding of history described above.331 In recent years, the
discussion on such topics has become increasingly lively and the number of

329 Ohly, “Typologie als Denkform der Geschichtsbetrachtung,” p. 75, see also p. 96,
footnote 19.
330 Sverrir Jakobsson maintains that the extent to which such thinking, shaped by a vertical
sense of space and a typological sense of history, was brought to Iceland by the Church
is unclear. It might for example be reflected in texts of Norse mythology but whether
such texts can be understood to reflect pre-​Christian though is subject to debate. There
is however, no doubt that the Church made use of it for presenting its message. Sverrir
Jakobsson, Við og veröldin, pp. 83 and 97.
331 See discussion in section 1.1.2 of the present work.
128 Chapter 2

examples of how Icelandic sagas portray the influence of Christian symbolic

thought (what some scholars would call the inculturation of the Christian
Heilsgeschichte into medieval works of literature) has increase significantly.332
In very recent years, for example, two extensive monographs on hagiography
and medieval Icelandic literature have been published, both dealing with it
from a literary historical point of view with the primary goal of bringing out
how hagiographic themes appear in saga writing and to some extent poetry
as well.333 It would exceed the scope of this study to provide an exhaustive
summary of the debate but a few examples will suffice for explaining how
the ‘ecclesiastical imagination’ manifested itself in the literary production of
the time.
In his work on Heiðarvíga saga, among the oldest sagas of the Icelanders,
Bjarni Guðnason argues that the text should not be taken as a narrative
of actual events but as an “epic novel laden with spiritual meaning.”334 The
family dispute occupying the largest share of the saga, climaxing in a bat-
tle between the rivaling parties taking place on the heath Tvídægra, should
rather be understood spiritually as a symbolic representation of the constant
tension between Christianity and paganism, forgiveness and revenge, peace
and unrest. According to such a reading, Guðnason suggests that medieval
Icelanders would have aligned Víga-​Styr, the villain of the saga who mistreats
the farmers in his district, with antagonists from the Hebrew Bible, for exam-
ple the Egyptian pharaoh or the Philistean warrior Goliath. Similarly, the
protagonist of the story who eventually kills Víga-​Styr would have been par-
alleled with King David. Although one should be careful when applying such
detailed typological interpretations to texts which do not explicitly mention
them, Guðnason’s general point on the constant and recurring battle between

332 For a discussion of the term inculturation, see Bruno Quast’s introduction, “Literarische
Inkulturation. Zur Einleitung” in Inkulturation. Strategien bibelepischen Schreibens in
Mittelalter und Früher Neuzeit, eds. Bruno Quast und Susanne Spreckelmeier, Literatur
-​Theorie -​Geschichte 12 (Berlin, 2017), pp. 1–​13.
333 Siân E. Grønlie, The Saint and the Saga Hero: Hagiography and Early Icelandic Literature,
Studies in Old Norse Literature (Woodbridge, 2017) and Haki Antonsson, Damnation and
Salvation in Old Norse Literature, Studies in Old Norse Literature (Woodbridge, 2018).
See also Antonsson’s article, “The Construction of Auðunar þáttr vestfirzka: A Case of
Typological Thinking in Early Old Norse Prose,” Scandinavian Studies 90 (2018), 485–​508.
334 Bjarni Guðnason, Túlkun Heiðarvígasögu, Studia Islandica 50 (Reykjavík, 1993), p. 265.
Guðnason’s interpretation has been criticized by both Alison Finlay, “Interpretation or
Over-​Interpretation? The dating of two Íslendingasögur,” Gripla xiv (2003), 61–​91 and
Uwe Ebel, “Ex oriente lux: Zum Problem theologischer Sinngebung in der Heiðarvíga
sagaˮ in International Scandinavian and Medieval Studies in Memory of Gerd Wolfgang
Weber, ed. Michael Dallapiazza et al. (Trieste, 2000).
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 129

Christianity and heathendom seems reasonable, testifying to the vividness of

typological thinking in medieval Iceland.335
Another early family saga which has been shown to be fraught with Christian
symbolism is Egils saga. In books and articles, Torfi H. Tulinius has striven to
show how the author of the saga about the eventful life of the warrior-​poet
Egil Skallagrimsson has incorporated manifold layers of biblical typology into
the work. Most significant to Tulinius’ reading of the text, are the typological
parallels between the protagonist Egil and two characters from the Hebrew
Bible, Cain (and Judas Iscarioth, Cain’s antetype from the New Testament, by
extention) and King David. Not only did Egil share several characteristics of
outward appearance with Cain and Judas as they were depicted in mediveal
ecclesiastical iconography –​baldness, vivid eyebrows, and, according to some
interpretations, a shivering head –​but he also had a very ambiguous relation-
ship towards his brother Þórólfr and his actions would eventually lead to his
death.336 Furthermore, Egil’s killing of the Christ-​figure Rögnvaldr, son of King
Erik and queen Gunnhild, fits such a reading quite well.337 A more convincing
analogy can be drawn between Egil and King David. Like David, Egil is a poet;
he desires the wife of another man and his actions lead to the death of the
competing husband, who in Egil’s case is his brother. The death of both Egil’s
brother Þórólfr and Uriah, David’s competitor, happen in battle under simi-
lar circumstances. Furthermore, both David and Egil loose a beloved friend
and later a son conceived with the woman desired and originally betrothed
to another.338 Through these parallels and other, Tulinius uncovers a spiritual
layer of meaning according to which Egil emerges as a highly ambigous char-
acter with a hybrid religious identity. In that sense, Egil’s life can be understood
as a conversion event, as he moves from paganism and sin to Christianity,
repentance, and forgiveness.339 In her more recent treatment of the topic, Siân
E. Grønlie emphasizes the way in which the saga author is resisting and invert-
ing standard hagiographic topoi and suggests that Egil might be conceived of
as an “’anti-​saint’, who challenges and subverts supposedly saintly norms.”340
The clearest cases of typological thought are found in hagiographical liter-
ature. In many cases, the type or the prefiguration does not necessarily stem
from a biblical-​apocryphal past. To mention an obvious example from Ólafs

335 Bjarni Guðnason, Túlkun Heiðarvígasögu, p. 266.

336 Torfi H. Tulinius, Enigma of Egill, pp. 90–​93.
337 Ibid., pp. 82–​86.
338 Ibid., pp. 97–​100 et passim.
339 Ibid., pp. 119–​131.
340 Grønlie, Saint and the Saga Hero, p. 108.
130 Chapter 2

saga Tryggvasonar by the monk Oddr Snorrason, the relationship between the
two kings, Ólafr Tryggvason and Ólafr Haraldsson, is paralelled with the rela-
tionship between John the Baptist and Christ.341 Ólafr Tryggvason holds Ólafr
Haraldsson during his baptism and thus becomes, as John did for the Lord.

Ok svá sem hann var hans fyrirrennari ens helga Óláfs konungs, svá var ok
Óláfr konungr Tryggvason fyrirrenari hins helga Óláfs konungs, ok heldu
þeir sínar sifjar sem allir skyldu í sínum helgum krapti ok dýrligum ver-
kum, ok þat kom þar fram sem Jóan mælti við Dróttin: „Þér hœfir at vaxa,
en mér at þverra.“342
[And as John was His precursor, so was King Olaf Tryggvason the pre-
cursor of the sainted King Olaf. They maintained their kinship as every-
one should, with holy strength and glorious deeds. It then came to pass as
John said to the Lord: “You are destined to grow and I to diminish.”

Such typological parallelism between two saints is even more evident in

another group of Icelandic hagiography. The Icelandic bishops’ sagas clearly
exhibit the same sort of typological patterns as other hagiographic texts com-
posed in the Latin West.343 Model bishops like Þorlákr and Jón, are depicted
in a saintly manner, imitating Christ’s paradigmatic actions each in their own
way.344 Some of them, like Þorlákr, are even explicitly presented as apostles
for Iceland.345 Their earthly enemies similarly represent the enemies of the
Church and Christianity and the fight being fought should be understood in
the elevated sense of the constant battle between the cosmic forces of good
and evil.

2.4.4 Conclusion: Beyond the Written Word

The above examples show that typological thought was a vivid part of how
medieval Icelanders thought about the world and their place in it. It was
the self-​evident framework within which the authors of medieval writings,
whether hagiographical or of a less explicitly religious nature, formulated their

341 For a more thorough discussion on hagiographic elements in this text see Grønlie, Saint
and the Saga Hero, pp. 39–​77.
342 íf xxv, p. 125. Trans. Theodore M. Andersson in Oddr Snorrason, The Saga of Olaf
Tryggvason, Islandica lii (Ithaca, 2003), p. 35.
343 Ásdís Egilsdóttir, “The Beginnings of Local Hagiography in Iceland: The Lives of Bishops
Þorlákr and Jón,” in Fræðinæmi: Greinar gefnar út í tilefni 70 ára afmælis Ásdísar Egilsdóttur
(Reykjavík, 2016), pp. 39–​41.
344 íf xvi, pp. lxxi-​lxxvi.
345 íf xv, p. 43.
The Roman Church in Free State Iceland 131

versions of past events and their significance for the present. While it is safe
to assume that the authors of hagiographical works were by and large eccle-
siastics, the identity of those who composed the family sagas is less certain
and subject to a long-​standing debate. In some cases they could have been
ecclesiastics but not necessarily. They could very well have been literate lay-
men like Snorri Sturluson who has been suggested as the author of Egils saga
but better known for his composition of Heimskringla –​a collection of sagas of
Norwegian kings –​and the Prose Edda. The ontological framework and the his-
torical consciousness described above were not only restricted to ecclesiastics,
but inherent to Icelandic culture and society at the time and shared by laypeo-
ple and the ordained, although people would have made use of it in different
ways and measure. It should be emphasized, for the present purposes, that it
was also not restricted to the production of written texts, although they pro-
vide the clearest evidence for it. The same ontological structures –​symbolism,
figuralism, typology –​provided the framework in which people made sense
of the events taking place around them even though they were not always put
into writing. The written evidence for typological thought in medieval Iceland
does not provide the only versions of how it was carried out but first and fore-
most testifies to the vividness of the phenomenon and its significance in medi-
eval Icelandic culture.
 ­c hapter 3

Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society

As other religious texts, the source material under inspection contains dis-
courses on things transcendent and eternal. It also contains a set of ideas, often
inscribed in the same discourses, promoting a particular social framework and
particular power relations. The dispersion of such discourses around society
serves to stabilize and consolidate the suggested social order as well as it legit-
imates the authority of certain groups while confirming and naturalizing the
subordination of others.1 Since its arrival in Iceland, messages of such sociopo-
litical import were part of the proclamation of the Church. The Church intro-
duced notions and categories supporting and reinforcing its position through
the mythical corpus represented most prominently through the religious texts
constituting the backbone of the analysis in this third chapter. In other words,
the institutional growth of the Church, so thoroughly treated by scholars of
medieval Iceland, was grounded in and reinforced by a corpus of religious
myth that has not been as thoroughly studied in that context. Surveying the
religious discourses of the source material, the following three sections will
explore and analyse the ways in which it can be seen to prescribe to its audi-
ences a vision of a particular societal order. To that end, three major themes
from the source material are explored, all of which played a crucial role for the
social formation taking place through the religious discourse.2 These themes
remain stable, that is the way in which they are constructed stays similar or the
same throughout the 13th century and, as will be further argued in the fourth
chapter of this book, all of these themes carried considerable social weight in
the Icelandic Free State.
Guided by the imperial hermeneutic perspective, the discursive themes
explored here are intended to throw light on a particular configuration of
power, namely how the Church constructed for itself a position of ‘power-
ing over’ other people and especially any opposition that stood in its way.3 In

1 Such an understanding of the nature of religious texts is based on the theorizing of Bruce
Lincoln who has defined mythical texts as containing “ideology in narrative form.” Bruce
Lincoln, Theorizing Myth: Narrative, Ideology, and Scholarship (Chicago, 1999), p. 147.
2 For a methodological discussion on the identifying and organizing of such a thematic, see
Lincoln, Theorizing Myth, pp. 150–​151. See also, Lincoln, “How to Read a Religious Text,”
pp. 9–​10.
3 The phrase ‘power over,’ is frequently used by scholars adhering to an atemporal under-
standing of the postcolonial as an ‘imperial experience.’ Such a point of view calls for an

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2021 | DOI:10.1163/9789004449572_004

Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 133

that regard, the present study shares the premises of those scholars who have
analysed Christian religious texts from the perspective of postcolonial and
imperial studies.4 The thematic set forth in the three sections of this chapter
thus reflects what has been termed the ‘imperial ethos’ inscribed in the texts
and, consequently, the religious discourse to which they attest.5 That is, how
they aimed at social control, through enforcing the power and authority of the
Roman Church and reinforcing the submission and obedience of other social
groups. Along these lines, the first two themes concern the most important
socioreligious groups and the boundaries between them, of course from the
point of view of the Roman Church. Thus, the first section discusses the dis-
cursive representation of the Church itself and its representatives. It explores
how the position of the Church was explained and defended and why those
who belonged to it—​and particularly those who had been chosen to represent
it—​enjoy a privileged position of powering over other people. The second part
of the chapter deals with how those who set themselves apart from the Church
by disregarding its instructions or opposing it in other ways are represented
in the discourse. The third part looks into the retributive structures inscribed
in the discourse, preserving the social order by insisting on the benefits of
the social order promoted by the Church and the negative consequences of
undermining it.

3.1 Authority

This section, headlined by the relatively broad term ‘authority,’ seeks to

show how the early religious discourse of the Roman Church in Iceland con-
tributed to elevate the Church as an institution and its representatives to a
position of powering over other people in society. The notion of authority is

explanation of which power is powering over each time, but as already noted it is the Roman
Church which assumes that role in the present analysis. For a more detailed discussion of
this issue, see sections 1.2.2.1 and 1.2.2.2 above.
4 For examples of the employment of such an approach, see Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza’s
Power of the Word, Warren Carter’s, Matthew and Empire: Initial Explorations (Harrisburg,
2001), and Stephen D. Moore’s Empire and Apocalypse: Postcolonialism and the New Testament,
The Bible in the Modern World 12 (Sheffield, 2006). For further examples and an overview
of the diversity of approaches within this field of scholarship, see Fernardo F. Segovia,
“Introduction: Configurations, Approaches, Findings, Stances,” in Postcolonial Commentary
on the New Testament Writings, eds. Fernando F. Segovia and R. S. Sugirtharajah, The Bible
and Postcolonialism 13 (London, 2009), pp. 1–​68.
5 Schüssler Fiorenza, Power of the Word, p. 149.
134 Chapter 3

here understood as an aspect of discourse, following scholars such as Pierre

Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, James C. Scott, and in particular Bruce Lincoln
whose work on religious discourse has already been cited on several occasions.
In his book on authority, Lincoln explains how he views discursive authority
as “(1) an effect; (2) the capacity for producing that effect; and (3) the com-
monly shared opinion that a given actor has the capacity for producing that
effect.ˮ6 As for what sort of effect exactly, Lincoln states on a very general note
that authority is best conceived in relational terms “as the effect of a posited,
perceived, or institutionally ascribed asymmetry between speaker and audi-
ence” and as such can manifest itself in various ways in different cultural and
historical surroundings.7 As a form of communication, authority stands close
to persuasion and may lead to or even legitimize the use of force, but if it is
necessary to resort to either one of those measures to have an influence, it usu-
ally means that authority is lacking.8 In this part of the study, it will be asked
how the ecclesiastical discourse could have contributed to producing such an
effect of “asymmetry between speaker and audience.”9 In this section, three
core components of the authority of the Church and its representatives will
be explored: first, the notion of the Church’s teaching will be discussed which
will, in turn, call for a further discussion of the topic of apostolic authority and
domination. Finally, the attention will be directed to the institutional organi-
zation of the Church, the ecclesiastical hierarchy that is to say, and how it was
grounded in the religious discourse.

3.1.1 Teaching
A central term from the religious discourse contributing to the Church’s
authority is that of a ‘teaching’ or ‘doctrine,’ rendered in Icelandic as kenning.
It was mediated by kennimenn which literally means a teacher.10 In medieval
Iceland it was exclusively used about priests who were, as already discussed, in
control of the new technology of literacy which distinguished them from most
other people and, of no less importance, gave access to the sacred doctrines
of the Church. The term kenning referred, broadly, to the knowledge which

6 Lincoln, Authority: Construction and Corrosion, pp. 10–​11.

7 Ibid., p. 4.
8 Ibid., p. 4.
9 To such ends, the source material is read in the sense provided by religion scholar
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza that “all discourses about the Divine are articulated in spe-
cific socio-​political situations, by particular people, with certain interests in mind, and
for a certain audience with whom they share cultural codes and religious traditions.”
Schüssler Fiorenza, Power of the Word, p. 196.
10 Cleasby-​Vigfusson, p. 336.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 135

the Church preserved in its books and learning and the ways in which it was
promoted and mediated. It should be noted that an important way for impe-
rial formations like the medieval Roman Church to stay in power over their
subjects is to maintain control over the production and mediation of knowl-
edge. Teaching was a highly significant part of of medieval Christian religios-
ity; accepting it was a sine qua non for any Christian, and opposing it meant
exclusion. In what follows, the term will be explored with a particular empha-
sis on how clerical authority was bolstered through the Church’s religious dis-
course in which the teaching exclusively accessible to the clergy, was being
constructed as superior to any other knowledge.

3.1.1.1 The Original Teaching

Anybody listening to what was being said in Icelandic churches during
Christianity’s first centuries would sooner or later come across the word ken-
ning. In the sagas of the apostles, a central theme is the apostles’ teaching
which they deliver to all sorts of audiences they encounter on their travels. The
preaching of the apostles could be directly traced to their own teacher, Christ
himself, one of whose many attributes was that of a teacher (kennimaðr)11 and
a mentor to the apostles (lærifaðir).12 The apostles were speaking the teaching
of Jesus through their own mouths as it is described by the apostle Matthew in
his saga.13 An example of how prominent the notion could be in the Church’s
discourse is found in the following passage from the Saga of the Apostle Andrew:

Þa for Mattheus postoli a braut þaðan ok ut a Blaland, ok leiddi þar

margan lyð til guðs fyrir sina kenning, ok let þar lif sitt fyrir guðs nafni,
þa er hann hafði aðr snuit þeim hinum ofagrliga lyð ok gervan fagran i
guðligri tru af sinum kenningum. Þegar er Mattheus var a braut farinn,
tok Andreas postoli at kenna kenningar i borginni berliga. Ok þegar er
borgarmenn heyrðu hans kenningar þeir er eggiaðir voru af diofuls krapti
at svivirða guðs kenningar þa toku þeir þegar hondum Andream postola
ok drogu hann um borgina innan a hari sva harðliga, at a hverium steini

11 Post, p. 185.
12 Post, p. 185 (Christ as kennimaðr). Post, p. 342 (Christ as lærifaðir).
13 “Þu hefir enn eigi heyrða kenning drottins mins Jesus Kristz af munni minum,” [You have
not yet heard the teaching of my Lord Jesus Christ from my mouth] Post, p. 801. Trans.
Roughton ii, p. 820. See also the apostle Paul’s response to emperor Nero: “En su kenning
er mer eigi af monnum gefin, helldr af guði Jesu Kristo ok dyrðar foður,” [This doctrine
was not given to me by men but rather by God, Jesus Christ, the father of glory] Post, 191.
Trans. Roughton ii, p. 542.
136 Chapter 3

ok stræti var hans bloð set. Postolinn let eigi at helldr af kenning sinni, sa
er fullr var af miskunn heilags and, ok bað fyrir þeim overðum.14
[The apostle Matthew departed and went to Africa, and he brought
a large number of people there to God through his teaching, and he lost
his life there for the name of God after he had converted those inelegant
people and made them beautiful in godly faith by his teachings. As soon
as Matthew was gone, the apostle Andrew began to teach and to preach
[kenna kenningar] openly in the city. When the people of the city, who
were urged on by the power of the Devil to dishonour the teachings of
God, heard his teachings, they immediately seized the apostle Andrew
and dragged him by the hair so violently through the city that his blood
spilled out onto every stone and street. The apostle, however, who was
filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, desisted in no way from his teach-
ings, and he prayed for those unworthy ones.]

Despite the prevalence of the topic of the teaching in the hagiographical

sources, one should be careful not to read any complex dogmatic instruction
into the religious shaping taking place at the time. In the hagiographic texts,
the apostles’ teaching can be described in various ways and most often it did
not reach a high level of complexity. Surely, most apostolic vitae contain at
least one speech from an apostle where the audience gets direct access to their
teaching. The speeches can vary greatly in length and content, ranging from
short recapitulations of the life of Jesus to short theological treatises on topics
such as original sin.15 Some texts contain more speeches than others, like the
lengthy sagas of apostles Peter, Paul, Andrew and John. In others there is only
one speech like in the Saga of the Apostles Philip and James or even none at all
as in the Saga of the Apostle Matthias. More often than not, however, the teach-
ing itself is left unsaid and key words or phrases kept instead. Thus, the apos-
tles are said to be preaching the teaching of Jesus (or simply preaching Jesus),
the teaching of life, words of God, or other equally open description of the
teaching.16 In other instances, they are said to be teaching the correct faith (tru

14 Post, pp. 320–​321. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 613–​614. Italics added. As Roughton points out,
the passage quoted is an addition by the Icelandic translator to the Latin source text so
the word must have been closely linked to the apostles as imagined by a 12th century
Icelandic cleric. Roughton i, pp. 201–​202.
15 See the apostle Bartholomew’s two speeches for King Polimius in the Saga of the Apostle
Bartholomew, Post, pp. 746–​748.
16 Post, p. 165 (faith of Jesus Christ); Post, p. 167 (word of life); Post, p. 178 (teaching of life);
Post, p. 328 (preaching Jesus Christ); Post, p. 515 (teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ).
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 137

retta) and the true faith (sanna tru).17 On other instances the content descrip-
tion is completely left out and the immediate result described. If the teaching
is successful, it leads to repentance and conversion and if not, it can lead to
anger and violence, as described by the apostle Peter in one of his speeches:

Þvi mun hverr batna eða versna við helgar kenningar, at sumir leggia a hug,
en sumir abbaz við, þa er þeir verða vitaðir fyrir gløpi sina, sva sem þa er
drottinn taldi tru fyrir Gyðingum, at sumir hlyddu honum, en sumir stygðuz
við hann ok reðu um hann fiὀrraðum.18
[Everyone will either improve or worsen upon hearing the holy teach-
ings, for some wil take it to heart when they are rebuked for their crimes,
and some will be vexed, just as when the Lord preached the faith to the
Jews: some heeded him, but some were offended and plotted against his life.]

An important feature of the teaching is its universal scope as it was seen to

unite the Christian world, from its center to the fringes. Such an idea is rooted
in the great commission of Matt. 28:19 where the resurrected Jesus instructs
his disciples to spread his teachings around the entire world.19 The faith which
the Church emerging in Iceland preached was, after all, catholic, in Icelandic
almennilig trúa which literally means that which applies to all men: “ein er
almennileg trúa boðuð í öllum áttum heims” [one is the catholic faith preached
in all of the world’s quarters].20 Through these and similar remarks it was made
clear to the Icelandic audience that the preaching delivered to them was the
same elsewhere in the Christian world. Inherent to their identity as Christians
was that they belonged to a much larger whole extending around the entire
world.21
For the universal dispersion of the teaching, the missionary activities of the
apostles were imperative. They had received from Jesus “þat hit agæta umboð
almattigs guðs at boða hans erindi um allan heim” [the excellent mandate of
almighty God to proclaim his message around the entire world].22 This same

17 Post, pp. 131, 723, 739 (correct faith); Post, p. 372 (true faith).
18 Post, p. 178. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 521.
19 This particular verse is not preserved in an Icelandic manuscript, neither in Latin nor
Icelandic, but it can be assumed with certainty that it was well-​known to Icelandic clergy.
20 íh, p. 22.
21 Sverrir Jakobsson, Við og veröldin, pp. 128–​129.
22 Post, p. 767. An interesting variation of this theme is the turn of the phrase “naliga um
allan heim” [almost the entire world] which appears both in an original prologue to the
Saga of the Apostle James and in what appears to be an original addition to the Saga of the
Apostles Philip and James. Post, p. 736.
138 Chapter 3

understanding is reflected in a sermon to be delivered on the Feast of All Saints

where the apostles are described as “þeir, er sjálfur Drottinn valdi af alþýðu og
sendi of heim innan að setja grundvöll kristni sinnar, svo að kenningar þeirra
efldist of allan heim” [those chosen from the common people by the Lord him-
self and sent into the world to lay the foundation of his Christianity in order
that their teachings might gain in force around the entire world].23 Another
particularly interesting example deserving to be quoted in full is from a ser-
mon intended for delivery on Christmas day.24 The passage juxtaposes the
taxation of Emperor Augustus to the allegiance to Christ’s commands, carried
around the world by the apostles:

Cesar, það er höfðingjanafn. Það merkir Krist þann, er heldur höfðingss-

kap liðinna hluta, nýlegra og óorðinna. Sjá keiseri Augustus sendi boð of
allan heim, að hver maður, jafnt auðugur sem fátækur, ungur og gamall,
karlar og konur, að hver maður skyldi gjalda honum einn penning heilan,
þann er denarius heitir. Sá er við aðra tíu. Svo sendi Dominus vor, Jesús
Kristur, postula sína of allan heim, að hver sem einn gyldi honum pen-
ning boðorða hans. […] En þá er þetta var að gjört, þá var allur heimurinn
saman samnaður svo vandvirklega, að engi mátti komast undan skattgild-
inu. Svo er nú engi sá í þessum heimi, er komast megi undan skattgildi
konungs vors og Domini Iesu Christi, sá er borinn var í dag til hjálpar
heiminum.25
[Caesar, it’s a chieftain’s name. It refers to that Christ which keeps the
overlordship of things past, recent and those that have not taken place.
This emperor, Augustus, announced to the entire world, that each man,
rich and poor, young and old, men and women, that each man should pay
tribute to him, an entire coin, which is called a denar. Those responsible
for others, ten. In the same way, our Lord Jesus Christ sent his apostles
around the entire world, so that each and everyone would pay what is due
to his commands. […] And when this had been done [the counting and
taxation of the population of the three thirds of the world: Asia, Africa
and Euope], the entire world had been gathered so carefully together that
nobody could escape paying tribute. Similarly now, there is nobody in

23 íh, p. 58.
24 A direct source for the passage has not been identified but as de Leeuw van Weenen points
out it echoes ideas set forth by Pseudo-​Alcuin’s De Divinis Officiis Liber. “Introduction” in
ihb, p. 9.
25 íh, pp. 67–​68.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 139

this world who can escape paying tribute to our king and Dominus Jesus
Christ, who today was born to save the world.]

In addition to the unmistakable imperial metaphor, which was by no means

a rare occurrence in medieval ecclesiastical literature, the passage shows that
the teaching of the Church, here equated with heeding the Lord’s commands,
is considered just as actual and relevant at the moment of the preaching, as
it was when it was originally set forth by the apostles.26 To quickly summa-
rize, the hagiographical literature does not provide a clear outline of what the
teaching entailed. What was made clear, however, was that the kenning pro-
claimed in 11th, 12th, and 13th century Iceland was the same around the entire
world and, furthermore, reached back to the Church’s sacred past; it was the
same apostolic teaching they heard of in sagas of the apostles and other saints.

3.1.1.2 Teaching in the Icelandic Free State

For the medieval Icelander, it is likely that the vague outlines of the apostles’
teaching were filled with more concrete material through the religious shap-
ing and education they received either from a priest or, more often, at home
with their parents or godparents.27 In its most concise form, the teaching was
found in the Apostolic creed and the Pater noster which were the only texts
that every layperson was obligated to know.28 The Old Christian Law section
states clearly that every man and woman should know the Credo and the Pater
noster and those failing to do so would be subject to punishment of three years
of outlawry (fjörbaugsgarðr).29 And even though most people would learn
the basic tenets of their Christian religion at home, it can be assumed that
they also knew that the demands for a minimum knowedge was made by the
Church and that it was the priest’s responsibility to make sure that his parish-
ioners knew the most important texts, their significance and the meaning of
particular key words.30 It should also be kept in mind that these texts were

26 For another example of an imperial metaphor from an ecclesiastical writing, admittedly

not so wide-​spread, see for example Walahfrid Strabo’s ninth century exposition of the
liturgy where he for example states: “Just as Roman emperors are said to have held the
absolute rule of the entire world, so the head bishop in the Roman see who holds blessed
Peter’s office is elevated to the highest position of the entire Church […]” Alice L. Harting-​
Correa, Walahfrid Strabo’s Libellus de exordiis et incrementis quarundam in observa-
tionibus ecclesiasticis rerum: A Translation and Liturgical Commentary, Mittellateinische
Studien und Texte xix (Leiden, 1996), p. 191.
27 kí ii, p. 203; see also kí i, p. 368.
28 Angenendt, Geschichte der Religiosität im Mittelalter, p. 470.
29 Grágás, p. 5.
30 kí ii, p. 203.
140 Chapter 3

figure 7 
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Icelandic Studies

presented and most often recited in Latin which was the official language of
the teaching so people with no or limited understanding of Latin were thus
dependent upon the clergy for access to it.31
The Icelandic Homily Book contains explanations and commentary of
both texts; three on the Pater noster and two on the apostolic creed.32 It can
be assumed that these texts reflect how a member of the clergy might have
explained the content of these two central texts to Icelandic Christians at
the time. The texts provide a version of the confession and the Lord’s Prayer
in the Icelandic vernacular but the Latin is usually kept very central as well
(see figure. 7). In all three versions of the Pater noster and one of the Credo,
each section of interpretation begins by providing the Latin text, then an
Icelandic version, ending with a short theological commentary. The other ver-
sion of the apostolic creed is an extended version in the Icelandic vernacular
containing a summary of Christ’s life. It is the type of a confession which in
German speaking scholarship is called a Gemeinde-​Symbol and Lilli Gjerløw
has pointed out certain similarities with two creeds preserved in the Old High

31 Stefán Karlsson has argued that the degree of difference between the versions of the Pater
noster preserved in the Icelandic vernacular from the High Middle Ages suggests that
it had not acquired a status of a fixed formula intended for people to know by heart.
Stefán Karlsson, “Drottinleg bæn á móðurmáli,” Studia theologica islandica 4 (1990), 163.
As Arnold Angenendt points out there was a growing tendency in non-​Roman Europe
throughout the Middle Ages that the Pater noster, and the Credo as well, were translated
into the various vernaculars and that the sacred status of the three linguae sacrae –​
Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (the only applicable one in the West) –​gradually receded.
Angenendt, Geschichte der Religiosität im Mittelalter, pp. 470–​471. Keeping in mind that
both the Icelandic vernacular and the ‘sacred’ Latin were, each in its own way, living lan-
guages in much use, it does not seem helpful to limit the question of the language of the
liturgy to either Latin or vernacular. It is more likely that there was a vivid interaction
between the two languages, even in some parts of the liturgy. See also section 2.3.1.2.
32 Pater noster in íh, pp. 39–​44, 45–​48, and 280–​286; Credo in íh, pp. 209–​210 and 213–​216.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 141

German vernacular which were used for catechetical instruction.33 There is no

reason to give a detailed account of the content of the exegesis found in the
commentaries on these texts. Few texts have been commented upon as much
as the Credo and the Pater noster and the Icelandic Homily Book mostly repro-
duces what could be found in similar commentaries around Western Europe.34
What should be pointed out, however, is that these two texts were presented
as belonging to the sacred past of the Church. The author of the Pater noster
was of course Jesus himself who is said to have ‘composed’ the prayer –​as a
poet might compose a poem –​and ‘taught’ it to his disciples.35 Similarly, in the
Latin version of the creed, which is the apostolic creed’s textus receptus with
an interlinear translation and a commentary, the apostles are described as the
authors of the creed. Each article of the creed is assigned to one of the twelve
apostles as can be seen on the image below. Peter says Credo in deum, Andrew
says et in iesum christum, and so on (see Figure. 8). This is a tradition which can
be traced back to Rufinus of Aquileia and the earliest manuscripts of the textus
receptus as well as those of the Old Roman Creed.36
Still another way of referring to how the teaching would be mediated was
through the gospels (guðspjöll), as can be seen for example in the Stave Church
Homily’s allegorizing of the corner pillars of the church building: “Fjórir horn-
stafar kirkju merkja fjögur guðspjöll, því að þeirra kenningar eru inar sterk-
stu stöður allrar kristninnar.”37 [The four corner pillars of the church signify
the four gospels, because their teachings constitute the strongest foundations
of entire Christianity.] The evangelists, frequently referred to in Icelandic as
gospel poets (guðspjallaskáld), belonged either to the group of disciples like
Matthew and John or received their trusty information through other disci-
ples like Luke through Paul or Mark through Peter and thus provided the only

33 These are on the one hand the 11th century Wessobrun confession and, on the other, the
12th century Bamberg confession. Gjerløw points out that, like the Icelandic confession,
these two texts contain a rare article specifically stating a belief in that Jesus’ body on the
cross was stuck by a spear and that both blood and water poured out of the side of his
chest. Gjerløw, Liturgica Islandica i, p. 24. In her source list, de Leeuw van Weenen does
not provide a direct source for the text. “Introduction” in ihb, p. 13.
34 Among sources are Alcuin and Caesarius of Arles, but for significant parts direct sources
have not been identified. See “Introduction” in ihb, pp., 8, 13, and 15.
35 “Postular báðu Drottin vorn kenna sér bæn” [The apostles asked the Lord to teach them
a prayer], íh, p. 39; “En Jesús Kristur, er þessa bæn orti” [But Jesus Christ who composed
this prayer], íh, p. 43. “Orti” is the past tense of the verb “yrkja” which often refers to the
activities of poets (skáld). Fritzner, s.v. “yrkja.”
36 Gjerløw, Liturgica Islandica i, p. 23; “Introduction” in ihb p. 13.
37 íh, p. 150.
142 Chapter 3

figure 8 
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Icelandic Studies

reliable account for the Christ event.38 But the significance of the gospels was
naturally not restricted to their mere historical value. The reading of the text
of the gospel was a religious event in and of itself and marked the high point
of the first part of the mass, the service of the word. It was always read by a
cleric of a higher order, traditionally a deacon (djákn) or the priest himself in
the absence of a deacon. As the following passage from a treatise on the mass
found in the Icelandic Homily Book based on the Gemma animæ by Honorius
Augustodunensis makes clear, the gospel was the word of God:

En þá er djákn les guðspjall, þá jarteinir hann Iesum Christum, því að

hann boðar þá orð Guðs. Sá er guðspjall les, snýst í norður, því að hann
sýnir það, að Guðs orð er til skjóls mönnum á mót djöfli, er norðurátt
táknar.39
[And when the deacon reads the gospel, he signifies Jesus Christ, for
at that point he is proclaiming the word of God. The reader of the gospel
faces North thereby showing that the word of God shields men from the
Devil, signified by the direction North.]

In medieval theological treatises, hearing the word of God amounted to the

presence of Christ in the same way as hearing somebody’s voice guaranteed

38 Post, p. 181.
39 íh, p. 185. For a more detailed discussion on the representation of the apostles in early
ecclesiastical discourse, see section 3.1.2.1 below.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 143

the presence of the person’s body (Vox Christi).40 Such a religious reality
demanded the utmost level of reverence as described in the mass explanation
just cited: the congregation should stand, make the sign of the cross, take off
their hats and put away their walking rods. The book from which the gospel
was read was itself an object of reverence, introduced by a symbolic kiss fol-
lowed by a formal procession with lights and burning incense.41 All these ritual
practices, as the treatise makes clear through theological allegory, were there
for a good reason. Standing up signifies the attention of the mind, the mark
of the cross similarly cleans the mind and keeps evil away, removing one’s hat
signified the importance of keeping the ears open, especially the ears of the
mind (hugskots hlust). The kiss of the book signified the peace brought around
the world by the apostles manifesting itself in the acceptance and confession
of the teaching by the people.42
As for the practical outcome of listening to the gospels, they are said to pre-
serve the trinitarian faith (þrenningar trúa).43 They also contain moral and
practical instructions for how to lead one’s life. In that sense they are called
commandments (boðorð) and even laws (“nýjum lögum er í guðspjöllunum
standa”).44 It can be assumed that in the service of the word the gospels were
read in Latin so if its content was to reach an audience which did not know
Latin it had to be mediated by the cleric. The teaching of the gospels thus
provided the ground for the instruction priests gave to their parishioners and
extended itself into their homilies and even pastoral care, legitimized with
phrases like “as it says in the gospel” (“svo er sagt í guðspjalli”).

40 Thomas Lentes, “Textus Evangelii: Materialität und Inszenierung des textus in der
Liturgie,” in ‘Textus’ im Mittelalter: Komponenten und Situationen des Wortgebrauchs im
schriftsemantischen Feld, eds. Ludolf Kuchenbuch and Uta Kleine, Veröffentlichungen des
Max-​Planck-​Instituts für Geschichte 216 (Göttingen, 2016), pp. 138–​139.
41 The books from which the gospel was read were of different types in the Medieval
Church. There were ordinary gospel books containing the canonical gospels, rarely entire
Bibles. They might have contained a list of pericopes, either at the beginning but more
often at the end of the manuscript, telling which readings were supposed to be read each
liturgical day (capitularia evangeliorum). If not, the readings might have been marked
out with marginal notations but that was not a particularly frequent practice. Then there
existed also books containing the material of the gospel already arranged according to
the capitularies, the so-​called evangeliarium or the evangeliary. Eventually, there was the
emergence of the missal which contained all the texts needed for the celebration of the
mass. Palazzo, A History of Liturgical Books, pp. 86–​110.
42 íh, p. 185.
43 íh, p. 24.
44 íh, p. 234 (laws); íh, p. 261 (commandments).
144 Chapter 3

3.1.2 Apostolic Authority

As pointed out by Jan Assmann, authority is grounded in its point of origin, be
it a place or a person.45 In the early Christian discourse in Iceland, one such
point of origin was Christ himself as discussed above.46 Another, even more
prevalent in the discourse, is constituted by the apostles and their special rela-
tionship to the divine. The tendency to align oneself, one’s group, writings, and
tradition with an apostle is apparent already in the 1st century with the figures
of the apostles and later the emerging notion of apostolicity playing a central
role for the development of the early Christian religion.47 What matters for the
present discussion is the privileged position of enjoying a special relationship
to the divine. The term ‘apostle’ (postoli) means ‘messenger’ or ‘envoy,’ literally
‘one who is sent’ and in the Christian context the act of sending is generally
attributed to God or Christ. Such a mandate is bound to empower and bestow
the one who carries it with increased authority. On the level of discourse, it
could be said that in the event of competing discourses, a speech act with a
stronger claim to apostolicity is immediately aligned more closely with truth
and consequently with power. It is much more likely to be heard and is in a
stronger position to silence, suppress and even eliminate disagreeing voices.
A main concern of the following discussion is to show how the ecclesiastical
discourse consistently bolsters the apostle’s exalted position as a figure fraught
with power. It suggests that a fitting way to describe the position of the apostle
as it is constructed is with the concept dominus which is inspired by feminist
biblical scholar Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza’s critical theorizing and analy-
sis of early Christian texts.48 By applying it to the ecclesiastical discourse it is

45 Jan Assmann, Das kulturelle Gedächtnis: Schrift, Erinnerung und politische Identität in
frühen Hochkulturen, Beck’sche Reihe 1307 (München, 2007), p. 71.
46 See section 3.1.1.2.
47 The earliest mention of an apostle is to be found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians (1:1): “Paul
an apostle—​sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through
Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” The Pauline corpus of
authentic letters constitutes the group of earliest extant sources for the Christian religion
and the letter to the Galatians is usually dated to the period between 50 and 60.
48 Schüssler Fiorenza defines ‘kyriocentrism’ and ‘kyriarchy’ in the following way: “Kyriarchy
means the domination of the emperor, lord, slave master, husband, the elite freeborn edu-
cated and propertied male colonizer who has power over all wo/​men and subaltern men.
It is to be distinguished from kyriocentrism, which has the ideological function of natu-
ralizing and legitimating not just gender but all forms of domination. Kyriarchal relations
of domination are built on elite male property rights over wo/​men who are marked by
the intersection of gender, race, class imperial domination, as well as dependency, sub-
ordination and obedience or second class citizenship.” Schüssler Fiorenza, Power of the
Word, 158. To better fit the linguistic and historical context of this research, it seems apt
to replace the Greek word κύριος (master, ruler, lord), from which the words kyriocentrism
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 145

stressed how the apostles are shown to enter every situation with the intention
of demanding submission and obedience and turning the people they come
across into subjects of the Lord; in short, dominating.

3.1.2.1 Apostolic Mandate

Although the special relationship between the apostles and the Christian God
remains as one of the best known facts about the Christian religion, the topic
nonetheless deserves special highlighting, if only to gather some basic infor-
mation about the representations of the apostles in medieval Icelandic culture.
The apostles were highly visible in the spectacle of the Church in Iceland. Like
elsewhere in medieval Christian Europe, their position came to be regarded as
a theological axiom and as such elevated far beyond doubt. In the cult of the
saints, they were located at the very top, second only to Jesus’ mother Mary
and along with Christ and Mary the most depicted figures of Christian medie-
val iconography. Countless churches were devoted to them, including some of
the most frequented pilgrimage sites in the medieval West and their feast days
were among the most highly celebrated in the liturgical calendar. Even though
the preservation of Icelandic ecclesiastical source material from the period is
limited when compared to many other areas of Western Europe it clearly por-
trays the considerable extent to which the apostles put its mark on Icelandic
culture and religion in various ways.49
The basis for the apostles’ special relationship and their unique position
consists of three encounters of the apostle with the divine; exceptions are
apostles Paul and Matthias whose apostolic career differs in significant ways
since they were not part of the original twelve.50 These three encounters con-
sist of: 1) a personal relationship of the apostle with Jesus of Nazareth during
his earthly career as a member of the group of disciples who came to witness

and kyriarchy are derived, with its Latin equivalent dominus but in effect it assumes the
same position within the hermeneutical framework.
49 For an overview, see Cormack, Saints in Iceland.
50 The traditional number of the apostles is twelve but such a number can be problematized
on several grounds. Thus, early Christian sources make mention of people outside the
group of twelve being called apostles, the apostle Paul being an obvious case in point.
Later, Acts 14:4 and 14:14 refers to Paul’s companion Barnabas as an apostle whereas Paul
himself does not. Paul, on the other hand, might or might not have referred to James
the brother of the Lord as an apostle (Gal 1:19) and also a woman named Junia (Rom.
16:7), whom tradition turned into the male Junias, see Eldon Jay Epp, Junia: The First
Woman Apostle (Fortress, 2005). It should also be mentioned that the canonical lists of
the apostles differ among themselves in so far that Matt. 10:2–​4 and Mark 3:16–​19 include
Thaddeus while Luke 6:14–​16 (and consequently Acts 1:13) brings in Jude the son of Jacob.
146 Chapter 3

Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, 2) being present at the Great Commission as
described in Matt. 28:16–​20, 3) receiving of the holy spirit from Jesus himself as
recounted in John 20:22 but also, appearing more frequently in medieval dis-
course, through the descension of the holy spirit, who came over the disciples
at Pentecost as described in Acts 2:1–​13.
All of these encounters figure prominently in 12th and 13th century Icelandic
ecclesiastical discourse. The personal relationship of individual apostles with
Jesus is depicted in various ways; about some apostles is much to be said, such
as Peter and John, primarily because of the substantial amount of information
to be found in the gospels, but about others, such as Simon and Jude, close to
nothing. Thus, many of the translated vitae begin with an account of Jesus’
calling of individual apostles. The famous accounts of the calling of Peter and
Andrew to become fishers of men stands at the beginning of the Saga of the
Apostle Peter and the Saga of the Apostle Andrew (Matt. 4:19). Similarly, the
sagas of apostles John and James sons of Zebedee both open with an account
of their calling which, according to the Gospel of Matthew (Matt. 4:21–​22), took
place only later during the same day that Jesus had called Peter and Andrew.51
Accounts of events involving Jesus and different apostles serve a similar pur-
pose of portraying the nature of their relationship. The Saga of the Apostle Peter
duly records events such as Jesus’ appointment of Peter as rock of the Church
endowed with the power of loosing and binding (Matt. 16:13–​19), Peter’s three
denials of Jesus (Matt. 26:69–​75; Mark 14:66–​72; Luke 22:56–​62; John 18:25–​
27) and later the threefold acknowledgement of Peter, “You know, Lord, that
I love you,” (“Þu veist, drottinn, at ek elska þik”) as told in the Gospel of John
(21:15–​19).52 The Saga of the Apostle John mentions that along with Peter both
James and John were present at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–​8)53 and at the
end of the Saga of the Apostle Thomas it refers to Thomas’ experience of the
resurrected Jesus as described in John 20 although Thomas’ doubts are practi-
cally eliminated and only those parts of the episode cited which affirm his firm
belief after he had “touched his hands to the side of the Lord and said: ‘You
are my Lord and my God’ ” (John 20:28).54 That John, James, and James the
less were related to Jesus through family ties was probably not unimportant to

51 “Drottinn kallaði þá Johannem ok Jacobum bræður á enum sama degi til sinnar fylgðar
sem þá Petrum og Andream,”[The Lord called the brothers John and James on the same
day as Peter and Andrew into his company] Post, p. 513. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 710.
52 Post, pp. 159–​163.
53 Post, pp. 412–​413.
54 Post, p. 727. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 742.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 147

the medieval audience and is carefully noted in the source material.55 Because
of the close relationship the apostle John had with his Lord, the Saga of the
Apostle John is particularly illuminating for showing what kind of an effect a
contact with Jesus had on those who stood closest to him, as the following
­example shows:

[Þ]a var enum sæla Joani postola logð su virðing til handa, at hann var sof-
naðr yfir briosti sialfs guðs sonar, ok hlaut hann þa sva mikla speki af sialfum
spektarbrunninum drottni varum Jesu Kristo. Ok sva sem vattaz i heilagri
ritningu hans, at hann hefir umfram komiz aðra mennina i sinum skilningi
ok nærr flogit guðdominum hinum hæsta i sinu guðspialli, en naliga se vit til
annarra manna skilningu at at koma.56
[[T]‌he blessed John was granted the honor of sleeping at the breast of the
son of God himself, and it was then that he received such great wisdom from
the well of wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. And just as it is affirmed
in his holy writings, that he surpassed other men in his understanding and
has flown to nearly the highest divinity in his gospel so that other men lack
the wisdom to fully comprehend it.]

Surely, not all apostles could have had as close a relationship with Jesus as the
beloved disciple John but all of them, each in his own way, was considered to
have an extraordinary connection with the divine even though there was not
much information available about them.57 Knowledge on apostles Philip, Jude,

55 Post, p. 412 (John), Post, p. 513 (James), Post, p. 737 (James the Less). The Saga of the Apostle
John calls James the Less “the brother of the Lord” as some traditions hold. Post, p. 417.
In the manuscript am 655 xii-​x iii 4to (dated to the late 13th century), it suggests that
Simon and Jude were brothers of James the Less and thus also related to Jesus: “Sva segir
enn helgi Jeronimus prestr, at þeir havi verit systrungar drottins og brœþr Jacobi, er um
varit a dag með Philippo, oc havi Maria verit moþir þeirra, dottir Cleophe og systir Marie
drotningar. En eigi hofum ver set a bocum ritað, meþ hverium atburð þeir comu til fylgþar
og foruneytis meþ drotne varum, en meþ honum varo þeir allar stundir til hans piningar”
[Thus says the holy priest Jerome, that they were the cousins of the Lord and brothers of
Jacob, who in springtime has a day with Philip, and that Mary, the daughter of Cleophas
and Queen Mary’s sister, was their mother. But we have not seen written on books how
they came to follow and accompany our Lord, but they were with him every hour until his
passion.] Post, pp. 791–​792.
56 Post, p. 413. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 655–​656.
57 The title ‘beloved disciple’ stems from the gospel itself which on several occasions refers
to “the disciple whom Jesus loved” whom tradition has since the 1st century equated with
John the son of Zebedee. “Pétur postuli vissi […] að Jesús unni honum mest [The apostle
Peter knew […] that Jesus loved him the most], Post, p. 413. The supernatural insights of
148 Chapter 3

Simon, James the Less, and even Matthew, was limited but they enjoyed their
position as apostles as members of the original group of twelve.58 Even though
the Christian tradition is rich in details about individual apostles, there was an
important sense in which they had received their mandate as a group. Such
a collective view of the apostles is much in agreement with the idea that the
group of apostles were strongly united, so that the veneration of an individual
apostle amounted to a veneration of the entire group and vice versa.59 Some
medieval churches were even devoted to the apostles as a group (Apostoli),
an Icelandic example being that of the church at Mikligarður in Eyjafjörður.60
This is also important to keep in mind when considering apostles such
as Paul and Matthias who were well known, especially Paul, but were not
members of the original group of the twelve and their apostleship had to be
accounted for differently. As told in Acts 9, the risen Jesus appeared to Paul
on his way to Damascus and the Saga of the Apostle Paul, for the most part a
translation of the canonical Acts of the Apostles, opens with that account.61
Similarly, the passage from Acts 1:12–​23 telling of how Matthias was chosen to
replace Judas Iscariot appears early on in the Saga of the Apostle Matthias but
the topic of Matthias’ unusual rise to apostleship had already been brought up
in the prologue so as to clear out all doubts about his apostolic merits:

hann var gøddr hinu haleitasta tignarnafni, ok tok þar með gipt heilags
anda ok þat hit agæta umboð almattigs guðs at boða hans erendi um allan
heim sem aðrir postolar, hann var ok oss gefinn til hofðingia ok forstiora
i stað Judas Skarioths, er drottin varn selldi við verði.62
[he was endowed with the most sublime rank, and received along with
that the gift of the Holy Spirit and the outstanding mandate of Almighty

John are again rehearsed in Post, p. 420, then in the context of the so-​called prologue of
John (John 1:1–​18).
58 It should be noted that there exist accounts on the calling of both Philip and Matthew
in the canonical gospels. As is briefly mentioned in the Gospel of John (1:43), Philip was
called by Jesus the next day after the two pairs of brothers were called. The Saga of the
Apostles Philip and James adds that he was of low origin which according to Kirby is also
to be found in the Legenda Aurea, Kirby ii, 33. Post, 735. As for the apostle Matthew, Matt.
9:9 tells of his calling but the earliest Icelandic account of that is am 655 xii-​x iii 4to
(1275–​1300) which mentioning his strictness as a publican and further merges him with
the tax collector Levi which appears in the other synoptics (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27).
59 See e.g. íh, pp. 20 and 25 and the epilogue of the Saga of the Apostle Matthew in Post,
pp. 774–​775.
60 Cormack, Saints in Iceland, pp. 81–​82.
61 Post, p. 216.
62 Post, p. 767. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 775.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 149

God to preach his message throughout the world, just like the other apos-
tles. He was also granted to us as a chieftain and leader in place of Judas
Iscariot, who sold our Lord for a price.]

Particulars about the calling of individual apostles provided a scriptural basis

which surely was important for clerics and others ready to dwell on such mat-
ters, but for most listeners it was likely just background information. More
likely to have gained a broader audience is the simple fact of the apostles’
possession of power and authority which they had received directly from
God through their contact with Jesus and the holy spirit allowing them to
preach in God’s name and perform wondrous deeds. All of the apostles had
been accepted by Jesus himself to his group of followers and later sent into
the world to proclaim his name. The standard account of that event is the
Great Commission (Matt. 28:16–​20), only partly extant in Icelandic medieval
translations but indirectly referred to on numerous occasions in the religious
source material.63 On numerous occasions, for example when they come
across new people or need to prove themselves in one way or the other, the
apostles state that they have been sent by God or Jesus and received their
power from the same source, clearly referring to the Great Commission. In
the Saga of the Apostle Matthew, partly preserved in am 655 ix 4to, one of
the oldest manuscripts of the Icelandic manuscript tradition, the apostle
Matthew, just after he had slain a terrible dragon, addresses the people pres-
ent in the following way:

Høriþ brøþr oc synir, oc aller þeir, es leysa vilia ander sinar fra enom forna
dreca, þat er djofle, fyrir heilso yþra sendi goþ mic hingat, at ér firerletet
villo scurþgoþa en tryþet skapara yþrom.64
[Listen, brothers and sons, and all those who wish to release your souls
from the ancient dragon, which is the Devil! God sent me hither for your
health, that you forsake the heresy of idol-​worship and believe in your
creator.]

63 In translation it is extant in one of the very oldest Icelandic manuscripts from the 1st
quarter of the 13th century, am 677 4to, where it appears at the end of the translated
treatise De duodecim abusivis saeculi (On the Twelve Abuses of the World), very popular
throughout medieval Europe. There, in a final section, it explains the importance of
the apostles as legitimate witnesses through whom Christ is made accessible among all
nations. Leifar, p. 2.
64 Post, p. 815. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 815.
150 Chapter 3

Also running through the religious discourse of the Church is the apostles’ spe-
cial endowment of the Holy Spirit. On two occasions they had come to receive
the holy spirit through what in The Saga of the Apostle John is called “tvenn
heilags anda ástgjöf” (“twofold gift of love of the holy spirit”), referring on the
one hand to Jesus’ gift of the holy spirit as narrated in John 20:22 and trans-
lated in John’s saga as follows: “Siðan bles hann a þa, ok gaf þeim helgan anda
og þar með valld at fyrirgefa syndir ollom monnum, þeim er þess væri makli-
gir, en þeim skylldi eigi fyrirgefaz, er þeir villdu at sva væri [Then he blew on
them, and gave them the Holy Spirit and with that the power to forgive the sins
of all men who were worthy of forgiveness, but those should not be forgiven
whom they wished not to forgive].65 On the other hand, the holy spirit was
granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost: “[Þ]a kom hinn helgi andi yfir
þa alla postolana, og toku þeir allir iafna gipt og iafnan styrk og iafna gøzku
og atgervi af hans tikomu á hvitasunnudegi; kendu þeir þa ok allir kenningar
eptir þat” [[T]‌he Holy Spirit came over all of them, and they all received equal
fortune and equal strength and equal grace and endowments from its coming
on Whitsunday. Afterward they all went out and preached the faith.]66

3.1.2.2 Apostolic Domination

On grounds of their special mandate, the apostles were God’s representatives
of the highest rank and the most important champions for the advancement
of God’s reign all around the world. An apostle could be described as a man
of God (Guðs maðr), holy man of God (heilagr maðr Guðs), friend of God
(vinr Guðs), and God’s beloved friend (ástvinr Guðs), to give but a few exam-
ples of epithets used to demonstrate the proximity between the apostle and
God.67 Of still more significance for the purposes of the present study, how-
ever, is the frequent practice of comparing the apostle’s connection with
God to the relationship between a king or some other worldly lord and his
subordinate. The apostles are presented as faithful emissaries promoting the
ruler’s absolute claim to rule and dominion, by whatever means and despite
the consequences. Within such a framework, the apostles are described as
the servants of God (þjónn, þjónustumaðr), courtiers of God (hirðmaðr), and

65 Post, p. 414. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 657 (corrected: “he blew on them” instead of Roughton’s
“he blessed them”).
66 Post, p. 770. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 781.
67 Post, pp. 185, 323, 340, 347, and 716 (friend of God); 325 (holy man of God); Post, p. 414
(Christ’s beloved friend); Post, p. 319 (God’s beloved friend). About the term “friend”
and its association to sainthood in medieval Iceland, see Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Viking
Friendship: The Social Bond in Iceland and Norway, c. 900–​1300 (Ithaca, 2017), pp. 72–​103.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 151

even God’s slaves, underlining the apostle’s complete submission to his mas-
ter.68 This sort of description is very characteristic for how the figures of
the apostles are construed in the ecclesiastical discourse but rarely does it
manifest itself more clearly than in the Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew in
the apostle’s second speech before King Polimius of Farthest India (Hið ysta
Indíaland):

Ok sva sem þu ser, at konungr stigr yfir ovin sinn ok sendir riddara sina ok
liðsmenn i alla staði, þa er ovinr hans hafði velldi yfir ok leggr sitt mark ok
eigu a allt, sva gerði og Jesus Kristr, þa er hann ste yfir fiandann, at hann
sendi oss i oll lond, at ver rekim a braut alla þiona djỏfuls, þá er byggja í
hofum og í skurðgoðum, en vér leysum menn úr ánauð þeirra og frá veldi
þess er yfir var stiginn.69
[And just as you have seen, when a king overcomes his enemy and sends
his knights and troops to all the places over which his enemy had power,
and places his sign of victory and ownership of everything, Jesus Christ did
the same, when he overcame the fiend, for he sent us into all lands, that we
should drive away all the servants of the devils that dwell in temples and in
idols, and we free men from their misery and from the power of the one who
was overcome.]

The apostles are in this sense emissaries who have been entrusted with the assign-
ment of overcoming and expelling whomever stands in the way of their Lord’s
reign which, as a matter of fact, constitutes the cantus firmus of the apostles’
sagas: The apostles are sent to subdue.
For further illustrating the position of the apostles, attention should be
directed to a term from the Old Icelandic vernacular, frequently appearing in
the religious discourse of the Church referring to the different ways in which
the apostles are exalted and endowed with power, namely veldi (also velldi and
vellde). The word has a considerably broad range of meaning but depending
on the context, the term can roughly be said to either refer to power or author-
ity (in Norwegian: magt, myndighed) or what belongs to or falls under some-
one’s power or authority (in Norwegian: “hvad der er ens magt og myndighed
underlagt”), in many cases a political geographical entity like Noregs veldi
meaning Norway’s dominion or biskups veldi which would be the dominion

68 In the Saga of the Apostle Peter, the apostle Paul proclaims to be a “courtier of the eternal
King” [hirðmaðr hins eilífa konungs], Post, p. 200.
69 Post, p. 748. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 763.
152 Chapter 3

of a particular bishop.70 Both of these senses, primarily political, can certainly

prove helpful for explaining the apostle’s power but in the ecclesiastical dis-
course its meaning is expanded so as to include the religious and theological
dimensions in at least three interrelated ways, all of which are of great impor-
tance for this study. Firstly, it can refer to the rather intangible notion of God’s
power over people as opposed to the Devil’s power over people. Secondly, in a
political sense, to the dominion of God as a polity or a body of ruled people
much related to the political notion of the dominion of a king or a bishop.
Finally, to the power to perform divine wonders granted to the apostles and by
extension other apostolic agents.
Firstly, as can be seen the last citation to the Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew,
the apostles are presented as agents in an intense power play between God
and the Devil contesting for power over people. Both God and the Devil pos-
sess their own veldi and in that sense the word veldi is often a translation of
Latin words such as dominatio, regnum, or potestas.71 Although the battle was
unfolding on a cosmological level it extended itself throughout all planes of
reality and was understood to manifest itself on the temporal level in the fight
over the souls of human individuals. From such a perspective, it is important
to note that people are never free in the sense of not being under the sway of
some superior power; either they were under the control of God or the Devil,
tertium non datur.
The second of the above mentioned senses of the word veldi is closely related
to the first one, they could even be described as two sides of the same coin. It
does not take a lot of imagination to see how the power of God or his represen-
tatives over individuals or sporadic groups of people came to correspond to the
notion of a more coherent body of subjects in the sense of a dominion of God
or a rule of God and even an empire of God.72 The apostles’ pioneering work of
mission constituted the foundation for the earthly manifestation of God’s rule
which in their time was still in an immature state but would gradually assume
the form of the Church. It is highly important to keep in mind for a complete
understanding of the Church’s politics in the discussion that follows, particu-
larly in the concluding synthetical part of this study, that the understanding of
the Church as an expanding religio-​political entity bound to reach its zenith

70 See the entry on “veldi” in Fritzner, pp. 737–​738. A third possibility offered by Fritzner is
“3) Betydning; stafr hefir þrenn tilfelli, nafn, figúru, veldi, eða mátt.”
71 See Post, p. 747, cf. Mombritius i (dominatio), p. 142; Post, p. 748, cf. Mombritius i, p. 142
(potestas); Post, p. 751, cf. Mombritius i, p. 144 (regnum).
72 Post, p. 748, cf. Mombritius i, p. 144 (imperium).
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 153

in an eschatological imperium of Christ was constantly being rehearsed on the

level of discourse.73
Thirdly, in order to be able to fulfill their assigned role in the supernatu-
ral warfare between God and the Devil, the apostles had been granted power,
veldi, to perform all kinds of extraordinary things. The discursive manifesta-
tions of this sort of power appear frequently in the sagas of the apostles and
what remains of this section will be devoted to it, beginning with the following
excerpt from the Saga of the Apostle Thomas:

Heilagur, ósýnilegur, óskiptilegur guð, er sendir oss hið himneska ljós

drottin vorn Jesúm Krist son þinn, en hann gaf oss postulum sínum það
veldi, að vér græddum allar sóttir og gætum það allt, er vér bæðum guð
föður í nafni hans sonar.74
[Holy, invisible, indivisible God, who sends us the heavenly light our
Lord Jesus Christ your son, who gave to us his apostles the power to cure
all ills and accomplish all that we ask God the Father in the name of
his son]

In such instances, veldi is usually a translation of the Latin word potestas in its
general sense of being capable of doing something.75 The capabilities granted

73 In the Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew Christ’s eternal “veldi” as described in Post, p. 748
is a translation of the Latin “imperium”, see “ubi solum eius regnat imperium” from Passio
Sancti Bartolomaei Apostoli, Mombritius i, p. 142. For source critical observations, see
Roughton i, pp. 301–​302.
74 Post, p. 718/​ Frá Sýrlandi til Íslands, p. 302. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 726. Also later in the same
saga, it says that God gave them the “veldi” for the sake of the son: “Þú Guð, skapari allra
hluta sýnilegra og ósýnilegra, er oss gafst það veldi fyrir son þinn …” [You, God, creator of
all things seen and unseen, who through your son gave us the power …] Post, p. 723. Trans.
Roughton ii, p. 734. See also The Saga of the Apostles Philip and James where the apostles
are also said to have received might: “Hann [Jesus] reis upp af dauða a þriðia degi, ok gaf
oss til þess veldi og matt lærisveinum sínum, at gefa syn blindum monnum ok grøða allar
sottir ok reisa dauða menn til lifs.” [He [Jesus] rose from death on the third day, and gave
to us his disciples power and might to give sight to blind men and cure all illnesses and
raise dead men to life.] Post, p. 739. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 752.
75 Cf. a likely Latin source text for the above citation from the Saga of the Apostle
Thomas: “invisibilis et incomprehensibilis et immutabilis perseverans, qui misisti nobis
illuminatorem filium tuum, deum et dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, qui veniens
dedit nobis apostolis suis potestatem,” Klaus Zelzer’s edition, printed in Frá Sýrlandi til
Íslands, p. 337. See also the Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew: “Drottinn vor gaf oss það
velldi í nafni sínu,” Post, p. 750 which is a translation of the following text from a Passio
of the apostle Bartholomew: “Qui in suo nomine dedit hanc potestatem,” Mombritius i,
p. 143.
154 Chapter 3

to the apostles are described almost invariably in a formulaic statement like the
one just cited where they are said to have received the power to perform mir-
acles (jartegnir) like granting sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, enabling
the limp and lame to walk, and raising dead to life. This standard description
of the apostolic program, originally found in the Book of Isaiah (32:3–​4), is in
its medieval versions, based on Jesus’ command to the apostles as found in
Matt. 10:8 and Jesus’ own activities as described in the gospels (Matt. 11:5; Luke
7:21; translated into Icelandic in the Saga of the Apostle James (Post 518)). Not
infrequently is it complemented by mentioning their teaching and preaching
activities leading people away from error and idol worshiping. The obvious
power needed to perform such deeds was in and of itself a sign of the apostle’s
extraordinary relationship with Christ. In theological principle it was not even
the apostle himself who was working the miracles in his own might but Christ
working through the apostle. This is evident from the many occasions in which
the apostle performs a miracle after having said a prayer addressed directly to
Christ or stated explicitly that the particular deed is being done in the name
of Jesus.76 It is likely, however, that such a distinction was not always clear or
highly significant to a popular audience since obviously the apostles possessed
power and enjoyed a level of sanctity of their own.
Through the practice of wondrous deeds, the apostles were able to carry out
their duty and calling to serve their Lord at the same time they were expanding
God’s sphere of dominion. The sagas of the apostles consist mainly of episodes
which each in its own way presents the audience with a variation of the major
theme of the frequently rehearsed apostolic formula.77 The episodes describe
the apostles’ encounter with people, demons, dragons and other figures whose
receptiveness to their proclamation differs immensely. Collectively, these
encounters amount to the narrative of the early spread of the Christian reli-
gion as it was known to people in the Middle Ages. On the grounds of their role
in such texts, the apostles became stereotypes for missionaries and their work
similarly paradigmatic for how missionary work was perceived, reproduced,
and practiced in the medieval West. Such narrative episodes were also the

76 See e.g. Post, pp. 329, 718, 750. Such an appeal was sometimes left untranslated, see for
instance the following command from the Saga of the Apostle Paul: “In nomine Jesu Cristi
byþ ec þer, ohreinn andi, at þu farer braut fra kono þessi,” [In nomine Jesu Cristi I com-
mand you, unclean spirit, to leave this woman] Post, p. 220.
77 See discussion in Benedicta Ward, Miracles and the Medieval Mind: Theory, Record and
Event 1000–​1215 (London, 1982), pp. 170–​171. For such formulaic description of the apostolic
program see Post, p. 185 (Peter), p. 320 (Andrew), p. 417 (John), p. 719 (Thomas), p. 737
(Philip), p. 739 (James the Less), p. 750 (Bartholomew), p. 786 (Simon and Jude), p. 818
(Matthew).
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 155

most important means by which the power and authority of the apostle was
presented, not only through his success in performing his deeds but also their
dominating position from which they demanded obedience and submission.
Although the apostles are frequently described as humble in appearance and
attitude and amicable in demeanor, their structural position is always that of
a conqueror or, to come back to Schüssler Fiorenza’s hermeneutic framework,
a dominus.78 In any event of resistance, the apostles invariably come out on
top and any audience familiar with the genre would expect it to play out in the
following way:
1) Apostle encounters resistance
2) Apostle overcomes resistance
3) Witnesses to the encounter accept the Christian faith
There are both minor and major variances of this scheme among the great
number of episodes existing in the source material, but as a general descrip-
tion for the apostles’ encounters with the external world the above structure
holds true. Only in the case of their ultimate defeat as martyrs, which was not
even the fate of all apostles since the apostle John died in old age, does it not
apply, but even then, their martyrdom was often presented as a victory (píning-
arsigur) and would only boost their elevated status (see Figure 9).
Through the many episodes of the apostles’ encounters, it becomes clear
that an apostle is capable of affecting his surroundings in various ways. One
way, as already noted, consists of his capabilities of performing miracles.
Another would be through persuasion as they present their audience with

78 For examples of the apostle’s humble attire, see the following citation from the Saga of
Apostles Simon and Jude: “Af þvi styggiz þer eigi við herfiligan fatabuning okkarn, þviat
þeir hlutir leynaz fyrir innan, er þer megit af þeim finna eilifa dyrð ok lif,” [Therefore
do not abhor our ragged apparel, for those things by which you may find eternal glory
and life are concealed on the inside], Post, p. 783. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 799. See also the
reasoning behind Matthias having been chosen to apostledom in the Saga of the Apostle
Matthias: “En sva sem Mathias var pryddr morgum ỏðrum mannkostum, þa er þo þat fra
sagt, at litillætit hafi mest upphafit hann til ennar mestu tignar” [But although Matthias
was adorned with many other virtues, it is related that it was humility that raised him to
the highest rank], Post, p. 770. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 781. See also íh: “Dúfur kallast þeir
við glugga sína, því að þeir litu einföldum augum til allra hluta, þeirra er þeir sáu á jörðu,
og girntust þeir engra hluta líkamlegra” [Doves they are called at their windows, for they
looked with simple eyes to all things they saw on earth and not did they yearn for any
bodily thing], íh, p. 21. For examples of their gentle manner, see the description of John
as “bliðligr ok glaðligr ok þekkiligr i ollu yfirbragði” [pleased and happy and handsome
in his whole demeanor] Post, p. 432. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 690. See also the following
description of the apostle Bartholomew: “Ávallt er hann með hinum sama hug, blíður er
hann jafnan og glaður” [He is singleminded in disposition, so that he is always cheerful
and never unhappy]. Post, p. 745. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 757.
156 Chapter 3

figure 9 
An image showing the crucifixion of the apostle Andrew dating to the 13th
century. Andrew’s X shaped cross is missing. The statue belonged to the church at
Teigur in Fljótshllíð. National Museum of Iceland

the teaching they had been entrusted with.79 In addition, at least three ways
in which the apostles affected their surroundings should be mentioned since
they were bound to increase the awe and reverence related to the figure of the
apostle. First, the simple fact of their presence is often shown to have won-
drous effect on both material things and living beings, secondly, their prayers
are described as extremely powerful, and thirdly, they are also frequently por-
trayed to successfully get their way through rebuke and demand for obedience.
A number of episodes from the apostles’ sagas describe how it is simply
enough for the apostles to show up in a particular place for their influence to
become manifest. Frequently it is often demons who sense the apostles’ pres-
ence first, reminiscent of gospel episodes like Jesus’ healing of the Gerasene

79 See section 3.1.1 above.

Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 157

demoniac (Mark 5:1–​13). This is for example the case in the Saga of the Apostles
Simon and Jude describing the apostles entering a pagan temple: “Þá voru pos-
tularnir höndlaðir og leiddir til sólarhofs. En er þeir gengu í hofið, þá kölluðu
djöflar fyrir óða menn: ‘Hvat søkit þit at oss, postolar guðs lifanda? Ver bren-
num i tilkvamu ykkarri’ ” [The apostles were seized and led to the temple of the
sun. When they entered the temple, devils cried out from demoniacs: “What do
you want from us, apostles of the living God? We burn at your arrival!].80 As the
apostle Matthew is dealing with the sorcerers Zaroes and Arfaxath, who are
accompanied by fierce flying dragons, the dragons are said to have reached the
apostle’s knees and immediately fallen asleep.81 The apostles’ presence could
also affect inanimate objects as can be seen when the apostle Andrew wanted
to save his fellow apostle Matthew from a dungeon where he was being held
prisoner, that “er Andreas postuli kom at myrkvastofunni, þa spruttu þegar fra
lasarnir, og skein lios solu biartara fyrir honum i myrkvastofuna” [[w]‌hen the
apostle Andrew went up to the prison door, however, the locks immediately
burst open, and a light brighter than the sun lit his way into the prison].82
On top of such wondrous events, it should not be overlooked that the people
immediately start gathering around the apostles for no apparent reason except
their powerful presence when they arrive in a new territory.
In contrast to the apostles’ simple presence, there is ample evidence in the
source material showing them being more active in manipulating their sur-
roundings, for example through prayers or other verbal exchange. On numer-
ous occasions the power of the apostles’ words are shown to strongly influence
people and other beings of less terrestrial nature. As for the power of the apos-
tles’ prayers, The Saga of the Apostle Andrew is particularly rich in examples.
On one occasion Andrew prays “[o]‌k i þvi bili varð landskialfti mikill ok þar
með reiðarþrumur storar og fell iarlinn or hasæti sinu, ok allir fellu til iarðar,
þeir er aðr satu. Moðir sveinsins fell allt til jarðar ok do þvi næst” [[a]t that
moment there was a huge earthquake accompanied by great and terrible thun-
der, and the earl fell from his throne and all those who had been sitting there
fell to the ground].83 A little later it tells of how Andrew’s prayer made him
able to calm a storm and still further into the saga it is shown how the power
of his prayer was capable of granting life to the dead.84 Not infrequently does
the line between the apostle’s prayer and his command for obedience become

80 Post, p. 788. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 807.

81 Post, p. 814.
82 Post, p. 320. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 612.
83 Post, p. 322. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 617.
84 Post, p. 324 (storm) and p. 333 (raises body cast upon the shore from the dead).
158 Chapter 3

vague like the following episode involving the apostles Jude and Simon and a
pair of tigers shows:

Þat gerðiz enn, at dyr .ii. akafliga grimm, þau er tigris heita, urðu laus or
bondum ok slitu allt og rifu, þat er fyrir þeim varð ok þau mattu taka. Þa
flyði allr lyðr til postola guðs. En þeir hetu a Jesum Krist og buðu dyru-
num, að þau sefaðiz ok fylgði þeim heim til huss með ser. En þau hlyddu
boðorði postolanna ok voru i husi þeirra þria daga.85
[It also happened that two vehemently ferocious wild animals called
tigers got loose from their chains and tore into and ripped apart every-
thing in their way, or whatever they could get hold of. Everyone fled to
the apostles of God, and they called on Jesus Christ and commanded the
animals to be calm and to follow them home. The tigers heeded the apos-
tles’ command and remained in their house for three days.]

Such events are related both through the usual form of 3rd person narrative
but also through the more vivid exchange in the 1st person which was bound
to have a stronger influence on the audience present. It is helpful to keep in
mind when considering the many occurrences of direct speech in textual
sources such as the apostolic vitae that they are performative texts. When read-
ing a particular saga about an apostle, in the refectory of a monastery, during
holy orders and perhaps less frequently in mass, examples of intense prayers,
heated verbal exchange between an apostle and his antagonist or a booming
apostolic command would have provided the reader with a good opportunity
to carry out a performance as effective and memorable as possible. Consider,
for example, the following excerpt from The Saga of the Apostle John:

Ok er allir menn hỏfðu sva gort, sem postolinn bauð, þa mælir postolinn
biartri rod̉ du, sva at allir menn heyrðu: „Drottinn minn Jesu Kriste, ek bið
þik, at þu briotir niðr hofit þetta með ollum þeim skurðgoðum, sem i þvi
eru, sva at engum manni verði mein at, en menn megi at sỏnnu þvi trua
ok vita, at þetta hof Gefionar og skurðgoð hefir djofull bygt en eigi Guð.“
Og iafnskiott sem postolinn hafði þetta mællt, þa brotnaði allt senn hofit
ok þau ol̉ l skurðgoð, er i þvi voru, og siðan varð þat allt at dupti einu.86
[After everyone did as the apostle ordered, the apostle spoke in a clear
voice, so that everyone could hear: “My Lord Jesus Christ, I pray you to

85 Post, p. 786. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 807.

86 Post, p. 430. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 687–​688.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 159

demolish this temple and all of the pagan idols in it, so that no one is
injured, and so that people may truly believe in you and know that the
Devil, and not God, has built his temple of Gefion and the idols” As soon
as the apostle said this the temple and all the idols that were in it were
demolished at once, and it all turned to dust.]

Even more likely to give a strong impression of the apostle’s power through a
dramatic performance are the second person direct commands and rebukes
which are close to indispensable to any account of an apostle’s conflict with an
adversary. In such moments, in contrast to the depiction of the apostles as kind
and peaceful, it becomes manifest that when there is something endangering
their mission, all kindness is set aside and whatever power and authority the
apostle had access to was used.87

3.1.3 Hierarchy
Even though the term hierarchy is not to be found in the source material, the
notion of a particular organization of power through an arrangement of offices
is of high significance in the ecclesisatical discourse. This ecclesiastical hier-
archy has its origins in the Church’s sacred past and it was divinely instituted.
Priests and bishops received a good deal of reverence through their position
in this system in addition to their role and appearance as celebrants in the
liturgy. Their role segregated them from others, a segregation accentuated with

87 For such examples: Paul to a certain wise woman: “In nomine Jesu Cristi, byþ ec þer,
ohreinn andi, at þu farer braut fra kono þessi” [In nomine Jesu Cristi, I command you,
unclean spirit, to leave this woman], Post, p. 220; Andrew to an unclean spirit possessing a
boy: “Fly þu, ovinr mannkyns, fra þioni guðs. Ok þegar flyði hann fra honum øpandi” [Flee,
you enemy of mankind, away from the servant of God. And immediately he ran away from
him screaming], Post, p. 323; Andrew to demons in the city of Nicaea: “Fari þer braut i
þurra staði ok avaxtalausa, ok gerit engum manni mein, þar er nafn drottins verðr kallat,
uns þer takit skyllda kvol helvitis loga.” Er hann hafði þetta mællt, þa yldu fjandarnir og
hurfu fra syn lyðsins” [Go from here into a dry and barren place, and do harm to no man
who calls upon the name of the Lord, until you suffer the torments of hellfire.” When
he had said this, the fiends howled and disappeared from the sight of the people.] Post,
p. 324. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 620; Andrew to the earl Egeas: “Heyrðu, dauða sonr og elldi-
brandr eilifs loga! Hlyð þu mer þræli og postola drottins mins Jesu Kristz! [Hear me, son
of death and firebrand of eternal flame! Listen to me, the servant and apostle of my Lord
Jesus Christ], Post, p. 340. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 647; Bartholomew to a demoniac: “Þegi
þu, ohreinn andi, og far fra honum” [Be silent, unclean spirit, and leave him], Post, p. 745.
Trans. Roughton ii, p. 758; Bartholomew to a demon living in an idol: “Ef þu villt eigi, at ek
senda þik i undirdiup, þa gakk þu brott,” [If you do not wish me to send you to the deepest
abyss, then leave], Post, p. 749. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 766.
160 Chapter 3

differences in looks and attire, but it was their position in a divinely instituted
hierarchy which ultimately decided the nature of the power they possessed.

3.1.3.1 Primatus Petri

There is nothing unexpected about the representation of the apostle Peter in
early Icelandic ecclesiastical discourse. All his traditional attributes are found,
both in sermons and sagas. In what follows, the most significant Petrine themes
will be explored, particularly those relating to how the authority of Rome and
the pope was being constructed. In the beginning of the Saga of the Apostle
Peter, Peter is introduced as the princeps apostolorum, ‘chieftain among other
apostles’ (hofðingi annarra postola)88 and ‘the gatekeeper of the kingdom of
heaven’ (durvỏrðr himinrikis)89
Peter’s status as the leader of the apostles is underpinned by biblical pas-
sages, a central one being that of Matt. 16:16–​19 where Jesus describes Peter
as the rock upon which he will build his Church. He receives the keys to the
kingdom of heaven and the power of binding and loosing. It appears as a part
of a string of Petrine New Testament passages placed at the beginning of his
saga and deserves to be quoted in full:

Þa svaraði Simon Petrus: Þu ert Kristus sonr guðs lifanda.” Jesus mællti
við hann: “Sæll ertu Simon dufu sonr, þviat eigi vitraði þer þetta holld
ok bloð, helldr faðir minn er a himnum er. En ek segi þer, at þu skallt
heita Petrus -​en þat er steinn a vara tungu -​ok mun ek yfir þann stein
smiða kristni mina ok gera sva styrka, at eigi munu helvitis hlið mega i
mot henni; ek gef þer lykla himinrikis, ok allt þat er þu bindr a iorðu, skal
a himnum bundit.90
[Simon Peter answered: “You are Christ, the son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him: “Blessed are you Simon, son of a dove, for flesh and
blood did not reveal this to you, but rather my father who is in heaven.
But I say unto you, that you shall be called Peter -​that is stone in our lan-
guage -​and upon this stone I will build my church and make it so strong
that the gates of Hell will not be able to oppose it; I give to you the keys
to the kingdom of heaven, and everything that you bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven.]

88 Roughton translates it as “the leader of the other apostles” which does not quite capture
the connotation that the word “hofdingi” might have had among 12th and 13th century
audiences. Post, p. 159. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 487.
89 Post, p. 159. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 488. íh, p. 123.
90 Post, p. 161. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 489.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 161

Together with Luke 22:32 and John 21:15–​17, this passage was cited most fre-
quently as the religious foundation for the authority of the pope and the
Roman See. Studies on the history of the interpretation of Matt. 16:16–​19, how-
ever, have shown that during the Middle Ages such an understanding was only
one of several possible interpretations and until the reign of Innocent iii (r.
1198–​1216) not even a prevailing one.91 Although the text was used in support
of the primacy of the bishop of Rome as early as the works of popes Leo i (r.
440–​461) and Gelasius i (r. 492–​496), exegetical and theological works show
that it did not belong to the mainstream of interpretations until much later.92
Throughout Late Antiquity and much of the Middle Ages, two other interpre-
tations remained more popular, both of which do not understand Peter as the
‘rock’ on which the Church is built. First, according to the ‘eastern’ interpreta-
tion, so-​called because of how prevalent it was in Greek exegesis since it was
originally set forth by Origen in the 3rd century, Peter stands as a type for all
Christians and it is not him personally that is the ‘rock’ that Jesus speaks of
but his confession of faith. This interpretation was advocated in the West by
late antique authors such as Ambrose, Hilary of Poitiers, and Ambrosiaster.
Second, there was the christological interpretation, frequently named after
Augustine who repeatedly promoted it in his writings. According to that inter-
pretation, Peter could be seen as a ‘second’ foundation for the Church, at best.
With recourse to the ‘rock’ of 1Cor. 10:4, it is Christ who is the only rock and fun-
dament on which the Church stands.93 The third option espoused by medieval
exegetes was the one which sees Peter and later the pope as the rock in the text.
The sermons of Pope Leo i to the pontificate are often cited among the earli-
est examples where he directly links his authority to the confession of Peter.94

91 For a detailed overview of the pericope’s history of interpretation during the Middle
Ages, see Karlfried Froehlich, “Saint Peter, Papal Primacy, and the Exegetical Tradition,
1150–​1300,” in The Religious Roles of the Papacy: Ideals and Realities, 1150–​1300, ed.
Christopher Ryan, Papers in Mediaeval Studies 8 (Toronto, 1989), pp. 3–​43. With a broader
time span and more condense is Ulrich Luz’s discussion in his Matthew 8–​20, Hermeneia
(Minneapolis, 2001), pp. 370–​375.
92 Donald J. Grimes provides interesting early medieval examples from the British Isles by
showing that neither Pseudo Jerome nor Bede the learned were thoroughly papal in their
interpretation, even though they are aware of the significance of Peter’s role. Donald
J. Grimes, “Petrine Primacy: Perspectives of two Insular Commentators (A.D. 600–​800),”
Proceedings of the pmr Conference 12/​13 (1987–​1988), 149–​158.
93 1Cor. 10:4 (Vg.): “et omnes eundem potum spiritalem biberunt bibebant autem de spiritali
consequenti eos petra petra autem erat Christus.” Elsewhere in the same epistle, it says
that there can be no other fundamentum than Christ, see 1Cor. 3:11 (Vg.): “fundamentum
enim aliud nemo potest ponere praeter id quod positum est qui est Christus Iesus.”
94 Madigan, Medieval Christianity, pp. 124–​126.
162 Chapter 3

Whatever is properly done by the bishop of Rome should be ascribed to Peter,

the rock who provides his successors with his strength.95 Such an interpreta-
tion runs through papal documents, letters and decrees throughout the Middle
Ages, for example Decretum Gelasianum in which Matt. 16:18 is cited as proof
for the divine and not human origin of the primacy of the pope and the 12th
century law collection Decretum Gratiani.96
The Icelandic translation quoted above, the earliest one preserved, clearly
reflects the Roman interpretation by adding a well-​known etymological expla-
nation of the meaning of Peter’s name to the text of the Vulgate.97 It can be
assumed that this etymology was well known among Icelanders at the time.98
By doing so, the translator directed the audience towards a Roman interpre-
tation of the passage in a decisive way. It is difficult to identify the rock on
which the Church is built as anything else—​be it the faith of the Christian or
Christ himself—​than Peter, and his successors in Rome by extension, when
the text already states that Petrus “means stone in our language” (“en þat er
steinn a vara tungu”).99 The translation further eliminates the ambivalence
produced by the difference between ‘Petrus’ and ‘petra,’ which authorities such
as Augustine used for their exegesis.
This is further commented upon in the following passage of the Saga of the
Apostle Peter, a translation of Matt. 18:15–​17 and Matt. 18:21–​22, introduced by
the translator as how “the Lord revealed to Peter how he was to use this power
(velldi).”100 In the case of a sinning brother, he should be first reproached in
private and if that does not work out, then in a group of two or three others. If
that turns out to be unsuccessful then he should be reproached before a crowd
in church. In the original context of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is speaking

95 Frequently cited are sermons 3 and 4 given on the anniversary of Leo’s elevation to the
pontificate. Available in English translation in St Leo the Great, Sermons, trans. Jane
Patricia Freeland C.S.B.J. and Agnes Josephine Conway, S.S.J. Fathers of the Church 93
(Washington, D.C., 1996), pp. 17–​32 and sermon 82 given at the feast of Peter and Paul, pl
54: 422C-​428A.
96 The canons in which Matt. 16:18 is used in such a way are provided by Franz Gillmann,
“Zur scholastischen Auslegung von Mt 16, 18.” Archiv für katholisches Kirchenrecht 104
(1924), 41–​53, esp. pp. 42–​43.
97 Matt. 16:18 (Vg.): “Et ego dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo
Ecclesiam meam, et portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus eam.” The meaning of
Peter’s name is also clearly stated in John 1:42 which does not, however, survive in transla-
tion until the 14th century manuscript Codex Scardensis, where it is included both in the
vita of Peter, Post, 2, and Andrew, Post, 354.
98 íh, p. 22.
99 Post, p. 161.
100 Post, p. 161. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 489.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 163

to the disciples as a group and not only Peter as it is presented in this version of
the Saga of the Apostle Peter. In the gospel itself, Peter is not directly addressed
until the question on the limits of forgiveness and how often he should forgive
the one who sins against him (Matt. 18:21–​22). By presenting the entire pas-
sage as an instruction for how Peter should exercise his authority, the Saga of
the Apostle Peter throws a different light on words such as ‘reproach’ (hirta in
Icelandic, corripere in Latin) and ‘heed’ (hlyðnaz in Icelandic, audire in Latin)
which in its original context has to do with conflict solving among equals in
the Church. What in the original context of the gospel has to do with conflict
solving within the Church, the Saga of the Apostle Peter turns into a discussion
on Petrine authority and church discipline. There is an interesting ambiva-
lence to this passage. On the one hand, Peter is in the position of demanding
obedience, reproaching and in the case of a sinning brother unwilling to heed
his words, even punishment: “En ef hann hlyðnaz þa eigi þer, þa se hann sem
bersyndugr eða heiðinn.”101 [If he still does not obey you, he should be treated
as a shameless sinner or a heathen.] On the other hand, he receives the com-
mand to show practically boundless mercy to the sinner.
However, from what can be gathered about the representation of Peter in
medieval Iceland, it rather accentuated the dominating aspects of the apostle.
Certainly, following the Petrine passages of the gospels, Peter is shown as a frail
human who fears, doubts, commits violent acts and ultimately denies his Lord
three times.102 But in the early ecclesiastical discourse, this would only become

101 Post, p. 161.

102 Fearing: “Hræðumst vér, bræður, er sæll Petrus apostolus hræddist” [We fear, brothers,
as the apostle Peter feared] íh, p. 93; Doubting: “En er hann [Petrus] sa sio storan ok
vind mikinn, þa hræddiz hann. […] Þa retti drottinn hond sina til hans ok mællti við
hann: “Litil er trua þin, fyrir hveria sok efaðir þu nu?” [But when he [Peter] saw such
huge waves and such a strong wind, he was afraid […] The Lord reached out to him and
said: “Your faith is weak; why did you doubt?] Post, p. 160. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 488.
Violence: “Dominus lét eigi hefna sín né verja sig, þá er hann var höndlaður og bundinn
af Gyðingum, heldur græddi hann eyra þræls eins, er Petrus hafði af höggvið” [The Lord
did not want to be revenged nor defended when he was captured and bound by Jews,
but rather healed the ear of a slave whose ear Peter had chopped off], íh, p. 96; “En er
sendimenn Gyðinga höndluðu Jesúm, þá brá Símon Pettar sverði og hjó af eyra ið hægra
af þræli einum, en sá hét Malkus” [But when the envoys of the Jews had captured Jesus,
Simon Peter took up a sword and chopped the right ear of a slave named Malkus], íh,
p. 245; “þa bra Petrus sverði ok hio eyra af einum þræli Gyðinga, ok syndi sva ỏruggleik
sinn” [Peter drew a sword and hewed off the ear of one of the Jews’ servants, thereby
showing his fearlessness], Post, p. 161. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 490; Denial: “Petrus neitti
Kristi og leiðréttist” [Peter denied Christ and was redeemed], íh, p. 98; “Hví væri eigi Pétar
postuli í munni hans, þá er hann neitti Drottni?” [Why would the apostle Peter not be in
his [Leviathan’s] mouth, as he rejected the Lord], íh, p. 109; “Þá neitti Pétur með svardaga,
164 Chapter 3

the background out of which Peter would emerge as a strong leader, a cham-
pion of faith and an a prime example of a repenting sinner. Unlike Judas who
committed his misdeeds of evil and repented in despair (örvilnun), Peter’s sins
were caused by weakness and he repented with hope (vilnun), as is explained
in the sermon Passio Domini from the Icelandic Homily Book.103 Another ser-
mon from the Homily Book, entitled Resurrectio Domini, encourages its audi-
ence to look to Peter for hope, especially in case of weakness or loss of faith.104
It should also be noted that in 11th and 12th century Icelandic culture, Peter’s
willingness to grab arms in defence of his Lord would not necessarily have been
interpreted as a negative trait, even though two sermons from the Icelandic Homily
Book take a critical stance towards the apostle’s behavior.105 Such a tolerant atti-
tude is best seen in the Saga of the Apostle Peter where the translator adds that by
cutting the ear of the servant, Peter is said to have been “showing his fortitude”
(“syndi sva ỏruggleik sinn”).106
After his threefold confession of love, Peter emerges as the true leader of the
apostles. This confession, a translation of John 21:15–​19, is explicitly explained
by the translator as a recompense for his denial of Christ.107 After this, the
source of the saga has shifted from the gospels to the Acts of the Apostles.
Peter gives his Pentecost-​speech, successfully calling the audience to repen-
tance. Along with the Holy Spirit, Peter is introduced as the one who managed
the mission of the apostles.108 He gives inspired speeches, converting people
by the thousands, performs miracles and fights any opposition vigorously.109 It

að hann hafði aldregi með Jesú verið” [Then Peter swore that he had never accompanied
Jesus] íh, p. 246; “En hann neitti i hvert sinn, er þau spurðu, ok kvaðz eigi vita, hver Jesus
var,” [Peter denied everything they asked and said that he did not know who Jesus was]
Post, p. 161. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 491.
103 íh, p. 98.
104 íh, p. 110.
105 Esp. íh, p. 96. See also íh, p. 245.
106 Post, p. 161.
107 “En til þess beiddi hann Petrum þrysvar iata elsku sinni, at hann bøtti þat i þrefalldri iat-
ningu, er hann hafði guði þrysvar neitat.” [He asked Peter to acknowledge his love three
times in order to repair in a threefold acknowledgement the fact that Peter had denied
God thrice.] Post, p. 163. Roughton ii, p. 493.
108 “Postolar skylldu fara a yms lond, sem siðan for fram at vitran heilags anda ok fyrirsogn
Petrs postola.” [the apostles should go to various countries, which occurred after the
vision of the Holy Spirit and under the leadership of the apostle Peter] Post, p. 164. Cf.
Roughton ii, p. 496.
109 For speeches, see for example Peter’s pentecostal speech on Post, pp. 163–​165. “En er
Petrus hafði þetta mællt, þat toku tru ok skirn þriar þusundir manna, ok voru staðfastir
a bønum ok hlyðnir kenningum postulanna.” [After Peter said this, three thousand men
accepted the faith and were baptized, and they were steadfast in their prayers and heeded
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 165

is the image of the strong Peter that dominates the largest part of Peter’s vita.
And whatever ambivalence might mark Peter’s persona in the New Testament
source material, it was uniformly interpreted with the outcome of Peter as
an example of hope and repentance. Later in the story, in his conflict against
Simon Magus, Peter’s fear is also completely disappeared: “Eigi mun ek hræðaz
engla þina, en þeir munu mik hræðaz i krapti drottins Jesu Kristz” [I will not
fear your angels, but they will fear me by the power of my Lord Jesus Christ].110
And furthermore, while sitting in a dungeon: “Petrus hræddiz eigi pislir, helldr
let hann at bøn lyðsins ok gerðiz braut at fara.”111 [Peter did not fear suffering,
but he listened to the prayers and made his departure.]
Not to be overlooked are Peter’s capabilities of producing fear and awe.
These elements of Peter’s character are especially prominent in Petrine mate-
rial based on other source texts than the New Testament although they can also
be found there, beginning with the canonical Acts of the Apostles. A particu-
larly effective account, translation of Acts 5:1–​11, tells of the couple Annanias
and Saphira who did not heed the commands of the apostles to share every-
thing with the Christian community but hid some of the profit from a field
they sold. When Peter found out about this he severely rebuked Annanias,
explaining that he had thereby not lied to men but God. Upon hearing Peter’s
scolding, Annanias fell down dead as did his wife Saphira after she persisted in
lying about hiding the profit. The passage ends by stating that: “Nu varð hræzla
mikil yfir ollum lyð”112 [All the people were stricken with great fear.] Linking
directly to this is a version of Acts 5:12–​42 where it is highlighted that even
Peter’s shadow could heal and make miracles. What follows is a recapitulation
of Acts 5–​12 including Peter’s vision, the conversion of Cornelius, the import-
ant account of the angel rescuing Peter as he awaited his execution chained in
prison (vincula Petri).
All of this leads up to the encounter with Simon Magus which is biblically
based in Acts 8 but came to be greatly expanded in the patristic and medieval
traditions. After Peter had been serving as bishop at Antiochia for seven years,
he hears that Simon Magus is preaching his heresy in Rome:

the apostle’s teachings.] Post, p. 164, Roughton ii, p. 496; “En er Petrus hafði lokit tỏlu
sinni, þa toku tru fimm þusundir manna, er heyrt hofðu þessi orð.” [When Peter finished
his speeech five thousand men who heard his words accepted tha faith.] Post, p. 165.
Roughton ii, p. 498.
110 Post, pp. 187–​188. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 536.
111 Post, p. 196.
112 Post, p. 166. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 500.
166 Chapter 3

Þvi var þat rað allra manna kristinna, at Petr postoli føri til Romaborgar
ok gengi a mot villu Simonar ok eyddi, ok þotti þat makligast, at hinn øzti
hofðingi kristninnar gengi a moti hofðingia villumanna.113
[Then all Christians agreed that Peter would go to Rome to oppose
Simon’s heresy and eliminate it, and they thought it most fitting that
the highest leader of Christianity should oppose the leader of the
heretics.]

The skirmish of Peter, and Paul as well to a certain degree, with Simon Magus,
was a paradigmatic strife between an apostle/​saint and an opponent. This
will be discussed in more detail in the next section of this chapter (3.2), but
it should be noted how the authority of the Christian representative in such
skirmishes is boosted through the confrontation with his enemy.

3.1.3.2 Church Hierarchy

The sagas of the apostles contain accounts of how central offices of the
Church, the papacy, episcopacy, and the priestly office, were already exist-
ing and functioning during the apostolic age.114 According to these texts, the
apostles ordained bishops and priests and Peter is shown to have ordained
his successors as popes. As is made clear in the Saga of Clement and the
Saga of the Apostle Peter, before he became bishop of Rome, he had been
a bishop of Antioch. In the saga of Clement, Peter is said to have ordained
three popes:

Enn fyrste pave af Petro vigþr oc til kǫrenn var Linus, oc var hann litla
stund. En annarr pave var Cletus efter Linum at forraþe Petrs postola, oc
lifþe scamma stund. Enn þriþi pave fra Petro var sia inn gøfge Clemens.115
[The first pope ordained and chosen by Peter was Linus, and he was
pope for a short time. The next pope after Linus, as prescribed by Peter,
was Cletus who lived for a short while. The third pope after Peter was the
noble Clement]

113 Post, p. 180.

114 The word ‘byskup’ has sometimes the broad meaning of a religious leader and is thus not
always restricted to the hierarchy of the Roman Church. Thus, the high priest Abiathar
can be called ‘byskup,’ (see e.g. Post, p. 518) and pagan religious leaders are frequently
referred to by the term ‘blotbyskup’ (see e.g. Post, p. 748 and throughout the Saga of the
Apostle Bartholomew, see also Saga of Simon and Jude).
115 Post, p. 180.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 167

In the Saga of the Apostle Peter, however, Clement is introduced as the first
pope and Linus and Cletus have been relegated to bishops.116 The text explains
that as bishops in Rome, they were responsible for administrative matters
relating to clerics while Peter himself “var a bønum iafnan ok kendi monnum
tru” [was always at his prayers and preaching the faith],117 giving the impres-
sion that there already existed a functioning hierarchy at the time. Despite the
discrepancy between the two texts, they have in common that Clement enjoys
a special status, singled out by Peter and ordained in a special ceremony as the
rightful successor of Peter’s cathedral.118 In the Saga of Clement, it is explained
in elaborate terms that Clement was expected to keep up the holy teachings
and commandments of God. He is said to be invested with the power to govern
(styra) and rule (raþa) over as the ordained “bishop and pope” over Christianity
in its entirety.119 In addition to describing how Peter ordained Clement, with
the laying over of hands, the text also says that Peter provided Clement with
detailed instructions about “hversu hann scy(l)de halda byscopdom eþa hvé
hann scilde styra cristne þeire, es hann var þá iver setr.”120 [as to how he should
hold the bishopric and how he should steer the Christians over whom he was
placed.]121 This ceremony is described in the following way in the Saga of the
Apostle Peter:

Hlyði þer mer, goðir brøðr! […] ek hefi mann valdan til þess velldis, er
drottinn minn gaf mer, Clement lærisvein minn, þann er mer hefir lengi
fylgt, ok eru honum oll guðs lỏg einna mest i kunnleika […] Fyrir þvi sel

116 There is no apparent reason for this discrepancy between the two texts. Roughton sug-
gests that it might have been to “avoid confusion of Peter’s consecration of Clement as
his immediate successor to the papal seat.” Roughton i, p. 150. It is right, the Saga of the
Apostle Peter could reflect the opinion that it would have been problematic to think of
many popes to have been in office at the same time with Linus and Cletus being the con-
temporaries of Peter. Such difficulties do not seem to have bothered the composer of the
Saga of Clement who names all of them as popes, although Clement is specifically named
by Peter as his successor. This position towards the papal succession could have been
adopted from any late antique or medieval source, resolving the contradiction in differing
ways. See Roughton i, p. 105–​106.
117 Post, p. 181. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 181.
118 “Nu set ec þenna mann Clementem i stol minn,” [Now I place this man, Clement, in my
seat] Post, p. 142. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 469.
119 “hann vigþe hann til byscops oc til pava iver alre cristne” [ordained him as bishop and
pope over entire Christianity] Post, p. 142. Cf. translation in Rouhgton ii, p. 470.
120 Post, p. 142. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 470.
121 In this sentence, the word ‘cristne’ as ‘the Christians’ would more accurately be replaced
with the world ‘Christendom.’
168 Chapter 3

ek honum þat velldi, er guð gaf mer at leysa ok binda, ok hans atkvæði
skal standa um alla kristni.” Siðan lagði hann hendr yfir hofuð honum ok
setti hann i stol sinn ok vigði hann til pava.122
[Hear me, good brothers! […] I have chosen a man to take the power
that my Lord granted to me, Clement my disciple, who has followed me
for a long time, and who is most well-​versed in all the laws of God. […]
Therefore I give to him the power that God gave me to release and to
bind, and his decisions shall stand throughout all of Christendom.” Then
he laid hands over his head and seated him in his throne and consecrated
him as pope.]

This passage provides an interesting example of how the divine power Peter
received from Jesus as described in Matt. 16:19 is transferred to the ecclesias-
tical hierarchy, reflected in the use of the word veldi already discussed earlier
in this chapter. In the text, the word veldi merges with the power or authority
given to Peter by God being exclusively restricted to the one who holds the
office.
As for the involvement of other apostles in the emerging ecclesiastical hier-
archy, there is a number of examples. If not bishops themselves, the apostles
are frequently represented as founding episcopal sees in the regions where
they were proclaiming the faith and ordaining other men they found fitting for
service. Those coming across the Saga of the Apostle John would, for example,
hear how the apostle James was installed as the bishop of Jerusalem by his
fellow disciples and how that very event served as a model for a bishop’s ordi-
nation still a thousand years later:

En eptir þat er postolar hofðu skipat guðs kristni a Gyðingalandi, eptir þvi
sem fong voru a, þa skipuðu þeir Jacobo postola broður drottins yfir krist-
nina ok settu hann byskup yfir Jorsalaborg, ok logðu þeir hendr yfir hofuð
honum, Petrus postoli fyrst at upphafi, ok þar siðan með honum Jacobus
ok Johannes brøðr. Ok þaðan af er skynsemi til þess tekin, at engan bys-
kup skal sva vigia, at færi byskupar se við en þrir, erkibyskup, sa er vigir, ok
aðrir tveir byskupar með honum, þeir er styði þat hit haleita embætti.123
[After the apostles organized God’s Christians in Judea as best they
could, they then appointed the apostle James, the brother of the Lord,
as the leader of the Christians and bishop over Jerusalem, and they laid

122 Post, p. 181.

123 Post, p. 417. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 662.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 169

their hands over his head, first Peter, and the brothers James and John
along with him. And this is the reason why no bishop shall be consecrated
unless there are no less than three bishops present, the archbishop, who
consecrates, and two other bishops with him, who uphold that sublime
office.]

Andrew is said to have ordained a certain Celestine as bishop over Nicaea. He

is described as a wise man who took good care of his flock as Andrew had com-
manded him (“sem Andreas postoli hafði honum boðit”).124 In their travels around
Babylon, Simon and Jude then ordained a bishop for the region, a certain Abdias
(the same one as the so-​called Pseudo-​Abdian collection took its name from)
who had followed them from Judea: “postolarnir vigðu byskup i Babylon, þann
er Abdias het”125 [[t]‌he apostles ordained a bishop in Babylon, Abdias by name].
Furthermore, with the increasing success of the Christian mission and the
growing number of Christians around the world, the source material regularly
describes how the apostolic emissaries built up the administrative structure
around the nascent Christian religion. Having succeeded in converting a suffi-
cient number of people, a first step is to eradicate the last traces of the previous
pagan religions and replace it with Christian churches. The Saga of Clement,
for instance, describes how

vel efldesc þar cristenn domr, at at þeim misserom var halfr atti tǫgr
kirkna þar gorr oc vigþar af kennimonnom, oc sva øll scurþgoþ broten
i þeim heroþom oc øll hof eyd oc aller blótstallar brennder. Oc þa hlógo
cristner menn at otru heiþinna manna oc blotom þeira.126
[Christendom was so well strenghtened there that during the same
season forty churches were raised and consecrated by clerics there, and
all the heathen ideols in that district were torn down and all the temples
destroyed and all the places of sacrifice burned. The Christians scorned
the heresy of the heathens and their sacrifices.]

The apostle Philip is described to have travelled around many regions and cit-
ies where he “vigði byskupa, presta ok diakna, ok marga aðra klerka, ok let þar
margar kirkiur reisa ok efla þar miok kristinn dom. Ok var hann þar.xx. ar ken-
ningar at kenna”127 [ordained bishops, priests, and deacons, and many other

124 Post, p. 324.

125 Post, p. 787. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 806.
126 Post, p. 149. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 483.
127 Post, p. 737. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 747.
170 Chapter 3

clerics and had many churches erected, and greatly strengthened the Christian
faith there. He preached there for twenty years]. Another particularly rich
example is found in the Saga of the Apostle John, describing the activities of the
apostle after he returns from exile on the island Pathmos. Having returned, he
continues to travel around, preaching the word of God but he also proceeds to

vigia kirkiur eða lata reisa i þeim stỏðum, sem eigi voru aðr. Hann setti
ok kennimenn til varðveizlu kirkiunnar eða kristninnar, bæði byskupa ok
presta ok aðra lærða menn, a þann pall hvern, at vigslunum fylgði, eða
stað, sem honum var aðr af helgum anda til visat. En er hann var kominn
til einhverrar borgar ok hafði þar tiðir veittar ok alla þa luti, er til guðligrar
þionostu komu.128
[consecrate churches and to build them in places where none been
built before. He also appointed clerics to supervise the churches and
Christians, both bishops and priests and other learned men, at the steps
of the altar where each consecration took place or in each place where
he had been directed by the Holy Spirit. When he came to a certain city
and had celebrated mass and done all of the things appertaining to the
worship of God …]

According to this passage, the apostle John himself arranged his congregations
within a hierarchical order, inspired by the Holy Spirit, ordering all learned
men, both bishops, priests and others to a position (a þann pall) fitting to the
ordination of each and every one.

3.1.4 Conclusion: Powering Over

The above discussion has highlighted the layer of the early Christian discourse
in Iceland concerned with enhancing the authority of the Church and elevat-
ing the position of its ordained servants. To that end, inspired by the critical
approaches towards religious text material discussed earlier in this study, it
has paid particular attention to how the position of the Church was carved out
in the religious discourse. Central to such practices was the Church’s emphasis
on its special relationship with the divine which was made possible through
an exclusive access to the divine teaching and by association with religious fig-
ures like the apostles. What is also emphasized is the organizational context in
which the discourse is carried out, namely the ecclesiastical hierarchy which
can be traced back to the apostles themselves. Such discursive practices served

128 Post, p. 427. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 682.

Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 171

the purpose of setting ecclesiastics apart from other people, elevating them to
a position from which they could tell others what to do, teach them.
Furthermore, in particular in the discussion of the teaching, the discourse
has been placed in the context of the liturgical performance taking place
within the church building. Although the term ‘teaching,’ as it is constructed
in the earliest Icelandic religious discourse, does not offer itself to any clear-​
cut content description, the examples above show that in an important sense
it was regarded as the same teaching preached by Christ and carried on by
the apostles and later by their successors. Contentwise, the teaching remained
relatively open but at the same time it entailed a fixed structural relationship
between a cleric and laypeople, learned and unlearned, those in the knowing
and those in the unknowing. This is of course not to say that the content was
not there or unclear, only that it was diverse and shaped by the circumstances
each time. The teaching was thus an umbrella term for the message the Church
wanted to get through in different circumstances and was not defined by the
specifics of its content but the power relationship lying at its core.

3.2 The ‘Other’

Ecclesiastical discourse during the Free State era was filled with descriptions
and images of various kinds of opponents. Demons, pagans, heretics and
inimical Jews frequently turn up in sermons and in hagiographical texts, the
enemy-​figure amounts to a structural necessity. From the point of view of crit-
ical theory, these figures constituted an ‘other’ over against which those who
belonged to the Church could measure themselves.129 As it gradually paved its
way to a position as the most powerful institution in the country, the Church in
Iceland was taking measures in order to mark out the boundary-​lines between

129 The concept of the ‘other’ has been traced back to Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s (1770–​
1831) ‘Master-​Slave Dialectic,’ an influential chapter of his Phenomenology of the Spirit in
which he explains that the consciousness of self, of identity, is shaped through the dia-
lectical master-​slave relationship or better, that of lord (Herr) and bondsman (Knecht). It
is in this text where the notion of self as constructed by an ‘other’ is put forth which has
since then resurfaced “fundamentally in any critical discourse that wrestles with some
idea of the “other” as that against which you define yourself.” Andrew Cole, “What Hegel’s
Master/​Slave Dialectic Really Means,” Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 34/​3
(2004), 578. Variations of this theme are numerous, two influential those of philosophers
Alexandre Kojève (1902–​1968) and Simone de Beauvoir (1908–​1986). In the following, the
discussion will be limited to the political and social aspects of the concept and how it can
become of use for analyzing and explaining historical and social processes.
172 Chapter 3

‘us’ and ‘them,’ between those who were ‘like us’ and those who were ‘not like
us.’ As Jonathan Z. Smith points out, such a comparison is essentially hierar-
chical and political:

Difference is seldom a comparison between entities judged to be equiv-

alent. Difference most frequently entails a hierarchy of prestige and the
concomitant political ranking of superordinate and subordinate.130

This was of course by no means a specifically Icelandic concern. Such discur-

sive practices came naturally to the Roman Church wherever it was settling
itself. As this section will show, much of the discourse analysed, particularly
the one grounded in hagiographical narratives, is structured around the binary
opposition between an apostolic protagonist and a hostile ‘other.’ The main
reason for bringing up the notion of the ‘other’ in the context of the early
Icelandic ecclesiastical discourse is to highlight the inherently political nature
of such discursive structures and the kind of power relationships it was able to
produce and sustain in the social realm.

3.2.1 Enemies of the Church

It should be stressed right at the outset that the image of the ‘other’ in the
ecclesiastical discourse was also an image of an enemy (Feindbild). The notion
of an enemy-​image has increasingly come into use in recent decades, espe-
cially in the German speaking world, both in popular discussion as well as
scholarship across the various fields of the humanities and social sciences.131
It is important to keep in mind a distinction between enemy-​images and other
boundary formations between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Not every criticism, not every
negative representation, not every prejudice or image of an ‘other,’ should be

130 Jonathan Z. Smith, “What a Difference a Difference Makes,” in Relating Religion: Essays in
the Study of Religion (Chicago, 2004), p. 253. Italics added.
131 A transdisciplinary collection of essays on enemy-​images, grounded in the work of a
research group within the Cluster of Excellence: Religion and Politics in Münster is
Alfons Fürst, Harutyun Harutyunyan, Eva-​Maria Schrage et al., eds., Von Ketzern und
Terroristen: Interdisziplinäre Studien zur Konstruktion und Rezeption von Feindbildern
(Münster, 2012). Other examples include Anne Katrin Flohr, Feindbilder in der internatio-
nalen Politik: Ihre Entstehung und ihre Funktion, Bonner Beiträge zur Politikwissenschaft
2 (Münster, 1991); Anton Pelinka, ed., Feindbilder in Europa: Analysen und Perspektiven,
Studienreihe Konfliktforschung 23 (Vienna, 2008); Ingrid Hartl, Das Feindbild der
Kreuzzugslyrik: Das Aufeinandertreffen von Christen und Muslimen, Wiener Arbeiten
zur germanischen Altertumskunde und Philologie 40 (Bern, 2009); Dennis Weiter,
Feindbildkonstruktionen im Nahostkonflik: Ursache für das Scheitern der Roadmap 2003?
(Hamburg, 2012).
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 173

perceived as an enemy-​image. Prejudices and images of the ‘other’ contribute

to the construction of an identity, just as enemy-​images do. But unlike enemy-​
images, they are not directly linked to the origin of evil and it is not a matter of
ultimate importance to overcome them as is usually the case with an enemy.132
In a passage in the Icelandic Homily Book with the heading Oratio. Passio
Domini one can find a succinct summary of the enemies of the Church:

Nú skulum vér biðja fyr villumönnum og þrætumönnum, að Guð og vor

Dominus leiði af öllum villum og leiði þá til heilagrar og postullegrar
kristni. Biðjum vér fyr ótrúum Gyðingum, að Guð og vor Drottinn taki
ótrúumyrkur af hjörtum þeirra, svo að þeir kenni sinn Dominum vera
Jesúm Krist vorn Drottin. Nú skulum vér biðja fyr heiðnum mönnum, að
Guð almáttugur færi illsku frá hjörtum þeirra og þeir fyrláti skurðgoð, en
þeir snúist til Guðs lifanda og sanns og einkasonar hans Jesú Krists, Guðs
og Drottins vors.133
[Let us pray for heretics and quarrelers, that God, our Dominus may
lead them away from all error and lead them to holy and apostolic
Christianity. We pray for incredulous Jews, that God and our Lord remove
the darkness of unbelief from their hearts, so they will recognize their
Dominum as Jesus Christ our Lord. Now let us pray for heathen men, that
almighty God remove evil from their hearts and that they forsake idols,
but turn to the living and true God and his only son Jesus Christ, God and
our Lord.]

Following Jesus’ instruction (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:28) to pray for one’s persecu-
tors, the passage distinguishes relatively clearly between three groups of ene-
mies: quarreling heretics opposed to apostolic Christianity,134 incredulous
Jews whose hearts are filled with unbelief (ótrú), and idolatrous heathens with
hearts filled with evil. Another summary can be found at the end of the Saga
of the Apostle Thomas but there the differentiation between enemies is not as

132 Eva-​Maria Schrage, “Von Ketzern und Terroristen? Zum analytischen Nutzen eines inter-
disziplinären Feindbildbegriffs,” in Von Ketzern und Terroristen: Interdisziplinäre Studien
zur Konstruktion und Rezeption von Feindbildern (Münster, 2012), pp. 220–​221.
133 íh, p. 102.
134 According to the strict definition of a heretic, it is somebody who has already been bap-
tized and accepted the Christian faith but departed from its correct interpretation pro-
vided by the Catholic Church. Here the word villa in villumenn is used in the narrow sense
of the word, referring to heresy and heretics. This is clear from the context, which associ-
ates them with quarrelers, separated from holy and apostolic Christianity and later makes
a distinction from heathens.
174 Chapter 3

clear. After the apostle’s martyrdom in India, his body was taken to the city of
Edessa and placed in a silver casket. Because of the apostle’s sanctity, enemies
of Christianity are not allowed in the city, described as follows: “I þeiri borg ma
eigi vera villumaðr ne blotmaðr ne Gyðingr, ok eigi megu heiðnir menn þan-
gat heria” [Heretics, heathen worshippers, or Jews are not to be found in that
city, and heathens cannot harry there].135 The enemies enumerated here are
heretics, men participating in worship including sacrifical ceremonies (blót),
heathens, and Jews. This distinction seems to derive from the Latin source text,
which differentiates between haereticus, Iudaeus, idolorum cultor, and barba-
rus.136 While each of the Latin terms has its specific reference distinguishing
them from the others, the same distinction does not carry over to the Icelandic.
Blótmenn and heiðnir menn can, for example, simply refer to the same group
of people, and in a certain sense villumenn also.137 The following discussion is
intended to further explore the three groups of enemies referred to above: her-
etics, heathens, and Jews.

3.2.1.1 Heretics
In Sverrir Jakobsson’s estimation, medieval Icelanders only had superfi-
cial knowledge about conflicts and debates between disagreeing Christians.
Icelandic sources do not, for example, show much awareness of the great
schism between East and West which seems to have been understood as a tem-
porary disagreement.138 Jakobsson even goes as far to describe the situation in
Iceland as “free of heresy and other original thoughts on religious matters” and
Icelanders by and large indifferent to religious matters.139 Although Jakobsson
is most likely right in assuming that Icelanders were not fully up-​to-​date in

135 Post, p. 726. Cf. Frá Sýrlandi til Íslands, p. 316. Here, a narrow understanding of the word
“villumaðr” seems reasonable. Roughton’s translation of blótmaðr, however, with the
word pagan does not suffice as it stands in contrast with the word heiðinn maðr later in
the same sentence.
136 Lucy Grace Collings has identified as the closest source text the version of Passio Sancti
Thomae Apostoli (bhl 8136), edited by Max Bonnet in Acta Thomae (Leipzig, 1883), p. 159.
See discussion in Collings, Codex Scardensis, pp. 14–​17 and Roughton i, p. 270–​271.
137 The 14th century manuscript sám 1 (Codex Scardensis) replaces “blotmaðr ne Gyðingr”
with the word “gudnidingr” [one who denigrates (commits níð) against God]. For a fur-
ther discussion of the terms “nid” and “gudnidingr,” see Richard Cole, “Kyn /​Fólk /​Þjóð /​
Ætt: Proto-​Racial Thinking and its Application to Jews in Old Norse Literature,” in Fear
and Loathing in the North: Jews and Muslims in Medieval Scandinavia and the Baltic Region,
eds. Cordelia Heß and Jonathan Adams (Berlin, 2015), pp. 248–​249.
138 As an example thereof, he points out the rather imprecise account of the Second Council
of Lyon in 1274 found in Árna saga biskups. Sverrir Jakobsson, Við og veröldin, pp. 127–​128.
139 Ibid., p. 128.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 175

religious conflicts carried out in distant lands, the notions of ‘heresy’ and ‘here-
tics’ were by no means foreign to them given how prominent a spot they enjoy
in early ecclesiastical discourse.
The religious texts under inspection in the present study contain numerous
examples of heretics and mention well-​known heretical movements from the
Church’s past. In the Saga of the Apostles Philip and James, the apostle Philip is
said to have encountered “villa þeira manna, er Hebioniti voru kallaðir” [her-
esy of the men called Hebionites], which he is then said to have destroyed
and “førði kristnina i lag sem þa er bezt hafði verit” [brought Christianity in
its place, as it had been best there before].140 At the beginning of the Saga of
Bishop Martin, the Arian heresy (Arrius villa) is said to be spreading around
the entire world and Martin had to endure beatings for being the only one
who objected to the faithlessness of the teachers (otru kennemanna). The saga
further tells that the bishop Hilarius, “var rekenn fra byscopsstole sinom fyrer
ofriþe villomanna” [had been driven from his bishop’s seat by the hostility
of the heretics]. Although the texts do not go into the details of the nature
of these different heresies, it is made clear that they constitute a corruption of
true Christianity, lack of faith and unrest which was to result in physical
violence.
In addition to such sporadic mentionings of well-​known heretical move-
ments, heretical behavior receives its clearest manifestation in the figure of
Simon Magus, a prototypical heretic from the early Christian and medieval tra-
dition, figuring prominently in writings related to the apostle Peter and Bishop
Clement of Rome. In the Icelandic medieval tradition, he plays a significant
role in the Saga of the Apostle Peter and the Saga of Clement. In the biblical
canon, Simon Magus is first named in the canonical Acts of the Apostles (8:9–​
24) but traditions around him grew rapidly during the first three centuries ce
as can be seen from Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, the Pseudo Clementine
Corpus and later in patristic writings by authors such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus,
and Tertullian. In such writings and others, Simon has been charged with the
founding of simony -​the sin of purchasing the gifts of God (giafir guðs) which
in the Middle Ages came to be applied to the purchasing of ecclesiastical
office.141 He is presented as the archenemy of Peter and the climax of the Saga
of Peter the Apostle is reached in the conflict between him and the apostles
Peter and Paul in front of the Roman emperor Nero.

140 Post, p. 737. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 747.

141 See the description of the origin of simony in Post, p. 171.
176 Chapter 3

In the religious discourse of the Church, a characteristic frequently

attributed to Simon is his exuberant arrogance, the capital sin of superbia,
the “queen of all evil things,” as its Icelandic equivalent dramb or dramblæti
is called in a Lenten service in the Icelandic Homily Book.142 In fact, the saga
depicts Simon as guilty of other capital sins as well, such as envy (of̉ und)
and anger (reiði), but it is safe to say that his arrogance stands out.143 At
various points during his clashes with the apostles, he claims to be Christ,
the son of God descended from heaven, the supreme power of God and the
sun itself.144 As the conflict between him and the apostles Peter and Paul
escalates in Rome, the emperor asks who the true one is, which immediately
prompt’s the following answer from Simon: “Ek em hann enn sanni” [I am
the true one]. Again, when the emperor later asks who is “konungr ok drot-
tinn” [king and Lord], Simon responds in the same way as before: “Ek em
hann sa, ek em hann sa” [I am him, I am him].145 In his vaingloriousness,
Simon thus repeatedly claims power and prestige for himself, which is due
only to God alone.
Such actions, however, bring him nothing but shame from the apostles, as
the following passage from the Saga of the Apostle Peter clearly illustrates:

En hann [Petrus] mællti, at menn skylldu sia við svikum Simonar ok við
allri villu hans, ok lata eigi at velum diofuls, þviat hann kvað Simon vera
lygimann ok fiolkunnigan galldramann ok vándan þiof, ovin guðs ok allz
hins retta, ok kvað bratt augliosa mundu verða hans illzku fyrir ollum
lyð.146
[He [Peter] said that men should see through Simon’s treachery and all
his heresy, and not be fooled by the Devil’s wiles, for he said that Simon
was a liar and a sorcerous conjurer and an evil thief, an enemy of God
and all righteousness, and he said that soon his evil would be publicized
before all the people.]

142 íh, p. 87. At one point, the Saga of the Apostle Peter specifically uses the term ‘dramb,’
when stating that Simon “drambaði mikit.” Post, p. 171.
143 Envy: “En Simon magnus fylldiz ỏfundar ok mællti mart illt um Petrum,” [Simon Magus
was filled with envy and spoke great ill of Peter] Post, 185. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 532.
Anger: “Þa reiddiz Simon,” [Simon became angry] Post, p. 188. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 538.
144 Post, p. 186 (son of God); Post, p. 172 (Christ); Post, p. 132 (the sun); Post, pp. 133 and 174
(supreme power).
145 Post, p. 192–​193. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 544, 547.
146 Post, p. 185. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 533.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 177

Throughout the apostles’ dealings with Simon, they do not miss a chance to
scold him harshly, exposing him as a heretic associated with sourcery, treach-
ery, falsity and the Devil himself.147
Another feature regularly associated with Simon Magus that should be men-
tioned is his tendency to engage in what in Icelandic is conveyed with the word
þræta. The noun ‘þræta’ can mean a quarreling, altercation or an objection,
and the verb þræta simply means engaging in such activities.148 Inherent to
such altercations, as suggested by a translation option in Fritzner’s dictionary,
is the practice of objecting or countering the standpoint of another149 which
is precisely what Simon does in his exchange with the apostles: “Þvi þurfum
ver ekki at mæla til friðar helldr til þrætu” [Therefore we do not need to speak
in the name of peace but rather to debate].150 Time and again, Simon calls the
apostles’ teachings into question and corrupts them, offering his own alter-
native teachings sometimes with great success. At the same time, it remains
clear that his teachings are harmful (skaðsamlig)151 and, more importantly,
untrue, a fact most clearly articulated in one of Peter’s retorts to Simon in front
of emperor Nero: “Engi er sannleikr i þer, helldr gerir þu ok mælir allt með
lygi” [There is no truth in you; everything that you do and say is a lie].152 Thus,
in the ecclesiastical discourse, the true teaching of the apostles is opposed to
the false and demonic teaching of the archheretic Simon Magus. By the same
token, the very practice of questioning the apostles’ teaching, not to mention
taking a stance against it, is counted among heretical practices.

3.2.1.2 Heathens
The opponents most frequently encountered in the hagiographic source mate-
rial are heathens, referred to by a variation of the adjective heiðinn, cognate
with the English word ‘heathen.’153 Heathens are those who worship other gods
than the Christian one, either because they have not been introduced to the
Christian religion or they have not accepted it. A standard way to describe the
situation of heathens is that of darkness, they have not seen the light. In a

147 Post, p. 189.

148 According to Cleasby-​Vigfusson, þræta is defined as a “quarrel, wrangling, litigation.”
149 In Norwegian: “Modsigelse hvormed nogen imødegaar ens Paastand,” Fritzner, s.v. “þræta.”
150 Post, p. 174. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 513. For other references to quarrels between Simon and
the apostles, see Post, pp. 132–​134 and pp. 172–​173.
151 Post, p. 180.
152 Post, p. 192. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 544.
153 Fritzner’s dictionary translates ‘heiðinn’ as a heathen (In Norwegian: hedensk), that is
somebody who is excluded from or stands outside (Christian) human society, and does
not share their peace nor their laws. Fritzner, s.v. “heiðinn”.
178 Chapter 3

sermon to be held on feast of the Presentation (Purificatio s. Marie), heathen

peoples are said to be in darkness of mind: “Heiðnar þjóðir vóru í hugarmyrkri,
því að þeir sáu eigi ið sanna ljós, þá er þeir kunnu eigi skapera sinn” [Heathen
peoples remained in darkness of mind, for they did not see the true light, when
they did not know their creator].154 Since as early as the Apostle Paul, Christian
authors have shown a certain ambivalence towards the figure of the pagan,
especially when it comes to the question what to make of ‘noble heathens,’
that is people who excelled in wisdom or moral virtue without having access
to the truth of the Christian gospel.155 For such reasons, as well as the fact that
they always have the opportunity to convert to Christiantiy and are as such
the main object of the apostolic mission, the figure of the pagan should not
be regarded as automatically negative. As pointed out by Sverrir Jakobsson in
his discussion of the identity of medieval Icelanders, the contours of heathen-
dom are malleable and not an ultimate dividing line between ‘us’ and ‘them.’156
Despite such ambiguities regarding the identity of medieval Icelanders in gen-
eral, it cannot be overlooked that the figure of the heathen is represented as
overwhelmingly negative in early Christian religious discourse.
Following their Latin source texts, the Old Icelandic texts base their rep-
resentation of the pagan religion on the polytheistic religious landscape of
the Roman empire. The only difference between the Icelandic texts and their
source texts is the occasional replacing of the names of Greco-​Roman dei-
ties with names from Old Norse mythology, a practice sometimes refferred
to as interpretatio Norræna (comparable to Tacitus’ interpretatio Romana).157
Just as often, however, deities keep their foreign names. The substituting of
the deities’ names is carried out with relative ease, minimizing any differ-
ences between the Old Norse gods and the Greco Roman ones. As shown by
Simonetta Battista, there is not an inner coherence to be detected in the Old

154 íh, p. 122.

155 For a classic article on the topic of the ‘noble heathen’ for the medieval Scandinavian
context, see Lars Lönnroth, “The Noble Heathen: A Theme in the Sagas,” Scandinavian
Studies 41 (1969): 1–​29. For a more recent contribution, see Grønlie, Saint and the Saga
Hero, pp. 111–​162.
156 Sverrir Jakobsson, Við og veröldin, p. 139.
157 The topic has been the subject of two fairly recent contributions, by philologist Simonetta
Battista “Interpretations of the Roman Pantheon in the Old Norse Hagiographic Sagas,”
in Old Norse Myths, Literature and Society, The Viking Collection 14, ed. Margaret Clunies
Ross (Odense, 2003), pp. 175–​197 and literary scholar Ármann Jakobsson, “Er Saturnús
er kallaðr en vér köllum Frey’: The Roman Spring of the Old Norse Gods,” in Between
Paganism and Christianity in the North, eds. Leszek P. Słupecki and Jakub Morawiec
(Rzeszów, 2009), pp. 158–​164, esp. p. 161–​164.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 179

Icelandic translations as for which Old Norse god corresponds to which Greco
Roman god.158 Sometimes, Óðinn and Þórr are made into collective represen-
tatives of the entire pantheon.159 In Ármann Jakobsson’s opinion, the reason
for such inconsistencies is that for the medieval cleric and his audience “this
diversity does not matter: one heathen god is just as wicked as another, and it
serves no purpose to distinguish between them.”160
A distinctive feature of heathens as they are represented in the source mate-
rial is their adherence to their own local deities. Each city or region had its
own deity, worshipped through idols (skurðgoð). In the Saga of the Apostle
Bartholomew, the popularity of idols is explained in the following way:

En hinn lygni guð tælir sva þa, er eigi truðu eða kunnu sannan guð, at hann
kastar a þa sottum ok meinum ok skoð̉ um, ok gefr svor̉ or skurðgoðum,
at þeir bloti honum; en þa syniz heimskum monnum sem hann grøði, þa
er hann lætr af at meiða. En hann bergr engum, helldr grandar hann, ok
syniz þa biarga, er hann lætr af at granda.161
[The lying god swindles those who do not believe in or know the true
God by casting upon them sickness and wounds and injuries, and by giv-
ing answers from out of idols in order to get them to worship him, and
then it seems to stupid people as if he cures them, when he only ceases
to injure them. But he saves no one, and indeed only does injury, and he
seems to save when he stops doing harm.]

According to such explanations, idols are only vehicles for forces of evil to
trick people into following them. In the Saga of the Apostle Andrew, the apostle
quotes Jesus Christ himself on having said that “skurðgoð þessi eigi guð vera
helldr hina verstu diofla ok ovini allz mannkyns, þa er þess eggia menn at gera
þat, er guð reiðiz þeim ok hverfi fra þeim ok heyri eigi bøner þeira” [these idols
not to be gods but rather the worst devils and the enemies of all mankind, who
urge men to do things that anger God, and then he turns from them and will
not hear their prayers].162 In a speech, given by the apostle Bartholomew in the
Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew, he explains how the apostolic mission was
in part directly aimed at the devils living in pagan idols and temples. Just as
Jesus has conquered the Devil, his emissaries were intended to finish the task

158 Battista “Interpretations of the Roman Pantheon,” pp. 26–​30.

159 Ibid., p. 26.
160 Ármann Jakobsson, “Roman Spring of the Old Norse Gods,” p. 163.
161 Post, p. 744. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 756.
162 Post, p. 337. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 640.
180 Chapter 3

he had begun, following his command: “at ver rekim a braut alla þiona diỏfuls,
þa er byggja i hofum ok i skurðgoðum, en ver leysim menn or anuð þeira ok
fra velldi þess, er yfir var stiginn” [that we should drive away all the servants of
the Devil that dwell in temples and in idols, and we free men from their misery
and from the power of the one who was overcome].163 Thus, following their
master’s commandments, the apostolic protagonists programmatically seek
out the idols and expose them as the abodes of devils.
Inevitably, the fight against idols includes encounters with their worship-
pers. As noted, however, the heathens who the apostle or saint meet when
entering new territories, either in groups or as individuals, are by no means
an automatically negative force in the hagiographic narratives. They are also
potential converts and an object of mission. An illustrative example is found
in the Saga of Martin:

En for Martinus hia bø nøcqeriom fiolmennom of dag, oc com lið mikit

heiþinna manna a mot honum, þviat engi maþr cunne Crist a þeim bø. En
þa var morgom forvitni at (sia) Martinum, þviat þeir heyrþo mart ogorligt
sagt fra honom. Þa toc Martinus at boþa heiþnom mønnom guþs orþ, oc
comsc hann viþ af øllom hug, es sva micell mannfiolþe scylde eigi cunna
scapara sinn.164
[One day Martin was passing by a farm with some followers, and a
great crowd of heathens came against him, for no man on that farm knew
Christ. There were many who were curious to see Martin, because they
had heard many terrible things said about him. Martin began to preach
the word of God to the heathens, and he rued with all his heart the fact
that such a great number of people should not know their creator.]

The hagiographic material also contains numerous passages, modelled after

the healing miracles of the New Testament gospels, where heathen individ-
uals approach the apostles and saints, most often in desperate need for help
because of a sick or a demon-​possessed relative, and ask for their assistance.165
These encounters are usually shown to lead to the conversion of a great num-
ber of people.
There is, of course, a more antagonistic side to the heathens very promi-
nent in the source material and contributes to the image of the heathens as

163 Post, p. 748. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 763.

164 hms i, p. 566. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 856.
165 A prime example is the Saga of the Apostle Andrew which contains a large number of such
passages. Post, pp. 318–​343.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 181

enemies. This side comes out when the Christian message does not fall into
fertile soil and is received with hostility and violence. As described in the Saga
of the Apostle Andrew the apostle Matthew was apprehended by heathens
(“tekinn af heiðnum monnum”) in the city of Mirmidon, blinded in both eyes,
and thrown into a prison where he was kept in shackles.166 When the apostle
Andrew comes to the city –​having healed his fellow apostle Matthew and sent
him on to Ethiopia (Blaland) –​he continues where Matthew left off and is not
received with any more leniency. Only after a while and many fervent prayers
to his Lord to “open the hearts’ eyes of these men,” do the people of the city
desist in torturing the apostle. These confrontations with heathens can also
lead to the saint’s martyrdom. The martyrdom of the apostle Philip, for exam-
ple, is described in the following way:

Segia sva helgar bøkr, at þa kømi þar heiðnir menn með ofriði miklum ok
hỏndluðu postolann ok dømdu hann þegar til liflatz, ok var hann siðan
krossfestr, ok gryttu þeir hann siðan a krossinum, ok for hann með þeim
piningarsigri a þessum degi til almattigs guðs.167
[It says in the holy books that heathen men came there with great hos-
tility, and they arrested the apostle and commanded that he be put to
death, and he was then crucified, and they stoned him while he was on
the cross, and he went with those victorious sufferings upon that day to
Almighty God.]

Such encounters constitute a recurring theme in the religious discourse of the

Church. In the Saga of Sebastian, the Christian convert Tranquillinus, having
defended the Christian faith against a Roman count, is “gripinn af heidnum
monnum ok grioti bardr ok kastad liki hans ut a ana Tibr” [caught by hea-
then men, hit with rocks and his body thrown into the river Tiber].168 These
reactions reflect one of the main characteristic of the heathen mindset which
is, as construed in early ecclesiastical discourse, stubbornness produced by a
hardenened heart.
Important representatives of heathens are the spokesmen or leaders of
the people of a particular region. These can be, on the one hand, religious
leaders, and, on the other hand, political officials. The opposition of religious
leaders consists of heathen temple officials –​referred to most frequently in
Icelandic with words such as blotbyskupar and blotmenn –​but also popular

166 Post, p. 319.

167 Post, p. 737. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 748.
168 hms ii, p. 231.
182 Chapter 3

sourcerers –​denoted with the phrase fiolkunnigir menn.169 Such religious oppo-
nents are more harmful than the political officials insofar that they are more
persistent in their opposition to the Christian religion and its proponents,
which they carry out with lies and deceit. Oftentimes, they are also the ones
bringing the activities of the apostles and saints to the attention of the political
leaders. The hostility of the religious leaders is usually spurred by envy towards
the success of the Christian religion as can be seen widely in hagiographic
sources. The sourcerers Zaroes and Arfaxath, opponents of the apostles Simon
and Jude and the apostle Matthew, are said to be filled with envy (“fyllduz
of̉ undar”) when they hear about how Simon and Jude have overcome the
blotmenn in the region.170 The same is said of the sourcerer Ermoginis when
his disciple Filetus tells him about the success of James’ apostolic project: “Þa
fylldiz Ermogenis ỏfundar, er hann heyrði þetta” [Hermogenes became filled
with envy when he heard this].171 In the Saga of the Apostle John, the apostle
John is at one point said to have twelve thousand heathens which produced
the following reaction in a certain Aristodimus:

Ok er þessi tiðendi ser byskup sa er Aristodimus er nefndr, sa hafði yfir-

maðr verit allra blota, þa verðr hann fullr af hinum versta anda ok hinum
illgiarnasta ok vekr ofrið i moti Joani postola.172
[And when the bishop named Aristodimus, who had been in charge of
all the sacrifices, beholds all of these things, he is filled with the worst and
most ill-​natured spirit and raises enmity against the apostle.]

What follows in the saga, and in the general run of things in other hagiographic
narratives, is an altercation between the apostle and his enemies during which
the heathen religious leaders are exposed as the followers of false idols and
demons.
Also posing great danger to the champions of the Christian religion are
the political authorities –​emperors, kings, governors, earls and counts –​in
the area where the apostle or the saint is carrying out his missionary work.
Hearing about the apostle’s or the saint’s mission, they confront him and
try to force him to stop his missionary practices and worship the traditional
idols of the area, and when they realize that it is in vain, they have the saint

169 The word blotbyskup literally means a bishop of blot, the worship of a heathen deity. The
adjective fiolkunnigr refers to individuals skilled in sourcery.
170 Post, p. 782.
171 Post, p. 514. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 700.
172 Post, p. 430. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 688.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 183

tortured and sometimes executed. These figures merge the political and
religious aspects of the enemy-​figure as they are not only opposed to the
Christian religion on religious grounds but because of their disobedience and
the potential social unrest it might cause. Thus, the Greek earl Egeas, at the
beginning of the passio section of the Saga of the Apostle Andrew calls the
apostle to his court because he was told that after the apostle had entered
the region, the people of the land had stopped following the law of the kings
(“hallda eigi lỏg konunga”).173
While the religious leaders are depicted as driven by envy in their hostil-
ity, the actions of the political leaders are usually motivated by anger, when
they realize that their authority is being disregarded or undermined through
the deviant behavior of the Christians or the direct disobedience of the apos-
tles and saints. A prime example can be found in the Saga of Blaise or Blasius
which existed in translation at a very early stage of the Icelandic manuscript
tradition. In the text, Bishop Blasius encounters the governor of Cappadocia,
Agricolaus, who at one point utters the following words: “I qvolom mon ec
heimta at yþr þat er ec mꜳ eigi i ordum” [What I cannot get from with you
with words, I will acquire through your agony].174 Agricolaus not only tries to
keep Blasius from preaching the Christian message and gathering converts by
throwing him in a prison cell but also viciously tortures a group of women
who were Blasius’ most faithful followers. Blasius himself also suffers horrible
torments which only seemed to increase the saint’s strength and love for God,
even when tortured with wool combs (which remain one of his symbols in
Christian iconography). These episodes highlight the cruelty and anger of the
governor as the following excerpt reflects:

Þa fylldisc iarll mikillar rę(i)þi oc let omn mikinn kynda i avgsyn þeim,
oc syndi þeim iarnkamba, þa er til þess voru gørvir at slita holld heilagra
manna; oc enn let hann þangat bera gloandi eirkyrtla, þeim scylldi steypa
yfir þęr.175
[Then the governor was filled with great anger and had a great oven
heated before their eyes, and showed them combs made of steel, such
that were meant for ripping apart the flesh of holy men; and had glowing
copper gowns brought to that place, which were intended to be thrown
over them.]

173 Post, p. 336.

174 hms i, p. 264.
175 Ibid.
184 Chapter 3

Oftentimes, however, these authorities do not immediately emerge as antag-

onistic. It is, for example, not clear until it draws close to the end of the Saga
of the Apostle Peter after Simon Magus has fallen to his death at the Sacra Via
in Rome that Nero announces that the apostles Peter and Paul have distressed
his mind greatly (“þið gerðut hug minn ahyggiufullan”) and that he will there-
fore bring a cruel death upon them.176 In still other instances, the authorities
ultimately react very positively to the Christian message, for example the King
Polimius in India who was converted by the apostle Bartholomew and later
baptized along with his entire court, after which he became bishop.177
Most significant for the construction of the heathen opponent, however,
is the multitude of occasions in which there is no doubt whatsoever about
the evil of the political authorities. A notorious example is that of the Roman
emperor Domitian, who is shown as a hostile secular power par excellence,
in possession of “riki […] yfir heiminum” [dominion […] over the world] and
exhibiting all of the worst character traits most frequently attributed to hea-
then rulers.178 He is described as a “grimmr maðr, otrur ok fegiarn ok vanstilltr
miok um flesta luti” [a wicked man, an unbeliever and avaricious and terribly
excessive in most things].179 In the Christian tradition, he is infamous for his
persecutions, thoroughly recorded in the Icelandic sources. In a sermon for
the Feast of All Saints in the Icelandic Homily Book, he is said to have been
“verstur við kristna menn, þeirra er keisera nöfn höfðu haft” [worst towards
Christian men of those who had borne the title of an emperor].180 His violence
towards Christians is described in the sermon just cited but in more detail in
the Saga of the Apostle John.181 Having heard about John’s preaching of Christ
and is opposition to the worship of heathen idols which by implication entails
transgressing the commandments of the emperor, Domitian becomes furious
(akafliga oðr) thus adding anger to his list of unfeasible character traits. He
further has John moved to Rome where he seeks to execute him by placing him
in a burning kettle filled with boiling oil which does not do any harm to the
apostle, leading the emperor to exile John to the island Pathmos wherefrom he

176 Post, p. 195. In the Saga of the Apostle John, however, Nero is introduced as “Nero hinn
vandi keisari” [Nero the evil emperor] which points to a less ambiguous repetition. Post,
p. 417.
177 Post, p. 752.
178 Post, p. 417. Roughton translates riki as “control,” but the word “dominion” captures better
the political implications. See Roughton ii, p. 663.
179 Post, p. 417. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 663.
180 íh, p. 217.
181 Post, pp. 418–​419.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 185

returns after Domitian’s death. The description of Domitian’s fate shows him
receiving the death of the tyrant he was:

En a hinu sama ari, sem Joan var i Pathmos, toku Romveriar Domicianum
af lifi með mikilli ovinsælld ok odømum, at þeir attu þing i borginni eptir
liflat hans ok dømdu þat a þingi, at þat skylldi allt vera leyft, er hann hefði
bannat, en þat bannat allt, er hann hafði leyft.182
[In the same year that John was on Pathmos the Romans killed
Domicianus with great enmity and violence, and they held a meeting in
the city after his death and decided at the meeting that everything that
he had forbidden should be allowed, and everything banned that he had
allowed].

3.2.1.3 Jews
The image of the Jews in the source material corresponds by and large to the
stereotype of the Jew in medieval Christian thought. In the words of Umberto
Eco, “[t]‌he Jew has been described as monstrous and smelly since at least the
birth of Christianity, given that he is modeled on the Antichrist, the archen-
emy, the foe not only of man but of God[.]”183 This reputation is to a signifi-
cant extent based on the depiction of the Jewish opponents of Jesus and his
followers as they are described in the New Testament, particularly that of the
gospels’ passion narratives and the canonical Acts of the Apostles, and patris-
tic writings.184 Such anti-​judaistic attitudes manifested themselves in diverse
ways around the Christian West, irrespective of whether there were actual Jews
present. Since there were no Jews in Iceland during the Middle Ages, represen-
tations of Jews in Iceland’s ecclesiastical discouse can be categorized as exam-
ples of the Jew’s paradoxical position as a figure which is physically absent
from a particular society but still contributes to the construction of Christian
identity among its members. This status of Jews in some parts of medieval
Western art and culture has been a much-​discussed topic since the 1990s and

182 Post, p. 419. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 666.

183 Umberto Eco, “Inventing the Enemy,” in Inventing the Enemy and Other Occasional
Writings, Trans. Richard Dixon, (Boston, 2012), p. 7. See also David Nirenberg, Anti-​
Judaism: The History of a Way of Thinking (London, 2013), pp. 183–​216.
184 The Icelandic Homily Book contains one sermon on the passion of the Lord recapitulating
the passion narrative (mostly according to the Gospel of John) and both the Saga of the
Apostle Peter and the Saga of the Apostle John contain shorter passages from it. The Saga
of the Apostle Peter is also to a large part a translation of the New Testament Acts of the
Apostles.
186 Chapter 3

has been referred to in various ways, for example as the “hermeneutical Jew”
or the “virtual Jew.”185
As has been pointed out by Richard Cole, written sources from Norway and
Iceland usually do not describe Jews by commenting on their physical appear-
ance.186 Much rather, Cole asserts, Jews are described with regard to their
behavior and, it should be added, their malevolent intentions.187 The greatest
offense of the Jews lies in the accusation repeatedly rehearsed that it was they
who crucified Jesus or at least apprehended him and called for his crucifixion
as the following concise summary from the Saga of the Apostle Andrew of the
Jews’ role in the passion story has it: “hann var […] hondlaðr af Gyðingum ok
leiddr fyrir Pilatum iarl ok krossfestr af riddorum iarlsins at raði Gyðinga” [he
was […] arrested by the Jews and brought before the earl Pilate and crucified
by the earl’s soldiers at the insistence of the Jews].188 In the course of his pas-
sion, Christ had to suffer “bönd og bardaga, brigsli og hlátur, háðung og lygi”
[bonds and distress, shame and laughter, mockery and lies] as a Palm Sunday
Sermon from the Icelandic Homily Book so lyrically expresses it. This is the
source for attributing to the Jews malevolence (illska) and cruelty (grimmd),
which they are then shown to show repeatedly to the apostolic proponents
of the Christian faith, beginning with Stephen the protomartyr and soon also
several of the apostles.189
This image is supplemented by theological reflections, which do not reach
any serious degree of complexity, on the position of the Jews in the historical
scheme of salvation where they hold a special position. Before the arrival of

185 Jeremy Cohen introduced the phrase “hermeneutical Jew” or the “hermeneutically crafted
Jew” in his Living Letters of the Law: Ideas of the Jew in Medieval Christianity (Berkeley,
1999), pp. 1–​17. In an article from the year 2000, Sylvia Thomasch explains the phrase ‘vir-
tual Jew’ as not referring directly to “any actual Jew, nor present[ing] an accurate depic-
tion of one, nor even a faulty fiction of one; instead it ‘surrounds’ Jews with a ‘reality’ that
displaces and supplants their actuality.” Sylvia Tomasch, “Postcolonial Chaucer and the
Virtual Jew,” in The Postcolonial Middle Ages, ed. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen (New York, 2000),
p. 253.
186 Cole, “Kyn /​Fólk /​Þjóð /​Ætt,” p. 245.
187 On the basis of a number of late medieval miracula as well as several visual representa-
tions of what were probably Jews, the earliest one dating to the early 14th century, Cole
argues that there existed in the Old Norse speaking world what he terms proto-​racial
thinking. At least since then, although Cole does not address the question as to when such
thinking might have begun, ‘Jewishness’ was being understood in racial terms, as some-
thing “irremovable” and “inheritable.” Cole, “Kyn /​Fólk /​Þjóð /​Ætt,” pp. 251 and 264–​265.
188 Post, p. 337. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 641–​642. For other examples of this point, see Post,
pp. 164, 184, 725, 739, and 748.
189 íh, p. 96. For a detailed description of grimmleikr Gyðinga [cruelty of the Jews] based on
Acts see a sermon for the Second Christmas Day in íh, pp. 254–​256.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 187

Christ, they were the sole possessors of the correct faith among the nations
of the world: “þeir höfðu ið æðsta sæti að samkundu Guðs, meðan þeir héldu
trúu réttri” [they held the supreme seat at the assembly of God, while they
kept the correct faith].190 In the Saga of Clement, Pope Clement describes the
ancestors (langfedur) of his Jewish sympathizers as holy men and great friends
of God (“helga menn oc goþs vine micla”) and that nobody would be admitted
to the kingdom of heaven without believing what their holy prophets (helger
spamenn) had foretold.191 It is the birthplace of the Christian faith which is
even reflected in the celebration of the mass, as the following passage from a
treatise on the mass makes evident:

Því er ljós og bók færð á ið nyrðra horn altera eða ið vinstra að guðspjalli,
að ljós guðspjallskenningar færðu postular heiðnum lýð, er vóru af kyni
Gyðinga, er vóru í fyrnd lýður innar hægri handar Drottins. Því er inn fyrsti
hlutur og inn efsti messu sunginn á inu hægra horni altera, að trúa hófst í
Gyðingafólki.192
[That is why the light and the book is moved to the northern corner of
the altar when the gospel is read, for the light of the gospel was brought to
the heathen people of the Jews, who in ancient times were the people of the
right hand of the Lord. For that reason, the first part and the first of the mass
is sung on the right corner of the alter, for the faith began with the Jews.]

Through the course of the biblical salvation history, the position of the Jews
shifted from that of God’s chosen people to becoming serious opponents of
the true faith. As described in one sermon in the Icelandic Homily Book, they
became outcasts (rekningar) on grounds of their faithlessness (ótrúa).193 They
lost the light given to them and fell into error, villa Gydinga [error of the Jews]
as it is regularly referred to.194
While keeping some special traits, the Jews assume very similar character-
istics as other inimical forces –​heretics and heathens –​who have fallen prey
to error, depicted as evil,195 scornful,196 lying,197 and even quarreling.198 In a

190 íh, p. 271.

191 Post, p. 143.
192 íh, p. 186.
193 Post, p. 184.
194 Post, pp. 516, 738, and 739.
195 íh, p. 31.
196 íh, pp. 243, 248, and 250.
197 íh, pp. 96 and 246. Post, p. 187.
198 Post, p. 185.
188 Chapter 3

sermon for the feast of the Purification of Mary, they are described as blind
because they “kenndust eigi við Guð þá er hann var hjá þeim, þó að þeir vissi
tilkomu hans” [did not know God while he was with them, even though they
were expecting his arrival].199 This is framed slightly differently in another ser-
mon from the Icelandic Homily Book, where the position of the gentiles or hea-
thens (heiðnar þjóðir) is contrasted to that of the Jews:

Heiðnar þjóðir vóru í hugarmyrkri, því að þeir sáu eigi ið sanna ljós, þá
er þeir kunnu eigi skapera sinn. En Gyðingar höfðu ljós, því að þeir trúðu
rétt á Guð. En af því kallast Kristur heldur ljós heiðinna þjóða en Gyðinga,
að heiðnar þjóðir lýstust í hingaðkvomu hans, en Gyðingar margir týndu
þá því ljósi, er áður höfðu þeir, því að þeir vildu eigi trúa á hann.200
[Heathen nations remained in the darkness of mind, for they did not
see the true light, as they did not recognize their creator. But Jews had
their light, for they had a correct faith in God. But therefore Christ is
rather called the light of the heathen nations, for the heathen nations
were enlightened through his arrival, but the Jews lost the light they had
had before, for they did not want to believe in him.]

Like heathens and heretics, the Jews are depicted as envious, with one of the
main motivating factors behind Jesus’ crucifixion being the Jews’ envy.201
Similarly, the Jewish leaders envied the apostles when the crowds started gath-
ering around them which led them to acts of violence to the Christians.202 At
the same time, envy is described as the force which brought condemnation
over them: “Gyðingar fyrirdømdu sik ok kynsmenn sina af ỏfund sinni” [the
Jews condemned themselves and their kinsmen with their envy].203

3.2.2 Encountering the ‘Other’

As can be seen from the above discussion, there exist illustrious examples of
different groups of opponents in the hagiographical literature of the 12th and
13th century, ranging from arch-​heretics such as Simon Magus to pagan kings
in foreign lands. However, it is likely that Icelandic clerics were not very preoc-
cupied with the difference between such opponents. Surely, it was not the case
that Icelandic clerics had problems understanding the rudimentary differences

199 íh, p. 83.

200 íh, p. 122.
201 Post, p. 184. See also íh, p. 243.
202 Post, pp. 165 and 167.
203 Post, p. 187.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 189

between a pagan and a heretic like some scholars have suggested.204 When
pushed, most learned clerics would probably have been able to explain it, but
what is more likely is that the difference did not make such a big difference to
them.205 There were probably few pagans and even fewer heretics to be found
in 12th and 13th century Iceland, at least according the definition above. More
important for the purposes of this study, however, is what they had in com-
mon, that is to say their opposition, resistance and disobedience to the repre-
sentatives of the Church, which, unlike actual pagans and actual heretics was
not lacking in the Icelandic Free State.

3.2.2.1 Expansion of Error

As noted, medieval Icelanders did not expect to encounter the enemies dis-
cussed above as they were described exactly in homiletic and hagiographic
texts. That, however, did not mean that they would not encounter enemies of
the Church who could be expected to behave in similar ways. All enemies of
the Church were, namely, sprung of the same root and were manifestations of
the same cardinal error of turning away from God. In fact, there even existed
a term which could include this general opposition, namely, villa. The term
can be translated as ‘heresy’ in the strict sense of a dissenting Christian but it
can also carry a considerably broader meaning so as to include a much larger
group of people, pagans, Jews, and others who have turned their back on God
and the Church.206
An account of the origin of error is found in the Saga of the Apostles Simon
and Jude in a speech given by the apostle Simon to the wise men of Persia on
how the angel of envy (ỏfundarengill) lured the first human beings into disobe-
dience. He tells them that humankind was born into the world from one man
and one woman, created and placed in the region of life (lifsherad) by God.
Soon, however the angel of envy enters the stage:

204 Sverrir Jakobsson, Við og veröldin, p. 150.

205 “Difference is rarely something to be noted; it is, most often, something in which one has
a stake. Above all, it is a political matter.” Smith, “What a Difference a Difference makes,”
p. 252.
206 In the Saga of the Apostle Andrew, the apostle Matthew is captured by “pagans” (“tekinn af
heiðnum monnum”), but a little later their position is described as villa. Post, pp. 319–​320.
As for Jews, in the Saga of the Apostle James it says that many converted to the Christian
faith and abandoned the error of the Jews (villu Gyðinga). Post, pp. 516, 522 (am 652/​630
4to), 526 (am 645 4to). Interestingly, in this case, the phrase villa Gyðinga [Jewish Heresy]
is not to be found in the Latin original and therefore a likely addition by the Icelandic
translator.
190 Chapter 3

[Þ]a teygði ỏfundarengill þau til þess at briota guðs boðorð skapara sins,
ok voru þau þa anauðguð af diofli, þviat þau hlyddu teygingum hans, ok
voru ger utlæg hingat i heim or lifs heraði.207
[the Angel of Envy allured them into breaking the commandment of
God their Creator, and they were enslaved by the Devil, for they paid heed
to his temptations, and were made outcasts here in the world from out of
the district of life].

In his mercy, however, God granted that men would not become subject to
death if they would love their creator which called for the following response
of the inimical angel:

En sa hinn versti engill gerði sva, at maðrinn hvarf fra skapara sinum guði
atmatkum (sic) ok truði a skurðgoð, ok kallaði þat guð sinn, er hann gerði
sialfr. En er maðrinn hvarf fra guði grøðara sinum, þa varð hann i velldi
ovinar sins, en ỏfundarengill føddi af þvi þessa villu með monnum, at
hann mætti hafa velldi yfir þeim, at gera við þa, sem hann villdi.208
[But the Worst Angel made it so that the man turned from his Creator
Almighty God and professed faith in heathen idols, and proclaimed
things that he made himself to be gods. And when man turned from God
his Savior, he gave himself over to the power of his enemy, and the Angel
of Envy feeds this [error] in men so that he can have power over them
and do with them as he wishes].209

According to this version of the fall, error is taken to mean a turning from the
“Creator Almighty God” into a state of being lost. This turning away from God
is denoted with the Icelandic verb hverfa fra which in this case is a rendering
of the Latin verb recedere.210 Such a version of the fall understands error as a

207 Post, p. 783. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 800.

208 Post, pp. 783–​784. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 799–​800.
209 Here, Roughton’s translation has been modified by replacing the word ‘heresy’ with the
word ‘error.’ Such a translation does not have as restricted a meaning to theological or
religious content and is also closer to the Latin source text, which Roughton has identified
as a version of the Virtutes of Simon and Jude, going as follows: “Hunc autem errorem
in omnibus hic angelus princeps inuidiæ ideo nutriit: ut ipse eis dominetur: et faciat de
eis: quod ipse uoluerit.” Mombritius ii, pp. 536–​537. Other improvements of this transla-
tion would be to replace “Savior” with “healer,” which is a more precise rendering of the
word “grøðari.”
210 “Egit autem hic ipse pessimus homo ut a creatore suo recedens idola coleret et elementa
adoraret.” Mombritius ii, p. 536.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 191

movement away from God, keeping it relatively open where to the movement
is directed. In such a state of disorientation, it does not really matter what one
stumbles upon as one’s object of worship –​be it of gold, silver, wood, stone or
other human beings –​it is going to be an error.
Those who did not obey the Church were in danger of being counted as ‘her-
etics,’ immediately aligned with notorious heretics and violent pagan kings.
They have turned away from God and become subject to the power, or better,
the dominion of the enemy (veldi). Therefore, although this understanding of
‘error’ or ‘heresy’ was in effect relatively broad, one point remains clear. Error
amounts to being lead into enslavement and dominion of the Devil. As an
example, in the Saga of the Apostles Simon and Jude, the apostles are shown
following two Babylonian sorcerers, described as men of error (villumenn) per-
forming erroneous deeds (villuverk), with the eventual result of exposing their
teaching as being of the Devil.211 In a dualistic religious framework like the one
encountered in this text, there is no neutral zone; disobedience to God and his
commandments equals submitting to the rule of God’s enemy, the Devil.212
A similarly open understanding of the term villa is found in the sermons
preserved from the Free State period. In many sermons found in the Icelandic
Homily Book, the state of error is described as a state of darkness, blindness,
or being covered by clouds. It is the “dark night of sins and error” as an Easter
Day sermon puts it.213 In a sermon entitled Postulamál the apostles are com-
pared to a light, “því að kenningar þeirra lýstu of allan heim þá, er áður vóru í
villumyrkri” [for their teachings lighted up those people around the world who
before remained in darkness of error].214 In a Christmas day sermon, Christ is
described as “sá er lýsir allan heim af villu eilífs blindleiks” [the one who lights
up the entire world from the error of eternal blindness].215 In a sermon on the
meaning of the Sunday, the darkness of error (villumyrkur) is said to recede
to the light of faith just as the primordial darkness gave way to the light at the

211 “[P]‌ostolarnir […] syndu kenning þeira vera af diỏfli,” Post, p. 787.
212 This conception of the notion of error is related to what the German historian Herbert
Grundmann termed in a 1927 article as the figure or the type of the heretic, broadly
applied to any sort of religious deviance or departure from other prevailing norms.
Inspecting and placing the heretic over against the most significant theological frame-
works of the day, Grundmann located him in the civitas diaboli from an Augustinian point
of view, and eschatologically the heretic belongs to the hosts of the antichrist. Herbert
Grundmann, “Der Typus des Ketzers in Mittelalterlicher Anschauung,” in Kultur-​ und
Universalgeschichte: Walter Goetz zu seinem 60. Geburtstage (Leipzig/​Berlin, 1927), p. 93.
213 íh, p. 103.
214 íh, p. 21.
215 íh, p. 67.
192 Chapter 3

moment of God’s creation.216 The apostle John is taken as an example of an

individual whose eyes of the mind were never covered with the clouds of error
(villuský).217
Such an inclusive use of ‘error’ has been the subject of much discussion as it
links into the notion of heresy as it came to be used in High Medieval Europe.
In his York Quodlibet lecture from 2000, Alexander Patschovsky stated that
although the concept was lacking a clear definition and dogmatic ground-
ing, “[h]‌eresy is to be found at the basis, not at the margin of medieval soci-
ety.”218 It should be emphasized that Patschovsky is concerned with the fact
that medieval society was, at this point in time, marked by incessant conflicts;
it was a ‘persecuting society’ as R. I. Moore described this social reality.219 In
his lecture, Patschovsky describes how political hostilities increasingly came
to be expressed in religious terms and took the shape of religion. He further
asserts that the concept of heresy inflated and increasingly became a weapon
in political conflicts. In that light, he states “that in the course of time, the her-
esy par excellence had become disobedience instead of disbelief.”220 In that
sense, villa and its adherents, villumenn, can be broadly applied to all who do
not conform with the Church’s prescriptions, whether in the field of religion
and morality or regarding issues of more political nature such as taxation and
property rights. And when so used, the term did not lose its meaning of ‘heresy’
in the religious sense, with all its repercussions, but much rather inflated.

3.2.2.2 Becoming Other

Although the ‘other’ was primarily found in the books of clergymen or painted
on church walls, such figures should not be regarded as insignificant but as
actual part of the world where they could influence and even participate in the
events taking place. As for where and how is another question which will be

216 íh, p. 36.

217 íh, p. 260.
218 Alexander Patschovsky, “Heresy and Society: On the Political Function of Heresy in the
Medieval World,” in Texts and the Repression of Medieval Heresy, eds. Caterina Bruschi and
Peter Biller, York Studies in Medieval Theology iv (Suffolk, 2003), p. 41.
219 R. I. Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Authority and Deviance in Western
Europe 950–​1250, 2nd ed. (Oxford, 2007).
220 Patschovsky, “Heresy and Society,” p. 26. For a more recent discussion of the heresy of
disobedience, see Gerd Althoff’s discussion of the “the heresy of the disobedient” (Die
Häresie des Ungehorsams) which he traces back to the polemical rhetoric of the reform-
ing pope Gregory vii who did not hesitate to dub those who did not obey his instructions
as heretics (neither did he have any problems backing it up with biblical prooftexts).
Gerd Althoff, “Selig sind, die Verfolgung Ausüben”: Päpste und Gewalt im Hochmittelalter
(Darmstadt, 2013), pp. 47–​53 and 189–​213.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 193

addressed in the following paragraphs. As noted, the construction of an ‘other’

and creating an enemy is, namely, not simply another way of denoting differ-
ence. It is, as stressed at the beginning of this section, sociopolitical, insofar
that it is concerned with sub-​and superordination within a social hierarchy
of prestige. Different things may exist without their paths ever crossing while
the ‘other’ always entails reciprocity; it is a relational concept which does not
exist in and of itself. Despite its connotations of something far-​off and exotic,
the ‘other’ should not be taken as referring to what is remote but rather what
is close, at least what is in sight and reach. Construing otherness is a way of
grappling with something one has come across and experienced as different.
Thus, an ‘other’ is most often a ‘proximate other,’ a relational category, a term
of interaction.
That said, it might seem peculiar to discuss the ‘other,’ not to speak of a ‘prox-
imate other’ in the context of the Church’s enemies discussed above, who were
absent in the Icelandic Free State. As it happens, however, the source material
contains explanations of how these enemies could break out of the realm of
the purely mythical into history and become real. To that end, it is necessary to
keep in mind the backdrop of the cosmic battle ongoing every day and no one
questioned.221 As described in a translation of Gregory the Great’s Dialogi, it is
“difficult to fight off the Devil’s guile, as it was in a constant battle” [erfiðlegt
[…] að sjá við vélum óvinarins og sem í orrustu sé ávallt].222 The Devil and his
forces ambush the thoughts, words, and deeds of the people, leading them off
the right way. As can be seen in the hagiographic sources, however, it was not
necessarily the demons themselves which could prove the most harmful to the
apostolic protagonists, although there are certainly examples thereof, but the
actual, human agents which had been successfully led astray by the demonic
forces. All of them share the same capital fault of having turned away from
God and joined the group of the outsiders, those who have been driven away
“frá Guði og í sveit rekninga hans” [from God to the team of his outcasts], as it
says in a homily from the Icelandic Homily Book entitled In Passione Domini.223
It should be stressed at this point that according to the elaborate body of
thought existing on the topic in the High Middle Ages, the change which peo-
ple underwent in the spiritual struggle was not only a mental or a metaphorical
change, but an actual physical change. The following excerpt from the longest
sermon of the Icelandic Homily Book describes what is happening in the body

221 For further discussion, see section 3.3.2.1 below.

222 Leifar, pp. 99–​100.
223 íh, p. 130.
194 Chapter 3

when people fight evil forces with the means offered by the Medieval Western
Church:

Skulum vér og það líkja eftir honum að þröngva líkamanum til þess, að
eitrið fari úr hugnum, þröngva með meinlætum, föstum og vökum, að
vaka um tíðir vel, í erfiðlífi að vinna trúlega, þeir er verkmenn eru, eða
þótt eigi heiti verkmenn, og er þó hverjum hjálpvænlegt að erfiða sér í
nökkvi, ef hann er heill, svo sem hver er helst til fær, sumir í bænahaldi
og knébeðjarföllum, í smíðum, þeir er hagir eru, fylgja ófærum mönnum
yfir vötn, eða slíkt er Guð skýtur hverjum í hug að gera til hjálpar sér og
strýkva svo eitrið úr hugnum, reiði og ranglæti, bölvun og bakmæli, öfund
og ofmetnuð. Eitur er slíkt kallað.224
[Let us imitate him to force the body so that the poison can leave the
mind, force it with ascetic practices, fasts and through waking, to pay
close attention to the offices, to work faithfully in difficult times, those
who are workers, or if they are not workers, since it is beneficient for all
to work hard at some project, if he is healthy, and to the extent one can
manage, some in prayers or kneefall, in carpentry for those who are skill-
ful, help those who can‘t cross waters over them, or whatever God may
invoke with anybody to do for one’s sake and thus push the poison out of
the mind, anger and wrongdoing, cursing and gossiping, envy and ambi-
tion. Such things we call poision.]

As this passage makes clear, the physical and the spiritual sides of the human
being were closely connected in medieval Christian thought. There are phys-
ical practices which force the poision out of the mind of the person bringing
about changes in the entire being of the individual –​from the outmost layers
of the skin to the innermost spiritual capacities. The individual in question
becomes clean, light, and healed.
The process was understood to affect the entire being of the individual –​
body and soul, and spirit, understood as a psychosomatic unity, much in line
with what was happening elsewhere in the Christian West in the 12th and 13th
centuries.225 Another example of that is when those attending mass are asked
to take off their hats so the words of the gospel will reach their minds more
easily: “Því tökum vér höttu af höfði oss, að ekki sé þess, er byrgi hlust vora og

224 íh, p. 226.

225 See Caroline Walker Bynum, The Resurrection of the Body in Western Christianity, 200–​1336
(New York, 1995), pp. 156–​199; Caroline Walker Bynum, “Soul and Body,” in Dictionary of
the Middle Ages, Supplement 1 (New York, 2004), pp. 590–​592.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 195

allra helst hugskots vors hlust frá orði Drottins” [therefore do we remove our
hats so they do not cover our ears and most importantly the ears of our minds
from hearing the word of the Lord].226
In an Old Icelandic translation of Elucidarius, the soul and spirit are said
to be so thoroughly combined that the body appears to be doing everything
which the soul does (“líkamur sýnist allt gera það er önd gerir”).227 It should
be stressed, however, that the attitude towards the body was not necessarily
negative, although it was highly ambiguous.228 It was only negative if the per-
son failed to pay heed to the Church’s instructions and turn over to the side of
the enemy. Or better, to become an enemy oneself. In that sense, in a society
such as the Icelandic Free State were the Roman Church was establishing itself,
everyone could become an enemy and join the group of heretics, Jews, and
heathens.
For exploring this point further, it can prove illustrative to consider notions
of presence and absence prevalent in medieval Scandinavian culture. In a 2016
article, Richard Cole sets out a typology of absence in Old Norse literature in
which he divides absence into seven types that he places on a scale ranging
from perfect absence to perfect presence.229 It seems helpful to think of the
opponents of the Church as being in a state of ‘becoming,’ a term Cole adopts
from Gilles Deleuze, either that of ‘becoming-​present’ or ‘becoming-​absent.’
As an example of a phenomenon reflecting the state of becoming absent, Cole
discusses a phenomenon recurring in Old Norse literary works, that of a ghost
(draugr) which he describes as the “agressively present bodies of the deceased,”

226 íh, p. 185. The connection between outer looks and religious piety have been studied
recently in studies on disability in medieval societies. Irina Metzler, Disability in Medieval
Europe: Thinking about Physical Impairment During the High Middle Ages, c. 1100–​1400,
Routledge Studies in Medieval Religion and Culture 5 (London, 2006). For an overview
article about disability in Icelandic medieval literature, see Ármann Jakobsson, “Fötlun
á Íslandi á miðöldum: svipmyndir,” in Fötlun og menning (Reykjavík, 2013), pp. 51–​69.
Jakobsson does, however, only shortly touch upon religious interpretations of physical
impairment and disabilities in Icelandic medieval society.
227 Þrjár þýðingar lærðar, p. 103.
228 See especially Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance
of Food to Medieval Women, New Historicism (Berkeley, 1987).
229 The types of absence Cole suggests are i) never-​here-​never there (perfect absence), ii)
never-​here-​now-​there, iii) once-​here-​now-​gone, iv) once-​here-​now-​there, v) becoming-​
absent, vi) becoming-​present, vii) here (perfect presence). Richard Cole, “Towards a
Typology of Absence in Old Norse Literature,” Exemplaria 28 (2016): 137–​160. Coleʼs
typology is grounded in Patric Fuery’s theorizing on absence, see his The Theory of
Absence: Subjectivity, Signification, and Desire, Contributions in Philosophy 55 (London,
1995).
196 Chapter 3

disappearing in daylight and reappearing when they are least wanted. Ármann
Jakobsson places ghosts in a group with a number of phenomena which he
collectively terms “anti-​social others.”230 When ghosts appear, they are phys-
ically there, but they are also able to suddenly vanish. Cole suggests that the
best way to describe the absence of a ghost is not in terms of a static entity but
rather as moving on a trajectory between presence and absence. To be clear,
the enemies of the Church were no ghosts. As regards their presence, however,
they are similar to ghosts insofar that they were in a constant state of becom-
ing either absent or present, which was primarily determined by the degree of
piety and obedience they showed or failed to show.

3.2.3 Conclusion: Making Enemies

The information preserved in medieval hagiographic and homiletic writings
about the adversities and persecutions suffered by the early Church was a rich
source about the Church’s enemies. At first glance at least, these enemies seem
foreign –​not to say irrelevant –​to the homogenous society of the Icelandic
Free State. There were no Jews in medieval Iceland, religious deviance was rare
if existent, and the presence of heathendom or the Old Norse religion seems to
have waned consistently after the arrival of Christianity. As has been empha-
sized in this section, however, the rich collection of opponents one encounters
in the early Christian source material was by no means unimportant in the
sociopolitical conflicts in which the Church found itself during this time. On
the contrary, it provided Christians in Iceland with figures, ideas, and imag-
ery to interpret and understand any opposition they might face. It is likely
that these images produced feelings of fear and horror among the audience
which could be mobilized in the Church’s favor in moments of conflict. Out
of the diverse groups of enemies there emerges a fluid and flexible notion of
an ‘other.’ The religious discourse of the Church provided churchmen with a
template or a type of an enemy which could be adapted to different situations
and different opponents with relative ease. The enemies of the Church were
real although the exact nature of their deviance would continue to change.
For the Roman Church in Iceland, in the social and political conflicts of the
day, what mattered the most was to realize whether or not somebody was an
opponent. After somebody had been singled out as an enemy, it was among
the most powerful discursive strategies of the Church to juxtapose that enemy
with the hosts of enemies from the Church’s past. There existed even elaborate

230 Ármann Jakobsson, “The Fearless Vampire Killers: A Note about the Icelandic Draugr and
Demonic Contamination in Grettis Saga,” Folklore 120 (2008), 310.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 197

ideas explaining how people, through the sinful defilement of their body and
soul (and sometimes spirit) could turn into enemies. In such a way, the groups
and individuals ‘othered’ in the texts provided historical agents in medieval
Iceland with tools to grapple with what they had experienced as an ‘other’ in
their own historical reality.

3.3 Perish or Prosper

In the first two sections of this chapter, it has been shown how clearly the
lines between the opposite sides of ‘us’ and ‘them,’ the known and the ‘other,’
good and evil, God and the Devil, the Church and its enemies are constructed
in the earliest Christian discourse of the Icelandic Free State. These dividing
lines were paramount for the construction of the Christian world-​view. The
world, the stage on which history unfolded itself, was represented as a field of
constant tension and conflict between these two sides. This inherently dual-
istic framework does not allow for much impartiality or undecidedness. In
accordance with this world-​view, the early Christian discourse presented its
audience with clear alternatives and demanded reaction from its audiences
with great urgency. Much in line with Jesus’ saying in Matt. 12:30, “Whoever is
not with me is against me,” they were urged to take a stance with the Church,
accept its message and follow its commands, or they would oppose it and face
the consequences. Coming back to the imperial hermeneutical framework,
subjects of empires are programmatically provided with these kinds of alter-
natives: either to submit, enjoy, and prosper or resist, suffer and perish.231 In
this final part of the source analysis, the question will be addressed as to how
such alternatives were presented to Icelandic Christians in the Free State era.
In the first part of this section, attention will be directed to the benefits of
accepting the social order promoted in ecclesiastical discourse and, although
to a lesser degree, the perils of rejecting it. In the second part, the discussion
will move beyond questions of merely social nature and explore how the early
ecclesiastical discourse raised the stakes to ultimate proportions. As they were
constructed, the alternatives posed to the Icelandic audience were of no mun-
dane significance. Siding for or against the message of the Church amounted
to taking sides in a battle between the cosmic forces of good and evil and was,
in the end, a matter of one’s own eternal salvation.

231 Münkler, Empires, pp. 81–​84 and pp. 101–​107.

198 Chapter 3

3.3.1 Peace or Unrest?

Peace is a contested concept and can acquire diverse meanings in different
historical and cultural contexts. Understood either negatively as an absence
of war and conflict or positively as a state of harmony and well-​being, most, if
not all of the world’s traditional religions view peace as a desirable goal for any
society to reach.232 The Icelandic term friðr appears frequently in the earliest
discourse of the Church in Iceland which is hardly a surprise given how prom-
inent a place it has enjoyed in the Christian religion from the beginning.233 In
the texts under inspection, the concept of peace covers a range of meanings.234
More often than not, friðr is generally a translation of the word pax, which
is highly charged both religiously and politically.235 In contrast, its opposite
ófriðr refers to violence and aggression and in the earliest religious discourse of
the Church almost without exception towards the proponents of the Christian
religion. Considering the frequent association of peace with tranquility, care
and harmony, it may come as a surprise that peace and peacemaking have
often been used in order to justify overlordship and domination. According
to a narrative which seems to emerge again and again around imperial for-
mations, true and lasting peace can only be reached through imperial rule
while everything outside the imperial boundaries is portrayed as disruptive

232 For different representations of peace in several world religions, s.v. “Frieden,” in Religion
in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4th ed. The distinction between positive and negative peace
is usually attributed to the Norwegian peace researcher Johan Galtung but similar for-
mulations had been set forth by American activists Jane Addams in her Newer Ideals
of Peace: The Moral Substitutes for War (Chester, 2005) and Martin Luther King Jr, see
esp. his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in Letter From Birmingham Jail, Penguin Modern
(New York, 2018).
233 To bring up a few important examples from the New Testament writings, Jesus greets his
disciples by wishing them peace and as he sends them out to preach his message, simi-
larly instructs them to address those they meet with greetings of peace (Luke 10:5). In the
sermon on the Mount, Jesus blesses the bringers of peace and elsewhere he tells them
to “have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50). Furthermore,
peace is a standard part of the greetings in the New Testament epistles attributed to the
apostles Paul, Peter and John.
234 Fritzner defines friðr as either “love” or “peace between persons and countries, as well as
the safety from whatever harmful situation.” Fritzner, s.v. “friðr”, 489. Etymologically, friðr
is derived from the Proto-​Germanic word friþuz which means either tranquility or the
absence of conflict or sanctuary or refuge.
235 As for the religio-​political significance of the term pax, it has been concisely described
by Croatian-​ Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich: “[T]‌ he term [pax] was exploited by
Constantine to turn the cross into ideology. Charlemagne utilized it to justify the geno-
cide of the Saxons. Pax was the term employed by Innocent iii to subject the sword to the
cross.” Ivan Illich, “Peace vs Development,” Democracy 2 (January, 1981), 45.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 199

and in turmoil, in opposition to the peace. As formulated by political scientist

Herfried Münkler: “Imperial ideology counters the supposed naturalness of
small-​scale political orders by pointing to their notorious lack of peace.”236 As
the narrative goes, which has appeared in diverse shapes and forms through-
out history as Münkler has shown, it is only by succumbing to a grand-​scale
political order through a rule of an imperial center that disorder and hostility
can be put to rest.237 Running through the source material of this research, is
a narrative thread conceptualizing peace in those terms. As has been empha-
sized earlier, however, multilayered religious concepts like peace should not
be reduced to their sociopolitical conflict potentials. Even though this section
will focus on how peace was constructed in the Church’s earliest discourse in
order to counter and suppress opposition, it does not mean that it loses its
religious and existential dimensions. On the contrary, the sociopolitical sig-
nificance of the concept of peace lies to a considerable degree in its multiple
layers of meaning.

3.3.1.1 Performing Peace

The liturgy of the mass provides an illuminating point of departure for a dis-
cussion of the topic of peace and unrest as constructed in ecclesiastical dis-
course. Anybody regularly attending a mass would inevitably have to come to
grips with the notion of peace as pax through the liturgical performance of the
celebrant. In addition to the references to peace an audience came across in
scriptural readings over the course of the church year, it was also a fixed part
of the medieval mass through the liturgical salutation pax vobis (or equivalent
greetings of peace such as pax vobiscum or pax tecum). As a rule, greetings of
peace would occur at two occasions in medieval masses following the Roman
rite. Assuming that the explanation of the mass found in the Icelandic Homily
Book reflects actual liturgical practices, the same applies for masses held in
Iceland in the 12th and 13th centuries. This explanation is based on the Gemma
animæ by Honorius Augustodunensis and is also found in later manuscripts.238
First, while an ordinary cleric would greet his congregation before the collect
with the salutation Dominus vobiscum, a greeting of peace, pax vobiscum, was
used by a bishop at the same point in the course of the mass. This is explained
in the following way in the Homily Book: “Biskup kveður: Pax vobiscum, friður
með yður, því að Drottinn boðaði mönnum frið í hingaðkomu sinni” [Bishop

236 Münkler, Empires, p. 81.

237 Ibid., pp. 81–​84.
238 “Introduction” in ihb, p. 12.
200 Chapter 3

says: Pax vobiscum, peace be with you, for in his arrival the Lord proclaimed
peace to men].239 Another point in the mass where the congregation would be
greeted with peace by the celebrant –​bishops and priests alike –​was between
the consecration of the Eucharistic elements and communion. This greeting
was accentuated with a kiss of peace (osculum sanctum, osculum pacis) carried
around the congregation from the altar.240
What a person could learn about peace in terms of detailed content as
it was being presented in the liturgy of the mass was probably not much. It
is not at all certain that everybody would have known the meaning of pax
and unlikely that everybody would have taken it the same way. It is not even
likely that people were interested in learning anything concrete about it at
all. The Latin liturgy probably left people with vague outlines of a mysterious
idea, repeatedly uttered by the celebrant. Nonetheless, peace was being rep-
resented as a phenomenon in the possession of the Church and in the power
of its ordained servants to bestow. Although the liturgy of the mass itself did
not offer much room for expounding upon the notion of peace, a priest might
have provided his congregation with an explanation of the symbolic meaning
of the ritual kissing of peace along the lines found in the Icelandic Homily
Book. “Því gefur hver frið öðrum í friðarkossi, að sá má frið öðlast af Guði, er
friðsamur er við náunga sína.”241 [Therefore does one give peace to each other
through the kiss of peace, that he receives peace from God, who is peaceful
towards his neighbours.]. In this sense, peace has a meaning similar to love
(ást), care (alúð) and agreement (sátt). Such was also the mentality required
of those who attended mass in general: “Þá er vér komum til kirkju og sækjum
tíðir, þá höfum vér ást og frið hver við annan, því að ósæmt er, að vér hafim
hatur í hjörtum órum, þá er vér stöndum að sáttarfundi Guðs og manna.”242
[When we come to Church and attend holy office, we should show love and
peace to one another, for it is not fitting that we harvest hate in our hearts,
as we attend the meeting of reconciliation of God and men.]. Thus, the ref-
erences to peace in the liturgy refers to a trouble-​free and harmonious rela-
tionship between individuals but also between men and divine beings, such
as God and his saints.

239 íh, pp. 183–​184.

240 Magnús Már Lárusson, “Fredskys” in klnm iv, cols. 608–​610. A kiss of peace is also
described before the execution of the apostle James where it symbolized the faith of the
Jewish official Josias who decided to convert to Christianity. Post, pp. 519 and 529.
241 íh, p. 189.
242 íh, p. 153.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 201

3.3.1.2 Peace of the Church

The outlines of the notion of peace encountered in the liturgy were being filled
in, modified and expanded elsewhere. Certainly, the positive conception of
peace as active love and care as seen in the mass explanation is also present
in the hagiographic and sermonic texts from the same period. In the Saga of
the Apostle Peter, the apostle Paul describes his preaching for example as “þat
er til friðar er ok astar” [the things that engender peace and love] and further
that he went “með friðarboði allt i Jerusalem” [with a message of peace around
all Jerusalem].243 Such a peace, however, was not available for everybody but
a privilege for Christians and the Church reserved the right to establish the
conditions under which people were entitled to enjoy the Church’s peace and
the requirements that had to be fulfillled.
On several occasions, both in sermons and hagiographic translations, the
conditions of peace are defined considerably clearly. In a sermon from the
Icelandic Homily Book to be delivered on the Feast of the Annunciation it
is stated that peace is available for all men of good will. As for who men of
good will are, the sermon clearly states: “Þeir eru með góðum vilja, er á Guð
almáttkan trúa og hans boðorð halda og þykjast und honum allt traust eiga, en
ekki und sjálfum sér.” [They are of good will who believe in almighty God and
keep his commandments and know that all their trust should be on him and
not themselves.]244 This explanation of men of good will and consequently
those who are entitled to peace contains two of the most frequently expressed
requirements for the peace offered by the Church: adhering to the correct doc-
trine and behaving accordingly, which in the Middle Ages were the main con-
stituents of the Christian faith. Before the growth of scholastic theology, there
would not be a great distinction between matters of doctrine and moral prac-
tice. The confession of faith would always entail adhering to moral instructions
and religious ceremonies.245 Another example of how doctrine was portrayed
as constituting the grounds for peace can be found in the Saga of the Apostle
Andrew. In a prologue to the passio section of the saga the following connec-
tion is made between peace and faith:

Friðr se yðr ollum kristnum monnum, er settir eruð i Kristz nafni i austri
ok vestri, i norðri ok suðri, ok ollum þeim, er trua a einn guð i algørri
þrenningu, sannan fỏður ogetinn, sannan son eingetinn af feðr, sannan

243 Post, p. 190. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 541.

244 íh, p. 194.
245 Jaroslav Pelikan, The Growth of Medieval Theology 600–​1300, The Christian Tradition 3
(Chicago, 1978), pp. 11–​23.
202 Chapter 3

helgan anda framfaranda af feðr ok syni, ok þann foður almatkan truum

ver allan einn vera, er gat son, ok son eingetinn, þann er getinn er af
almatkum feðr.246
[Peace be with you, all Christian men who are established in Christ’s
name in the east and west, north and south, and all who believe in one
God in the perfect Trinity, the true father unbegotten, the one true Son
begotten of the Father, the true Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father
and Son, and that Almighty Father we believe to be entirely one, who
begot the Son, and the Son only begotten, who was begotten by the
Almighty Father.]

While the phrase “Peace be with you,” is clearly modelled after the salutation
formula, “Grace and peace be with you” from the New Testament epistles, and
should by no means be taken as original, the passage still shows how the cor-
rect faith –​summed up in a formula with an unmistakable Nicene flavor –​is
a prerequisite for enjoying the peace offered by the medieval Church, in this
case the author of the text (“sa er sỏguna hefir setta”).247 Thus, peace had its
boundaries and as it was constructed by the medieval Church in Iceland, the
area of peace corresponded to the area where the Church had secured its
ground, between Christians in Christian territories.
The premises for peace are established on a more practical level in a passage
from a Christmas sermon from the Icelandic Homily Book. Interestingly for the
purposes of this study, it does so by means of an imperial metaphor, compar-
ing Christ’s bringing of peace to emperor Augustus’ Pax Romana.

Þá er Augustus kom í Rúmsborg og gaf alla skuld, þá er fólkið átti að

gjalda honum á því ári, svo að vísu gefur oss Dominus noster syndir órar
og skuldir fyr helga skírn og fyr sanna játning og algjörva iðrun glæpa
vorra, þeirra er vér gerðum í gegn vilja hans. Í hans ríki gerðist svo mikill
friður of allan heim, svo að engi maður bar hervopn, því að horvetna var
friður og samþykki og eitt ríki. Fyr það boðast friðsamt ríki sonar Guðs
lifanda, sá er frið gerði á meðal himins og jarðar, og hann gerði eitt ríki.248
[As Augustus came to the City of Rome and exempted the people from
the debts they had due that year, in the same way does Dominus noster
forgive us our sins and debts through holy baptism for a true confession,
and a complete repentance of the crimes we committed against his will.

246 Post, p. 336. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 639.

247 Post, p. 336.
248 íh, p. 67.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 203

There was such a great peace around the entire world in his domain that
no one carried arms, for everywhere was peace and agreement and one
domain. For this we proclaim the peaceful domain of the Son of God,
who made peace between heaven and earth, and he made one domain.]

There is an interesting discrepancy between the peace brought around by

Augustus and that of Christ. Emperor Augustus is said to have simply exempted
the people from their debts while it is assumed that Christ’s forgiveness and
thereby his peace is given for a specific price—​namely the religious practices
of baptism, confession, and penance. The peace promised by the Church is
thus dependent on the religious beliefs and practices constituting a Christian
society and corresponds in an important sense to the social order which the
Church strove to maintain.
The Western Church had at its disposal a long-​standing interpretative tradi-
tion equating peace with the natural order of things. At the heart of that tradi-
tion lie Augustine’s formulations of the concept of peace from the nineteenth
book of the City of God. A large part of the book is devoted to explaining how
peace manifests itself on the different levels of human existence, ranging from
the level of body and soul to different relationships such as the household, the
relationship between God and man and ending with the entire universe. On all
these levels, Augustine contends, the state of peace is maintained by heeding
the proper order of things established by God:

[P]‌eace between mortal man and God is an ordered obedience, in faith, in

subjection to an everlasting law; peace between men is an ordered agree-
ment of mind with mind; the peace of a home is the ordered agreement
among those who live together about giving and obeying orders[.]249

Coming to the manifestation of peace at the level of the entire universe,

Augustine describes it along the same lines, but now with the highly influ-
ential notion of peace as a ‘tranquility of order,’ (tranquillitas ordinis) which
he further defines as “the arrangement of things equal and unequal in a pat-
tern which assigns to each its proper position.”250 Such a state of peace could,
according to Augustine, not materialize fully in the temporal, earthly reality. It
is only with the eternal peace of the heavenly city that a perfect tranquility of
order can be reached. Nonetheless, there is always the possibility of achieving

249 Augustine, Concerning the City of God against the Pagans, ed. David Knowles, trans. Henry
Bettenson (Harmondsworth, 1972), pp. xix, 13, 870.
250 Ibid.
204 Chapter 3

‘some tranquility of order’ and ‘some peace’ and during the Middle Ages the
Church had developed various ways to define itself as the channel of peace in
the world and its laws and articles of faith as its main constituents.
Clearly discernible in the sources is the representation of the Church and its
proponents as the bringers of peace as the correct order of things. A particu-
larly illustrative case is found in the Saga of the Apostle Peter, when the apostle
Peter ends his speech against Simon Magus in Caesarea by saying: “Þvi hof ek
þetta mal friðsamliga, at ek vil frið ollum bioða.”251 [I delivered this speech
peacefully because I wish peace for all.] As the apostle is forced by his remon-
strant Simon to expand on the advantages of peace, he provides an answer
harmonizing with Augustinian understanding of peace as the tranquility of
order. He explains that all of God’s laws are given in peace, that they maintain
peace and that all of God’s commandments stand with peace.252 Wherever the
peace is broken, Peter says, there will be disunity among men, robberies, many
battles and all sorts of disgrace committed. The only way to mend such a sinful
state of affairs is returning to the state of peace, leading Peter to end his speech
in the following way: “Ok verðr af þvi friðrinn upphaf ok niðrlag guðs laga.253
[therefore peace is the beginning and end of God’s laws]. Coming from the
mouth of the apostle Peter such a claim would have been highly charged and
must have resounded in the Church political landscape of the time.

3.3.1.3 Fighting for Peace

In the sense of a lasting state of love and harmony, peace can be described
as an important goal in the Church’s program for a fallen world. The escha-
tological hope for eternal and universal peace does not, however, reflect how
the Church’s representatives carried out their errands on a day-​to-​day basis.
There is no lack of medieval examples showing how the Church’s fondness of
peace did not keep it from entering skirmishes and political conflicts where
its representatives did all but refrain from using intimidation, coercion and
violence.254 Paradoxically, peace could be used as a legitimation for such mea-
sures. The Church’s peace does not refer to whatever love, care and agreement
can be attained but that of accepting the new state of affairs presented by the

251 Post, p. 173. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 512.

252 Post, p. 174. “oll guðs lỏg eru i friði ok til friðar sett” and “með friði standa oll guðs boðorð”.
253 Post, p. 174. Roughton ii, p. 514.
254 See Althoff, “Selig sind, die Verfolgung ausüben”; Philippe Buc, Holy War, Martyrdom,
and Terror: Christianity, Violence, and the West, ca. 70-​C.E. to the Iraq War (Philadelphia,
2015); Craig M. Nakashian, Warrior Churchmen of Medieval England 1000–​1250: Theory and
Reality (Suffolk, 2016.)
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 205

Christian religion. Such a situation was something that had to be defended and
fought for and could, with recourse to authorities no smaller than Augustine,
serve to legitimize its opposite, conflicts and violence.255 As it is often con-
structed in the source material, peace is not a means but an end which can be
reached in various ways. It is the type of peace which by later thinkers has been
called ‘peace at any price’ or even ‘peace of the cemetery.’256
Illustrating this is a part from a homily in the Icelandic Homily Book to be
delivered on All Saints Day. In accordance with the feast day’s dedication, a
major part of the sermon is devoted to enumerating the large number of saints
honored including kings who fought for the kingdom of heaven “by using phys-
ical and spiritual weapons” (“með líkamlegum vopnum og andlegum”) bring-
ing peace through conquest in war against “God’s enemies and their own”
(“Guðs andskota og sína”).257 Corroborating further what has been said about
the understanding of peace as order, the kings are said to have used them in
order to uphold the peace once it had been established through conquest of
the opponents. The saintly kings are said to have fought each day against the
sins and crimes,

og ráku svo fyrir ósýnilega fjándur með andlegum vopnum, það er siðum
góðum og stjórn, að þeir stýrðu bæði sér og sínu fólki til lagahalds og
Guðs boðorða varðveislu sem þeir ráku sýnilega andskota af höndum
með sýnilegum vopnum.258
[and so they drove out invisible fiends, with spiritual weapons, which
are good mores and governance, that they instructed both themselves
and their people to keep the laws and the commandments of God just as
they drove away visible enemies with visible weaponry.]

The list includes the biblical King David, Roman Emperor Constantine, legend-
ary missionary kings such as King Oswald of Northumbria and Edmund of East
Anglia. It ends with King Ólafr “who fought for order and peace in Norway and

255 Such a conception of peace harmonizes well with Augustine’s much discussed lines from
the nineteenth book of the City of God: “For every man is in quest of peace, even in wag-
ing war, whereas no one is in quest of war when making peace. In fact, even when men
wish a present state of peace to be disturbed they do so not because they hate peace, but
because they desire the present peace to be exchanged for one that suits their wishes.
Thus their desire is not that there should not be peace but the peace they wish for.” Augustine,
City of God xix, 13, p. 866. Emphasis added.
256 Münkler, Empires, p. 82.
257 íh, p. 227.
258 íh, p. 228.
206 Chapter 3

righteous laws of the land” (“er til siðar og friðar barðist í Norvegi og landslaga
réttra”).259
The introduction of Christianity by force into non-​Christian territories is a
repeated theme in the corpus of preserved hagiographical literature dating to
the 12th and 13th century Iceland. The missionary kings stood in a long tradi-
tion of apostles and saints who were presented as the bringers of peace at the
same time they cause nothing but havoc in the areas where they carry out their
mission. The peace brought by the Church is not an acceptance of the status
quo but an introduction of a new order, the Christian order, which in non-​
Christian territories would inevitably subvert local customs. The hagiographic
literature of course abounds with examples of apostles and saints converting
people in great numbers, thereby causing disorder and provoking hostile reac-
tions from local authorities. And until their eventual martyrdom, they might
well take all sorts of violent measures.

3.3.1.4 The Danger of Unrest

The construction of peace as the privilege of the Christian society also pro-
duced a clear image of an ‘other,’ constituted by any threat made to the ideal
state of peace. These were the disturbers of the peace, referred to with words
such as ‘þrætumenn’ [quarrellers] or ‘ófriðarmenn’ [men of unrest].260 As
noted, according to Augustine and other authors after him, perfect peace was
an eschatological state and not attainable in a fallen world.261 A very prom-
inent thread in the religious discourse of the Church consists in the Church
and its promoters always having to endure opposition and violence which is
not infrequently described with the word unrest (ófriðr): “En þeir sendimenn
Guðs, er hann sendi að boða og reka sín erindi, fyrst spámenn, en síðan pos-
tular, þoldu ófrið mikinn af vondum mönnum.”262 [But those emissaries of
God, who he sent to preach and carry out his errands, first prophets, and later
apostles, suffered a great unrest by evil men.] Of this there exist numerous

259 íh, pp. 227–​228. Interestingly, by mentioning King Ólafr, the passage contextualizes the
sermon’s message in Scandinavian culture which is rare for the sermons found in the
Homily Book and never is it done so explicitly.
260 See more detailed discussion on quarreling as a characteristic of the enemies of the
Church in section 3.2.1 above.
261 “Jerúsalem þýðist: „friðar sýn“ og merkir himneskan frið, þann er Guð gefur vinum sínum
með sér á himnum.” [Jerusalem means “vision of peace” and means the heavenly peace
which God grants to his friends in heaven.] íh, p. 22.
262 íh, p. 234.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 207

examples in the sagas of the apostles where ófriðr refers to any sort of oppo-
sition towards Christians ranging from minor acts of violence to wide ranging
persecution.263
Illustrative of how the ecclesiastical discourse produced an ‘other’ through
the notion of peace is an episode, already discussed in the last section of this
study, from the Saga of the Apostle Peter where Peter meets and enters into
a debate with the arch-​heretic Simon magus. The theme of peace, unrest,
and quarreling figures prominently in the debate from the beginning on.264
Simon ferociously attacks Peter on account of a seemingly harmless greeting
of peace at the end of his speech and is thus revealed as a quarreler of the
worst sort:

Ver þurfum ekki friðar þins, en ef frið ok samþykki skal til þess hafa at
vita, hvat hit sanna er, þa hỏfum ver miok at þarfleysu hingat farit.265
[We do not need your peace, and if peace and concord are necessary to
know the truth then we have come here unncessarily.]

Simon continues by asserting that peace is not the most productive phenome-
non for achieving truth. The people who had come to witness the debate were
not interested in hearing Simon and Peter to agreeing on all things. Rather,
Simon explains, they want to hear about their differences so they can assess
the truthfulness of their teachings respectively. He concludes his response
saying:

Þvi þurfum ver ekki at mæla til friðar helldr til þrætu, at þu megir sigr
vega a oss, ef þu treystir þer, ok stiga yfir villu vara með rettri skynsemi, ef
þu ert við þvi buinn.266
[Therefore we do not need to speak in the name of peace but rather
to quarrel so that you might defeat us if you trust yourself, and overcome
our heresy with right reason if you are prepared to use it.]

263 In the Icelandic Homily Book and the hagiographic works subject to the present research,
the word ófriðr exclusively refers to violence towards Christians.
264 “Menn eru komnir margir ok biða þin, Petrus, ok er Simon oddviti þess liðs, sa er nu er
buinn at eiga þrætu við þik.” [Many people are here awaiting you, Peter, and Simon is their
leader, the one you have had quarrels with already]. Post, pp. 172–​173.
265 Post, p. 173. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 512.
266 Post, p. 174. For translation, cf. Roughton ii, p. 513. His translation of þræta as debate and
rett skynsemi as righteous wisdom is not accurate.
208 Chapter 3

It is of no trivial importance that Simon is introduced as a quarreler. Given

Simon’s status as a prototypical enemy of the Church, it shows how signifi-
cantly quarreling and disturbing the established Church order impacted the
identity of an enemy of the Christian religion. Those who could be shown to
undermine the peace and order established by the Church were dangerously
close to the groups of ‘others’ which have been discussed earlier. It could even
be asserted that disturbing the peace and producing unrest is a common attri-
bute for the enemies of the Church. On one occasion in the Icelandic Homily
Book, for example, those who are said to bring about unrest are simply called
“evil men” (vondir menn).267 There are more concrete examples to be found
in the source material. In a prayer from the Icelandic Homily Book, quarrelers
are grouped together with heretics: “Nú skulum vér biðja fyr villumönnum og
þrætumönnum, að Guð og vor Dominus leiði af öllum villum og leiði þá til hei-
lagrar og postullegrar kristni.”268 [Let us now pray for heretics and quarrelers,
that God and our Dominus will lead them from all error and lead them to holy
and apostolic Christianity.] The hagiographic translations show how the insti-
gators of the unrest can be secular authorities like King Herod who is said to
have had the apostle James executed or Roman emperors Nero and Domitian.
Other less historical figures, earls, governors and pagan religious leaders (blót-
byskupar) in the areas visited by the apostles are also said to produce unrest as
well as unspecified mobs of pagans or Jews.269
Whatever harmony and order attainable in this world would be brought
about by the Church. Those who threatened to disrupt that order became guilty
of a grave offense. They were enemies of the peace, violators of the peace (per-
turbator pacis, pacis violator) and would be treated with anything but mercy.
Consider the following excerpt from a speech made by the apostle Matthew in
which the apostle expounds on the importance of keeping up “laws of God”
and “right customs” from several perspectives.

Manndrap er ilt, þar er saclaus maþr verþr veginn, oc vitom ver þo stun-
dom lovaþ manndrapet vera oc rétt, þar er ovinr friþarens es drepinn eþa
þiofr eþa vikingr.270

267 íh, p. 263.

268 íh, p. 102.
269 For examples see Post, p. 170 (Herod) and p. 417 (Nero and Domitian), pp. 737 and 771
(pagans), p. 738 (Jews). See also Icelandic Homily Book: “Drottinn flæði til Egiptalands og
firrtist Herodem, því að Guðs kenningar hurfu til heiðinna þjóða, þá er Gyðingar gjörðu
ófrið Guðs vinum.” íh, p. 264.
270 Post, p. 819; Ólafur Halldórsson, Mattheus saga postula, p. 49. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 824.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 209

[Murder is evil when an innocent man is killed, and yet we know that
sometimes murder is permitted and is right, when an enemy of the peace
or a thief or a viking is killed.]

Traditionally, the Church renounced the shedding of blood which of course

was in violation of the Fifth Commandment. Ecclesia abhorret a sanguine is a
formula often rehearsed in patristic literature and conciliar proceedings. But
there were instances, coming up in increasing measure after the 10th century,
in which the killing of another person could be defended.271

3.3.2 Heaven or Hell?

In return for their obedience, the Church not only offered order and peace to
the Icelanders and their society. Individuals were also offered promises of a
more lasting value pertaining to their fate in the hereafter. While faithful and
obedient Christians could expect eternal salvation with God in Heaven, those
who failed to comply with the Church’s instructions and regulations were des-
tined for torturous punishment in Hell. As elsewhere in medieval Christian
Europe, matters pertaining to the afterlife figure prominently in Iceland.272
They also constitute an important part of the imperial logic of domination
embedded into the religious discourse of the Church in the Icelandic Free
State, whereas the religious specialists of the Church monopolized the knowl-
edge and practical means by which the ordinary Christians could avoid Hell
and obtain salvation. On such grounds, they possessed authority to demand
people’s obedience and influence their behavior.

3.3.2.1 War
On a cosmological plane, there was an ongoing battle between the powers of
God and the Devil, often constructed with royal, imperial, and military vocabu-
lary well known from both the Hebrew Bible and Early Christian Writings. God
is described as “allsvaldandi himinríkis konungur” [almighty king of the king-
dom of heaven], reigning over his dominion (ríki, veldi), governing his hosts
of angels (englafylki, englalið, engla sveitir) in the battle against the enemy of
God and humanity (see Figure. 10).273 Similarly, the Devil reigns as the lord of

271 Tomaž Mastnak, Crusading Peace: Christendom, the Muslim World, and Western Political
Order (Berkeley, 2002), p. 16.
272 For an extensive study on how this theme appears in ‘original’ medieval Icelandic litera-
ture, see Haki Antonsson’s monograph Damnation and Salvation in Old Norse Literature.
273 íh, p. 56. Devil as the enemy of humanity (gagnstaðligr ovinr mannkynsins), Post, p. 332.
210 Chapter 3

darkness (myrkra hofðingi) or the lord of the underworld (Heliar hofðingi).274

In the Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew, the underworld is represented by its
queen Hel upon which Christ made war (“heriadi a Hel drottning vara”).275 The
Devil governs his hosts of demons (djöflar, árar), urging them to hurt faithful
believers,276 in his own power (veldi), promoting “ríki eilífs dauða og djöfullegs
máttar”277 [the dominion of eternal death and demonic power].
In his comprehensive work on medieval Christian religiosity in Western
Europe, Arnold Angenendt describes the battle between the opposing sides as
being carried out all around and at all times: “In drastischer Allgegenwärtigkeit
ist der Teufel am Werk.”278 In realms beyond the human eye, hosts of demons
and unclean and maleficient spirits plan their schemes and carry out their
attacks on the agents of the Church and faithful Christians (see Figure 11).279
In early Icelandic Christian discourse, the activities of the Devil, demons and
spirits are constructed much in the same way. The hagiographic sources show
the inimical forces at work at every corner. They are rarely visible to the ordi-
nary layperson but to the protagonists of the Old Icelandic vitae, they appear
frequently as shown in the Saga of Bishop Martin as found in am 645 4to:

Petar og Pol postola letzc hann oft sia. Dioflar como oc stundom at freista
hans i ymsom lic(i)om, oc allra oftast i like Þors eþa Oþens eþa Freyio. En
Martinus hafði crossmarc at scildi viþ allre freistne þeira. En hann kende
þa, i hverionge likio(m) sem þeir varo, oc nemndi hvern þeira a namn oc
fec hveriom þeira þa qveðio, er (þeir) varo verþer: Þor callaþi hann heim-
scan, en Oþen deigan, en Freyio portcono. Engla guþs sa hann oc oft, oc
melto þeir viþ hann oc sogðo honom fyrer oorþna hluti.280

274 For the phrase “Myrkra hofðingi” see Post, pp. 434 and 718. For “heliar hofdingi” see Post,
p. 748.
275 Post, p. 748. Even though the name Hel is also found in Old Norse mythology, where it
refers to the goddess of the underworld, it is clear, as L. Michael Bell points out, that the
figure in the Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew is the queen of the Christian underworld
and not the heathen one. Bell further suggests that it is related to the ambiguous figure of
Infer(n)us from the Gospel of Nicodemus which in an Old English translation of the gospel
took on the guise of the female demoness seo hell. L. Michael Bell, ““Hel our Queen”: An
Old Norse Analogue to an old English Female Hell,” Harvard Theological Review 76/​2
(1983), 263–​268, esp. 264–​265.
276 “Djöfull fær sinni sveit fjötra til meina oss.” [The demon provides his hosts with shackles
to inflict pain on us] íh, p. 28.
277 íh, p. 65.
278 Angenendt, Geschichte der Religiosität in Mittelalter, p. 155.
279 Ibid., pp. 154–​156.
280 hms i, p. 569. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 861–​862.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 211

figure 10 
God as King. Illustration from a mid 14th century manuscript am 227 fol.
containing a Norse translation of the Old Testament. Árni Magnússon Institute
for Icelandic Studies

[The apostles Peter and Paul often appeared to him. Devils also came
sometimes to tempt him with various temptations, most often in the
likeness of Þórr or Óðinn or Freyja, but Martin had the sign of the cross
as a shield against all of their temptations. And he recognized them in
whatever form they assumed, and named each of them by name and
addressed each of them according to their “worth: he called Þórr an idiot,
Óðinn timid, and Freyja a whore. He often saw angels of God, and they
spoke to him and told him of future events.]

An important part of the activities of the apostles, and consequently a sig-

nificant message of the hagiographic source material, is simply proving the
existence of the inimical forces by exposing them and illustrating that the mis-
fortunes people are suffering from are caused by demons and evil spirits. The
theme of exposing Satan’s wiles can ultimately be traced back to the tempta-
tion narrative of the synoptic gospels (Matt. 4:1–​11, Luke 4:1–​13). Arriving in
the city of Nicaea, the apostle Andrew came across seven devils who practiced
throwing rocks at people at a certain street corner, causing people injury and
212 Chapter 3

figure 11 
Demon. Illustration from a mid 14th century manuscript am 227 fol. containing
a Norse translation of the Old Testament. Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies

death. Andrew explains to the people that in order to be released from their
troubles, they have to believe in Jesus Christ, the Almighty God and the Holy
Spirit, “einn guð i þrenningu”281 [one God in Trinity]. When they had accepted
his suggestions, the apostle Andrew: “bauð […] dioflunum at standa i augliti
allz lyðs. Þa synduz fiandr i hunda likium. Þa sneriz Andreas postoli til folksins
ok mællti: Siai þer nu her diofla, þa er yðr eru gagnstaðligir” [commanded the
devils to show themselves to all the people. The fiends appeared in the bodies
of dogs. The apostle Andrew turned to the people and said: ‘See here now the
devils who oppose you’].282 Even though it is more frequent that demons and
unclean spirits only become visible to ordinary people by possessing objects
and living beings already existing in the material world, there is an interest-
ing description of an actual appearance of a demon in the Saga of the Apostle
Bartholomew:

281 Post, p. 323.

282 Post, p. 324. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 620.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 213

Þa syndi hann þeim mikinn skugga hræðiligan hrafni svartara; nef hans
var hvast ok skegg hans var sitt, har hans tok allt a føtr niðr; elldr brann
or augum hans, en gneistar flugu or munni hans sem af gloanda iarni, en
brennusteins log rauk or nỏsum hans; fiaðrar hans voru sva sem þyrnar,
en hendr hans voru bundnar a bak aptr með elldligum bon ̉ dum.283
[Then he showed them a great and terrible shadow blacker than a
raven; its nose was sharp and its beard long, its hair hung all the way
down to its feet, fire burned from its eyes and sparks flew from its mouth
as if from glowing iron, and sulphuric flames shot out ofts nose. Its feath-
ers were like thorns, and its hands were bound behind its back with fiery
bonds.]

Exploring this particular episode, Philip Roughton points out that it parallels
typologically the description of the apostle Bartholomew at the beginning
of the narrative where the apostle is depicted in a complete contrast to the
demon. While the apostle is depicted as having sublime physical features,
wearing impeccable clothes, capable of almost anything with the help of
angels, the demon, with his iron, flames, and thorns, is bound behind the back,
incapable of doing anything in the presence of the apostle. A further parallel is
found in the mutual exposure of the opposing forces. Just as it was the demon
Berith who gave the description of Bartholomew at the beginning of the saga,
it is Bartholomew who exposes the idol as a demonic shadow in, as Roughton
puts it “a literal enactment of the theme of the exposure of Satan’s wiles.”284
As for how the demons are shown to carry out their deeds, they most often
proceed by taking hold of either people or idols (skurðgoð, likneski). Demonic
possession is shown to have severe consequences, as the demon causes phys-
ical torments, illnesses and even death to the possessed person, as well as it
can force it to do harm to other people. Driving demons out of mad people
is a standard part of the apostolic routine during their travels, formulaically
described with the phrase “rak diofla fra oðum monnum” [drove demons from
mad men].285 Another frequent practice of the demons is their possession of
idols through which they demand veneration and obedience, misleading peo-
ple from the true God. In the Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew it is explained
how the demons trick their adherents into believing that they have healing

283 Post, p. 750. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 767–​768.

284 Philip Roughton, “’Þa syndi hann þeim mikinn skugga’: Unmasking the Fantastic in the
Postola Sögur,” in The Fantastic in Old Norse/​Icelandic Litearture. Sagas and the British
Isles, eds. John McKinnel, David Ashurst, and Donata Kick (Durham, 2006), p. 850.
285 For examples see, Post, pp. 185, 336, 336, 424, 427, 440, 514, 717, 719, 726, 728, and 750.
214 Chapter 3

powers as they inflict harm to the people and only let go of them when he or
she begin to worship the possessed idol.

I skurðgoðinu var diỏfull, sa er sagðiz grøða siuka menn, en þa eina grøddi

hann, er hann meiddi; þviat Indialandz men kunnu eigi sannan guð, ok
urðu þeir af þvi tældir af osỏnnum guðum. En hinn lygni guð tælir sva þa,
er eigi truðu eða kunnu sannan guð, at hann kastar a þa sottum ok mei-
num ok skỏðum, ok gefr svỏr or skurðgoðum, at þeir bloti honum; en þa
syniz heimskum monnum sem hann grøði, þa er hann lætr af at meiða.
En hann bergr engum, helldr grandar hann, ok syniz þa biarga, er hann
lætr af at granda.286
[In the idol was a devil who claimed to cure sick people, but he actu-
ally only cured those whom he himself injured, for the people of India
did not know the true God, and they were therefore swindled by false
gods. The lying god swindles those who do not believe in or know the
true God by casting upon them sickness and wounds and injuries, and by
giving answers from out of idols in order to get them to worship him, and
then it seems to stupid people as if he cures them, when he only ceases
to injure them. But he saves no one, and indeed only does injury, and he
seems to save when he stops doing harm.]

This way, the demons first get hold of the person’s body and then, when the
person starts worshiping the idol, are in control of the person’s soul, as the
demon explains himself a little later in the same saga: “Hỏfðingi varr sendir
oss at granda monnum, fyrst likomum þeira meðan ver hofum eigi velldi yfir
ondunum; en þa er þeir blota oss til heilsu likama sinna, þa latum ver af at
meiða þeira likami, þviat þa hofum ver velldi yfir ondum þeirra”287 [Our chief-
tain sent us to harm people, first their bodies while we have no power over
their souls; and then when they sacrifice to us in order that their bodies might
be healed, we cease injuring their bodies, for we then have power over their
souls]. Sustaining the injury for as long as possible, they eventually force the
possessed to believe that they are gods and worship them.288

3.3.2.2 Anger of God

God’s wrath is an inherent part of certain biblical traditions, particularly vis-
ible in the conceptualization of history as it appears in the writings of the

286 Post, p. 744; Trans. Roughton ii, p. 756.

287 Post, p. 749. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 764–​765.
288 Post, p. 749.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 215

Deuteronomic body of writings characterized by the notion of divine retribu-

tion or punishment because of human sin. Such a characteristic marked the
medieval Christian image of God quite decisively.289 All sort of catastrophes
-​be it natural disasters, plagues, or human evil -​could ultimately be explained
with reference to the wrath of God culminating on the Day of Judgment. In this
respect, Icelandic ecclesiastical discourse was no different than elsewhere in
the Medieval West as wrath remained a notable attribute of God.
From the perspective of salvation history, God’s anger (reiði, styggð)
was understood to have been lying over the earth like a dark night, like it is
described in an Easter homily, “ever since the sin of the first man until the
resurrection of the Lord, leading humanity to death and to the darkness of hell
out of this world.”290 Adam did not want to obey divine commandments and
therefore he was outlawed to the misery of the earthly life.291 The dark night of
sins was only lifted with the resurrection of Christ “from which arose the day
of correct faith and the mercy of the Lord.”292 Even so, God’s wrath had still to
be reckoned with, for human sinfulness was still quite capable of arousing the
wrath of God as can be seen on the leaves of the Icelandic Homily Book and
should be avoided at all costs: “Oft skulum vér órum hug til þess renna […] hve
þungt er að verða fyr reiði hans.”293 [We should often direct our minds to […]
how severe it will prove to meet his anger.] It could not be forgotten, had to be
kept in mind at all times and reckoned with. It was even scribed unto the cre-
ation itself. In a short allegorical sermon fragment on the rainbow, found in the
so-​called Physiologus-​manuscript (am 673 a ii 4to), the three colors of the rain-
bow are said to symbolize water, sulphur-​flame, and fire which collectively are
supposed to remind of the threefold wrath: “[Á] regnboga eru þrír litir: vatns
ok brennusteinsloga ok elds. Þat minnir oss á at óttask þrefalda reiði Guðs, þá
er kømr yfir heiminn”. [In the rainbow there are three colours: of water and
of sulphur-​flame and of fire. This reminds us of fearing the threefold wrath of
God, which comes over the world.]294
The anger of God is also a frequent topic in the hagiographic source mate-
rial. God’s emissaries frequently bring up the threats of God’s anger and even
more frequently does one encounter it in the words of repenting sinners after
they have been convinced of their error by the apostles and their miracles.

289 Angenendt, Geschichte der Religiosität im Mittelalter, pp. 101–​104.

290 íh, p. 103.
291 íh, p. 65.
292 íh, p. 103.
293 íh, p. 130.
294 Cucina, “The Rainbow Allegory,” pp. 73–​74.
216 Chapter 3

Having been tortured by the authorities of the city Mirmidon in Achaea, the
apostle Andrew persisted in praying for his persecutors and teaching those
who listened, which eventually lead to the inhabitants of the city being con-
vinced of their error, approaching the apostle with the following words:

Misgert hofum ver við þik, af þvi at ver vissum eigi hvat ver gerðum.
Biðium ver þik, at þu fyrirgefir oss þat, er ver hofum misgert við þik, ok
synir oss heilsugotu, at eigi stigi guðs reiði yfir borg þessa.295
[We have done evil to you, for we knew not what we were doing. We
beseech you, forgive us our transgressions against you, and show us
the path of salvation, so that the wrath of God does not descend upon
this city.]

This is a fairly standard reaction of a repenting opponent approaching an apos-

tle or a saint in fear and awe which the readers and audiences of the religious
discourses of the Church would have come across quite frequently.296 A rather
elaborate account of the anger of God is found in a speech given by the apostle
Matthew at the end of a version of Passio sancti Mathei apostoli found in the
manuscript am 645 4to. In the speech the apostle compares the power of an
earthly king to that of the heavenly king. The power of the earthly lasts only
for a short time but the power of the heavenly king is eternal, and so also his
rewards and punishments. And regarding God’s anger, the apostle continues:

Ef konongs reiþe er ogorlig, hyggit at ér, hvor ogorligre er goþs reiþe eþa
mannz. Mannz reiþi endesc á eino augabragþi stundar meþ elde eþa
iarne, en goþs reiþe cinder eil(i)fan loga misgerøndom. Dominus goþ,
kennande ens sanna, visse firer oorþna hluti oc melte: „Ér scoloþ eigi
hręþasc þá, es licomom granda einom saman, en þeir mego eigi øndena
vega, heldr scoloþ ér þann hreþasc, es beþi hefir veldi at firerfara bøþi
ǫnd oc licama i helvites eldi. Sva segi ec yþr, at þann scolot ér hręþasc.297
[If the anger of the king is horrible, consider which is more horrible,
the wrath of God or of man. The wrath of a man ends in the blink of an
eye with fire or iron, but the wrath of God kindles eternal fires for evildo-
ers. The Lord God, the teacher of the truth, knew the future and said: ‘Do
not fear those things which hurt the body and yet which can not scathe
the soul; rather should you fear that which has power both to destroy

295 Post, p. 321. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 614.

296 For more examples see Post, p. 721 and p. 784.
297 Post, p. 821. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 826.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 217

the soul and the body in hellfire.ʼ So I say unto you, it is this which you
should fear.ˮ

What exactly those could expect who had called God’s anger upon themselves
will be addressed in the upcoming section but on that topic, as will be shown, the
sources under inspection were by no means silent.

3.3.2.3 Justice
As noted, the notion of last judgment was central to medieval Christian religiosity
as the following words from the Icelandic Homily Book reflect: “Hræðstu dómsdag
ávallt og óast helvítiseld.”298 [Fear at all times the Day of Judgment and dread the
fire of hell.] And the judgment is not far ahead, as a sermon on the Purification of
Mary reminds the audience with considerable urgency: “minnumst á það, að Guð
mun koma skjótt að dæma of allar þjóðir og munum þá taka slíkan dóm af Guði
sem vér dæmum órum misbjóðöndum nú í þessi veröld.”299 [Let us remember
that God will come soon to judge all people and we will then receive such judg-
ment of God like we offer to our mistreaters in this world.] In another sermon
to be delivered on the feast of Epiphany, a translation of Gregory’s 10th homilia
in Evangelia, the audience is encouraged to envision the stringency of the divine
judge: “Setjum vér fyrir hugskotsaugu oss annmarka óra og þar með ógn dómadags.
Virðum vér, hve stríður dómandinn kemur, sá er ógnar dóminum og leynist hann,
sýnir hann ógnir syndgum mönnum og bíður.”300 [Let us place before our mind’s
eyes our shortcomings and the threat of judgment therewith. Let us look at how
strict the judge is who comes, the one who threats with judgment and hides, he
shows threats to sinful men and waits.]
The Icelandic Christians did not always have to rely on their mind’s eyes
because they had the material illustrations of the topic already there in front
of them. Carved onto a set of thirteen wooden panels, brought to the Icelandic
National Museum from the farm Bjarnastaðahlíð in Skagafjörður in the year
1924, are depictions of various human figures and other creatures. Although
much is missing from the work as a whole, scholars agree that the panels orig-
inally belonged to a grandiose illustration of the last judgment and hell. It
showed the “frightful day of judgment” (dagur ógurlegur dóms) when the Lord
will come as a “strict judge” (stríður dómandi), a prominent theme in the early
religious discourse of the Church.301 The panels give an important insight in

298 íh, p. 274.

299 íh, p. 125.
300 íh, p. 85.
301 íh, pp. 69–​70 and 85.
218 Chapter 3

how early religious discourses concerning divine punishment in Hell mani-

fested itself in visual, material form. As shown by art historian Selma Jónsdóttir,
the illustration is carved out in a characteristically Byzantine style.302 Not
many church illustrations of this type have been preserved in the Latin West
but an important example is a mosaic found in the cathedral of Torcello in
North East Italy.303 How this style of ornamentation reached Iceland is unclear
but Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir has pointed out that an Italian-​Byzantine style
was wide-​spread in Benedictine monasteries and on such grounds she has
connected the making of the decoration to the first Benedictine monastery
in Iceland at Þingeyrar in Húnaþing. It is very likely that this illustration
was originally located in the cathedral of Hólar, built after the foundation of
the episcopal see in 1106. If the making of the picture was somehow related
to Þingeyrar-​monastery, its point of composition has to be moved a bit for-
ward in time, possibly to the episcopacy of Ketill Þorsteinsson (r. 1122–​1145),
as Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir suggests.304 Hypothetical reconstructions of the
picture suggest that it must have been over 7.3 meters long and 2.8 meters high,
most likely painted in colors.305
In line with other preserved Byzantine judgment illustrations, the decora-
tion in Hólar cathedral was divided horizontally into two halves with each half
showing many different sections and scenes. Its upper part probably showed
the Godhead surrounded by angels, apostles, and saints. One panel from the
upper half (marked k on figure. 12) thus shows Mary, mother of Jesus and a fig-
ure venerating her. Most of the preserved panels, however, seem to stem from
the decoration’s lower part, depicting judgment scenes and the fate of peo-
ple sentenced either for salvation in Heaven and damnation in Hell. Figuring
prominently on the panels preserved from Bjarnastaðahlíð, are images of
snakes or monsters surrounding Satan’s throne and damned individuals. Panel
e shows an angel pushing a human being in the direction of such a creature
and panel i shows another one devouring or regurgitating a person.
It is likely that such a decoration, aweing as it was in its size and bright col-
ors, made a great deal of impact on those who came across it. Placed on the
eastern wall of the cathedral, this impressive work of art was the last image

302 Selma Jónsdóttir, An 11th Century Byzantine Last Judgment in Iceland (Reykjavík, 1959).
303 An important difference between Byzantine judgment scenes and those done in a
Western style, is that the former tradition does not restrict itself to Biblical imagery.
Especially prevalent, for example, are motives from the Homilies of the Syrian deacon
Ephrem. Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Dómsdagsmynd frá Bjarnastaðahlíð,” in kí i, p. 274.
304 Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Dómsdagsmynd frá Bjarnastaðahlíð,” in kí i, p. 277.
305 Ibid., p. 276.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society219

figure 12 
A drawing by Hörður Ágústsson of the images preserved on the panels from
Bjarnastaðahlíð. Image: Hörður Ágústsson, Dómsdagur og helgir menn á
Hólum, 15
220 Chapter 3

figure 13 
The Crozier’s head shows a gaping creature. It was discovered in Bishop Páll’s
grave in 1954. National Museum of Iceland

seen before the attending faithful left the sacred space of the church on their
way into the world. It reminded people of the urgency of the Christian message
and the severe consequences they could expect if they failed to recognize it.
Similar reminders of the impending judgment could be identified in various
contexts, intended and unintended, even on clerical clothing and liturgical
accessories. There are, for example, unmistakable resemblances between how
the creatures surrounding Satan’s throne were represented on the panels from
Bjarnastaðahlíð and animal images on the head of a crozier, made of walrus
ivory, discovered during an archaeological excavation in 1954 (figure. 13). The
head of the crozier was found in a sarcophagus next to what is believed to be
the bones of Bishop Páll Jónsson of Skálholt (r. 1195–​1211).306 The volute-​formed
head of Bishop Páll’s crozier, shows a gaping animal head, facing a small lion

306 Archaeologist Kristján Eldjárn suggested the crozier head to have been carved out in
Iceland around the year 1200. Kristján Eldjárn, “Stav II, Island” in KLNM xvii, col. 78.
Sveinbjörn Rafnsson has questioned Eldjárn’s conclusion, deeming the quality of the
craftwork too high to have been carried out in Iceland or Norway. A more likely place
of origin, in Rafnsson’s opinion, would be a city on the British Isles with a rich tradition
craftsmanship, even though the walrus ivory could not have been found elsewhere than
in the North. Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, Páll Jónsson Skálholtsbiskup: Nokkrar athuganir á sögu
hans og kirkjustjórn, Ritsafn sagnfræðistofnunar 33 (Reykjavík, 1993), p. 126.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 221

engraved on the crozier. Kristján Eldjárn has suggested the animal on the cro-
zier to be a lion and a reference to the lion of Judah.307 Contextualizing it more
thoroughly, Sveinbjörn Rafnsson points out the resemblances of the creature
with Norwegian decorative art under Anglo-​Norman influence, for example
that which can be seen on the Olaf’s chapel (Olavskapellet) in the cathedral
of Niðarós and, more importantly, on the famous Urnes Stave church in Sogn
and Fjordane county in Norway.308 In the church in Urnes, one can even see a
carved-​out figure of a bishop or an abbot holding a crozier very similar to the
crozier of Bishop Páll.309
Animal figures were prominent in medieval Scandinavian decorative art
and Icelandic Christians were probably used to seeing various types of animal
ornamention in their surroundings. There is, however, no agreement among
scholars on what kind of a figure is being depicted at the end of the crozier’s
volute. Is it a lion, like Eldjárn suggested, or is it perhaps more reasonable
to take it as a dragon or a serpent, a widespread motif on medieval crozier-​
heads?310 In a short picture commentary on the crozier’s iconography, art his-
torian Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir decidedly states that the animal is a dragon,
symbolizing the Devil.311 At the end of a long bishop’s staff, it appears more
likely to have looked like a serpent’s head, with the entire crozier representing
the rest of the snake’s body (see figure. 14). It should also be noted that a gap-
ing animal was a frequent way of symbolically referring to hell in the Middle
Ages. In a speech to be delivered on Annunciation Day, the apostles are for
example to have led God’s people “úr úlfs munni, það er djöfuls veldi”312 [out
of the wolf’s mouth, that is the Devil’s dominion] and in the Saga of the Apostle
Matthew, the apostle calls on the audience to redeem their souls “fra hinum
forna dreka, þat er fra diofli!”313 [from the ancient dragon, that is the Devil].
At any rate, to people of differing knowledge of Christian iconography, not to
mention if it was from afar, it is not far-​fetched to assume that it might have
seemed reminiscent of the serpents surrounding Satan’s throne in hell, similar
to those depicted on the panels from Bjarnastaðahlíð discussed above. From
such a point of view, it should not be excluded that figures of doom and dread

307 Gen. 49: “Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches
down, he stretches out like a lion, like a lioness—​who dares rouse him up?ˮ
308 Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, Páll Jónsson Skálholtsbiskup, pp. 124–​125.
309 See image in Roar Hauglid, Norse stavkirker: Dekor og utstyr (Oslo: Dreyer, 1973), p. 333.
310 As hinted at by Ellen Marie Magerøy, “Carving: Bone, Horn, and Walrus Tusk,” in Medieval
Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia, ed. Phillip Pulsiano (New York, 1993), p. 70.
311 Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, kí ii, marginal picture commentary, p. 142.
312 íh, p. 192.
313 Post, p. 800.
222 Chapter 3

figure 14 
A creature from a panel from Bjarnastaðahlíð, believed to repesent a serpent
surrounding Satan’s throne. National Museum of Iceland

merged into how episcopal authority came to be visually represented on epis-

copal insignia such as Páll Jónsson’s crozier.

3.3.2.4 Punishment
The illustration on the panels from Bjarnastaðahlíð, and other comparable
decorative objects, represent an important part of the religious discourse of
judgment people would come across during mass and other ecclesiastical cer-
emonies. The topic of judgment was of course inseparable from what it would
eventually lead to, that is the tortures of hell or the glories of paradise, topics
which will be taken into consideration in what follows.
In the sermonic and hagiographic source material, there is no lack of
forceful depictions of the punishments of Hell. As with other themes already
explored in this study, there is no striking difference between the Icelandic
religious discourse and the ways in which Hell was conceptualized elsewhere
in the Christian West.314 Hell is a place of darkness (myrkur), misery (nauðir),
suffering (kvalar) and torture (píningar) carried out in eternal fire.315 Hell is the
dominon of the Devil and is often referred to with the word ‘veldi’ which has
already cropped up several times in this analysis (“djöfuls veldi,” [dominion of
the Devil], “veldi fjandans” [dominion of the fiend], “veldi myrkra,” [dominion
of darkness]).316 The accounts of Hell in such sources, the sermonic ones in
particular, have been said to have a more popular appeal and be of a more
simple or folksy nature (folkeleg) than more elaborate descriptions in for
example Elucidarius and religious poetry such as Harmsól and Sólarljóð.317 It
is correct, that in medieval Icelandic sermons, Hell is often used as a simple
key word for what Christ conquered through his atonement much like the

314 Olav Bø, “Helvete,” in KLNM vi, col. 428.

315 For examples see, íh, “myrkur,” p. 241; “kvalar,” pp, 223, 241, and 297; “nauðir,” pp. 104 and
106; “píningar,”pp. 64 and 210 “eternal fire,” pp. 72, 207, and 302.
316 For examples see íh, “djöfuls veldi,” p. 20, “veldi myrkra,” p. 245; “veldi fjandans,” p. 209.
317 Olav Bø, “Helvete,” in KLNM vi, col. 428.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 223

following sentence from a sermon with the heading Resurrectio Domini con-
veys: “Christus […] leysti oss úr syndaböndum og frá kvölum helvítis og frá
vélum og hlátri djöfulsins.” [Christus […] redeemed us from the shackles of
sin and from the suffering of hell and the tricks and laughter of the Devil].318
Such simple references, however, would of course always have hinted towards
more elaborate descriptions of Hell which were not only found in vision lit-
erature but also in the sources for the earliest religious Christian discourse as
it has previously been defined in this study. Consider for example the follow-
ing description from a treatise consisting of parts of Pseudo-​Ambrose’s Acta
S. Sebastiani martyris. Originally it was part of a speech given by the martyr
Sebastian but in the Icelandic Homily Book it stands as an independent speech.
It is also partly preserved in the late 13th century manuscript fragment am 238
xxviii fol. but it is unclear if that manuscript fragment was originally part of
Sebastian’s vita or part of an independent homily like the one in the Icelandic
Homily Book:319

En sá er eigi vill elska þetta ið bjarta líf, þá má sá eigi til þess komast,
heldur verður hann tekinn af eilífum dauða og haldinn í eilífum loga. Þar
eru hræðilegir fjándur. Þeirra augu skjóta af sér eldlegum örum, þeirra
rödd er svo sem grenjun hinna óörgu dýra, þeirra viðurlit gera hræðslu
og sárleik og dauða. Og væri svo vel, að dauðinn mætti bjarga við þessum
meinum. Heldur er hitt þyngra, að þar er til þess lifað, að ávallt sé þeir í
kvölum, er þar eru. Og til þess endurnýjast liðir þeirra, að þeir sé ávallt
slitnir af höggormum, fyr því að þeir vildu ekki geyma Guðs boðorða.320
[But the one who does not want to love this bright life, he will not
arrive there, but will be seized by eternal death and kept in an eternal
flame. There are horrible demons. Their eyes shoot fiery arrows, their
voice is like the cry of wild animals, their look produce fear, harm, and
death. And it would be well if death would save from these pains, but on
the contrary are those living there subject to the severity of eternal pain.
Their joints are constantly renewed after having been torn by snakes, for
they did not want to heed the commandments of God.]

Another description is to be found in the Saga of the Apostle John, based

on a Latin version of the apostle’s life as found in the Passio Iohannis by

318 íh, p. 107.

319 See Stefán Karlsson, “Om himmel og helvede på gammelnorsk am 238 xxviii fol.,” in
Festskrift til Ludvig Holm-​Olsen (Øvre Ervik, 1984), pp. 185–​195.
320 íh, p. 207.
224 Chapter 3

Pseudo-​Melito and the Virtutes Iohannis.321 In the account a man named

Stactaeus, brought to life by the apostle John, explains to the audience present
what he had experienced in the hereafter. Those who resist the message of the
apostle, like the people present have rejected the reward of paradise and will
instead be receiving the suffering of Hell:

Slika luti hafi þit fyrirlatna, en fengit ykkr þa staði i moti, er fullir eru
af myrkrum, fullir af drekum ok gnistondum logum, fullir af kvỏlum ok
ollum oumrøðiligum piningum, fullir af otta, fullir af ỏskurligri ogn. En
þit hafit fyrirlatið þa staði, er fullir eru af öllum blomum, þeim er alldri
kunnu at fyrnaz, af allzkonar fỏgrum röddum, ok tekit þar a moti þa staði,
sem eilifr gratr er ok ylun bæði nætr ok daga322
[You have forsaken these things and have received in their place places
full of darkness, full of dragons and biting flames, full of torments and all
unspeakable tortures, full of dread, full of hideous terrors. You have for-
saken the places that are full of all sorts of flowers that can never decay,
of all sorts of beautiful voices, and you have taken in their place the place
where there is eternal wailing and howling both night and day.]

Also noteworthy about this particular account is the reaction of the crowds
who immediately repent after having heard their prospects.
In light of the previous discussion on the Church’s enemies, it is import-
ant to note that Hell is reserved for God’s enemies: “ógurlegt er að gera í gegn
Guði, því að hann má sínum óvinum steypa í helvíti”323 [it is frightening to act
against God, for he will throw his enemies into Hell], as it says in a sermon on
the Holy Spirit. Through his resurrection and descent into Hell, Christ further
saved his friends in Hell (vinir Guðs í helvíti), i.e. noble and upright men who
had passed before Christ, and brought all his men (alla sína menn) away from
the misery of hell into eternal joy.324 In a Christmas speech, it is made clear
that being an enemy of God is no abstract notion but referred to those who
disturb the peace and oppose his agents:

321 Roughton i, p. 245.

322 Post, p. 426. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 680.
323 íh, p. 33.
324 íh, p. 106. See also the following description of Judgment Day in a speech to be delivered
on All Saints Day, íh, p. 63: “en úr þeim eldi lesa englar Guðs og hefja í loft upp Guðs vini
alla. En Guðs óvinir verða í eldinum eftir og eigu þaðan til Drottins að sjá og að líta.” [out
of the fire the angels of God will elevate all of God’s friends. But God’s enemies will remain
in the fire and from there they have to see and observe the Lord.]
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 225

Svo gerir Guð jafnan við þá, er ófrið veita og mótstöðu erindrekum hans,
að hann tekur þá fyrst af lífi, en síðan brennir hann og borgir þeirra, það
eru líkamir þeirra, er byggðu andir þeirra í svo sem í borgum, meðan
þeir lifðu, en kvelur hann hvort tveggja og brennir í helvíti, önd þeirra og
líkama.325
[So God does to those who produce unrest and oppose his agents, that
he first executes them, then he burns also their cities, that is their bodies,
in which their souls lived as it were cities, while they lived, but tortures
both and burns in hell, their soul and body.]

3.3.2.5 Rewards
As set forth in the Church’s religious discourse, the goal of all medieval
Christians was to attain salvation and enter the kingdom of heaven which was
systematically associated with key words such as glory (himinríkis dýrð),326 joy
(himinríkis fagnaður),327 and bliss (himinríkis sæla or fullsæla).328 Just as they
were encouraged to imitate the saints during their lives they would also fol-
low them in death, but they are repeatedly said to go after their death to the
eternal bliss of the glory of heaven (“til himinrikis dyrðar ok eilifrar sælu an
enda”).329 According to Hörður Ágústsson’s reconstruction of the judgement
picture from Bjarnastaðahlíð (see Figure 15), its depiction of heaven consisted
first and foremost of images of those who were already saved. At the bottom,
it shows Abraham surrounded by children, signifying passed souls, the virgin
Mary surrounded by her worshippers, and the thief crucified next to Jesus
(Luke 23:33–​43). Above these motifs is a group of saved people following Peter
into Paradise and hosts of angels.330
As has already been touched upon earlier, the prerequisites for entering the
kingdom of heaven are made plain in early ecclesiastical discourse. Baptism
and holding on to the correct trinitarian faith are both central premises for
entering the kingdom of heaven.331 This is clearly summarized in a sermon to
be held on the Feast of All Saints:

325 íh, p. 236.

326 For examples, see Post, pp. 421 and 743; íh, pp. 12, 22, 33, 35, 63, 64, 86, 92, 94, 107, 113, 148,
210, and 242.
327 For examples, see Post, p. 735; íh, pp. 78, 202, 228, 229, 242.
328 For examples, see, íh, pp. 141, 201, and 241 (sæla) and íh, p. 27 (fullsæla).
329 Post, pp. 513 and 521.
330 Hörður Ágústsson, Dómsdagur og helgir menn á Hólum, pp. 56–​65.
331 Post, pp. 739 (baptism), 789, and 799 (correct trinitarian faith).
226 Chapter 3

figure 15 
Hörður Ágústsson’s reconstruction of the Judgment picture. Unpaginated picture
sheets between pages 62 and 63 in Hörður Ágústsson, Dómsdagur og helgir menn
á Hólum

Það vil eg láta fylgja máli mínu, er mér þykir oss hjálpvænlegast vera og
mestur leiðarvísir til paradísarvistar, að það er upphaf hjálpar vorrar all-
rar, að vér haldim trúu rétta, þá sem töld er í credo, skiljim það allt undir
þá trúu, er helgir menn hafa oss til kennt.332
[I wish to attach to my sermon what I find most helpful and the best
guidance for attaining a stay in heaven, that it is the beginning of our
entire salvation that we keep the correct faith, as it is recounted in credo,
and understand that as the faith which holy men have taught us].

As has also been noted, but necessary to stress at this point, the ultimate
authority of admittance had been committed to the apostle Peter, although

332 íh, p. 61.

Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 227

some texts allow the possibility of other apostles having such authority as
well.333 At the end of a version of the Saga of the Apostle Peter, preserved in
am 655 xii–​x iii 4to, dating to the period 1250–​1275 is a prayer composed for
the Feast of Peter and Paul.334 The prayer’s text asks for the guidance of the
teachings of the apostle Paul in order to get to the doors of heaven which in
turn are opened by the apostle Peter “meþ sinu valldi oc vilia” [by his power
and will].335 The prayer ends with the following request:

[O]‌c leiþi þessir hinir œzstu hofþingiar oss til samvistu viþ almatkan guþ,
oc ver niotim þar i sifello eilifrar fullsælu i samneyti allra heilagra um
allar veralldir verallda. Amen.336
[And may these supreme magnates lead us to a cohabitation with
God almighty, and that we will incessantly enjoy there an eternal bliss
together with all saints for ever and ever. Amen.]

Heaven is not frequently the subject of detailed description and mostly referred
to with key words such as glory, bliss, and joy. There exist, however, descriptions
indicating how it might have been imagined in more detail. The Saga of the
Apostle John, contains a description of heaven given by a man named Stactaeus
after he had been resurrected from the dead by the apostle. He describes the
things that he saw before he was resurrected by John and is asked by the apos-
tle to direct his words specifically to two brothers in order to bring them from
sinning. Stacteus tells the brothers about the things they would forego if they
would continue on their path of sins. He describes the kingdom of heaven, a
place with eternally blossoming flowers and all kinds of beautiful voices. There
were a multitude of rooms made of shining gems, “þau voru full af eilifu liosi,
full af eilifum krasum ok eilifri skemtan” [they were full of eternal light, full of
eternal dainties and eternal delight].337 Instead they would get rooms filled
with darkness, dragons, and sparkling fires, pain, tortures, fear and screaming
threats. Naturally, after this speech, the two brothers fell on their knees in front
of the apostle asking him for mercy.

333 See, for example the Saga of the Apostle Thomas where it says that “hann [Thomas] mun
luka upp himinrikis durum fyrir ykkr” [but he will open the doors of heaven for you]. Post,
p. 715. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 721.
334 Wolf, Legends of the Saints, pp. 310–​311.
335 Post, p. 216.
336 Post, p. 216.
337 Post, p. 426. Trans. Roughton ii, pp. 679–​680.
228 Chapter 3

Another description is found among the very oldest preserved manuscripts

in the Icelandic manuscript tradition, am 655 4to ix, probably written by a
Norwegian in Iceland in the second part of the 12th century.338 This manu-
script contains a fragment of the Saga of the Apostle Matthew which is also
preserved in several later manuscripts, including am 645 4to and am 652/​630
4to.339 The saga contains a lengthy description of the bliss of Paradise which
Jesus Christ opened in his resurrection for “alra sanctorum ǫndum, þa er þeir
fara or licømom sinom, svat aller mego nu þangat comasc ón iva, þeir er þiona
Cristo” [for all holy souls, when they go from their bodies, so that all those who
serve Christ may now come thither without doubt].340

[Þ]ar ero aller hluter bliþer oc aller cyrrer oc hogvęrer; þar er aldregi
himens fegrþ siokom hulit; þar fliuga aldregi eldingar, þar verþa eigi
reiþarþrumor, heldr er þar gleþi avalt on enda, oc hotiþ su er eigi hefir
endemarc.341
[[A]‌ll things there are pleasant and all things quiet and gentle; the
beauty of the sky is never covered by clouds in that place; lightning never
flies there, there are no claps of thunder, but rather there is always joy
without end, and a feast-​day which never has a stopping point.]

It is described as a “staþr góþr ollom fiøllom øþre oc nalęgr himne” [good place,
higher than all mountains and near to heaven], containing whatever one could
wish for.342 It is a place of beauty and perfection, where there is never bad
weather, always a good smell in the air, plants and flowers do not wither, and
animals and insects cause no harm. Nobody has to fear lack of food or other
ailments, whether caused by old age or illnesses.

3.3.3 Conclusion: The Only Way

This final section has highlighted the retributive dynamics inscribed in the
ecclesiastical discourse of the Church. The discussion has focused on how the
discursive themes already explored –​the ecclesiastical authority and the fig-
ure of the ‘other’ –​are thoroughly enmeshed in a framework of reward and
punishment, evidence for which is preserved both in textual and material
sources. This relatively clear-​cut framework brings together the Church and its

338 Ólafur Halldórsson, “Inngangur,” p. lxvi.

339 Wolf, Legends of the Saints, p. 250.
340 Post, p. 817. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 819.
341 Post, p. 816. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 817.
342 Post, p. 815. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 816.
Force of Words: Constructing a Christian Society 229

enemies, making plain what it meant to side with either one of them, ‘us’ or
‘them.’ The message of the Church was clear for those who decided to obey the
instructions of the Church and its representatives, both as regards the social
order and their own, personal destiny. On the social level, it was necessary to
follow the Church’s directives if there was to be peace. The above examples
show that in the religious discourse of the Church in medieval Iceland, peace
was constructed as a phenomenon that could exclusively be reached through
and within the Church. As individuals, those who heeded the Church’s mes-
sage were taking the only way that could lead to their salvation. The Church’s
message to those who chose to disregard its proclamation was equally clear: It
meant risking it all.
 ­c hapter 4

Rome Goes North

The fourth part of this study contains a narrative of the growth of Christianity
in Iceland and the Church as an institution, while considering the material dis-
cussed in previous chapters. Surely, when it comes to showing the sociopolitical
significance of the earliest religious Icelandic texts, the source analysis and its
contextualization possess much value in themselves, simply through the high-
lighting of the most prevalent themes and explaining how they reached people
around the country. Nevertheless, that discussion should to the test, as it were, by
viewing it against other historical sources than those previously under inspec-
tion in this study, keeping in mind the following position of Elisabeth Schüssler
Fiorenza that “all discourses about the Divine are articulated in specific socio-​
political situations, by particular people, with certain interests in mind, and
for a certain audience with whom they share cultural codes and religious tra-
ditions.”1 As a concluding part of the study, this chapter should be understood
as more of a synthetic discussion, in which the outcome of previous chapters is
brought together with chosen episodes from the history of Christianity in the
Free State Period. The main goal of this chapter is to highlight discursive sim-
ilarities rarely noted in the history of scholarship so far and open them up for
further interpretation. It seeks to show how prominent discursive themes from
the religious source material crop up –​and sometimes even predominate –​the
preserved evidence for some of the most important historical moments and
periods in the history of the Church in Iceland. All of these historical episodes
have received much scholarly attention and have a somewhat fixed place and
appearance in Icelandic historiography. The most significant sources –​other
than the purely religious source material, of course –​for the history of the
Church of the period –​charters, letters, bishops’ sagas, and the Sturlunga col-
lection –​do not allow for seeking proof of the influence of each and every
discursive theme. As will become clear in the course of this chapter, the source
material poses a number of difficulties and its discussion will always rest to a
considerable degree on probabilities. There is, however, still enough evidence
to be found to shed a fresh light on important moments of the period such as
the murky beginnings of Christianity in the country, Gizurr Ísleifsson’s age of
peace, and the long-​standing conflict between sacerdotium and regnum, which

1 Schüssler Fiorenza, Power of the Word, p. 196.

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2021 | DOI:10.1163/9789004449572_005

Rome Goes North 231

in Iceland manifested itself as a conflict between the Church and the local
chieftains.

4.1 In the Beginning

The sources for the first one and a half century after the official conversion of
the Icelanders in the year 999 do not allow for any exact determination of when
and how the religious discourses under inspection surfaced. In a general way,
the following discussion is intended to throw light on the religious situation in
Iceland when these religious discourses were initially making themselves heard
and visible to medieval Icelanders. Medieval chroniclers like Ari Þorgilsson
and the anonymous authors of the bishops’ sagas set forth a relatively straight-
forward picture of how the Christian religion took hold in Iceland. While
these medieval accounts remain subject to interpretation and, as such, hold
historical value, it is more likely that the first phase of Christianity in Iceland
was marked by its state of ‘becoming,’ as scholars Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir
and Richard Cole have suggested.2 Along such lines, the following discussion
will argue for the cogency of assuming for more ruptures, discontinuities and
inconsistencies than depicted by medieval historiographers.

4.1.1 Chaotic Beginnings

As discussed in the second chapter of this study, Ari the Wise portrays the reli-
gious situation in the 11th century as the Christian religion having settled in
Iceland with relative ease under the auspices of the Haukdælir family.3 In his
opinion the first bishops were men of such excellence that there was prac-
tically no other option than for all remnants of heathendom to evaporate
in a couple of winters. Ari, however, had strong ties with the family of the
Haukdælir who reigned over a large part of Southern Iceland and would have
painted as favourable a picture of them as possible. He was fostered by Teitr
Ísleifsson in Haukadalur and in his account of the rise of Christianity in the
Book of Icelanders, all of the major roles are played by members of the family
of Haukdælir. They were among the first to be baptized on behest of the mis-
sionary King Óláfr Tryggvason; they were the first to peacefully speak on behalf
of Christianity in Iceland with eventual sucess; they donated their land for the
first episcopal see, Skálholt, where they also served as the first bishops. Ari also

2 See sections 2.1.3 and 3.2.1.2.

3 See section 2.1.3.
232 Chapter 4

makes sure to frame the establishing of the other Icelandic bishopric, Hólar
in the North, as a stem of Skálholtʼs root which could never have taken place
if Gizurr would not have accepted the will of the Northerners and ‘donated’
a quarter of his reign for the new episcopal see. There is no reason to doubt
the veracity of this course of events although Ari’s loyalty to the Haukdælir
might have led him to underemphasize whatever might have undermined
their authority. On grounds of this version of events, scholars have come to the
conclusion that since very early on, Christianity in Iceland was shaped by the
interests of indigenous aristocratic families like the Haukdælir and later, many
others.4
As successful a time it may have been for the Haukdælir in their domin-
ion in the southern plain of Iceland, it is unlikely that the religious life was as
soon as homogenous as Ari and later sources relying upon his works describe
it. Christianity had been existing in Iceland for a long time before the formal
conversion and it is likely that at least in some places people were practicing
Christianity of the home-​brewed sort.5 Among the first settlers, many were
baptized, such as Auður Ketilsdóttir (djúpúgða) who settled in the region of
Dalir, and is recorded to have conducted religious ceremonies in a location
where she also had crosses erected.6 Helgi Eyvindarson (magri), who settled
in Eyjafjörður, is described as a religious pragmatist, believing in Christ but
calling for Þórr’s protection before heading out to sea.7 It does not seem likely
that Christian practices and sentiments vanished among the following gen-
erations despite such a claim found in the Book of Settlements.8 Although it is

4 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 24.

5 From the saga literature, two examples of such home-​brewed practices are frequently men-
tioned. For the historian, the sagas describe ideas of 13th and 14th century people about 10th
and 11th century happenings. With all such necessary precautions, these two interesting
pieces of information about religious views and practices point to some kind of a freedom
in religious interpretation. First, there is the rather cryptic ‘creed’ so-​called of the sorcerer
Þrándur in Gata as preserved in Færeyinga saga, probably composed in Iceland in the early
13th century. The creed does not remotely resemble anything that could have qualified as a
creed in the Roman Church. See íf xxv, p. 115. The other example is from Eyrbyggja saga, an
early 13th century family saga, which mentions the idea that if a farmer built a church, he had
secured a place in heaven for as large a part of his household as could fit in his church. See íf
iv, p. 136. Scholars have not been able to locate this idea elsewhere in medieval Catholicism.
Cf. Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Det norrøne samfunnet, p. 153; Sigríður Sigurðardóttir, Skagfirska
kirkjurannsóknin: Miðaldakirkjur 1000–​1318, Rit Byggðasafns Skagfirðinga i ([place missing],
2012), p. 3. See also kí i, p. 67.
6 íf i, p. 139.
7 íf i, p. 250.
8 íf i, p. 396.
Rome Goes North 233

uncertain in which extent the Christian religion survived, it seems reasonable

to assume with Hjalti Hugason that there were Christians in Iceland through-
out the traditionally defined ‘pagan period,’ between the settlement and the
official conversion, albeit in small numbers.9 While archaeological evidence
points to a predominantly pagan population, one should assume for a mini-
mal degree of heterogeneity and syncretism, to use that problematic term, for
example among the descendants of Christian settlers.10
Although written sources are scarce for the 11th century, archaeological
research has shown how the Christian religion began to put its mark on the
material landscape. Also in that regard, one should assume that there was a
considerable degree of diversity in the practice of Christianity. Churches and
chapels were built in great numbers around the country. At the end of the
century, they even counted a greater number than at any other time during
the Middle Ages.11 At the same time, there is a considerable agreement among
scholars that there was a lack of priests in the country well into the 12th century.
Several reasons have been listed supporting such a conclusion. Sources seldom
mention clergy of a lower ordination than a priest, which might point to a
situation in which churchmen were ordained as priests as soon as possible.12
Also speaking for the lack of priests during the early phase is the fact that time
and again canonical law requirements of the minimum age of 30 for priests
were broken.13 Still another argument for the shortage of priests is provided
by tales of them having served at numerous ministries over considerably short
periods of time.14 This has lead Orri Vésteinsson to surmise that “services were
only given infrequently and irregularly at a church, when an itinerant priest
happened by.ˮ15 Other scholars, such as Sigríður Sigurðardóttir, have suggested
the possibility, primarily on account of the great number of churches, that the

9 kí i, p. 69. See also Hermann Pálsson, Keltar á Íslandi (Reykjavík, 1996).

10 For an interesting example of religious syncretism, see Þór Magnússon, “Bátkumlið í
Vatnsdal í Patreksfirði,” Árbók hins íslenzka fornleifafélags 63 (1966): pp. 29–​30.
11 Sigríður Sigurðardóttir, Miðaldakirkjur, p. 71. These churches were small in size, (c. 5m
long and 3m wide), made of wood with a building technique known as stave construc-
tion, imported from Norway. In most cases, the wood was either imported or driftwood.
Already in the 11th century an Icelandic version of the stavechurch-​type emerged, when
the wooden construction was covered with a protection layer made of turf, shielding it
from strong winds. Guðbjörg Kristjánsdóttir, “Fyrstu kirkjur landsins,” in kí i, p. 179.
12 kí i, p. 222.
13 Magnús Stefánsson, “Kong Sverre –​prest og sønn av Sigurd Munn?” in Festskrift til Ludvig
Holm-​Olsen på hans 70-​årsdag den 9. juni 1984 (Øvre Ervik, 1984), pp. 287–​307.
14 Thus, Guðmundr Arason served at least seven different ministries in Skagafjörður before
he became bishop. See Orri Vésteinsson, Christianizaton of Iceland, p. 181.
15 Ibid., p. 54.
234 Chapter 4

farmers themselves, the heads of the family, must have taken upon themselves
priestly tasks, at least when none other could be found.16 People began burying
their family members according to Christian customs. Already in the 11th cen-
tury and onwards, churches and cemeteries originally placed remote from the
farmsite were moved closer to the location of the farmhouses.17 Thus, before
the codifying of the Old Christian Law, it seems as if there was no consistency
as to whether bones were removed or not when the cemetery was discontin-
ued. In many cases, the corpses still lie in their place, while in other cases they
seem to have been relocated only in part, and still other instances, every corpse
has been removed from the cemetery.18 On these grounds, it can be assumed
that laws or customs regarding bone transfers had no absolute value, or, which
amounts more or less to what Jón Steffensen suggested in a 1967 article, that
early Icelandic Christians simply did not care about any sort of consistency in
these matters.19
Thus, despite the quick growth in church buildings, which might have
become a trend or fashionable during the period, there are several reasons
to believe that the situation was not as stable and uniform as ecclesiastical
authorities might have wanted.20 Later written sources support such a view to
some degree. In the Bishops’ Sagas there are indications for the bishops’ strug-
gle against an unruly population as well as unwanted religious views and prac-
tices.21 Thus, Hungrvaka, a writing from c. 1200 recounting the lives of the first
five bishops of Skálholt (1056–​1176), tells of Bishop Ísleifr’s difficulties during his

16 Sigríður Sigurðardóttir, Miðaldakirkjur, p. 72.

17 This can be established from medieval sources but also 18th and 19th century records. See
Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, pp. 49–​53. Recent excavations at Stóra-​Seyla
in Skagafjörður have even shown that cemeteries were already being discontinued and
bones relocated in the 11th century. Guðný Zoëga, “Early Church Organization,” 50.
18 Guðný Zoëga, “A Family Revisited,” 105–​128.
19 Jón Steffensen, “Ákvæði kristinna laga þáttar um beinafærslu,” in Árbók hins íslenzka forn-
leifafélags (1967), 76.
20 kí i, p. 186.
21 With regard to the source value of the Bishops’ sagas, which have been called the most
formulaic of Old Icelandic literature and surely count as hagiography –​some entirely,
other only in part –​caution is required. For long, scholars used to distinguish between
secular Bishops’ sagas and purely hagiographical Bishops’ sagas, the latter being consid-
ered of less source quality than the former. In a 1992 article, Ásdís Egilsdóttir showed
that the similarities between the writings of the two groups outweigh the differences.
Ásdís Egilsdóttir, “Eru biskupasögur til?” Skáldskaparmál 2 (1992), 207–​220. Egilsdóttir’s
findings have lead scholars, historians in particular, to reconsider the traditional classi-
fication of Bishops’ Sagas and their differing reliability as sources. See Gunnar Karlsson,
Inngangur að miðöldum, pp. 168–​170 and kí i, p. 167.
Rome Goes North 235

episcopacy in managing the public.22 The Saga of Bishop Jón of Hólar, telling of
the first bishop of Hólar bishopric, Jón Ögmundarson, (r. 1106–​1121), originally
written in Latin in the beginning of the 13th century by Gunnlaugr Leifsson
of Þingeyrar-​monastery, is informative particularly because of his attempts to
improve the Christian religion in Iceland by abolishing undesirable practices.23
It is also likely for Christian religious authority to have been fragmented during
these first stages, particularly with regard to the fact that there were more than
one bishop in the country. There are accounts of one or more missionary bish-
ops in the country since 1030. While Bishop Ísleifr of Skálholt was in all likeli-
hood the sole ecclesiastical authority in the South after he became bishop in
1056, there had been other missionary bishops active in different regions in
the country before and during his episcopacy. Between 1030 and 1049, a mis-
sionary bishop named Hróðólfr was working in Borgarfjörður where he even
founded a small monastic house before he left the country to become an abbot
of Abingdon Abbey in England.24 As Hjalti Hugason points out, Hróðólfr had
ties to England but also, according to Adam of Bremen, the archdioecese of
Hamburg-​Bremen and thus brings together the most important currents of
Christian thought and influence in Iceland at the time.25 During the period
between 1048 and 1067, a certain Bernard the Saxon was active in Northern
Iceland, where he earned a reputation for his blessings of both churches and
natural phenomena before he became a bishop in Selja in Norway.26
All of this is not to say that Christianity’s first century and a half was char-
acterized by disorder. The examples above should however allow for the
assumption that it was not as orderly as Ari and the authors of bishops’ sagas
describe it. Surely, there was a great number of small private churches spread
all around the country and priests of various types on the move, both of which
are clear indicators of the upswing of the Christian religion in Iceland. But
there was still a considerable degree of uncertainty as to what was actually
happening and how it was going to play out. As Orri Vésteinsson puts it: “it is
easy to see that in Ari’s time the Icelandic church was still far from fully devel-
oped, indeed it had only just acquired the rudiments of institutionality and

22 íf xvi, p. 8. On dating, see Ásdís Egilsdóttir’s discussion in her introduction to íf xvi, pp.
xxiv-​xxvii.
23 íf xv2, p. 207.
24 íf i, pp. 18 and 65; Adam of Bremen, Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum ii,
pp. 118 and 124. See also discussion in kí i, pp. 144–​145 and Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Leitin
að klaustrunum, pp. 71–​78.
25 kí i, pp. 144–​145; Adam of Bremen, Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum ii, p. 125.
26 íf xvi, p. 12; Adam of Bremen, Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum iii, p. 224; iv,
p. 269.
236 Chapter 4

still had a long way to go before it had assumed the central place in society
normally associated with the medieval Church.”27 The Church in Iceland was
still getting on its feet and it is of no small importance that the emergence of
the Christian religious discourses in the vernacular can be dated to this period.
As already discussed, the Christian religion brought with it writing and literacy
among the country’s educated –​and to a significant degree clerical –​elite.28 As
noted, although the earliest manuscripts containing the religious discourses
under inspection date to around the mid-​12th century, they can be taken to
be have been in existence somewhat earlier. In all likelihood, such texts were
among the first things being composed in the Icelandic vernacular. The dis-
cursive themes themselves, however, were there before the advent of writing
although they gained an immense momentum with the introduction of the
new medium. They coincided the advent of Christianity, first primarily in Latin
texts accessible only to specialists but also, as will be shown in the upcoming
section, in the oral, vernacular culture.

4.1.2 Echoes from Rome

Iceland’s place in the medieval Christian world was at the margins from at
least two points of view: First, that of world history but the setting of medieval
universal chronicles was usually located far away from the North.29 An early
Icelandic version of the history of the world is Veraldar saga, composed in the
mid 12th century.30 To no surprise, its course of events rotates around two geo-
graphical centers, the Holy Land on the one hand, and Rome on the other, both
of which were, in differing contexts, considered by Western Europeans to be
the center of the world.31 Iceland was far removed from the scene of Christian
salvation history and consequently any Christian relic or major pilgrimage site.
Second, from the perspective of church politics and administration, Iceland
was as far removed from the center of papal administration and bureaucracy

27 Orri Vésteinsson, “Formative Phase,” p. 72.

28 See section 2.2.1 above.
29 Iceland’s place in the world in the Middle Ages has been the subject of several studies in
recent years, both from the standpoint of Icelanders themselves as a part of their world
view, see in particular Sverrir Jakobsson’s doctoral dissertation, Við og veröldin, already
cited on several occasions, but also its image in other parts of the world, see Sumarliði
Ísleifsson’s dissertation, Tvær eyjar á jaðrinum: ímyndir Íslands og Grænlands frá miðöldum
til miðrar 19. aldar (Reykjavík, 2015). Ísleifsson’s discussion of the Middle Ages does not
include references to Iceland in papal letters, however.
30 Veraldar saga, ed. Jakob Benediktsson, Samfund til udgivelse af gammel nordisk littera-
ture 61 (Copenhagen, 1944).
31 Cf. Sverrir Jakobsson, Við og veröldin, p. 163.
Rome Goes North 237

in Rome as possible. Such an opinion was for example expressed in a letter

sent in 1198 by Pope Innocent iii (r. 1198–​1216) where he says to the incumbent
Icelandic bishops, Páll Jónsson and Brandr Sæmundarson that even though
“your island is far removed from the quarters of the city, you should nonethe-
less not consider yourselves closed off from apostolic care” and that the loving
arm of papal pastoral care reaches also those who “are removed in body but
truly present in spirit.”32 What follows is a standard reminder of the authori-
tative position of the Roman Church and the pope and by no means surpris-
ing coming from Pope Innocent iii, who more than any other medieval pope
strove to make his power felt: by reforming the Curia, launching Crusades,
shaping doctrines of the pope’s power in church and more secular affairs, and
convoking and presiding over the fourth Council of the Lateran beginning in
1215.33 In the spirit of invoking the authority of Peter’s Throne, the letter goes
on to describe the Roman Church as the divinely instituted mistress, supreme
among all other churches in the world to which all other churches should
answer like the members of the body should answer to the head. And the pope,
the pastor of the Church, is charged with the task of acting on behalf of the
Church, being in possession of the plenitudo potestatis, from which any other
ecclesiastic has to receive.34
From the perspective of the ecclesiastical administration there is nothing
exceptional about Pope Innocent iii’s letter to the Icelandic bishops. During
Innocent’s reign, the annual average of papal letters amounted to a number of
around 280, many of which were dictated for the same purposes of admonish-
ing misbehaving members of the pope’s herd.35 Even so, the letter to the bishops

32 “Quamvis insula vestra longo terrarum tractu ab Urbis partibus sit remota, vos tamen,
qvod Apostolicæ provisionis non sitis extorres, æstimare debetis, cum ex injuncto nobis
Apostolatus officio facti simus secundum Apostolum sapientibus et insipientibus debito-
ris, et ita pastoralem solicitudinem gerimus de propinqvis, qvod eam extendimus etiam
ad remotos, qvos absentes corpore, spiritu vero præsentes, caritatis brachiis amplex-
amur.” di i, p. 299.
33 Horst Fuhrmann, Die Päpste: Von Petrus zu Johannes Paul ii., 2nd ed. (München, 2005),
pp. 129–​139.
34 “Romana Ecclesia tanqvam magistra non humana sed divina dispositione universis et sin-
gulis per orbem Ecclesiis est prælata, ut ad eam velut Caput aliæ sicut spiritualia membra
respondeant, cujus pastor ita suas aliis vices distribuit, ut ceteris vocatis in partem solici-
tudinis solus retineat plenitudinem potestatis, ut de ipso post Deum alii dicere possint: Et
nos de plenitude ipsius accepimus […]” di i, p. 300.
35 According to Richard W. Southern’s calculations, the yearly average of papal letters sent
under Pope Innocent was much higher than that of his predecessors but was to be largely
exceeded by his 14th century successors. The annual average of letters issued under John
xxii (r. 1316–​1324), for instance, amounted to a number around 3.646 letters. Southern,
Western Society and the Church, p. 109. See also section 2.1.1.2. above.
238 Chapter 4

and a second one addressed to Iceland’s leaders and populace, of mostly the
same content, stand as the earliest surviving testimonies of the pope himself
reaching out to this particular part of the fringes of the oikoumene, bolster-
ing his position as the leader of the Christian world and in authority over all
its members, even in Iceland. Having already been vehemently scolded by the
archbishops of Niðarós in the preceding decades, it was certainly not the first
time that Icelandic bishops, chieftains or the populace in toto were addressed
and reproached by a foreign ecclesiastical office.36
It is likely that the letters of the pope were translated and recited to a larger
number of well-​to-​do people, perhaps at the next general assembly of Alþingi
as Gunnar F. Guðmundsson has suggested.37 For an Icelandic populace at the
periphery of the world, being addressed by the vicarius Christi himself must
certainly have amounted to an intriguing event. Guðmundsson further specu-
lates that such a letter might have stirred various reactions:

Having heard the pope’s message, some Icelanders might perhaps have
asked themselves: When did we obligate ourselves to obey the pope in
Rome? Certainly they knew that the pope was the director of the Church.
But what kind of a commitment did that precisely entail? In the current
Icelandic church law there was no mentioning of an archbishop or a
pope. A single article mentioned the creed: “In the days of our ancestors,
a law was imposed that all men in the country shall be Christian and
believe in one God, father and son and Holy Spirit.”38

It can be argued that in this passage, Guðmundsson overemphasizes the sig-

nificance of the Icelandic church law for how the Christian religion was prac-
ticed in Iceland at the time. Of course, this is not to say that Guðmundsson is
suggesting that the religiosity of Icelanders should be restricted to the article
cited –​the very first one –​from the Old Christian Law section. His rich volume
on Christianity in Iceland during the High and Late Middle Ages speaks other-
wise. Nonetheless, the passage above could be taken to suggest a mentality of an
Icelandic audience whose commitment to the pope and Peter’s see is decided
first and foremost by what is found in the code of Law. Such a representation
of the historical reality overlooks the fact that the notion of a universal Church

36 For a more detailed discussion of these letters, see section 4.2.2 and 4.2.3 below.
37 kí ii, p. 46. Such a practice would be in accordance with how the letters of the Niðarós-​
archbishops were received but they were composed in Latin and later translated into
Icelandic but the only preserved versions of the Niðarós-​letters exist in the vernacular.
38 kí ii, p. 46. As for the reference to the Old Christian Law section, see Grágás, p. 1.
Rome Goes North 239

and its head in Rome had been a significant part of how the Christian religion
had been introduced in Scandinavia since the beginning, as can be seen from
early Christian Skaldic poetry.39 In fact, it should be stressed in this context
that two of the oldest fragments of Christian poetry in the Old Norse language
associate Christ with Rome. Consider for example the following poem ascribed
to the late 10th /​early 11th century skaldic poet Eilífr Goðrúnarson:

Setbergs kveða sitja

sunnr at Urðar brunni;
svá hefr ramr konungr remðan
Róms banda sik lǫndum.40

[They say that [he, Christ] sits on a seat-​shaped crag

in the south at the well of Urðr <norn>;
thus the strong king of Rome [christ]
has strengthened himself in the lands of the gods.]

If this cryptic text is rightly ascribed to a late 10th century author, the poem
counts among the very earliest Icelandic references to the Christian religion in
the Old Norse language. It has been suggested that this text offers an example
of syncretism in times of religious change, fusioning Old Norse mythologiz-
ing with Christian imagery. Scholars have pointed out how the image of the
well of the witches of fate, Urðar brunnr, can be seen to merge with Christian
depictions of maiestas domini or scriptural passages such as Rev. 22:1–​2 where
the water of life is shown to flow from the divine throne.41 For the purposes of
the present study, it is interesting to see how the poet, about whom not much
is known –​not even if he converted to Christianity or not –​except that he was
active at the court of earl Hákon Sigurðarson (937–​995), frames the religious
change taking place in the North in terms of a hostile overtaking. The text
describes Christ as the mighty king of Rome, sitting on a hill which in medie-
val Scandinavian culture signified the king’s elevated status where his subjects

39 For a classic discussion of Christian religious ideas in skaldic poetry, see Dag Strömbäck,
The Conversion of Iceland: A Survey, Text series/​Viking Society for Northern Research 6
(London, 1975), esp. pp. 55–​58.
40 Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages iii: Poetry from Treatises on Poetics 1, ed.
Kari Ellen Gade in collaboration with Edith Marold (Turnhout, 2017), pp. 126–​127. Ed. Jana
Krüger, Trans. from German John Foulks. Angle brackets and square brackets in original
edition.
41 íb i, p. 485. Krüger, “Fragment,” p. 126.
240 Chapter 4

could approach him and praise him from below.42 According to the editor of
the poem’s most recent edition, “it tells of Christ supplanting the heathen bǫnd
‘gods’ in the North and taking up residence at the mythical brunnr Urðar ‘well
of Urðr.’ ”43 In the poet’s imagination, Christ is in the process of overcoming the
heathen gods and has strengthened his position by raising for himself a throne.
Of a sligthly later date is a skaldic poem ascribed to the Icelandic lawspeaker
Skapti Þóroddsson (d. 1030):

Máttr es munka dróttins

mestr; aflar goð flestu;
Kristr skóp ríkr ok reisti
Róms hǫll verǫld alla.44

[The power of the lord of monks

is greatest; God brings everything about;
the mighty Christ created the whole world,
and raised up the hall of Rome]

There are a few references to Skapti’s efforts of introducing the Christian reli-
gion to Icelandic society in medieval sources. According to Ólafs saga Helga
in Heimskringla, Skapti was part of a group of men ordered by King Ólafr
Haraldsson to adapt the Icelandic law to the Christian religion45 and according
to the early 14th century Flóamanna saga, he built a church in gratitude for the
healing of his wife’s leg.46 With all due reservations regarding the source value
of these sagas, the poem can be taken to reflect the mindset of the earliest pro-
ponents of Christianity in Iceland. It is a forceful praise to the Christian God,
the Lord of monks (munka dróttinn) and the power he possesses as the author
of all things. It then proceeds to describe Christ as the creator of the entire
world (a claim which has regularly sparked debates in the history of Christian
theology) and specifically mentions “Róms hǫll,” the palace or hall of Rome,
in that context. The association of Christ with the distant city of Rome seems

42 Krüger, “Fragment,” p. 127.

43 Krüger, “Fragment,” p. 126.
44 Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages III: Poetry from Treatises on Poetics 1, ed.
Kari Ellen Gade in collaboration with Edith Marold (Turnhout, 2017), pp. 355–​357. Ed. and
trans. Diana Whaley.
45 íf xxvii, p. 77.
46 íf xiii, pp. 325–​326.
Rome Goes North 241

thus to have been a part of how the Christian religion was being presented in
Iceland since its earliest arrival.
Interestingly, the actual founder of the Roman Church, Peter, is absent in these
two fragments, which is not the case in a third text from another eleventh century
Icelandic poet, Sigvatr Þórðarson. It is a stanza from a poem called Knútsdrápa,
composed in honour of King Cnut the Great who in the early 11th century ruled
over what has been termed the Danish North Sea Empire encompassing Denmark,
Norway, and England. The two last stanzas of the poem are devoted to the king’s
pilgrimage to Rome which took place in 1027, including the following lines:

Rauf ræsir af
Rúms veg suman
kærr keisara
klúss Pétrúsi.47

[The leader
dear to the emperor,
close to Peter,
enjoyed some of the glory of Rome]

In these lines, Rome is described as a glorious place. As portrayed by the poet

Sigvatr, the great King Cnut was able to share in that glory as he was both “dear
to the emperor,” and “close to Peter.” Such honor, however, was not granted to
everybody but only individuals of the highest standing who had the opportu-
nity to approach such half-​divine regions. Rome, as it was being introduced in
Iceland and elsewhere in Scandinavia, was not primarily a geographical loca-
tion, despite the considerable number of Icelandic pilgrims who took upon
themselves to travel there for religious purposes.48 Most Icelanders would
never come anywhere close to Rome and to those who never visited the city,
Rome was a distant yet sacred place and as such a theological construct.49

47 Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages I: Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1, part 2, ed.
Diana Whaley (Turnhout, 2012), p. 661. Ed. and trans. Matthew Townend.
48 Well-​known pilgrims to Rome among medieval Icelanders include Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson
and Sturla Sighvatsson.
49 The ‘idea of Rome’ was by no means homogenous during the Middle Ages. Thomas F. X.
Noble explains well the ambiguous character of the image of Rome in the medieval mind
in his article “Rome and the Romans in the Medieval Mind: Empathy and Antipathy,” in
Studies on Medieval Empathies, eds. Karl. F. Morrison and Rudolph M. Bell (Turnhout,
2013), pp. 291–​315. Particularly informative is his discussion of writings by ecclesiastics,
pp. 305–​308.
242 Chapter 4

Even though the idea or image of the city of Rome as the caput mundi lost
much of its glory with time and was quite equivocal to the medieval mind, its
position as the seat of the pope secured its position as one of Christianity’s
most important places, surpassed only by Jerusalem.

4.1.3 Gizurr’s Age of Peace

In 1082, Gizurr Ísleifsson succeeded his father, Ísleifr Gizurarson, as bishop in
Iceland. While no contemporary sources survive about Gizurr’s episcopacy,
there is no lack of descriptions of his time in office in later sources of pre-
dominantly ecclesiastical origin. These sources are unanimous in describing
Gizurr’s episcopate (1082–​1122) as a period of peace and prosperity, amounting
to a ‘golden age’ of medieval Christianity in Iceland but also in drawing up a
picture of Gizurr as an ideal leader of the Church.50 Setting the tone for later
accounts is Ari Þorgilsson’s Book of Icelanders, the earliest and most reliable
source dated to the period between 1122 and 1133, in which Bishop Gizurr is
described as “ástælli af ǫllum landsmǫnnum en hverr maðr annarra, þeira es
vér vitim hér á landi hafa verit” [more popular with all his countrymen than
any other person we know to have been in this country].51 Commenting on
Ari’s description of Gizurr and his episcopacy, Orri Vésteinsson describes his
account as “even by his own terse standards, unusually laudatory of Gizurr.”52
In Hungrvaka, composed in the beginning of the 13th century, Gizurr is said to
have enjoyed great respect among his contemporaries with no man, neither
learned nor unlearned, being considered as noble as he was.53 In fact, accord-
ing to the author(s) of Hungrvaka, he was so respected that when he died, the
grief of the Icelandic population was comparable to the reaction of the Roman
population after the passing of Gregory the Great.54
Gizurr is also described as a proponent of peace. A clear statement on the
episcopacy of Gizurr as an epoch of peace is the early 13th century chronicle,
Kristni saga, stating that “Gizurr byskup friðaði svá vel landit at þá urðu engar
stórdeilur með hǫfðingjum en vápnaburðr lagðist mjǫk niðr” [Bishop Gizurr
made the land so peaceful, that no great conflicts arose between chieftains,
and the carrying of weapons almost ceased].55 Hungrvaka also comments on

50 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, pp. 58–​67.

51 íf i, p. 22. Trans. Siân Grønlie, Íslendingabók. Kristnisaga: The Book of the Icelanders. The
Story of the Conversion (London, 2006), p. 11.
52 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 64.
53 íf xvi, p. 20.
54 íf xvi, p. 21.
55 íf xv2, p. 42. Trans. Grønlie, Íslendingabók. Kristnisaga, p. 53.
Rome Goes North 243

Gizurr’s efforts of maintaining peace, approaching the matter from a slightly

different angle by stating that the end of his episcopacy marked the beginning
of a longstanding period of unrest. Two winters after Gizurr’s death, a conflict
arose between the most powerful chieftains in the country, Hafliði Másson and
Þorgils Oddason, as is described in Þorgils saga og Hafliða in the Sturlunga
collection. In the words of Hungrvaka, that conflict would lead to “ófriðr ok
lǫgleysur ok á þat ofan manndauði sá um allt landit at engi hafði slíkr orðit
síðan ⟨er⟩ landit var byggt” [war and lawlessness after that, and thereafter such
a high level of mortality all across the land that the like has not been experi-
enced since the land was settled].56 This event, to which medieval and modern
authors have ascribed great political significance, ended the period of peace
which begun around 1020 and reached its heights during Gizurr’s episcopacy.
Modern scholars have expressed doubts about these descriptions of events,
particularly because of the silence in sources other than those of ecclesiastical
origin, most importantly the annals which record strifes and killings regularly
after 1120. As Gunnar Karlsson points out, the argument ex silentio does not
suffice as evidence for a period of uninterrupted peace in this time. In fact,
Karlsson asserts, it is most likely that there was a constant period of strifes
and struggle in the country since the settlement.57 Taking a similar stance, Orri
Vésteinsson states that what is known about “Icelandic medieval society, or
human nature in general” does by no means make a century of peace and har-
mony a very likely scenario.58 While Vésteinsson does not exclude the possibil-
ity that the period was marked by “relative peace” which was then exaggerated
by ecclesiastical authors, he finds more explanatory value in the development
set in motion by the clash of the chieftains Þorgils and Hafliði and the con-
trast it posed to the preceding period. He describes the conflict as a “political
watershed” because it demanded the participants to muster power and influ-
ence on an unprecedented scale. Since the settlement, the power of individual
chieftains had been gradually increasing and the affair between Þorgils and
Hafliði was the first exhibition of such strength. Although the conflict did not
burst out in unrestrained violence, the two chieftains emerged at this point as
the first political actors who were able to gather such a number of men around
themselves that it was possible for them to disregard the laws and order that
had been established in the country. This was the first conflict of such pro-
portions but there were many to come in the following centuries. Explaining

56 íf xvi, p. 21. Trans. Camilla Basset, “Hungrvaka: Translation by Camilla Basett,”

Unpublished ma thesis. University of Iceland, 2013, p. 56.
57 Gunnar Karlsson, “Frá þjóðveldi til konungsríkis,” p. 38.
58 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 65.
244 Chapter 4

the lack of reports of earlier conflicts, Vésteinsson suggests that the political
significance of this event and the changes it caused in the political landscape
rendered previous conflicts so insignificant that they did not make it into his-
torical records.59
In addition to such explanations of Gizurr’s golden age of peace, the atten-
tion should also be directed to last chapter’s analysis of how the concept of
peace was constructed in ecclesiastical discourse. It is, for example, worthy
of note in this context how the peace accompanying the reign of emperor
Augustus is parallelled with the peace of the reign of Christ in a Christmas
sermon in the Icelandic Homily Book.60 According to the sermon, there was
such peace around the world during the reign of Augustus that nobody had
to carry arms (“engi maður bar hervopn”).61 The main characteristics of this
peace were unity (samþykki) and one reign (eitt ríki). Moreover, such harmony
made it possible for the authorities to collect taxes with more success than
before since the world so carefully united that nobody could escape taxation.62
According to such an understanding, the hallmarks of peace were not primar-
ily the absence of conflict and quarreling although it was part of the program
in its ideal form. Peace was first and foremost a symbol of power, marking the
victory of the dominant voice and the suppression of other voices. As has been
discussed previously, such an understanding of peace was prominent in the
early ecclesiastical discourse and even Ari’s notion of peace in the Book of
Icelanders seems to overlap with it. In his version of the general assembly of
Alþingi when Christianity was accepted, he has the lawspeaker Þorgeirr explic-
itly state that a prerequisite for peace is to exclude dissonance and keep one
law and one custom (“ein lǫg og einn sið“).63
Enough is known about the episcopacy of Gizurr Ísleifsson to establish that
it was marked by a striving for peace, at least in the sense just outlined. During
his reign as bishop, the people of Iceland saw the rise of the two episcopal seats,
Skálholt (Gizurr’s own family estate) and Hólar. Already in 1097, Bishop Gizurr
had introduced the tithe securing the financial foundation of churches around
the country, with Ari stating how remarkably obedient his countrymen were
to their bishop.64 It can also be established with considerable amount of cer-
tainty that during this time, the leaders of the Church managed to bring about

59 Ibid., pp. 66–​67.

60 See section 3.3.1.2 above and to a lesser extent 3.1.1.1.
61 íh, p. 67.
62 íh, p. 68.
63 íf i, p. 17.
64 íf i, p. 22.
Rome Goes North 245

more uniformity in religious affairs than before. Thus, the Saga of Bishop Jón
of Hólar states that in 1107 the two bishops, Gizurr and Jón, met at the Alþingi
to decide, with other learned men, what to command their subjects (“hver boð
þeir skyldu bjóða sínum undirmǫnnum”).65 The content of these commands
cannot be known with any certainty although a list of pastoral directives found
later in the saga of Bishop Jón can be taken to reflect the commands of the
bishops in a general way.66 It should also be noted how Bishop Jón, whose epis-
copacy lasted only three years longer than Gizurr’s, is said to have countered
heathen practices and other aberrant behavior with great force which had not
been done “while Christianity was still young.”67 In various ways, therefore,
the leaders of the Church were striving for uniformity under the reign of the
Christian Church.
According to the information provided by Hungrvaka about Gizurr’s travels
before and around the time of his ordination, Gizurr was educated in Saxony,
travelled much in his younger years and even all the way to Rome with his
wife. He was ordained during the papacy of the reformist pope Gregory vii
and seems to have taken an active stance with the pope against the emperor in
the ongoing investiture controversy. Before his ordination, he travelled again
to Rome for he did not want to seek the audience of the current archbishop of
Hamburg-​Bremen who had sided with Henry iv in the investiture controversy.
As the story goes, Pope Gregory told him rather to go to Magdeburg where he
was ordained by Archbishop Hartwig (r. 1079–​1102). Such experiences must
have made Gizurr up to date in church political affairs of the time and familiar
with how churchmen around the world dealt with opposition and enemies.
It is not likely that the administrative changes and fiscal developments
Gizurr ushered in during his episcopacy went through without any dispute.
What is more plausible is that Gizurr managed to resolve such differences with
an unseen sense of authority which stands out as one of the most character-
istic traits of his career. According to Hungrvaka, King Haraldr Sigurðarson
described him as “bezt til fallinn at bera hvert tignarnafn sem hann hlyti” [best
suited to bear whichever high title he might get].68 A little later, the same writ-
ing contains the following description: “ok var rétt at segja at hann var bæði

65 íf xv2, p. 202. In an editorial comment on this sentence it is suggested that the word
undirmenn corresponds to the Latin words subjecti or subditi. It further explains that the
commands of a bishop were equivalent to those of a king; everyone belonging to his dis-
trict were supposed to obey.
66 íf xv2, pp. 207–​208. See also discussion in section 3.1.1.2 above.
67 íf xv2, p. 209.
68 íf xvi, p. 14. Trans. Basset, “Hungrvaka,” p. 52.
246 Chapter 4

konungr ok byskup yfir landinu meðan hann lifði” [and it was right to say that
he was both a king and bishop over the land while he lived].69 This account is
preserved in an expanded version in the King’s saga Morkinskinna:

Svá er þat sem ér segið, en þar má gøra vel af þrjá menn. Hann má vera
víkingahǫfðingi, ok er hann vel til þess fenginn. Þá má hann ok vera
konungr af sínu skaplyndi ok er vel fengit. Með þriðja hætti má hann vera
byskup, ok þat mun hann helzt hljóta ok mun vera inn mesti ágætismaðr.70
[What you tell of him could be made into three men. He could be
a viking chieftain, and has the makings for it. Given his temperament,
he could be a king, and that would be fitting. The third possibility is a
bishop, and that is probably what he will become, and he will be a most
outstanding man.]

It is not likely that Gizurr’s forceful character, his leadership qualitities and his
experience of church politics abroad made his episcopacy void of conflict. The
great amount of authority he possessed according to the medieval accounts
was, however, a rich source of peace as it was understood by medieval eccle-
siastics. Such a peace was not incompatible with quarreling or dispute, but
was rather a sign of power; a sign of the conquest of Christian norms and cus-
toms –​in this case, as defined by Gizurr and his followers –​over dissenting
voices. It was, after all, Gizurr who made it clear beyond doubt who would
lead the Church in the coming decades and centuries. Under Gizurr, it finally
became evident that those who would have the greatest say in how the Church
would influence Icelandic society were the local aristocracy, led by the family
of Haukdælir.

4.1.4 Conclusion: The Chieftain Church Rises

It has been maintained above that after the official conversion to Christianity
around the year 999, the situation in Iceland was characterized by tension and
negotiation between contending forces in the religious landscape. Eventually,
it came to what seems as the almost inevitable result that the Icelandic upper
class won in the race. Even though the leaders of the Church in Iceland were
ordained and accepted by metropolitan bishops in Hamburg-​Bremen and after
1104 in Lund, scholarship of medieval Iceland has frequently highlighted the

69 íf xvi, p. 16. Trans. Basset, “Hungrvaka,” p. 53.

70 íf xxiii, pp. 289–​ 290. Trans. Theodore M. Andersson and Kari Ellen Gade,
Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings 1030–​1157), Islandica
li (Ithaca, 2000), p. 255.
Rome Goes North 247

motivation of Church leaders in their own political ambition and economic

interests, which certainly stands to reason. In that sense, scholars have argued
that the Church did not develop a ‘corporate identity,’ until much later when
the it came to be represented by “a body of men conscious of their special role
as men of the Church, and that this role was seen as separate from the interests
of secular society.”71 As noted, Bishop Gizurr and his supporters laid the foun-
dation of their own version of the proprietary church system –​the Chieftain
Church –​tailored to the needs and intents of the aristocracy. At the same
time, however, they were cultivating a religion which to a significant degree
consisted of religious discourses of domination and subordination, centering
around a hierarchy which ultimately extended itself to a distant power center,
the Roman See. These discourses certainly came in handy for bolstering the
authority of the leaders of the nascent Chieftain Church, but how long they
could be used in their favour, is another question and the subject of the ensu-
ing section.

4.2 The Reform of Bishop Þorlákr

During the last quarter of the 12th century, there arose in Iceland a serious
dispute between the leadership of the Church and some of the most pow-
erful chieftains in the country. Shortly after Bishop Þorlákr Þórhallsson of
Skálholt (1133–​1193) returned back to Iceland from Norway after his episcopal
ordination in 1178, he began his project of reforming the Church in Iceland.72
As will be illustrated in what follows, Þorlákr was calling for a moral reform
among the Icelanders, both laypeople and ordained, and advocating for a
change of the current arrangement of church property –​a local version of
the proprietary church system (Eigenkirchenwesen).73 With his endeavors,
Þorlákr managed to provoke a strong opposition from the political elite, crys-
tallizing in medieval sources through a stormy dispute between the bishop
and Jón Loptsson (1124–​1197), the wealthiest and most powerful chieftain in

71 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, 4.

72 The concept of reform has been problematized by Gerd Tellenbach who points out that it
has been used uncritically by scholars and in so many different ways that its meaning has
become unclear and even nonexistent (“daß man geradezu von einer Leerformel sprechen
könnte”). Gerd Tellenbach, Die westliche Kirche vom 10. bis zum frühen 12. Jahrhundert, Die
Kirche in ihrer Geschichte 2, F1 (Göttingen, 1988), p. 133.
73 To date, the most thorough analysis of the proprietary church system in medieval Iceland
is Magnús Stefánsson’s Staðir og staðamál: Studier i islandske egenkirkelige og beneficial-
rettslige forhold i middelalderen i (Bergen, 2000).
248 Chapter 4

12th century Iceland. In Icelandic historiography, the conflict is referred to

as the first ‘staðir-​controversy’ (Staðamál fyrri) although scholars have prob-
lematized the p ­ recise nature of the Church’s claims over property.74 In what
follows, the sources for the dispute will be examined with a focus on how dis-
cursive themes previously discussed shine through medieval depictions of the
Church’s first serious attempts to influence the system designed by Bishop
Gizurr and other Icelandic churchmen at the end of the 11th century.

4.2.1 Libertas Ecclesiae in Iceland

The Icelandic controversy between Church and chieftains was by no means an
isolated phenomenon. It is part of a series of reformative attempts in European
church history collectively referred to under slogans such as libertas ecclesiae,
the liberty of the Church, and reformatio ecclesiae, the reform of the Church,
taking place during the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries. As previously discussed,
it is a manifestation of how the relationship between ecclesiastical and sec-
ular power was put to the test through a series of conflict episodes –​of dif-
fering intensity –​between the representatives of each sphere. The changes
in the spiritual climate of Europe caused by the reform movements reached
Scandinavia in the course of the 12th century. As explained above, it was a time
when the power of Rome as a center of the Christian world was on the upsurge
and the pope became more influential and more present than he had ever
been as a leader of the Western Church both near and far.75

4.2.1.1 Backdrop: Libertas Ecclesiae in Norway

The 12th century was certainly an eventful time in the history of Norway which
saw the rise and fall of kings in the so-​called Civil Wars, the birth of the episco-
pal see of Niðarós and, consequently, the beginning of significant ideological
and political changes, especially in respect to the understanding of kingship,
that is the emergence of Christian kingship, and the relationship between
Church and Crown as the former was organizing itself. This is not the place for
a comprehensive account of the period but it has been extensively dealt with in
scholarship.76 For the present discussion it is of most importance to grasp the
significance of the establishment of the archdiocese of Niðarós and how the
archbishops, Eysteinn Erlendsson, known for his political acumen, promoted
the papal policy of reform and strengthened the Church as a central institution

74 See Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, pp. 112–​132.

75 See sections 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 above.
76 For a relatively recent treatment of the topic, see Sverre Bagge, From Viking Stronghold to
Christian Kingdom: State Formation in Norway c. 900–​1350 (Copenhagen, 2010).
Rome Goes North 249

in Norwegian society and an active player in the political arena. This institu-
tional consolidation of the Roman Church and the rise of the archiepiscopal
office provides a necessary background for the conflicts over church property
in Iceland in the context of the administrative network of the Papal empire.
It was through the episcopal see of Niðarós that reformative ideas found their
way to Iceland and the leaders of the Church in Iceland were inspired, influ-
enced and supported by metropolitan bishops of Niðarós.
Since the papal reign of Gregory vii, papal emissaries –​legates –​had in
increasing measure been travelling around the ecclesiastical empire uphold-
ing papal policy through various means such as summoning synods, visiting
local churches and if necessary bothering themselves with deposing unfit bish-
ops and abbots and installing new in their own authority. It was during one
such visit of a papal legate, the Englishman Nicholas Breakspeare, (later Pope
Hadrian iv (1100–​1159, r. 1154–​1159)), that the archdiocese was established.
Before, Norway, along with Iceland, Greenland and the Northern Islands, had
belonged to the administrative rule of the metropolitan of Lund, established
in 1104 and given the size of the diocese, it was not possible for the church
authorities to stay fully on top of things in the peripheral areas although
there was always some communication ongoing between Lund and Iceland.77
Archiepiscopal intervention in Icelandic affairs would, however, only increase
with the instituting of the archbishopric in Niðarós as will become evident at
a later point in this chapter.78
During the reign of King Magnús Erlingsson (r. 1161–​1184), the relation-
ship between Church and royal power was exceptionally amicable. Scholars
have even talked about an ‘alliance’ between King Magnús Erlingsson and the
Church, led by Archbishop Eysteinn Erlendsson.79 In this period of peace, the
archbishop established himself as a major actor in the realm of Norwegian pol-
itics with his own agenda of promoting the liberty of the Church. This he did
by way of various negotiations with Erlingr Ormsson (Skakke), who held royal
power because of his son’s young age. Given that the young King Magnús could
not make direct claims to the crown according to Norwegian inheritance rules

77 See for example, Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, “Danske dronninger i de islandske sagaer,” in

Dronningemagt i middelalderen: Festskrift til Anders Bøgh, eds. Jeppe B. Netterstrøm and
Kasper H. Andersen (Aarhus, 2018), pp. 60–​61.
78 For an overview of the involvement of the archbishops of Niðarós in Icelandic affairs,
see Guðrún Ása Grímsdóttir, “Um afskipti erkibiskupa af íslenzkum málefnum á 12. og
13. öld,” in Saga 20 (1982), 28–​62 and Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, “Samskipti íslenskra biskupa
við útlenda yfirboðara á öldum áður,” in Saga biskupsstólanna ([place missing], 2000),
pp. 491–​515, esp. pp. 492–​494.
79 Bagge, Viking Stronghold to Christian Kingdom, p. 159.
250 Chapter 4

since he was only the grandson of a king, his father and guardian Erlingr had to
secure the support of the archbishop by accepting many of the Church’s most
important claims—​most importantly, the Church’s demand to stay in control
over its properties.
These negotiations are reflected in several administrative documents pre-
served from this period, most notably Magnús Erlingsson’s Coronation Oath
and his Letter of privilege for the Church, dating to his coronation in 1163/​64.
It has been argued, that both of these documents, in addition to the Law of
Succession which likely dates to the same period, are to a large extent influ-
enced by the Church and particularly the archbishop.80 In the coronation oath,
sworn by King Magnús Erlingsson at his coronation ceremony in Bergen –​the
first of its kind in the Norwegian kingdom –​the king promises to be faith-
ful and obedient towards the Roman Church and its head, Pope Alexander,
and that the Church will not be subject to any more taxation than it accepts
itself.81 It also brings up the issue of the Church’s right (sua iusticia) as King
Magnús proclaims that he will see to that justice will be upheld according to
the laws of the country (secundum patrias leges) but also respect canonical law
in cases when the Church so requests. This has been interpreted as a decisive
step towards an independent ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an important element
in the Church’s fight for its libertas.82 King Magnús’ letter of privilege to the
Church, addressed to Archbishop Eysteinn, contains an even clearer and more
elaborate confirmation of what is stated in the coronation oath about the sta-
tus of the king’s subordination to the Church. In addition to the purely prac-
tical matters addressed by the letter relating to commerce, tariffs and taxes, it
also contains a significant ideological component which has to be discussed
further. In the beginning of the letter, King Magnús introduces himself as king
of God’s grace (dei gracia rex Norwegie), addressing it to the archbishop, which
he describes as a legate of the apostolic seat. The king further states that he has
received his kingdom from the hand of the Lord (de manu domini) through the
archbishop’s laying on of hands and that he hands “himself and his kingdom
over to God.” In a special act of devotion he offers the kingdom of Norway to
the martyr King Ólafr, promising to guard it as the saint’s viceroy (vicarius) and
vassal (ab eo tenens).83

80 Erik Gunnes, Erkebiskop Øystein: Statsmann og kirkebygger (Oslo, 1996), p. 108. See also
Bagge, Viking Stronghold to Christian Kingdom, p. 167.
81 Latinske Dokument til Norsk Historie fram til År 1204, ed. Eirik Vandvik (Oslo, 1959),
pp. 62–​65.
82 Gunnes, Erkebiskop Øystein, p. 109. See also Vandvik’s commentary in Latinske Dokument
til Norsk Historie, pp. 168–​170.
83 Latinske Dokument til Norsk Historie, p. 60.
Rome Goes North 251

In this way, as Jón Viðar Sigurðsson points out, the old Norwegian farmers’
church configuration came to an end.84 It had been incorporated into the
ecclesiastical hierarchy and the king had surrendered his property claims to
the Church. After having secured the rights of the Church in Norway in this
way, the archbishop could direct his attention to the state of affairs in Iceland.

4.2.1.2 The First Clash of Church and Chieftains

The first vocal representative of the Gregorian reform-​movement in Iceland
was Þorlákr Þórhallsson (1133–​1193). Born in Fljótshlíð in Rangárþing, the
heartland of the Oddaverjar-​family, and having been schooled at Oddi itself
with Eyjólfr Sæmundsson (son of Sæmundur the Wise), Þorlákr received a
clerical ordination before the age of 20, either in 1150 or 1151.85 Soon he went
abroad for further education. He studied in Paris, possibly at the abbey of St.
Victor, and in Lincoln in England, but both places, especially Paris, were known
for promoting ideas of reform.86 After six years abroad, Þorlákr returned to
Iceland and, as many other Scandinavian churchmen educated in Paris and
influenced by the Victorines –​including the archbishops Eysteinn and Eiríkr
of Niðarós –​began to advance the liberty of the Church. An important venue
for such activities was the order of the Augustinian canons which began to
spread around the North of the Christian World in the latter half of the 12th
century.87 Þorlákr was a stringent follower of the canonical rule, and even after
his ordination as bishop he kept on maintaining it strictly, also in regard to
clothing.88 In 1167/​68, Þorlákr took part in founding the first house of the can-
ons regular in Iceland at Þykkvibær in Ver and in 1174 he was elected bishop of
Skálholt. For unknown reasons, possibly because of opposition among local
chieftains, Þorlákr is not ordained as bishop until four years later, in the year
1178 by Archbishop Eysteinn of Niðarós.89
What exactly the reform of Bishop Þorlákr entailed has been subject to con-
siderable debate. Previous scholarship assumed that Þorlákr’s main aim was
to acquire full control of church property, most importantly of the so-​called
staðir or church benefices. Þorlákr’s reform has consequently been termed the

84 Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, “Samskipti íslenskra biskupa,” p. 495.

85 íf xvi, p. 50.
86 íf xvi, p. 52. For discussion, see Gottskálk Jensson, “Íslenskar klausturreglur og libertas
ecclesie,” p. 32 and Magnús Stefánsson, “Kirkjuvald eflist,” p. 96.
87 Gottskálk Jensson, “Íslenskar klausturreglur og libertas ecclesie,” p. 33. Cf. Orri Vésteinsson,
Christianization of Iceland, pp. 140–​141.
88 íf xvi, p. 67.
89 íf xvi, pp. 64–​66.
252 Chapter 4

‘staðir-​controversy.’ The main source for such an understanding of Þorlákr’s

reform program is a part of the younger versions (B and C) of the Saga of
Bishop Þorlákr called Oddaverjaþáttr which preserves the only account of the
dispute between Bishop Þorlákr and Icelandic chieftains about control over
church property.90 It describes the conflict between the bishop and his main
antagonist, Jón Loptsson, who opposes the bishop’s claim for absolute control
over church property. In the last two decades or so, scholars have called the his-
torical value for the events taking place in the late 12th century into question.
Like Jón Böðvarsson suggested already in an article from 1968, Oddaverjaþáttr
is in all likelihood composed during the episcopacy of Bishop Árni Þorláksson
of Skálholt (r. 1269–​1298) who fought adamantly for the rights of the Church
in Iceland and was successful in gaining control over the Church’s property.91
Supporting Böðvarsson‘s dating of the source, Ásdís Egilsdóttir, Ármann
Jakobsson, and Orri Vésteinsson have all pointed out that the claims made
by Bishop Þorlákr according to Oddaverjaþáttr are suspiciously similar to
the claims made by Bishop Árni a century later.92 It is likely, therefore, that
Oddaverjaþáttr’s version of events is strongly shaped by Bishop Árni’s struggle
and was composed as a piece of propaganda for the Church’s case as it was
being made in the late 13th century.93 Not only was the image of Bishop Þorlákr
as a saint modified so as to fit Bishop Árni’s pleadings; he was also shown to
have been making exactly the same claims.94
As regards the Church’s claim over church property during the episco-
pacy of Bishop Þorlákr, a more likely scenario has been proposed by Orri
Vésteinsson. From what can be gathered about the reform program initiated
by Archbishop Eysteinn in Niðarós which in all probability influenced the
agenda of Bishop Þorlákr in Iceland, it seems as if the Church was not making
a claim for absolute control over church property. What Bishop Þorlákr was
striving for was a change in the arrangement of church ownership in the spirit
of the doctrine of lay patronage (ius patronatus).95 According to this principle,
laymen in possession of a church should not be understood as actual owners
but rather as caretakers. Contrary to the claims of Oddaverjaþáttr, it seems as

90 For a detailed discussion of the different versions of the Saga of Bishop Þorlákr, see Ásdís
Egilsdóttirʼs introduction to the text in íf xvi, pp. xxxi-​lii.
91 Jón Böðvarsson, “Munur eldri og yngri gerðar Þorláks sögu,” Saga 6 (1968), 81–​94.
92 Ármann Jakobsson and Ásdís Egilsdóttir, “Er Oddaverjaþætti treystandi?” Ný saga 11
(1999), 97; Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 117.
93 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 115.
94 Ármann Jakobsson and Ásdís Egilsdóttir, “Er Oddaverjaþætti treystandi?” pp. 94 and 99.
95 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 119.
Rome Goes North 253

if Bishop Þorlákr was not fighting for full control but only the acknowledge-
ment among the political elite of this form of arrangement. Such an interpre-
tation becomes even more probable considering that the ius patronatus made
the church farmers responsible for restoring the church in case it was dam-
aged or destroyed. Without it, it was up to the church owner alone whether he
fixed his church or not. As Orri Vésteinsson points out, Bishop Þorlákr seems
to have been relatively successful in establishing the arrangement around the
country.96 Furthermore, it does not look like this change in policy regarding
church ownership was nearly as dramatic as the author of Oddaverjaþáttr
would have it.
Bishop Þorlákr was, however, known for his moral stringency which he
strove to implement among the Icelanders during his time in office, causing
altercations between him and the most powerful men in the country. From his-
torical sources other than Oddaverjaþáttr –​some of which will be thoroughly
analysed in the upcoming sections –​it looks as if it was Þorlákr’s reform in
the moral sphere which caused more resistance than any changes in regard
to church property. Throwing light on Þorlákr’s program, is his poenitentiale,
which in several respects counts among the strictest penitentials preserved
from medieval Europe.97 It reflects the Churchʼs heightened claim for moni-
toring and interfering in the marital –​and extra-​marital –​affairs of Icelanders
which in many ways were practiced contrary to the laws and regulations of the
Roman Church.98 Prominent examples include Guðmundr Þorvaldsson (dýri),
one of whose weaknesses was that “hann elskaði konur fleiri en þá er hann
átti” [he loved other women besides his lawful wife] as well as the 12th cen-
tury chieftains Gizurr Hallsson and Jón Loptsson who both kept concubines
much to the dismay of the ecclesiastical authorities.99 Jón Loptsson is even
recorded to have taken Ragnheiður, Bishop Þorlákr’s sister, as a concubine
and conceived a child with her, Páll, who later became his uncle’s successor
at the episcopal see at Skálholt.100 As will be discussed shortly, in the minds of
reform-​oriented bishops like Eysteinn of Niðarós and his loyal subordinate in
Skálholt, such behavior amounted to nothing less than a scandal.

96 Ibid., pp. 121–​123.

97 Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, “Þorláksskriftir og hjúskapur á 12. og 13. öld,” Saga 20 (1982), 114–​115.
98 Ibid., p. 120.
99 Sturlunga ii, Guðmundar saga dýra, 137. Trans. McGrew and Thomas, Sturlunga saga ii,
p. 165. For further discussion, see Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, Konur og vígamenn: Staða kyn-
janna á Íslandi á 12. og 13. öld, Sagnfræðirannsóknir. Studia historica 12 (Reykjavík, 1995),
pp. 108–​117 and Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, “Þorláksskriftir og hjúskapur,” pp. 118–​120.
100 íf xvi, p. 297.
254 Chapter 4

As noted, before Þorlákr became bishop, the Church in Iceland was in the
firm grip of the Icelandic elite. Both bishops were thoroughly involved in local
affairs and not interested in the developoments taking place within the Roman
Church in any way comparable to Bishop Þorlákr. The bishop of Hólar was
Brandr Sæmundarson (r. 1163–​1201), a member of the Oddaverjar-​family and a
protégé of the chieftain Jón Loptsson who accompanied him to Niðarós for his
ordination. At the episcopal seat in Skálholt sat Klængr Þorsteinsson (r. 1152–​
1174). While Bishop Klængr had earned a reputation for his learning and poetic
gifts, he was a true son of the Chieftain Church, educated at Hólar where he
served as priest until he was chosen the bishop of Skálholt in 1151. According to
Hungrvaka, he held a position as one of the chieftains, a friend of Jón Loptsson
and Gizurr Hallson and in good contact with the most powerful magnates of
Scandinavia.101 In some ways at least, he seems to have behaved as such as he
took up one of their lesser approved practices when he had a daughter outside
of wedlock.102 Perhaps, albeit only a matter of speculation, his extra-​marital
affair led to the severe ascetic practices with which he is credited in one of the
Latin fragments of the Saga of Bishop Þorlákr.103 Everything points to Bishop
Brandr and Bishop Klængr having been perfectly comfortable with the current
arrangement of the Church. As will be discussed in what follows, it was during
this period that the archbishop of Niðarós began exercising his authority in
Iceland for the first time.

4.2.2 The Authority of the Archbishop

The earliest source material related to the conflict between the Church and
Icelandic chieftains consists of a series of letters from the archbishop in Niðarós
composed during the period between 1173 and 1189. In the letters –​four are
ascribed to Archbishop Eysteinn until his death in 1188 and two to Archbishop
Eiríkr Ívarsson (r. 1188–​1205/​6) –​the archbishops address, both directly and
indirectly, the growing tension between Icelandic local authorities and the
Church. The letters were originally composed in Latin but were translated
into Icelandic at an indefinite point in time.104 They are among the earliest

101 íf xvi, p. 37.

102 See discussion in Philadelphia Ricketts, High-​Ranking Widows in Medieval Iceland and
Yorkshire: Property, Power, Marriage and Identity in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries,
The Northern World 49 (Leiden, 2010), p. 165.
103 íf xvi, p. 341.
104 See Jón Sigurðsson’s introductory comments to the letters in di i, pp. 220, 259, 261, 285,
and 290 and further discussion in Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, “Þorláksskriftir og hjúskapur,”
pp. 117–​118.
Rome Goes North 255

preserved official pieces of evidence for the relations between the Church in
Iceland and the archbishopric in Niðarós and by extension the Holy See itself.
Previous treatments of the letters from Niðarós have been almost exclusively
concerned with philological, legal, and political aspects of the letters. What
the survey of the discursive landscape of the Icelandic religious field, however,
draws out is how the Church’s claims were securely framed in the context of
the Christian history of salvation, swirling with religious images and motives.
When the earliest preserved letter was composed, the archbishopric had
been in existence for around two decades. The archbishop is, on the one
hand, preoccupied with introducing the idea of a non-​Icelandic institution
being capable of making claims to authority over Icelanders, their behavior
and their property.105 Iceland was certainly a part of the Christian oikoumene,
and it should be assumed that ecclesiastics in monasteries and church centers
around the country were informed about church political developments in
Europe. On the administrative, economic level, however, the Church in Iceland
was shaped by the interests of local magnates, who had the deciding word
when it came to appoint individuals for episcopal office. Neither of the incum-
bent bishops, Klængr and Brandr, was likely to promote a papal policy bound
to have unsettling political and economic consequences for the ruling classes
in Iceland. Both bishops were active participants in political strifes and quar-
rels of the day –​not only as reconcilers –​as can be seen from their frequent
occurrence in the pages of the Sturlunga collection. Words such as ‘authority’
(vellde) and ‘obedience’ (hlydne) frequently occur in the archbishop’s message
as he strives to make plain the logic of the ecclesiastical hierarchy as it should
appropriately operate -​descending ultimately from God through the pope
in Rome, and through the metropolitan bishop in Niðarós to the bishops in
Iceland. Furthermore, as Guðrún Ása Grímsdóttir has pointed out, it is likely
that the Icelandic bishops were bound by an oath of obedience to the arch-
bishop as can be surmised from a statute of Pope Anastasius iv (r. 1153–​1154) in
which he confirms the founding of Niðarós archbishopric.106
On the other hand, the archbishop expresses his grave concerns about the
behavior of the Icelanders, admonishing and forthright scolding various kinds
of wrongdoings, primarily in the field of sexual morality as well as the behavior
of and towards clerics. All of these concerns had been frequent topics in the
clerical discourse of Continental Europe over the preceding two centuries and

105 There had been contact between Iceland and Niðarós, bishop Brandr Sæmundarson (r.
1163–​1201) of Hólar had for instance been ordained in Niðarós by Archbishop Eysteinn in
1163, the first Icelandic bishop to receive his ordination from the new archsee. íf xvi, p. 35.
106 Guðrún Ása Grímsdóttir, “Um afskipti erkibiskupa,” p. 32.
256 Chapter 4

as has been systematically noted by historians discussing these letters through

the years, their arrival clearly marks the heralding of the papal reform policy
in Iceland.
The first preserved letter has been dated to 1173.107 According to the tes-
timony of the bishops’ chronicle Hungrvaka, the reason for Archbishop
Eysteinn’s letter is the request of Bishop Klængr of Skálholt for a permission
to withdraw from the bishop’s office for health reasons and for a new bishop
to be appointed before the death of Bishop Klængr.108 The letter itself shows,
however, that the archbishop had more on his mind than the installment of
a new bishop in Skálholt. It is addressed to the bishops, all other excellent
men in the country (“ollum odrum agætis monnum”) as well as the general
public (“allri alþydu”). The letter opens on a pastoral note with the archbishop
reminding the recipients of his pastoral responsibility towards the Icelanders
which might also be interpreted, as scholars have done, as stressing the arch-
bishop’s authority over them.109

Eg veitt at ydur mon kvnnigt vera. at ek ꜳ̋ ydvars mals at gæta til vard-
veislv af gvdz alfv. og vere mer fagnadur ꜳ̋. ef ek gæta so til gætt at gudi
þætti vel. og oss væri ollvm gagn j.110
[I know that you are aware that I am responsible for overseeing your
matters on behalf of God and I would rejoice if I could carry that task out
in a manner pleasing to God and of use for all of us.]

Archbishop Eysteinn then addresses the situation in Iceland. Without pro-

viding any specifics, he brings up the issue that Icelanders had been suffer-
ing from a battle (bardagi) for a while (vm hrider). The archbishop might be
referring to the disputes and the occasional open conflicts beginning in 1159
between the chieftains Einar Þorvarðarson and Sturla Þórðarson of Hvammur
but he chooses to keep his discussion on a general level.111 From the point of
view of a medieval ecclesiast, and certainly many other people at the time,

107 This is the only letter of the six of which there exists a Latin version as well, printed in
Finnur Jónsson’s ecclesiastical history. Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiæ i, pp. 236–​239. That
version is a translation of the original Old Icelandic translation, made by either Finnur or,
what is more likely, his son Hannes Finnsson (1739–​1796).
108 íf xvi, p. 39.
109 Magnús Stefánsson, “Kirkjuvald eflist,” pp. 94–​95.
110 di i, p. 221.
111 Sturlunga i, pp. 60–​90. Archbishop Eiríkr begins his letter to bishops Þorlákr and Brandr
dated to 1190 by telling them about the ‘battle’ raging in his own country, Norway. di i,
p. 290.
Rome Goes North 257

the specifics of particular conflicts are also only characteristics of a battle of

infinitely greater proportions, i.e. the cosmic struggle between God and the
Devil, good and evil, angels and demons, saints and sinners, cutting through
all planes of existence. But even so, the havoc of this battle is not always and
perhaps rarely visible to the naked eye and in the face of persistent pain and
suffering it is easy to come to the conclusion that one is fighting on the wrong
side of the battle. Eysteinn reminds his recipients that despite the high num-
ber of good men in Iceland, “in this world, one cannot distinguish between
the good and the bad, and many good men have to suffer bad things.”112 But
this condition is simply the cost of belonging to a fallen human race, exiled
from paradise into the struggles of this sinful state of existence. This theolog-
ical worldview provides the backdrop against which the archbishops’ letters
need to be read, both in terms of how they establish their own authority and
that of the Icelandic local bishops such as Þorlákr, but also, as will be addressed
shortly, their treatment of the moral situation among the Icelandic population,
especially the chieftains, which they systematically condemn.

4.2.3 Enemies of the Church

A central theme in the archbishops’ letters is their complaints about the
behavior of the Icelandic population, particularly from the upper layer of
society. The charges they make are both directed towards moral offenses but
also direct disobedience, that is the apparently frequent occurrence of dis-
regard for ecclesiastical and in particular episcopal authority. In the moral
realm, the archbishops express their strong disapproval of what they have
heard about Icelanders beating, hurting and killing clergymen. Furthermore,
“some men have left their wives and taken mistresses instead. Some keep both
their wives and mistresses under their roof and live such unholy lives that it
tempts all Christian men to sin.”113 And in a later letter from 1180, addressed to
the Icelandic bishops and a group of named chieftains, Archbishop Eysteinn
laments how professed Christian chieftains such as Jón Loptsson and Gizurr
Hallsson –​whose behavior should ideally have been exemplary for others –​
have been found severely lacking in matters considered Christian.114 The most

112 “Eigi verdur þessa heims grein gior medal ens goda og illa. þa giallda idolega. marger goder
ens jlla.” di i, p. 221.
113 di i, p. 221. Translation of citation by Jochens in Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, Property and
Virginity, p. 80.
114 “At þui. at vier hofum heyrtt. þa er margs med ydr [á] fatt þat er kristnir menn adrir fylgja.”
di i, p. 262.
258 Chapter 4

serious fault is the indecency and uncleanliness of the life they are leading
which the archbishop compares to the behavior of livestock.115
The leaders of the Icelanders had been found lacking both in regard to sexual
morality and obedience. What is more, after Bishop Þorlákr Þórhallsson assumed
office, the first real proponent of the Gregorian reform movement in Iceland, they
ignored and possibly even actively opposed his regulations and decrees. Taking
a closer look on how these offenses and the perpetrators are described, it can
be seen how the behavior criticized in the letter is described as “neither correct
belief nor Christendom”116 and “against God and holy decrees”117 The Icelanders
are said to have committed “great crimes,”118 walking the “wrong course,”119 tak-
ing “ill advice,”120 as opposed to the good advice leading to salvation.121 This is of
course quite basic polemical rhetoric but elsewhere in the letters it appears how
the archbishops make use of the traditional image of the opponent, as they refer
to their adversaries as “stupid,”122 “stubborn,”123 and of “hardened mind”124 and
wallowing in the error of older times.
As noted, in the wider European context of the Western Church, there was
no lack of statutes and regulations addressing relating to the above-​mentioned
offenses In terms of laws and regulations regarding sexual morals and marital
affairs the archiepiscopal letters have been analysed by Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir.125
In the case of clerical violence, Sverrir Jakobsson has placed the archbishop’s
letters, although he is more preoccupied with 13th century events as described
in Sturlunga, in the context of the Pax dei movement.126 Both the reform of

115 “lifit bufiar life.” di i, p. 262.

116 “hvorke […] rett trva ne kristne,” di i, p. 221.
117 “j mote gudj. Og helgvm settningvm,” di i, p. 222.
118 “j storglæpvm standa,” di i, p. 222.
119 “Ovegur,” di i, p. 233.
120 “draga menn fra orade,” di i, p. 263.
121 “ef eigi uilia menn vikiast til hialprada þessara,” di i, p. 223.
122 “hugar herda og oþiarft sialfræde.” di i, p. 259.
123 “En ef menn vilia þra sitt vit leggia,” di i, p. 222.
124 “ef stadfesta kemur ꜳ mot. þra heimskra manna.” di i, p. 289.
125 Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, Property and Virginity, pp. 77–​86.
126 Sverrir Jakobsson, “Friðarviðleitni kirkjunnar á 13. öld,” Saga xxxvi (1998), 17–​18. The
Peace of God movement emerged in Southern France (in the province of Auvergne) from
where it spread around Europe in several phases in the course of the tenth and elev-
enth centuries. In the late tenth and early eleventh century it is referred to as the pax,
pactum pacis, restauratio pacis et iustitiae, and convenientia pacis and after 1027 it fre-
quently expanded into the pactum sive treuga or treuga Dei (the Truce of God). Lexikon
des Mittelalters, s.v. “Gottesfrieden.ˮ Through the years, scholars from different fields of
historical research –​legal, social and religious in particular –​have debated the reasons
behind the rise of the movement, whether it was the “religious enthusiasm generated
Rome Goes North 259

sexual morals and clerical violence constituted a part of the broader move-
ment of the reform of the Church. The emphasis here, however, lies more on
bringing out how these offenses might have served to illustrate the position of
the Icelanders in the dualistic framework of the medieval Christian worldview.
To such ends, it is important to pay attention to how the archbishops’ mes-
sage of disciplining and reproach was formulated within the broader eccle-
siastical discursive frame of the fight against the Church’s enemies. Surely,
important analysis has been carried out, identifying which conciliar statutes
provide the legal background for the claims made in the letters and statutes
issued by the archbishops of Niðarós.127 However, although much of the source
material ascribed to named churchmen, such as archbishops and other high-​
ranking church officials, pertains largely to ecclesiastical laws and regulations,
it is important to avoid painting an overly bureaucratic and legalistic a pic-
ture of the Church and the concerns of ecclesiastics. In the Middle Ages, the
Church was the channel of grace into the world. Institutional structures like
canon law were the necessary means through which the Church could operate
in a fallen world without which it would never have been able to establish and
consolidate its position in society. But such structures were only worldly rep-
resentations for achieving goals which were ultimately religious. Ideally, they
were never the goal in and of themselves, the struggle for the implementation
of church policy, bishop’s authority, and implementation of church law was
always a part of a much larger fight, taking place on all levels of reality, within
the individual, in society, and on the cosmic plane.
The archbishops’ letters clearly portray the religious worldview of the medi-
eval ecclesiast. In a world marked by ongoing struggle between the forces of

by the one thousandth anniversary of Christ’s life on earth, the profound social adjust-
ments brought on by the devolution of power and the emergence of the milites as a
distinct group, the traditions of episcopal jurisdiction over church lands, the shared
administrative and family histories of the prelates and nobles, [or] the desires of monks
to promote their cult centers and protect the pilgrims who flocked to them,” Frederick
S. Paxton’s “History, Historians, and the Peace of God,” in The Peace of God: Social Violence
and Religious Response in France around the Year 1000, eds. Thomas Head and Richard
Landes (Ithaca, 1992), p. 40. For the present purposes, it suffices to resort to Hans-​Werner
Goetz’s general observation that the Peace of God movement was a movement of resto-
ration which, driven by a religious impulse and looking to the aims of the Church reform,
sought to bring back law and order. Hans-​Werner Goetz, “Die Gottesfriedensbewegung
im Licht neuer Forschungen,” in Landfrieden: Anspruch und Wirklichkeit, Rechts-​und
Staatswissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen der Görres-​Gesellschaft, Neue Folge 98, eds.
Arno Buschmann and Elmar Wadle (Paderborn, 2002), pp. 42–​43.
127 See for example Lára Magnúsardóttir’s analysis of letters and statutes from Niðarós in her
doctoral dissertation, Bannfæring og kirkjuvald, pp. 120–​124, 241, and 266–​267.
260 Chapter 4

good and evil, there was much more at stake than worldly interests. The arch-
bishops consistently render their claims to the Icelanders into the terms of the
struggle between right and wrong belief. The battle against unbelievers was
still ongoing. The people they were criticizing were still flirting with ancient
habits which the archbishops opposed to the right teaching carried out by the
Church.
In a letter dated to 1179, the year after Þorlákr had been ordained as bishop
of Skálholt, addressed both to him but also the Icelandic population in general,
Archbishop Eysteinn addresses the issue of Þorlákr’s efforts for reforming the
Church in Iceland. In the letter, the archbishop both expresses his content-
ment about the extent to which Þorlákr’s decrees had been received without
difficulties but also a serious warning to those who might have disregarded it,
framing it in the context of the original introduction of Christianity and its
confrontation with ancient pagan customs:

En ef nockurer varda vor bodord. eda hans. fyri þui at helldur til nymælis.
at forn og onyt siduenia þuerr er hier til hefur þeim afskeidis hrvndit og
haf[a]‌menn eigi þa vit tok̉ u veitta ne geslu sem vergdvkt vere. þa felle
menn þat ur skape sier. og se hvat er satt er. og engi mundi vit kristne tekit
hafa. hier ne j odrum stad. ef engi skyllde vit þa osidv skiliast er fyrnska
hellt. eda forelldrar fagodv.128
[But if some disregard our commands or his [Þorlákr’s] as novelties,
and because that ancient and useless custom which hitherto has lead
them astray […] then they should dismiss it from their minds and see
what is true, that nobody would have accepted Christianity, nor here nor
elsewhere, if nobody would have departed from the bad habits of antiq-
uity or cultivated by ancestors.]

There is an interesting parallel to this kind of argument in the Saga of the

Apostle Peter, preserved in an early 13th century manuscript, where the apos-
tle Peter is giving a speech in front of a pagan audience in the Greek city of
Tripolis.

[Þetta mællta ek eigi af þvi, at þer munut nu vilia slika villu faga, helldr
fyrir þvi at þer munut nu vilia hafna sem fyrst villu þeiri, er frændr yðrir
kendu yðr i øsku, þviat morgum er trautt at hafna veniu sinni ok frænda

128 di i, p. 259.
Rome Goes North 261

sinna […] að trua yður megi magnaz, sva at engi ef se eptir hinnar fornu
villu.]129
I do not say this so that you would wish now to cultivate such error, but
rather so that you would now wish to reject as soon as possible the here-
sies that your kinsmen taught you in your youth, for many are unwilling to
abandon their customs or their kinsmen […] so that your faith might be
magnified and so that no doubt will remain concerning your old heresy.

If the archbishop’s letter is read over against the passage from the Saga of the
Apostle Peter, which most certainly was already familiar to the 12th century
audience, it becomes even clearer how the archbishop was framing his warn-
ing within a discursive framework centering on the struggle against ancient
error and heresy.
In a letter dated a year later, to 1180, the archbishop writes again to Bishop
Þorlákr, but in his salutation, he also mentions a number of chieftains, the best
known of whom were Jón Loptsson and Gizurr Hallsson. In his letter, the arch-
bishop severely scolds the chieftains for their immoral lifestyle and stubborn-
ness which he explicitly refers to as “ancient customs”:

Nv styrkit þier rad biskupa og setid eigi so fyrnskv ydra. at eigi takid þier
vit hialp rade. er þier vitod̉ sialfer Gitzor og Jon at engi er fyrir þvi at hell-
dur nymæle. er hier þycke nytt at heyra. Er meir hefur riktt sialfræde en
sanninde. Nv giorit nockrra þa skipan ꜳ̋ mote fiandans vellde. Med þvi
alite sem gvd mvn til setia med yckur og biskupa ꜳ̋ syn.130
[Now you should support the deliberation of bishops and not regard
your ancient customs so highly that you do not accept redemptive advice
since you know yourselves, Gitzor and Jon, that nothing is necessarily a
novelty if it sounds new to your ears, when audacity has been in charge
rather than truth. Now arrange your matters against the Devil’s reign, as
orderered by God and approved by the bishops.]

After Archbishop Eysteinn’s death in 1188, he was succeeded by Eiríkr Ívarsson

who continued his predecessor’s involvement in Icelandic church politics. He
also seems to have made use of similar rhetorical strategies of describing his
opponents’ customs as ancient.

129 Post, p. 178. Trans. Roughton ii, p. 521.

130 di i, p. 263–​264.
262 Chapter 4

Nv med þvi at ec em til bodorda settur yfer badum. þa so sem þid eigvd gvdj
hlydnj at uieta. og hinum helga petro og mier so tacid tid vit þeim bodor-
dum. og teiz at bader. En ef so er at menn rise med ollv ꜳ̋ mote. og vilia so
ꜳ fyrnsku hallda at bodord ydur eiga ongvan stad. þa sækist helldur ꜳ fund
minn.131
[Now since I have been placed in command over both of you, in the
same way as you are expected to obey God, the Holy Peter and me, accept
these commands […] But in the event that men will rise up against you and
persist in their ancient customs ignoring your commands, rather seek my
audience.]

The above lines of Eiríkr’s statute show an important link between the discourse
of the heretical enemy and the construction of episcopal authority in medieval
Icelandic society. As frequently mentioned, the letters of the archbishops draw
up a picture of Icelandic society as plagued by moral corruption and disobe-
dience. The bishops consistently place the individuals at fault in opposition to
Christian behavior, correct doctrine, and the Church. Eysteinn frankly explains to
Icelandic chieftains that “you are lacking in many things which other Christians
duly practice.”132 The way out of this sinful condition, is to grab on to the only
available safety line which is the one thrown into the darkness by the Church and
manifests itself in teachings and commands of ecclesiastics of all ranks, allow-
ing Archbishop Eysteinn to modestly refer to his commands as “council of deliv-
erance” (hialprad).133 Those who do not grasp the gravity of the situation and
follow the appropriate ways to react to it -​show remorse with concrete acts as
administered by the archbishop -​do not have correct faith and cannot be counted
among Christians. And as the survey of early ecclesiastical discourse in Iceland
has shown, they have joined some dubious company and what is more, the eter-
nal welfare of their soul is at grave risk.

En hvorke er rett trva ne kristne. og eigi þav verk er til hialpar mecgi
draga. nema snn trv bve vnder. Nv veitt eg. at þat mvnv aller seigia. er at
ero spurder. at retta kristne fae. En hverr er sa. er tvi tryde. at epter god
verk. skyllde eilifan fagnad taka. En epter jll verck elld brennanda. ok kvol
eilifa. at hann skyllde eigi hirtast orada sinna. Ef hann vere ꜳ minntur vm
þav verk er til eilifs dauda draga.134

131 di i, p. 286.
132 “Þa er margs med ydr ȁa fatt þat er kristnir menn adrir fylgia,” di i, p. 262.
133 di i, p. 222.
134 di i, p. 221.
Rome Goes North 263

[But it is neither correct belief or Christianity, and not deeds capa-

ble of bringing one to salvation, unless there is a true belief underlying.
I know that everybody will say, when asked, that they have received the
correct faith. But who believes that he is to receive eternal rejoice after
good deeds but burning and eternal torture after the bad if he does not
repent his wicked actions when admonished about those deeds that lead
to eternal death.]

Of course, the Church was concerned with getting its demands through, but
they should not be dehistoricized so as to treat them as purely aimed at the
political expansion and economic growth of the Church as an institution. The
claims for authority and for the implementation of particular regulations was
firmly rooted in the religious discursive context of the time, without which it
will not be fully understood. It has become somewhat of a truism in the schol-
arship of medieval history, especially in Iceland, that the bishops, particularly
during the Catholic era, were cold-​hearted and greedy individuals who would
go at any length to increase their wealth and property and one of the ways most
frequently cited is the threat of eternal damnation.135 It is important to keep
in mind that the bishops’ discourse of eternal death and damnation was not a
‘trick’ they invented but an inherent part of the Christian religion at the time.

4.2.4 Conclusion: On the Other Side

When the first letters from Niðarós started to arrive in Iceland it must have
caused a great deal of distress –​a crisis even –​for the recipients. Home-​grown
bishops like Klængr and Brandr, Christian magnates and the clergy of the
Chieftain Church had until then been on the safe side in the ongoing cosmic
struggle, fighting the good fight of the Church alongside apostles and other
saints. There is no reason to assume otherwise than they had identified with
religious discourses cut from the same cloth as the ones found in the Icelandic
Homily Book and the hagiographic literature preserved from the 12th and 13th
century, aligning themselves to the power structures inscribed in them. Now,
however, they were confronted with a new reality as they came into the dis-
favour of the archbishop of Niðarós, an ecclesiastical authority which they
acknowledged –​theoretically at least –​and had been implicitly promoting
through their use of the religious discourses accompanying the Christian reli-
gion since its arrival on the island. All of a sudden, they found themselves on

135 See Lára Magnúsardóttir’s discussion of the representation of the bishop in Icelandic his-
toriography, Bannfæring og kirkjuvald, pp. 160–​187.
264 Chapter 4

the other side, –​forced by their own hand, as it were –​grouped with the ene-
mies of the Church and, consequently, in grave peril. In such light, it can be
argued that the corporate identity of the Church as an institution should not
be restricted to the administrative structures and the professional identity of
the institution’s elite and specialists. An important element of the corporate
identity of the Church was constituted by its religious discourses, making it
possible for the local aristocracy who had taken it upon themselves to get the
Church on its feet in the first place to be overridden by an authority represent-
ing the ecclesiastical empire of the Roman Church.

4.3 Reform and Violence: The Rule of Bishop Guðmundr

A more heated conflict between Church and chieftains arose several decades
later, but then in the Northern diocese of Hólar. In 1201, a man was elected to
the episcopacy by the magnates of the North whom they believed would not be
a great source of trouble for the ruling class. His name was Guðmundr Arason
(r. 1203–​1237) who, contrary to the expectations of those who elected him,
would soon become one of the most controversial figures in Icelandic politics.
Compared to the conflict previously discussed between Bishop Þorlákr and
Jón Loptsson, Guðmundr’s conflict with the Northern chieftains became much
more violent and resulted in a number of casualties, including that of Kolbeinn
Tumason, one of the most powerful chieftains at the time. Ultimately, the strife
was grounded in the same ecclesiological and religiopolitical developments as
the first clash between Church and chieftains and brought to the fore some of
the discursive themes discussed in the course of this study. The following dis-
cussion will explore the religious context of this most heated conflict between
the Church and country’s political elite and with a particular focus on how the
discourses under analysis came into play, not only in verbal discourse but also
in material artefacts such as episcopal and clerical dress.

4.3.1 Guðmundr’s Rise to the Episcopacy

The most informative source for the course of events playing out in the early
13th century is the Sturlunga collection. It should be noted that the Sturlunga
collection cannot be taken as a source for how certain things were exactly
uttered or how particular events took place. Nonetheless, although they the are
written in the same time as most of the sagas of the Icelanders, in the course of
the 13th century that is, the sagas of the Sturlunga collection stand much closer
in time to the events which they describe. Most historians of medieval Iceland,
therefore, take the texts as a reliable source for the spirit of the age, throwing
Rome Goes North 265

light on courses of events that could very well have taken place as they are
described and recounting dialogues that could very well have been uttered.136
As soon as he assumed office, Bishop Guðmundr showed himself to be more
domineering and less conforming to the will of the ruling magnates than they
had expected.137 Kolbeinn Tumason, the most powerful chieftain in Northern
Iceland at the beginning of the 13th century, had been on amicable terms
with Guðmundr before he became bishop at Hólar.138 Guðmundr, who also
was first cousin with Kolbeinn’s wife, spent the winter of the year 1200 at his
farmstead, Víðimýri in Skagafjörður, and was treated there with respect and
affection. After that winter, Kolbeinn came to the conclusion that Guðmundr
was truly a saintly man (“að sönnu sannhelgr maðr”).139 When Guðmundr’s
predecessor at Hólar, Brandr Sæmundarson, died in 1201, Kolbeinn is said to
have consulted with his friends and elected Guðmundr as bishop, although the
decision was made on other grounds than his sanctity. According to Íslendinga
saga, Guðmundr’s reputation as a popular and modest man made him a fea-
sible option for Kolbeinn’s intention of maintaining control over the Church.

136 See for example the view of Agnes S. Arnórsdóttir, Konur og vígamenn, pp. 20–​25. See
also Guðrún Nordal who describes Sturlunga as an important source “not only about
historical events but also giving a precious insight into the thought world and the life
views of 13th century Icelanders.” íb i, p. 309. Similarly, in his assessment of the histori-
cal value of Sturlu saga, Orri Vésteinsson expresses the opinion that “these were consid-
ered by the author to be realistic attitudes which must therefore have been current in the
first two decades of the thirteenth century when the saga was written.” Orri Vésteinsson,
Christianization of Iceland, p. 211. A voice of skepticism towards the source value of the
Sturlunga sagas is that of literary scholar Úlfar Bragason who has criticized the uncrit-
ical attitude of historians of medieval Iceland towards Sturlunga as a historical source.
In his writings on the subject, he has emphasized the importance of assessing the nar-
rative principles of the sagas of the collections before they are used as sources. Such an
approach, he contends, will reveal that the Sturlunga sagas belong to the same narrative
system as the Sagas of the Icelanders and should therefore be taken with the same degree
of skepticism when it comes to using them as historical sources. See Úlfar Bragason, Ætt
og saga: Um frásagnarfræði Sturlungu eða Íslendingasögu hinnar miklu (Reykjavík, 2010),
for example pp. 67–​91 and pp. 263–​268. While acknowledging the importance of being
aware of the Sturlunga accounts as literary constructions, the historians Helgi Þorláksson
and Gunnar Karlsson have responded to Bragason’s skepticism by pointing out that the
narrative patterns he identifies in the Sturlunga collection correspond to historically veri-
fiable social conventions, such as feuding and peace-​making. See Helgi Þorláksson, “Úlfar
Bragason. Ætt og saga: Um frásagnarfræði Sturlungu eða Íslendinga sögu hinnar miklu,”
Saga 49 (2011), 227 and Gunnar Karlsson, Inngangur að miðöldum, pp. 204–​205.
137 Sturlunga, Íslendinga saga, p. 213.
138 Ibid., p. 195.
139 Ibid., p. 177.
266 Chapter 4

Mæltu það margir að Kolbeinn vildi því Guðmund til biskups kjósa að
hann þóttist þá ráða bæði leikmönnum og kennimönnum fyrir norðan
land.140
[Many men commented that Kolbein had wanted Guðmund chosen
bishop because he thought he himself would thus control both laymen
and clergy in the north.]

When describing Guðmundr’s reaction to his election as bishop of Hólar, the

sources describe him accepting the office with great reluctancy. After he heard
that he was a candidate for the episcopacy he became so afraid that he could
not sleep nor eat. Upon hearing of his election he was overcome with sad-
ness and could not speak for some time. Later, he tries to get other clergymen
to release him from his burden and take on the bishop’s office in his stead.
Although this account is to some degree influenced by the hagiographic topos
of the ‘reluctant bishop,’ some scholars have taken the elaborate description
of the involvement of Guðmundr’s kinsmen in his decision-​making as an
indicator that it is based on historical events.141 It should also not be excluded
that hagiographic topoi could have influenced the decisions and practices of
well-​read ecclesiastics like Guðmundr. Of particular interest, is Guðmundr’s
response to his cousin Ögmundr Þorvarðsson when he asks why he does not
want to become bishop. At that point, Guðmundr expresses his concern about
having to deal with “marga menn óhlýðna og öfundarfulla” [many disobedient
and envious men].142 As has been repeatedly stressed, disobedience and envy
were central characteristics of the opponents of the apostles and the saints in
ecclesiastical discourse in Iceland at the time. So already before he accepted
the office, his attitude towards his opponents is framed in terms of the reli-
gious discourse of the Church.
Eventually, Guðmundr agrees to become the bishop of Hólar and in the year
1202 he sails to Norway. At that point, a civil war had been raging in Norway for
decades and had reached extreme heights after the emergence of the Faroese
priest Sverrir Sigurðsson as the leader of the opposition against King Magnús
Erlingsson. After the battle at Fimreite in Sognefjord in 1184, where King
Magnús was killed, Sverrir became the king of Norway although he did not

140 Ibid., p. 196. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga saga i, p. 128.

141 Bernadine McCreesh, “Saint-​Making in Early Iceland,” Scandinavian-​Canadian Studies
17 (2006–​2007), 21, n. 11. In his discussion of Þorvarðr Þorgeirsson attempt to convince
Guðmundr to accept the bishop’s office, Orri Vésteinsson makes no reservation about the
historical value of the account. Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 204.
142 Sturlunga, Prestssaga, p. 200.
Rome Goes North 267

manage to suppress the opposition against him. The Church had stood firmly
behind King Magnús and remained a powerful force of opposition through-
out Sverrir’s reign. After a series of altercations, Archbishop Eiríkr had to flee
from Norway and, in the end, Sverrir was excommunicated by the pope. On his
way to Norway, during a layover in the Hebrides, Guðmundr and his fellowship
learn that King Sverrir had died.143 As noted at the very end of the Prestssaga
Guðmundar Arasonar, the bishop-​elect first meets King Hákon Sverrisson, the
son of King Sverrir, in Bergen, who received him amicably and then he sails
north to Niðarós where he is ordained by Archbishop Eiríkr Ívarsson, who had
returned from his exile.144
This information is by no means unimportant for the present study. At the
archbishop’s court in Niðarós, Guðmundr came into contact with people who
had been involved in the hefty and longstanding church political disputes
in which the discursive themes under inspection had been employed with a
high degree of sophistication.145 In the conflict between the Church and King
Sverrir, the conflict potential of the religious discourses under inspection
was being mobilized on both sides. While the archbishop of Niðarós and his
clergy made what use they could of their position as the legitimate represen-
tatives of the apostolic seat, King Sverrir rejected their entire message straight
out as false threats procured by treacherous priests of error. A very enlight-
ening source for the king’s argumentation is his speech against the bishops,
composed towards the very end of the 12th century.146 Interestingly enough,
although King Sverrir had been excommunicated by the pope he did not reject
the ultimate authority of Rome, claiming only that the pope was misinformed,
unable to get the correct information about state of affairs so far away. Thus,
realizing how much was at stake, King Sverrir and his advisors challenged the
church administration on the rightful claim for the Church’s ecclesiastical
discourse.

143 Ibid., p. 208.

144 Ibid., p. 209.
145 See section 4.2.2.1 above.
146 In addition to King Sverrir himself, several clerics from his court have been suggested as
main authors of the speech. As pointed out by Erik Gunnes, the only certainty about the
speech’s authorship is that he must have had a thorough knowledge of the Bible, theol-
ogy, rhetoric and been well oriented in the religio-​political discourse of the time, all of
which is likely that he acquired abroad. The arguments employed bear most resemblance
to what one would encounter in England and Germany. Gunnes’s conclusion is that the
speech was produced in an intellectual environment related to the courts of Henry ii and
Frederick Barbarossa. Erik Gunnes, Kongens ære: kongemakt og kirke i “En tale mot bisko-
pene,” (Oslo, 1971), pp. 351–​352.
268 Chapter 4

Nothing can be said with certitude about how this situation came to influence
the decisions and actions of Guðmundr as bishop of Hólar. What can be surmised
from Guðmundr’s reaction when he was elected bishop is that he was already
leaning towards the reformist stance. He dreaded coming into conflict with the
“disobedient and envious men,” which was bound to happen if he would keep to
the reformist agenda. If anything, it seems likely that Guðmundr’s stay at the court
of Archbishop Eiríkr would have strengthened such a conviction. After the death
of Bishop Þorlákr, there had not been any serious endorsement of reform in the
country and one could not expect any such efforts from Niðarós while the arch-
bishop’s court was in crisis-​mode. With Guðmundr’s rise to the episcopacy and
with the archbishop back in Niðarós, this was about to change. In the following
years, the program of reform would be carried out with unseen religious fervour
and severity.

4.3.2 Religious Fervour and Armed Battles

As soon as Guðmundr had returned from Norway and assumed the “gover-
nance of Christianity” (stjórn kristni) in the North, the dissonance between
him and the chieftain Kolbeinn Tumason became increasingly manifest.147
The first major conflict between the two revolved around jurisdictional bound-
aries –​a central bone of contention between sacerdotium and regnum during
the High Middle Ages –​regarding the case of a certain priest whom Kolbeinn
was charging for old money affairs (fornt fémál). The priest seeks the support
of the bishop who refuses to accept Kolbeinn’s say in the case who persists and
calls for the priest to be sentenced as an outlaw. The case is taken up at the
next assembly where Bishop Guðmundr shows up and attempts to make an
influence with the means available to him, mustering whatever authority the
episcopal attire could provide him with: “þá gekk biskup til dóms við staf og
stólu og fyrirbauð þeim að dæma prestinn en þeir dæmdu eigi að síður” [the
bishop came with his staff and his stole and forbade them to pass sentence
on the priest. But they passed sentence on him all the same.].148 From what

147 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 213.

148 Ibid., p. 214. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga saga i, p. 134. This is not the only instance recorded
in Íslendinga saga of bishops attempting to influence urgent matters in their ceremonial
dress. When Órækja Snorrason came after Gizurr Þorvaldsson at Skálholt, bishop Sigvarðr
Þéttmarsson (r. 1238–​1268) promises Gizurr his support and all his clerics against Órækja
in the following words: “Hann kveðst og vega skyldu með þeim vopnum sem hann hafði
til” [He said that he would fight with any weapons he could lay hand on]. Sturlunga i,
Íslendinga saga, p. 447. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga saga i, p. 366. Later, when the fight
between the two chieftains has begun, the bishop emerges from beyond the defense
wall in ceremonial apparel with mitre, crozier, books and candles, fully equipped for the
Rome Goes North 269

is known about liturgical clothing of bishops and the episcopal emblems in

the Icelandic Free State, it seems reasonable to assume that it was thoroughly
grounded in the discursive framework explored in the third chapter of this
book and according to Sturlunga, Bishop Guðmundr was willing to use that
symbolic power in the conflicts in which he participated.149
This encounter and the assembly’s verdict set in motion a course of events
leading to the excommunication of Kolbeinn. When Kolbeinn came to sum-
mon the bishops’ men to be tried at the assembly of Hegranes, the bishop
found himself compelled to recapitulate Kolbeinn’s excommunication in a
ceremonious manner:

Biskup og hans men voru á húsum uppi og var hann skrýddur og las hann
bannsetning á norræna tungu svo að þeir skyldu skilja. Og ef Kolbeinn
hefði verið verr stilltur í því sinni þá hefði þar bardagi orðið.150
[The bishop and his men were up on the house; he was in his robes,
and read out the sentence of excommunication in the Icelandic tongue
so that they would understand it. If Kolbein had been less restrained on
that occasion there would have been a battle.]

It should be noted at this point that underlying these events and those that fol-
lowed was a fervent religious atmosphere which was to no small degree asso-
ciated with the persona of Guðmundr himself. Scholars have often ascribed
the intensity of the conflict between Bishop Guðmundr and the chieftains
in the North to Guðmundr’s passionate and uncompromising character.151 It
seems, however, that the heat of the conflict can be sufficiently accounted
for without resorting to psychological interpretations although they can be
taken to hold complementary explanatory value. The capability of religious

excommunication ritual he was about to initiate. In her English translation, McGrew

seems to assume that the bishop and his clerics had actually taken arms to engage in a
physical fight while it seems more accurate that by the words ‘weapons’ bishop Sigvarðr
meant spiritual weapons the most powerful of which was the ritual of excommunication.
149 See section 3.3.2.3 above.
150 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 215. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga saga i, p. 135.
151 Emphasizing the effect of a series of traumas Guðmundr went through in his early years,
Hjalti Hugason has attempted to analyse Guðmundr’s character from the perspective of
modern therapeutic approaches. Thus he seeks to throw light on the contradictory tension
characterizing Guðmundr’s actions which in his opinion cannot be exclusively explained
with reference to the conflicts in which he was engaged. Hjalti Hugason, “Áfallatengt álag-
sheilkenni á miðöldum? Ráðgátan Guðmundur Arason í ljósi meðferðarfræða nútímans,”
Skírnir 186 (spring, 2012): 98–​124.
270 Chapter 4

ideas to incite and escalate in times of unrest is well-​known and it seems as

if the athmosphere in the late 12th century and at the beginning of the 13th
was already fraught with tension capable of producing such effects. As an
example, the author of the Prestssaga describes how just over a decade before
Guðmundr was elected bishop, people interpreted current events like Saladin’s
capture of Jerusalem in 1187 and natural occurrences like a solar eclipse and
the exceptionally hard winter of that year in apocalyptic terms: “margir vit-
rir menn ætluðu verða mundu heimsslit” [many wise man believed that the
end of the world was nigh].152 A few years later, rumours of Guðmundr’s sanc-
tity and miraculous deeds were circulating and some of them were recorded
by the author of the Prestssaga.153 At one point, the same author even states
that there were so many extraordinary happenings surrounding Guðmundr’s
religious ceremonies during his travels around the country, that it was impos-
sible for him to recount all of them in his work. In 1198, Guðmundr was the
only cleric apart from bishops who participated in the translatio ceremony of
Bishop Þorlákr’s relics in which he served an important role.154 According to
the text of the Prestssaga, it was the opinion of many people before and during
Guðmundr’s episcopacy, including Kolbeinn Tumason who was to become his
archenemy, that Guðmundr was a holy man.155 Despite the unmistakable hagi-
ographical elements of that particular work, it can nonetheless be suggested
that already before Guðmundr’s election, he enjoyed a high degree of popular
respect and sanctity, which was bound to spill over into any conflict he would
become involved in.156
It is important to keep this background in mind as well as the discursive
landscape explored above when considering the violent conflicts which first
broke out in open battle in 1208. At that point, the disagreement between
Bishop Guðmundr and the Northern chieftains surrounding their contending
claims for jurisdiction and authority had reached a high point. The disputation

152 Sturlunga i, Prestssaga, p. 119.

153 There are descriptions of the fire of the Holy Spirit surrounding him and birds sitting on
his shoulders. Ibid., p. 122.
154 Ibid., pp. 176–​177.
155 Ibid., p. 206.
156 This is evident from many passages of the Prestssaga but also reflected in a letter from
the Oddaverjar-​chieftain Sæmundur Jónsson to his brother bishop Páll of Skálholt (which
is only preserved in Prestssaga and versions of the sagas of Guðmundr). Despite the fact
that Guðmundr had sided with Sigurðr Ormsson in a dispute with Sæmundr on inher-
itance matters, Sæmundur described Guðmundr as “leyfður af mönnum” [praised by
men] and that his election in the bishop’s office in all likelihood God’s will. Ibid., p. 206.
See also di i, pp. 333–​337.
Rome Goes North 271

crystallized in the chieftains and their supporters disregarding Guðmundr’s

excommunication completely while the bishop treated the men sentenced by
the chieftains to outlawry as free men. The bishop, who had gathered around
himself many men, removed a shrine, holy relics, and books from Möðruvellir,
the farmstead of the chieftain Sigurðr Ormsson, for he did not want such sacred
things to be in the care of banished men. Claiming that the bishop had now
begun stealing and warring against them, they begin gathering their forces and
surround the episcopal seat of Hólar, preparing for the battle which would take
place at Víðines, a few kilometers northeast of the episcopal seat itself. Before
the battle broke out, there had been attempts at reconciling the two parties,
but Kolbeinn Tumason rejected all such efforts. The fight cost several men
their lives, including Kolbeinn who was struck by a rock in the forehead.157
The battle at Víðines in 1208 was the first case of the Church’s fight for lib-
erty in Iceland breaking out in an armed battle. The only surviving source
about how it was discursively framed is Sturla Þórðarson’s Íslendinga saga and
the hagiographic sagas on Bishop Guðmundr, which unfortunately are limited
and relatively far removed in time. However, enough is known about how such
conflicts were being discursively constructed before –​for example in the first
clash between Church and chieftains and in the struggle between King Sverrir
and the Norwegian bishops –​to hypothesize about how it might have been
in this case. It is even possible that such discourses might have shaped Sturla
Þórðarson’s description of the events leading up to the battle when he wrote
about them decades later. In that description, the archenemy of the bishop,
Kolbeinn, is described as “þver” [stubborn] and “óleiðingasamur” [intracta-
ble].158 Furthermore, since it was the feast of the nativity of Mary, every church
bell of the see was rung out for evensong but Kolbeinn and his men did not
hear. In the Stave Church Homily from the Icelandic Homily Book, church bells
are understood to allegorically represent the Christian teaching, calling people
to do good deeds. The failing of Kolbeinn and his men to hear the church bells
might have been taken as a symbol for their deafness towards the Christian
teaching and consequently their antagonistic position.159 Whether or not this

157 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 219.

158 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 218.
159 “Klukkur merkja kennimenn þá, er fagurt hljóð gjöra fyr Guði og mönnum í bænum sínum
og kenningum” [Bells denote those clerics who make sweet sound before God and men
in their prayers and teachings], íh, p. 150.“Klukkur merkja kenningar þær, er oss vekja til
góðar verka” [Bells denote the teachings which awake us to carry out good deeds.], íh,
p. 151. For discussion and more examples of the meaning of churchbells from medieval
Europe, see John H. Arnold and Caroline Goodson, Viator 43 (2012): 99-​130.
272 Chapter 4

was the way these events were understood and interpreted as they were taking
place is impossible to ascertain, but as shown, the discourses were there, ready
and accessible.
The dispute was not settled with the battle of Víðines and the descriptions of
the following events make it possible to move the discussion beyond the level
of the merely hypothetical. In the battle of Hólar, taking place in the spring of
1209, seven of the most powerful chieftains of the country had gathered large
forces to go against the bishop at Hólar where he resided with a much smaller
number of men. Having subdued the resistance of the bishops’ men, the chief-
tains removed the bishop from his see, ransacked it and executed a few of the
bishops’ followers. Illustrative of the religious heat underlying the motivations
of some of the participants in the struggle is the execution of a member of the
bishop’s team, a certain Sveinn Jónsson, the description of which deserves to
be quoted in full:

En er biskup var í brottu gengu þeir Arnór inn í kirkju með vopnum
og eggjuðu út þá er inni voru og þeir þóttust mestar sakir við eiga ella
kváðust þeir mundu sækja þá eða svelte þá í kirkjunni. Þá mælti Sveinn
Jónsson: “Gera má eg kost á út að ganga.” Þeir spurðu hver sá væri. “Ef
þér limið mig að höndum og fótum áður en þér hálshöggvið mig.” Og
þessu var honum játað. Gekk hann þá út og allir þeir því að þeir vildu
eigi að kirkjan saurgaðist af þeim eða blóði þeirra. Allir gengu slyppir
út. Var Sveinn þá limaður og söng meðan Ave María. Síðan rétti hann
hálsinn undir höggið og var allmjög lofuð hans hreysti sem guð hjálpi
honum.160
[When the bishop had gone, Arnór and his men went up to the church
with their weapons and urged those who were inside, and who they
thought had given them the most offense, to come out. Otherwise, they
said, they would attack them or starve them out in the church. Then
Svein Jónsson said: “I make one condition if I come out.” They asked what
that might be. “That you cut off my hands and feet before you strike of
my head.” This was granted him. He came out then, and all the others,
because they did not want the church to be defiled by them or their
blood; they all came out unarmed. Then Svein was dismembered and
throughout this he sang an Ave Maria. After that he stretched out his neck
for the blow; his courage was much praised.]

160 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 223. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga saga i, p. 144.
Rome Goes North 273

Nothing is known about Sveinn other than his participation in the two battles
between Bishop Guðmundr’s men and his opponents; first, at Víðines where
he is said to have made good use of a sword called Brynjubítr which had been
acquired by a certain Sigurðr the Greek (grikkr) in Constantinople, and then,
at Hólar after which he requested dying a martyr’s death.161 The episode clearly
reflects the religious elements inherent to the conflict. Sturla Þórðarson’s
depiction of the event in Íslendinga saga is characteristically unemotional. He
makes no mention of the religious motivation of Sveinn’s actions, stating only
that he was much admired for his actions. There can, however, be no doubt that
Sveinn’s request for being dismembered before his execution was supposed to
underline that his gruesome death should be understood as that of a martyr
and that he was fighting for God’s good cause. Singing Ave Maria while under-
going such torments would only have strengthened such an understanding.
Although Sveinn’s death is the only recorded case of such conduct in medieval
Iceland, it can well be interpreted as the radical manifestation of how fighting
for the bishop and the Church was being framed in general, at least within
the bishop’s camp. Alongside the apostles and other saints, martyrs and con-
fessors, about whom they had heard so much in sermons and other readings
of the Church’s religious writings, the bishop’s men were fighting against the
age-​old enemy of the Church.

4.3.3 Iceland’s Salvation

The discursive themes under analysis shine through in the only surviving evi-
dence for the involvement of the current archbishop of Niðarós in this conflict.
At that point, the crisis in the relationship between Church and the Icelandic
chieftains had never been worse. Two magnates, Arnór Tumason, Kolbeinn’s
brother, and Sigurðr Ormsson, had taken over Hólar episcopal seat and begun
collecting the bishop’s tithe as well as forcing priests to give their services in the
cathedral against the will of the bishop. Bishop Guðmundr, who had accepted
Snorri Sturluson’s offer of staying with him in Reykholt in Borgarfjörður in
the winter of 1210–​1211, had banned all clerics who had sung masses in the
cathedral while he himself carried out all his services in tents because no
church could be considered fit while the head church had not been cleaned
after the defilement it suffered in the battle at Hólar. In the grieving words
of Sturla Þórðarson, it was a state of “aumleg og hörmuleg kristni” [miserable
and sorrowful Christianity] as everybody behaved according to their own will

161 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, pp. 219, 223, and 246. For a discussion of the sword from
Constantinople, see Sverrir Jakobsson, Auðnaróðal, pp. 129–​134.
274 Chapter 4

and nobody was there to give guidance or speak the truth.162 In this state of
affairs, the seven chieftains who had gone against Bishop Guðmundr at Hólar
received a letter from the archbishop of Niðarós, who at that point was Þórir
Guðmundsson (r. 1206–​1214).163
The archbishop begins his letter by reminding the chieftains of who they are
dealing with, namely a representative of God. Citing Luke 10:16, he points out
that obedience to God’s representative equals obedience to God and contempt
towards them is contempt towards God. By reference to Psalm 45:17, he empha-
sizes the continuation of the Church’s teaching: “Þá kenning kennum vér er þeir
lærðu oss” [We teach the doctrine which they taught us]. On such grounds, he
finds himself compelled to speak out and reprimand the recipients of his letter,
both for their sake and his own since ultimately, he was responsible for their fate
if he fails to admonish them for their crimes.164 Archbishop Þórir then proceeds
to summarize what he has heard about the situation: Unlearned men have taken
the power to hold the bishop in contempt which he describes as “hörmulegur
grimmleikur og fátíður, guði og öllum guðs lögum gagnstaðlegur” [deplorable and
extraordinary cruelty, contrary to God and all God’s laws] for nobody is allowed to
judge a bishop except the pope and by extension he himself as the holder of the
archbishop’s office. The perpetrators have furthermore become guilty of commit-
ting crimes which only the pope can acquit: deposing the bishop, killing many
of his men and endangering the souls he is responsible for. Until that point, alh-
tough the archbishop seems to have sent other messages before, none of them has
shown any sign of remorse, which the archbishop blames on their “vansi trúar,
ofkapp og þrályndi þeirra er í illu þrályndast” [lack of belief, the stubbornness,
and the obduracy of those who obstinately persevere in their evil courses].165
Therefore, he sees no other way possible than to summon them to Niðarós, threat-
ening longstanding harm as prescribed by God (“til langra meina mun standa eftir
því sem guð kennir oss”) in case the chieftains choose to ignore his commands,
which cannot be interpreted otherwise.

Það bjóðum vér og undir hlýðni guði til þakka, heilagri kristni til frelsis,
syndum yðrum til lausnar og öllum landslýð til þurftar að þér sækið að
sumri á vorn fund en vér skulum alla stund á leggja að ósætt falli, sætt rísi,
sálur hjálpist og langær friður standi í þessu landi.166

162 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 224.

163 Ibid., pp. 225–​226. See also di i, pp. 355–​369.
164 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 226. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga saga i, p. 147.
165 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 226. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga saga i, p. 148.
166 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 226. Trans. McGrew, Sturlunga saga i, p. 148.
Rome Goes North 275

[In this we command you –​for the sake of the protection found in
obedience to God, the freedom found in [Holy Christianity], for the
remission of your sins, and as a benefit for the whole nation –​that you
come into our presence next summer, and we shall all strive as hard as we
can that harmony may grow and enmity may diminish, that souls may be
saved and enduring peace be established in this land.]

As this passage shows, which brings together many of the discursive themes
under analysis in this study, the urgengy of the letter is great. It is not only the
salvation of many souls which is at stake, but the welfare of the entire country.
And it is only through the Church and by heeding the bishops’ and archbish-
op’s words, that enduring peace and harmony will be established on the island.
Although it did not mark any clear watershed in the conflict, the signifi-
cance of the archbishop’s letter should not be underestimated.167 It was, after
all, written with an authority descending directly from the pope, a point which
the archbishop asks the Icelandic chieftains to bear in mind. As should be clear
by now, the letter makes distinct use of other significant discursive themes
explored above. He scolds them for their stubbornness and lack of faith and
threatens them with judgment of God. Finally, he promises the chieftains
peace if they heed his words. According to Íslendinga saga, the archbishop’s
letter calmed Arnór and the other chieftains (“kyrrast þeir Arnór við bréfin”).168
Guðmundr was allowed to return to his see and although it seems that he did
not assume full control of the seat’s properties, he remained there in peace
until 1214 when he went to Norway to meet with the archbishop. Those of the
chieftains who reacted to the archbishop’s letter, Arnór Tumason and Þorvaldr
Gizurarson, had already departed to Niðarós in 1213 but the outcome of that
meeting remains unclear. Scholars agree that after the battle of Hólar in 1209,
Guðmundr never possessed enough power and authority to advance the cause
of the Church’s liberty in any significant way.169

4.3.4 Conclusion: Framing Violence

The discussion above proposes a reading of the extant sources for the episco-
pacy of Guðmundr Arason as a rare example from the Icelandic Free State of
how religion can incite and legitimize the use of physical force and violence
in battle. As noted, scholars have often explained the heat of the conflict with

167 See for example commentary in di i, p. 360.

168 Sturlunga i, Íslendinga saga, p. 226.
169 Jón Jóhannesson, Íslendinga saga i, p. 245; Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland,
pp. 174 and 177; Sverrir Jakobsson, Auðnaróðal, pp. 128–​129.
276 Chapter 4

regard to Bishop Guðmundr’s aggressive character and obstinate frame of mind

which can certainly be shown to have played a role in the course of events. As
suggested above, however, the conflict between Guðmundr and the Northern
chieftains will not be sufficiently explained without reference to the religious
context in which it played out. Unfortunately, no contemporary records sur-
vive from Guðmundr himself or any of his supporters but from what can be
gathered from the surviving records, it looks as if the conflict was being carried
out within the discursive parameters outlined above. Already before he was
ordained by the archbishop of Niðarós, who had himself been heavily involved
in a no less violent conflict, Guðmundr was considered as a holy man during
his episcopacy –​a friend of God and his emissaries, fighting disobedient and
envious opponents. He had gathered around himself a staunch group of sup-
porters, some of whom were willing to suffer a martyr’s death for the cause.
The letter from Archbishop Þórir frames the conflict in the same discursive
terms. Surely, there is no lack of violent encounters between armed forces in
historical records from the Free State Era but only rarely they are motivated by
religion. Interestingly enough for the purposes of the present study, Christian
religious discourses seem to have played a significant role in the battle of
Víðines and other related conflicts when the interests of the local elite and the
Roman Church became irreconcilable.
 ­c hapter 5

Conclusion

As noted at the outset of this study, the history of the rise of Christianity and
the Church in the Icelandic Free State has been marked by a research paradigm
traditionally referred to with the phrase ‘Chieftain Church.’ This paradigm
assumes that the political elite in Iceland had all the say in matters relating to
the organization of the Christian Church. To all intents and purposes, it was
the Icelandic chieftains who ‘allowed’ the Christian religion to thrive in the
country as long as it benefited the interests of the ruling class. The latest pro-
ponent of this view, Orri Vésteinsson, has even gone as far as to conclude that
until the 13th century, the Church was not an actual church in the sense of an
organized institution with its own corporate identity but ‘simply one aspect
of life’ in the dealings of the Icelandic magnates.1 While it accepts the general
assumptions of this paradigm regarding the major role played by the Icelandic
magnates in the political sphere, this study has stressed that there were other
forces at play than the social, political, and economic interests of the chieftain
class, moving the attention towards the content of the Christian religion itself.
In more technical terms, it has sought to bring the social and political agency
of the Christian religion to the fore which has all too often been regarded as
closed off in the world of ecclesiastics. Central to its course of inquiry has been
to ask what this aspect of life entailed and how it became a part of the life of
medieval Icelanders.
Unlike most other studies of this period of Icelandic history, the vantage
point of this research project has been the extant source material for the
Christian religion as it manifested itself in 11th, 12th, and 13th century Iceland.
Most prominent among the preserved religious material and consequently
the most important sources for this study are texts in the Icelandic vernac-
ular, containing material of hagiographic and homiletic nature. The limited
degree to which these sources have been used for understanding the history
of the Church in Iceland is an interesting glitch in the historiography of the
period. They have mostly been the subject of research amongst literary schol-
ars and philologists who have not made strong efforts to think of the social
presence of the ideas found in these texts which, as stated, is an important goal
of this study.

1 Orri Vésteinsson, Christianization of Iceland, p. 4.

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2021 | DOI:10.1163/9789004449572_006

278 Chapter 5

An important premise for this study has been that these texts are essen-
tially communicative texts, in the sense that their content was not restricted
to a group of religious specialists, in this case the clerical caste, although they
were certainly most familiar with it and responsible for spreading it around
the country. In such light, it has proven fruitful to view these texts as sources
for ‘religious discourse’ and thus suggested that the hagiographic and sermonic
sources should not be seen in isolation from the society they belonged to but
as actively shaping it. Such discourse made itself heard and felt all around the
country, not only in the verbal interaction between priests and their flocks,
but also manifesting itself in the material world, in wood carvings, textile
ornamentation, and liturgical objects. In this way, it is made possible to take
the religious aspect of life in the Icelandic Free State seriously as a significant
part of the society and culture in which the Icelandic chieftains made their
decisions.
Acknowledging the fact that the Christian religion would never have taken
as firm a hold in Icelandic society without the support and acceptance of the
local aristocracy, this study has placed a great weight on the rise of the Church
in Iceland as a part of a broad and consistent expansion of a large-​scale insti-
tution, namely the Western Church with an administrative center in the papal
see in Rome. This has not only been done by explaining how the first Christian
institutions of the Church in Iceland grew and came to be incorporated into
the administrative hierarchy of the Roman Church nor through an emphasis
on the relations with higher ecclesiastical authorities like the archbishop-
rics of Lund and in particular that of Niðarós, although both points provide
important background material for the source analysis taking place. As stated,
the main field of inquiry has been the content of the Christian religion and
how it can be understood to have played a role in the social and political devel-
opments accompanying the growth of Christianity and the rise of the Church
as an institution. Its main objective of analysis has been those layers of the reli-
gious discourse which were defined at the beginning of this study as constitut-
ing the Church’s ‘ecclesiastical discourse’ because of its consistent references
to the Church as an insitutiton and a large-​scale organization extending itself
around the world, for example its offices, its institutional structures, means of
aedificiation, and retributive mechanisms. Thus, through the employment of
the so-​called ‘imperial framework,’ it has highlighted the structures of domi-
nation and subordination incorporated in these discourses as it has striven to
show how the Church as an international institution was present in Icelandic
society from its earliest phase.
Priests of differing standing –​ranging from ordained chieftains to servile
priests –​whose primary concern was either their own success in the political
Conclusion 279

affairs of the day or that of their overlord, were using and diffusing religious dis-
courses which might at first look as if they were exclusively preoccupied with
the divine, but were in actuality bolstering the authority of a distant power
center, establishing friends and foes of the Church and dealing out reward and
punishment accordingly. Although it stands to reason that the Icelandic upper
class shaped the Church according to their own needs and interests, they were
at the same time internalizing and reproducing the ecclesiastical discourse
and thereby corroborating the power structures which would come to override
their own authority and, eventually, remove control of the Church from their
hands. Such a development is reminiscent of how large-​scale empires from all
periods in history gradually infiltrate the elites –​the so-​called interpretative
elites –​at the margins of their dominions with what has been termed imperial
discourses which, in turn made it easier for them to maintain control over their
territories. Of course, one should not take such a comparison too far, but the
similarities are unmistakable.
It was of course never a question whether the Icelandic chieftains would
make use of such discourse. By accepting the Christian religion, one accepts its
religious discourses. The earliest churches in Iceland were dedicated to apos-
tles and other saints. In some cases they may have contained powerful images
of these figures and as time passed, many would be in the possession of reli-
gious texts telling of their deeds and martyrdoms. In the beginning, such imag-
ery and accounts certainly contributed to the authority of the owners of the
churches, but ultimately, the force of these discourses would not support their
local interests. As time passed, and the Church as an institution made claims
to more power and influence in the Icelandic religious landscape, it linked
directly into the very same discourses that the local churchlords had used to
build up their church order in the 11th and early 12th centuries. As shown in the
synthetic discussion of the fourth chapter of this book, this is visible from the
earliest intervention by a non-​Icelandic ecclesiastical authority, that is, the first
letters stemming from the archbishop in Niðarós. By exploring such moments
and others in the history of the Church in the Free State, it has been shown
how the ecclesiastical discourse, already present in the church of the Icelandic
chieftains, came to be consistenly used against them as the Roman Church
strenghtened its position still further as the sole power in the religious land-
scape at the margins of its rule.
 Appendix

Manuscript Sources

What follows is a chronologically arranged list of the manuscript corpus of this study
with a short content description of each. In several cases, the manuscripts contain the
same text. As noted, they represent a very limited portion of the texts that actually
existed, even though there is no way to establish how much it actually was. It can be
safely assumed, however, that the corpus under inspection provides this research with
a sample illustrative of Christian religious discourse diffused during the first centuries
of Christianity in Iceland.1

am 237 a fol.
Considered among the very oldest Icelandic manuscripts (dated to 1140–​1160), am
237 fol contains fragments of two homilies. One of them is the widely discussed “Stave-​
Church Homily” or “Dedication Homily,” an allegorical interpretation of the church
building. The other one has been identified as a translation of Pope Gregory’s Homilia
in Evangelia 34 on Michael and all angels. Full versions of these sermons are found
both in the Icelandic Homily Book (Stock. Perg. 15 4to) and the Norwegian Homily Book
(am 619 4to). The manuscript is written with a Carolingian script, in two columns, with

1 The dating of several of the earliest Old Icelandic manuscripts, of which a large part sur-
vives only in fragments, rests on the work of the Danish philologist Kristian Kålund who
edited a catalogue of the entire Arnamagnæan collection (Árni Magnússonʼs collection
of Icelandic manuscripts), published in 1888–​1894. Katalog over Den Arnamagnæanske
Håndskriftsamling, 2. vols (Copenhagen, 1888–​1894). Most manuscripts have been revis-
ited by later scholars but often only to confirm Kålundʼs dating or give a more precise
dating within a broader time frame provided by him. Rarely does the discrepancy exceed
more than a few decades. Philologist Stefán Karlsson was one of the most productive
scholars in such endeavors. For a complete list of his publications,, see “Ritaskrá” in Gripla
xvii (2006), 208–​215. Other important works on the dating of Icelandic manuscript from
the period are Hreinn Benediktsson’s Early Icelandic Script and -​admittedly rather dated
but still cited in scholarly discussion -​Konráð Gíslason’s Um frumparta íslenzkrar tungu
í fornöld (Copenhagen, 1846). A comprehensive overview of manuscripts, their dating
and relevant scholarly discussion can be found on the website of the “Dictionary of
Old Norse Prose,” a dictionary project run by the Department of Scandinavian Research
at the University of Copenhagen. Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog. For the date of
manuscripts outside the Arnamagnæan collection, Kirsten Wolf’s handbook has been
consulted. Kirsten Wolf, The Legends of the Saints in Old Norse-​Icelandic Prose, tonis
(Toronto, 2013).

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2021 | DOI:10.1163/9789004449572_007

282 Appendix

a heading and an initial in red ink. It is believed to have been a part of a considerably
large homiliary.2

am 655 ix 4to
Fragment am 655 ix 4to3 counts three sheets with hagiographic material, parts of the
vitae of the apostle Matthew and the saints Blaise (Blasius) and Placidus (later called
Eustace). It is the oldest fragment from a compound of 32 manuscript fragments (count-
ing fragments no. xii–​x iii as one) with the shelfmark am 655 4to, many of which remain
the oldest within the corpus of religious documents and will therefore figure prominently
in this list. Palaeographic and orthographical investigations of this particular fragment
suggests that it was written by a Norwegian but the relationship to other manuscripts
indicates that the scribe was probably located in Iceland at the time.4 It is one of the
earliest preserved manuscript of the Arnamagnæan corpus (dated to the period between
1150–​1199) and is believed to be the oldest preserved fragment written by a Norwegian.5

am 655 iii 4to

Fragment iii contains two sheets with the saga of Nicholas, bishop of Myra.6
Nicholas was popular in medieval Iceland and stories about him were translated into
Old Icelandic at least as early as 1200 when the manuscript fragment am 655 iii 4to
was composed (1175–​1225).7 It counts three sheets with miracles, the account of the
translatio of Nicholas’ bones and a conclusion where Nicholas is praised.

am 655 vii and vii 4to

These two fragments, two sheets each, contain the earliest manuscript fragments
of an Icelandic world chronicle (Weltchronik), called Veraldar saga by its late 19th
century editor, Konráð Gíslason.8 The two manuscript fragments both contain the

2 See David McDougall, “Homilies (West Norse)” in Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia, ed.
Phillip Pulsiano (New York, 1993), p. 290.
3 Edited in Unger, hms i, pp. 269–​271; Unger hms ii, pp. 207–​209; Post, pp. 823–​825. Plácíduss
saga also in Plácidus saga: With an Edition of Plácitus drápa by Jonna Louis-​Jensen, ed. John
Tucker (Copenhagen: Reitzel, 1998). Mattheuss saga also in Mattheus saga postula, ed. Ólafur
Halldórsson (Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi, 1994).
4 Ólafur Halldórsson, “Inngangur,” p. lxvi.
5 Ibid., p. lxiv.
6 Edited in Gustav Morgenstern, Arnamagnæanische Fragmente (Cod. AM. 655 4to III-​VIII, 238
fol. II, 921 4to IV 1.2: Ein Supplement zu den Heilagra manna sögur nach den Handschriften
(Leipzig, 1893), pp. 1–​7.
7 Sverrir Tómasson, “Bergur Sokkason og íslenskar Nikulás sögur,” in Tækileg vitni: Greinar um
bókmenntir, ed. Guðvarður Már Gunnlaugsson (Reykjavík, 2011), p. 323. See also Turville-​
Petre, Origins of Icelandic Literature, p. 133.
8 The fragments are printed separately in Morgenstern, Arnamagnæanische Fragmente,
pp. 35–​44.
Manuscript Sources 283

text of one of two versions preserved in medieval manuscripts, the B-​version which
is richer in allegorical interpretations than is the A-​version.9 The text ends by telling
of the emperors of the German empire, ending with Frederick i (“En nv er Fridrekr”
[But now is Frederick]) who died in 1190, so the text must have been written before
that date. Many scholars look to Skálholt episcopal seat as a place for the text’s
composition and even speculated about the chieftain Gizurr Hallsson as the text’s
author .10

am 673 a i and ii 4to

The two manuscripts grouped together under the siglum am 673 a 4to, 11 sheets
in total, contain primarily allegorical material. Most of the scholarly discussion has
been concerned with a translation of an illustrated bestiary called Physiologus occu-
pying the greater part (7 of the total 11).11 Originally composed in the 4th century, the
Physiologus had become a widely used school-​text in 12th century Western Europe and
would retain that position throughout the Middle Ages.12 The manuscript contains the
moral or allegorical interpretation of animals or other creatures, some of which are
bordering on the supernatural.13 The two last sheets contain what appears to be parts
of sermons but would, according to Thomas N. Hall, “be more accurately described as
allegorical exempla.”14 The first one is a ship-​allegory but the other is a piece from an
allegorical sermon on the rainbow. Both of these sermon fragments have been recently
edited by Carla Cucina.15

am 655 ii 4to
A manuscript fragment consisting of 4 sheets.16 It was dated by Unger and Kålund
to the beginning of the 13th century.17 The fragment contains part of the legend of a
certain general named Romaldus to whom the virgin Mary appears along with the
saints Agatha and Thecla.

9 íb i, p. 403.
10 íb i, pp. 405–​406.
11 For a detailed description of the codex see Cucina, “Rainbow Allegory,” pp. 63–​67.
12 Willene B. Clark, A Medieval Book of Beasts: The Second-​Family Bestiary. Commentary, Art,
Text and Translation (Woodbridge, 2006), p. 9.
13 Sheet 2, which shows only illustrations and no text, has been identified as an icono-
graphic cycle based on Isidore’s Etymologies, a chapter on Portents (De Portentis). See
Cucina, “Rainbow Allegory,” p. 65.
14 Thomas N. Hall, “Old Norse-​Icelandic Sermons,” p. 694.
15 Carla Cucina, “En kjǫlrinn jarteinir trú rétta. Incidenza di tropi classici e cristiani sulle
tradizioni anglosassone e scandinava.” Rivista Italiana di Linguistica e di Dialettologia xii
(2010), 25–​93. Semi-​diplomatic edition on pp. 53–​56. Cucina, “Rainbow Allegory”. Semi-​
diplomatic edition on pp. 69–​74.
16 Printed in Mariu saga, pp. xxxii-​x xxviii.
17 Unger, Mariu saga, p. xxxiv; Kålund, Katalog ii, p. 58.
284 Appendix

am 655 iv 4to
Two sheets of a defect manuscript containing the vita of Pope Silvester. Dated
by Kålund to the first quarter of the 13th century.18 Stefán Karlsson has argued that
Silvesters saga was used by the author of Veraldar saga which was composed as early
as 1138–​1152.19

am 655 v 4to
Another two sheets dating to the first quarter of the 13th century containing parts
of a life of Silvester and a portion from the saga of Erasmus of Antioch or Elmo as he is
sometimes called.20 There is not much evidence for the veneration of Erasmus who is
only mentioned in one Icelandic calendar, in am 249 l fol., dating to 1175–​1200.21

am 686 b 4to
Five leaves dating to the early 13th century containing homilies on the annunciation
to the virgin Mary, the nativity of Mary, and the resurrection.22 The Icelandic Homily
Book preserves all these homilies entirely.

am 686 c 4to
One leaf, dated to around 1200–​1225, containing a sermon on the resurrection based
on Gregory’s 25th Homilia in Evangelia.23

am 655 vi 4to
The fragment consists of two leaves dating to the beginning of the 13th century
containing part of the life of Basil of Caesarea.24 Two of these leaves are so defect
that they could not be edited. There exists one leaf (Lbs fragm 74) from a thirteenth
century Latin version of Vita Basilii, written by an Icelandic scribe in the 13th century,
but since the Latin and Icelandic versions do not contain the same parts of the vita it

18 Printed in Morgenstern, Arnamagnæanische Fragmente, pp. 14–​24 and in hms ii,

pp. 281–​286.
19 Stefán Karlsson, “Inventio Crucis, cap 1, og Veraldar saga.” In Opuscula Septentrionalia:
Festskrift til Ole Widding 10.10.1977 (Copenhagen, 1977), pp. 127–​130.
20 Printed in Morgenstern, Arnamagnæanische Fragmente, pp. 14–​24. Sheet 2v also printed
in hms ii, pp. 280–​281; the fragment from Erasmus saga printed in hms i, pp. 363–​368.
21 Cormack, Saints in Iceland, p. 38. For the dating of am 249 l fol. See Kålund, Katalog i,
p. 230.
22 The fragment is printed in Leifar, pp. 175–​179.
23 Printed in Konráð Gíslason, Um frum-​parta, pp. c-​ciii.
24 Printed in Morgenstern, Arnamagnæanische Fragmente, pp. 14–​24. Immediately follow-
ing am 655 vi 4to in Morgenstern’s edition is am 238 ii fol., which also contains fragments
of the the vita of Basil. A facsimile and an edition of leave 2r of am 655 vi 4to is also found
in Hreinn Benediktsson’s Early Icelandic Script, plate 21 and p. xvi.
Manuscript Sources 285

is impossible to establish whether that particular manuscript served as a source for

the Icelandic translation.25 Basil was, in all probability, not venerated as a patron saint
at any Icelandic church or monastery despite vague hints in later church registers.26

am 655 xix 4to

These two leaves, dated to the first half of the 13th century, contain a fragment of
one of the best-​known Marian miracles, the legend of Theophilus.27

am 645 4to
am 645 4to is the oldest preserved Icelandic collection of saints’ lives, dating to
the first half of the thirteenth century. The manuscript consists in fact of two sepa-
rate codices: Codex i being older and numbering 42 sheets and Codex ii, dated a little
later counting 24 sheets. Codex i contains the sagas of Clement, James the Greater,
Matthew, in part the sagas of Bartholomew, Peter, and Andrew and a large part of
a text recounting the miracles of Bishop Þorlákr. In Codex ii one can find parts of
Andrew’s saga, complete versions of the sagas of Paul and Martin of Tours and a text
called Niðrstigningar saga (an Icelandic version of Descensus Christi ad Inferos). The
19th century philologist Ludvig Larsson suggested a date between 1225–​1250 but in her
introduction to the facsimile edition of the manuscript, Anne Holtsmark argued for
an earlier dating. Concerning the texts in both codices, Anne Holtsmark states that
“all the texts are copies, many of them at second or third hand.”28 On grounds of her
palaeographical analysis, she suggests that the older codex was written by a single
scribe while the younger is believed to exhibit at least three hands. She furthermore
argues, as suggested by Ludvig Larsson, that the manuscript shows affinities with the
Icelandic Homily Book, both of which belong to “a group of manuscript which we may
call the school of The First Grammatical Treatise,” that is to say that they know and to
an extent follow, albeit not very stringently, the rules set forth by the first grammar-
ian.29 On grounds of the content of the miracle book of Þorlákr, contained in Codex
i, it has been suggested that the manuscript was composed at the episcopal seat of
Skálholt. The text seems to be modelled after the original version collected by Þorlákr’s
successor, Páll Jónsson, to support the formal institution of a mass for Þorlákr which,
according to annals, took place in 1199. All of the miracles described in this collection

25 The Latin version shows strong resemblance to a so-​called “17-​chapter version” of

Euphemius’ ninth-​ century translation of a Greek version attributed to Pseudo-​
Amphilochios. Peter Jorgensen, “The Life of St. Basil in Iceland,” Gripla 26 (2015), 58.
26 Cormack, Saints in Iceland, p. 76.
27 The fragment is printed in the introduction in Unger, Mariu saga, pp. xxxi–​x xxii.
28 Anne Holtsmark, “Introduction,” in A Book of Miracles: MS No. 645 4to of the Arna-​
Magnæan Collection in the University Library of Copenhagen (Copenhagen, 1938), p. 11.
29 Holtsmark, “Introduction,” p. 10.
286 Appendix

take place in Iceland’s southern part and most of them in the immediate vicinity of
Skálholt. Hreinn Benediktsson dated codex i to around 1220 and codex ii to the second
quarter of the 13th century.

Stock. Perg. 15 4to. The Icelandic Homily Book

The manuscript Stock. Perg. 15 4to, is doubtless the most important source for how
the Christian message was mediated in Iceland during Christianity’s early stages and
has been the subject of a thorough discussion earlier in this study.30 The manuscript
is usually dated to around 1200. Amounting to a total number of 102 sheets which con-
tain 62 texts or fragments of texts, it remains by far the largest manuscript containing
religious material dating to the formative years of the Church in Iceland. The largest
part of the text it contains are sermons.

am 677 4to,
am 677 4to counts 41 leaves and has been dated to the early 13th century.31 The con-
tent of the manuscript is predominated by Pope Gregory the Great. 17 leaves contain
10 of Gregory’s 40 Homilliae in Evangelia, while the other 12 contain parts of Gregory’s
Dialogi. The remaining seven leaves contain primarily Prosper’s epigrams and a small
fragment of De xii abusivis saeculi. Given Gregory’s enormous popularity in the middle
ages, his early literary presence in Iceland is of no surprise.32

30 See discussion in section 2.2.2.3 above.

31 In his Katalog, Kålund dated the manuscript to c. 1200 and in both Hreinn Benediktsson,
Early Icelandic Script, ii and in the manuscript register to the Ordbog over det norrøne
prosasprog (Copenhagen, 1989), p. 46 it is dated to the first quarter of the 13th century.
For a recent critical edition of the manuscript see am 677 4°. Four Early Translations of
Theological Texts: Gregory the Great’s Gospel Homilies, Gregory the Great’s Dialogues,
Prosper’s Epigrams, De xii Abusivis Saeculi, Rit 100, ed. Andrea de Leeuw van Weenen
(Reykjavík, 2018).
32 There is evidence that several of Gregory’s works existed in Iceland during the middle
ages. In addition to the two works already mentioned, the Homiliae in Evangelia and the
Dialogi, inventories of monasteries show the possession of Regula pastoralis, Homiliae
in Hiezechihelem, Moralia in Job, and Expositio in Canticis canticorum. It is not, however,
known how many, if any, of these were translated into Old Icelandic nor is it known
when the monasteries came into the possession of them. Of these four writings, the only
preserved fragments are written in Latin. Régis Boyer, “The Influence of Pope Gregory’s
Dialogues on Old Icelandic Literature,” in Proceedings of the First International Saga
Conference, eds. Peter Foote, Hermann Pálsson, and Desmond Slay (London, 1973), p. 2;
Kirsten Wolf, “Gregoryʼs Influence on Old Norse-​Icelandic Religious Literature,” in Rome
and the North: The Early Reception of Gregory the Great in Germanic Europe, Mediaevalia
Groningiana New Series 4, eds. Rolf H. Bremmer Jr., Kees Dekker and David F. Johnson
(Paris, 2001), pp. 266–​269.
Manuscript Sources 287

am 652/​630 4to
am 652 4to has been variously dated by scholars from the middle to the end of
the 13th century.33 The manuscript is defect but is preserved in full in the 17th cen-
tury copy am 630 4to.34 In what follows it will be referred to as am 652/​630 4to. The
defect am 652 4to contains fragments of the lives of the apostle John, James the
Greater, Bartholomew, Andrew, and Matthew but am 630 4to contains these same
texts in addition to the lives of the apostles Peter, Philip and James the Less, Simon
and Jude, Thomas, and Matthias. Not much is known about the origin of am 652 4to.
The 17th century copy was made by Steindór Ormsson (1626–​1700) who, according
to a note by Árni Magnússon attached to the manuscript, copied it after a book
owned by Sigmundur Guðmundsson from Seljaland in Skutulsfjörður in Iceland’s
northwestern part. The name Sigmundur Guðmundsson, as well as the names of
his children Halldór and Sigríður, appear on the margins of am 652 4to which indi-
cates that am 630 4to was copied directly after that particular book. Nothing else is
known about Sigmundur or his children other than the affiliation with Seljaland in
Skutulsfjörður.

am 696 xxiv 4to

Two leaves, dated to the early 13th century, with a fragmentary exegetical treatise on
two of the Penitential Psalms, number 32 and 38.35

am 655 xxi 4to

am 655 xxi 4to, dated to the first half of the 13th century, has been described by
Hans Bekker-​Nielsen as a homiletic handbook.36 The manuscript consists of six sheets
containing lections to be read at the feasts of Gregory the Great, Cuthbert, Benedict as
well as the ending of a homily centering on Jesus’s saying on a kingdom divided against
itself (Mark 3:24, Matt. 12:22–​28).

am 655 xvii 4to

Three leaves, dating to the mid 13th century, from the Saga of Paul (ii), a vita of the
apostle Paul, based on the Historia Actuum Apostolorum, attributed to Peter of Poitiers,

33 Both Kristian Kålund and Hreinn Benediktsson dated it to the second half of the 13th cen-
tury. Unger to the end of the 13th century but most recently Ólafur Halldórsson dates it to
not many decades older than 1270. On such grounds, Roughton is comfortable with dating
it to “the middle of the thirteenth century.” Roughton i, 3. See also his article, “Stylistics
and Sources of the Postola sögur in am 645 4to and am 652 4to”, Gripla xvi (2005), 7.
34 A modern edition of the complete manuscript is only available in Unger’s Postola sogur.
35 Unpublished.
36 Published in Leifar, pp. 167–​172.
288 Appendix

a commentary on Paul’s epistles and Pauline hagiography.37 An entire version of the

text is preserved in Codex Scardensis.38

am 655 xxiii 4to

A single leaf, dating to the second quarter of the 13th century, from what might have
been, like Kålund originally suggested, a homily on the fourth penitential psalm, Psalm
50.39 As James W. Marchand has argued, the manuscript might more aptly be described
as a commentary speculating further about the existence of an extensive commentary
on the Psalter in Icelandic at the time.40 On the basis of notes accompanying the man-
uscript, it is likely that it was written in Önundarfjörður in Northwestern Iceland. The
verso side of the leave, which remains unpublished, contains a prayer in Latin.

am 655 i 4to
A single leaf containing a fragment of a homily on the efficacy of baptism, dated to the
second quarter of the 13th century.41 The leaf had been used as a cover for a book, owned
by Þórður Jónsson (1609–​1670), a pastor in Hítardalur in Mýrar, and later by Guðmundur
Þorleifsson (1658–​1720) from whom Árni Magnússon acquired the fragment.

am 655 xv 4to
One leaf containing a part of the Saga of Benedict. Originally dated to the thirteenth
century but Hreinn Benediktsson suggested a more specific date of the latter half of
the 13th century.42

am 655 xxvii
am 655 xxvii 4to was written by an Icelander in the latter half of the 13th century.43
Consisting of 14 sheets (12 intact and 2 defect), the manuscript is by far the largest

37 Wolf, Legends of the Saints, 304. Kålund dated the fragment to the 13th century but Birgit
Christensen later dated to the middle of the thirteenth century. For a more detailed dis-
cussion of the sources of this version see Collings, Codex Scardensis, pp. 31–​52.
38 Edition of am 655 4to xvii in Post, pp. 266-​263, 271–​274, and 276–​278.
39 Hreinn Benediktsson, Early Icelandic Script, p. xxv. The fragment of the text was published
by Konráð Gíslason in Um frum-​parta, pp. lxxxii-​lxxxii and again with an English transla-
tion by James W. Marchand, “An Old Norse Fragment of a Psalm Commentary,” Maal og
minne (1976), 25–​26.
40 Marchand, “An Old Norse Fragment,” pp. 25–​28.
41 Edited in Konráð Gíslason, Um frum-​parta, lxvii-​lxix. Regarding the dating of the man-
uscript, see Gustav Lindblad, Det isländska accenttecknet: En historisk-​ortografisk studie
(Lund, 1952), p. 92.
42 Hreinn Benediktsson, Early Icelandic Script, p. xliv.
43 The manuscript has not been published in its entirety. An edition of the complete man-
uscript with a detailed introduction can be found in Hallgrímur Ámundason’s ba thesis.
Manuscript Sources 289

of the manuscript compound am 655 4to. It contains 11 texts or fragments of texts

containing theological and homiletic material: An enumeration of Christian virtues,
Mariological texts which have been shown to be related to Kygri-​Björn Hjaltason’s
Maríu saga, a translation of the Gospel of Nicodemus (the story of Joseph of Arimathea
in prison), homily on Peter and Paul, the ending of a homily on All Saints Day, homily
on the importance of crying, and a homily on the annunciation. As summarized by
Stephen Pelle, most of the texts in the manuscripts “are either homilies or could easily
be adapted for preaching.”44

am 655 xxviii a 4to

The fragment contains parts of the vitae of Ambrose and Clement.45 Dated to
the first half of the thirteenth century by Unger and to the second half by Hreinn
Benediktsson and later by Hofmann.46 The version of the saga of Ambrose is a transla-
tion of bhl 377.47 The translation of the saga of Clement is a copy of the same transla-
tion of the version of the saga that is preserved in its entirety in am 645 4to.48

am 655 x 4to
Two badly damaged leaves, written in the third quarter of the 13th century, contain-
ing the end of the vita of Maurice and the beginning of the vita of Placidus (Eustace).49

Hallgrímur Ámundason, “AM 655 XXVII 4to: Útgáfa, stafagerð, stafsetning” (B.A. thesis,
University of Iceland, 1994). More recently, parts of the manuscript have been studied
and published, see Pelle, “Twelfth-​Century Sources,” pp. 45–​75 and Dario Bullitta, “Story
of Joseph,” pp. 47–​74. On the dating and provenance of the manuscript, see Hallgrímur
Ámundason, “AM 655 XXVII 4to,” p. 26. Hreinn Benediktsson also included the manuscript
in his Early Icelandic Script while Ole Widding had earlier assessed it of Norwegian origin.
Ole Widding, “Håndskriftanalyser,” Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana 1; Opuscula ii (1961), 69.
Ámundason’s findings have not been disputed by recent treatments of the manuscript, cf.
Pelle, “Twelfth-​Century Sources,” p. 51 and Bullitta, “Story of Joseph,” p. 51.
44 Pelle, “Twelfth-​Century Sources,” p. 52.
45 The fragment of the saga of Ambrose is printed in hms i, pp. 52–​54 and the fragment of
Clement is printed in Dietrich Hofmann, Die Legende von Sankt Clemens in den skandina-
vischen Länder im Mittelalter (Frankfurt a. M., 1997), pp. 277–​282.
46 hms i, p. ix; Hreinn Benediktsson, Early Icelandic Script, pp. xlviii-​xlix; Hofmann, Legende
von Sankt Clemens, p. 112.
47 Wolf, Legends of the Saints, p. 24.
48 Hofmann, Legende von Sankt Clemens, p. 112.
49 For dating see John Tucker, “Scribal Hands in AM 655 4to X,” Opuscula 6 (1979), 124–​125.
The manuscript has undergone three palaeographic studies, with Ole Widding and
Hreinn Benediktsson coming to the same conclusion of the manuscript having been writ-
ten by two scribes. Widding, “Håndskriftanalyser,” p. 84–​85; Hreinn Benediktsson, “Tvö
handritsbrot,” Íslenzk tunga 5 (1964), 142–​144. The entire fragment is printed in hms i,
pp. 656–​658 and hms ii, pp. 204–​207.
290 Appendix

The manuscript is in all probability a copy but not after the version preserved in am
655 ix 4to.50 While the cult of Placidus has been studied relatively thoroughly, less can
be found about Maurice, the martyr leader of the Theban legion.51

am 655 xiv 4to

The fragment consists of two leaves, both dating to the third quarter of the 13th
century.52 The first leaf contains the vita of the apostle John and the second a part
from the legend of how the relics of Stephen protomartyr were discovered, the Inventio
S. Stephani. The text of John’s vita is an abridged version of the text which is preserved
in am 652/​630 4to.53 The text of Stephen’s vita is a sermonic text, related to the version
of the sermon on Stephen found in the Icelandic Homily Book as well as am 655 xxii
4to and might stem from copies of the same original translation.54 The manuscript
bears the mark of having been written in a scribal context under Norwegian influ-
ence, and might have been written by the same scribe as am 655 xii-​x iii 4to and am
310 4to.55

am 655 xxii 4to

Two leaves (late 13th century), like am 655 xiv 4to, from the Inventio of Stephen pro-
tomartyr, somewhat fuller than the version in am 655 xiv 4to but, as noted, ultimately
derived from the same translation.56

am 655 xvi 4to

Four leaves dating to the late 13th century containing parts of the sagas of apostles Peter
and Paul. Text also found in am 645 4to.

50 Tucker, “Introduction,” p. xxx.

51 First and foremost in the introduction to Plácidus saga. For an introduction to the martyr
Maurice, see Bengt Ingmar Kilström, “Martyrer, 10.000” in KLNM xi, cols. 477–​478.
52 For dating, see Ole Widding, “Et fragment af Stephanus saga (am 655, 4° xiv B), tekst og
kommentar,” Acta Philologica Scandinavica 21 (1952), 163–​164. Widding’s article contains
the only available edition of the manuscript to date.
53 Simonetta Battista, “Old Norse Hagiography and the Question of the Latin Sources,” in
Scandinavia and Christian Europe in the Middle Ages: Papers of the 12th International
Saga Conference Bonn/​Germany, 28th July-​2nd August 2003, eds. Rudolf Simek and Judith
Meurer (Bonn, 2003), p. 28. This text of the vita of John remains unpublished.
54 Widding, “Et fragment af Stephanus saga,” p. 171.
55 Stefán Karlsson, “Om norvagismer i islandske håndskrifter,” in Stafkrókar, ed. Guðvarður
Már Gunnlaugsson (Reykjavík, 1992), p. 181.
56 For dating, Kålund, Katalog ii, p. 64; Wolf, Legends of the Saints, p. 338. The fragment
remains unedited but corresponds to the following parts of hms ii, pp. 302 (line 24) 303
(line 2); 303 (line 11) 304 (line 2); 305 (line 33) –​306 (line 26); 307 (lines 8–​34). Marianne
E. Kalinke, “Stefanus saga in Reykjahólabók,” Gripla ix (1995), 133.
Manuscript Sources 291

am 655 xxxiii 4to

The manuscript fragment was dated to the second half of the 13th century by Hreinn
Benediktsson. It consists of two sheets and contains short segments from a text on the
Forty Armenian Martyrs (Latin title: Passio quadraginta militum; Icelelandic title: xl rid-
dara saga) and the saga of Mary of Egypt.57 Hreinn Benediktsson has suggested that the
fragment originally belonged to the same codex as am 655 x 4to.58

am 655 xviii 4to

A single leaf from a homily on All Saints which is found complete in the Icelandic
Homily Book. It has been dated to the second half of the 13th century. Based on paleo-
graphic similarities, both Konráð Gíslason and later Hreinn Benediktsson have speculated
whether it might originally have belonged to the same manuscript as am 655 xxviii.59

am 655 xii-​x iii 4to

Originally counted as two fragments, the fragment xii-​x iii counts six leaves with
fragments from five different vitae of apostles: Peter, James the Greater, Bartholomew,
Matthew, and a joint account of apostles Simon and Jude.60 The saga of Peter is an
abbreviated version of the version found in am 652/​630 4to.61 The saga of James is an
independent translation of the same source as the one found in am 645 4to and am
652/​630 4to.62 The saga of Matthew is the same as the one found in am 655 ix 4to,
am 645 4to, am 652/​630 4to. The sagas of Bartholomew and Simon and Jude are inde-
pendent translations.63 The fragment has been dated to the third quarter of the 13th
century.64 It has been the subject of palaeographic and phonetic debate concerning
Norwegian influence on the Icelandic language but it has been argued that the frag-
ment was written by an Icelandic scribe in a scribal context under strong Norwegian
influence. According to notes accompanying the manuscript, it was originally a part

57 The text on the Forty Armenian Martyrs was published by Unger in hms 2, pp. 219–​221;
the part of the Life of Mary of Egypt has not been published in full but only as variations
to a younger version of the text, also in Unger, hms 1, pp. 495, 504–​505, and 506–​507.
58 Hreinn Benediktsson, “Tvö handritsbrot,” pp. 147–​148.
59 The manuscript has been edited by Hallgrímur Ámundason in his ba-​thesis. Hallgrímur
Ámundason, “AM 655 XXVII 4to,” pp. 1–​3. Also in Konráð Gíslason, Um frum-​parta, pp.
lxxviii-​lxxxi. The homily in its entirety can be found in íh, pp. 56–​64. A similar but abbre-
viated version is also preserved in the Norwegian Homily Book. For dating, Kålund, Katalog
ii, p. 63.
60 The text of the manuscript is printed in Post, pp. 211–​216 (Peter), 529–​533 (James), 762–​
766 (Bartholomew), 791–​797 (Simon and Jude), and 834–​841 (Matthew).
61 Wolf, Legends of the Saints, p. 310.
62 Ibid., p. 156.
63 Wolf, Legends of the Saints, pp. 54 and 335.
64 Widding, “Et fragment af Stephanus saga,” 164; Stefán Karlsson, “Om norvagismer,” p. 182.
292 Appendix

of a codex named Höskuldsstaðabók which belonged to the church at Höskuldsstaðir

in Húnavatnssýsla, not far from the Benedictine monastery at Þingeyrar which Stefán
Karlsson suggested as the manuscript’s writing place.65 There were Norwegian bishops
both in Skálholt and Hólar from 1238 into the 1260s.

am 240 fol. xi; nra 78

The earliest fragments of a vita of the virgin Mary, both dating to the second half
of the 13th century. On the basis on a short clause at the end of the mid-​14th century
Guðmundar saga written by the monk Arngrímr Brandsson, Maríu saga was composed
by a cleric named Kygri-​Björn Hjaltason. The relatively scarce information available on
Kygri-​Björn depict him as a distinguished cleric who had travelled much abroad and
was probably present at the Lateran Council of 1215.66 The Icelandic version of the vita
has been described as unique on grounds of its wide range of source material, both
hagiographic as well as exegetical patristic works, and how it weaves its theological
commentary into the narrative.67 The identified sources for the work are the canonical
gospels of Matthew and Luke, the Gospel of Pseudo-​Matthew, the Trinubium Annae,
books 16 and 17 of Josephus’ Antiquitates, patristic works by Augustine, Jerome, John
Chrysostom, and Gregory the Great.68

am 238 xxviii fol.

Consisting only of a single leaf, this manuscript fragment has been dated to the last
quarter of the 13th century.69 It has also been argued that it might have been written by
a Norwegian located in Iceland, perhaps a cleric accompanying one of the Norwegian
bishops sitting in Skálholt and Hólar around the mid-​13th century.70 It contains a vivid
description of the tortures of hell and the joys of heaven which originally was part of a
writing on the martyr Sebastian, Acta Sebastiani. The text is a part of speech given by
the martyr Sebastian found in the Acta Sebastiani, a translation of which is found in

65 Karlsson’s reasoning was partly based on the writing location but also on the palaeo-
graphic and orthographic similarities to the manuscript am 279 a 4to which was defi-
nitely written at Þingeyrar as well on his findings that am 655 xii–​x iii 4to was written
by the same Icelandic scribe as the manuscripts am 655 xiv 4to and am 310 4to. am 310
4to contains a copy of the Icelandic version of Ólafs saga by Oddr Snorrason, monk at
Þingeyrar. Stefán Karlsson, “Om norvagismer,” p. 182.
66 Gabrielle Turville-​Petre, Nine Norse Studies (London, 1972), p. 106.
67 Wilhelm Heizmann, “Maríu saga,” in Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia, p. 408.
68 Ibid.
69 Stefán Karlsson, “Om himmel og helvede på gammelnorsk: AM 238 XXVIII fol,” in Festskrift
til Ludvig Holm-​Olsen på hans 70-​årsdag den 9. Juni 1984 (Øvre Ervik, 1984), p. 193.
70 Ibid., p. 194.
Manuscript Sources 293

the manuscript compound am 238. It is, as pointed out by Stefán Karlsson, uncertain if
this text was originally part of Sebastian’s vita or as an independent homily.71 Karlsson
furthermore suggests that the text of am 238 xxviii fol. is based on the same source
text as a sermon in the Icelandic Homily Book.72

am 655 xi 4to
Two leaves from a sermon to be delivered on Ash Wednesday, dated to the late 13th
century or early 14th century.73

am 655 xxviii b 4to

Two damaged leaves, dated to around 1300 by Jón Helgason. These are the old-
est Icelandic manuscripts with the Old Norse Konungs skuggsjá (Speculum Regale;
Fürstenspiegel).74
71 Ibid., p. 186.
72 íh, pp. 204–​208.
73 See Eva Rode, “Et fragment af en prædiken til askeonsdag: AM 655 XI, 4to” Opuscula 7
(1979), 44–​61.
74 Edited by Jón Helgason in “Et fragment av Kongespeilet,” in Festskrift til Ludvig Holm-​
Olsen på hans 70-​årsdag den 9. Juni 1984 (Øvre Ervik, 1984), pp. 124–​141.
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Rangárþingi. Reykjavík: Sagnfræðistofnun Háskóli Íslands, 1989.
Þorláksson, Helgi. Review of Ætt og saga: Um frásagnarfræði Sturlungu eða Íslendinga
sögu hinnar miklu, by Úlfar Bragason. Saga 49 (2011): 226–​228.
Þorsteinsson, Björn. Ný Íslandssaga. Reykjavík: Heimskringla, 1966.
Þórarinsson, Jón. Íslensk tónlistarsaga 1000–​1800. Reykjavík: Tónlistarsafn Íslands, 2012.
Index of Biblical References

Gen. 3:24 287

28:17 119n300 5:1-​13 157
9:50 198n233
Exod. 14:66-​72 146
4:10 101
Luke
Isa. 4:1-​13 212
32:3-​4 154 5:27 148
6:14-​16 145n50
Jer. 6:28 173
1:7 101 7:21 154
10:5 198
Ps. 10:16 274
45:17 274 22:32 161
32 287 22:56-​62 146
38 287 23:33-​43 225
50 288
John
Matt. 1:1-​18 148
4:1-​11 211 1:42 162
4:19 146 1:43 148
4:21-​22 146 18:25-​27 146
5:44 173 21:15-​17 161
9:9 148n58 21:15-​19 146
10:2-​4 146 20:22 146
10:8 154 20:28 146
11:5 154
12:22-​28 287 Acts
12:30 197 1:12-​23 148
16:13-​19 146 1:13 145n50
16:16-​19 160–​161 2:1-​13 146
16:18 162 5:1-​11 157
17:1-​8 146 5:12-​42 165
18:15-​17 162 8:9-​24 175
18:21-​22 162 14:4 145n50
26:69-​75 146 14:14 145n50
28:16-​20 146
28:19 137 1Cor.
3:11 161n93
Mark 3:17 119n300
2:14 148n58 10:4 161
3:16-​19 145n50 11:20 119n300
318  Index of Biblical References

Gal. 1Pet.
1:1 144n47 2:15 119n300

Rom. Rev.
16:7 145n50 22:1-​2 239
General Index

40 Homiliae in Evangelia 82, 286 Arnór Tumason, chieftain 272–​273, 275

Arrogance, capital sin 176
Abdias, legendary bishop of Babylon 68, Auður Ketilsdóttir, djúpúðga 232
70–​71, 169 Augustine 99n234, 122, 161, 203,
Absence, typology of 195 205–​206, 292
Acculturation 16 Augustinian canons 57, 251
Acta Sebastiani 292 Augustus, emperor 138, 202–​203, 244
Adalbert, archbishop of Authority
Hamburg-​Bremen 54 Apostolic 45, 134, 144–​145, 155, 159, 163,
Adam of Bremen 51, 54, 56, 235 168, 226–​227
Age of Peace Clerical 47, 101–​103, 115, 135
Gizurr’s 232, 242–​246 Discursive 133–​134
Pax Romana 202 Episcopal 47, 83, 222, 245–​246, 254–​257,
Between Church and King in 259, 262–​263, 268, 275
Norway 249 Papal 26, 39–​41, 43–​46, 161, 237–​238, 249,
Aldhelm, abbot of Melmesbury and bishop of 267, 275, 279
Sherborne 72n135 Of the Church 3, 61, 89, 209, 228, 235, 247
Allegory 81, 118, 126, 143, 281, 283 Axis mundi 119
Alms 108 Árni Magnússon, manuscript
Alþingi 1n1, 53n64, 238, 244, 245 collector 282n1, 287–288
am 645 4to x, 67–​69, 105, 189n206, 210, 216, Árni Þorláksson, bishop 252
228, 285, 287n33, 289–​291
am 652/​630 4to X, 67–​69, 105, 189n206, 228, Bakhtin, Mikhail 18n47
287, 290–​291 Bamberg confession 141, n33
Ambrose 161, 289 Bartholomew
Ambrosiaster 161 Apostle 69n123, 69n124, 136n15, 151,
Anastasius, pope 255 154n77, 155n78, 159n87, 179, 184, 213
Andrew Latin accounts of 69, 287, 291, 153n75,
Apostle 72, 77, 114, 136, 141, 146n51, 155–​ 287, 291
157, 159, 169, 181, 211–​212, 216 Saga of (Icelandic) 151–​152, 153n73,
Saga of (Icelandic) 69n123, 69n124, 135, 153n75, 166n114, 179, 210, 213, 285, 291
146, 162n97, 179, 180n165, 181, 183, 186, Basil of Caesarea
189n206, 201, 285, 287 Saint 285
Anger of God 179, 214–​217 Life of 284, 286n25
Anger, capital sin 137, 176, 183–​184, 194 Baptism 52, 97, 130, 164n109, 173n134, 184,
Annanias 165 202–​203, 225, 231–​232
Ansgar, missionary 51 Baptismal Fonts 84, 86–​87
Antiquitates, by Josephus 292 Battle of Fimreite 266
Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles 77n158, 175 Becoming
Apostolic Creed see Creed Christianization as a process of 59–​60
Architecture 41, 117 Opponents in a state of 195–​196
Ari Þorgilsson, the wise 32, 53, 63, 121, Bede the Venerable 72n135, 121–​122, 161
231, 242 Beloved disciple 147
Arianism 175 Bergen 52, 79, 250, 267
Arngrímr Brandsson, monk 292 Bergr Sokkason 105–​106
320  General Index

Bernard the Saxon 235 Of Marriage 15

Bjarnastaðahlíð-​panels 217–​222, 225 Of Scandinavia 36, 48–​50
Bjarnvarðr (Bjarnharðr), missionary 90 Church bells 271
Blasius (Blaise) Church building 29, 34, 89, 114, 117–​120, 234
Saint 183 Allegorical interpretation of 141, 281
Saga of (Icelandic) 183, 282 As a location of discourse 117–​120, 171
Blickling Homilies 77–​79 Church chieftains (kirkjugoðar) 12
Blót, blóta (sacrificial ceremonies) 174, 179, City of God 203, 205n255
182, 214 Clement
Blótmaðr (man of blót) 174, 181–​182 Saint and bishop of Rome 167–​168, 175, 187
Blótbiskup (heathen religious Saga of 166–​167, 169, 175, 187, 285, 289
leader) 166n114, 181, 182n169, 208 Cletus, (Anacletus) bishop of Rome 166–​167
Body Cluny 39n10
and spiritual struggle 193–​195, 196–​197 Cnut the Great, king 241
Book of Icelanders 32, 54, 63, 121, 231, Codex Scardensis (sám 1) 34n91, 69, 104,
242, 244 162n97, 174, 288
Book of Settlements 54, 59, 90, 91n198, 232 Commandments 143, 167, 180, 184, 190–​191,
Bourdieu, Pierre 21, 102n241, 134 201, 204–​205, 209, 215, 223
Brandr Sæmundarson, bishop 237, 254–​255, Computus of Garland 121
256n111, 263, 265 Concubinage 253
Breakspear, Nicholas (Hadrian iv) 57, 249 Corpus permixtum 110
Bremen diocese 49 Coronation oath, of Magnús Erlingsson 250
Brynjubítr 273 Cosmic battle 193
Bureaucracy 55, 97, 236 Creed, apostolic 101, 139–​141
Burial practices 97, 233–​234 Crozier
In medieval Iceland 87, 268n148
Canon law 15, 38, 41–​43, 46, 111, 259 Of Páll Jónsson 220–​222
Canons regular 251 Cultural history 7, 9, 15–​17
Capitulary 143n41 Cultural memory 117
Catholic Homilies 77–​78
Cemetery 8, 234, 234n17 Day of Judgment 122, 124n321, 215, 217, 224
Charity 108 De xiiabusivis saeculi 82, 286
Charlemagne 40, 127, 198n235 Decretal, papal 43, 46
Chieftain 1n1, 2, 11–​12, 14, 17, 25, 31, 51, 55, 59, Decretum Gelasianum 162
89–​90, 109, 111, 119, 231, 238, 242–​243, Decretum Gratiani 42, 162
247–​248, 251–​252, 254, 257, 261–​262, Deleuze, Gilles 195
264, 269–​271, 273–​279 Demoniac 157, 159n87
Apostle as 148–​149, 160 Demons 123, 151, 154, 156–​157, 179–​180, 182,
Bishop Gizurr as 246 193, 210–​212, 210n275, 210n276, 211–​214,
Christ as 138 218, 220–​223, 257
Devil as 214 Denmark 49–​50, 50n55, 52, 55n71, 241
Ordained 91–​95 Descartes, René 18
Chieftain Church (goðakirkja) 12, 14, Descensus Christi ad Inferos see
246–​247, 254, 263, 279 Niðrstigningar saga
Chieftaincy (goðorð) 93 Devil, the 77, 110n271, 124, 136, 142, 149,
Christianization 152–​153, 159, 176, 190–​191, 193, 197, 209,
Of Iceland 3, 10, 30, 37–​38, 53–​59, 60, 210, 221–​223, 257, 261
88, 111 Dialogues of Gregory the Great 82, 103, 193, 286
General Index 321

Dictatus papae 40–​42 Of God 152

Dionysius Exiguus 120–​121 Ottoman 28
Discourse Persian 26
Concept of 18–​23 Roman 26–​27, 178
Ecclesiastical 17–​18, 23, 29–​31, 34, 89, Roman Church as 25–​26, 25n69, 29,
109, 111, 114n285, 134, 142n39, 144, 146, 37–​39, 46, 249, 264
151–​152, 160, 163, 171–​172, 175, 177, 181, Enemy image (Feindbild) 172
197, 199, 207, 215, 225, 228, 244, 262, Envy
266–​267, 278–​279 Angel of 189–​190
Disobedience 183, 189, 191–​192, 257, 262, 266 Capital sin 176, 182–​183, 188, 194, 266
District priests (þingaprestar, Erasmus of Antioch (Elmo) 284
leiguprestar) 92–​93 Erik the Victorious, king of Sweden 52
Doctrine Erik Bloodaxe, king of Norway 129
As Teaching (discursive) see Teaching Erlingr Ormsson, Skakke 249
Ecclesiastical 201, 262, 237 Ermoginis 182
Of Lay Patronage 252 Eucharist 35, 77, 200
Of the Sacraments 125 Eugene iii, pope 57
Domitian, Roman emperor 184–​185, 208 Eustace see Placidus
Door of Valþjófsstaður 83–​84 Eutropus, disciple of Abdias 70
Evangeliary (evangeliarium) 143n41
Easter table (tabula computistica) 120–​121 Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Ebo of Rheims, archbishop 50 Iceland 6n9
Ecclesiastical imagination 120, 128 Evangelists 88, 141
Ecclesiastical language 98, 101, 115, 116n288 Excommunication 9n18, 269, 271
Egeas, earl 159n87, 183 Eyjólfr Sæmundsson, chieftain 63, 251
Egill Skallagrímsson 129 Eyrbyggja saga 232n5
Egils saga 129, 131 Eysteinn Erlendsson, archbishop 57, 248–​
Eilífr Goðrúnarson, skald 239 254, 255n105, 256–​257, 260–​262
Einar Ólafur Sveinsson 11
Einar Þorvarðarson, chieftain 256 Færeyinga saga 232n5
Eiríkr Ívarsson, archbishop 57, 89, 93, 251, Fall of man see original sin
254, 261–​262, 267–​268 Faroe Islands 26, 53
Elite Feindbild see enemy-​image
Imperial 29, 279 Figural interpretation see typology
Interpretative 29, 279 Figuralism see typology
Political 14, 29, 44, 54, 89, 93, 98, 236, Filetus, opponent of James 182
247, 253–​254, 276–​277 Finnur Jónsson, church historian and
Religious 43, 94, 236, 264 bishop 6n10, 7n11, 256n107
Elmo see Erasmus of Antioch First Grammatical Treatise 32, 80, 285
Elucidarius 103, 195, 222 Flatatunga-​panels 83n186, 85–​86
Empire Flóamanna saga 240
As culture 29n80 Forty Armenian Martyrs (Passio quadraginta
British 27 militum) 291
Byzantine 91n197 Foucault, Michel 18–​19, 59, 118, 134
Carolingian 40 Frederick i (Barbarossa), Holy Roman
Chines Han 28 Emperor 267n146
Concept of 21, 25, 27–​30, 279 Frederick ii, Holy Roman Emperor 38
Danish North Sea 241 Friðrekr (Frederick), missionary 90
322  General Index

Garland see Computus of Garland Heaven 118n299, 119, 160, 176, 187, 203, 205,
Gelasius i, pope 161 206n261, 209, 218, 225, 226, 227, 228,
Gemeinde-​Symbol 140 232n5, 292
Gemma animæ 142, 199 Hebionites 175
Gísli Finnason, priest 102, 109 Hebrew Bible 128–​129, 209
Gizurr Hallsson, chieftain 253, 257, 261, 283 Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich 171n129
Gizurr Ísleifsson, bishop 12, 55, 87, 231, Hegemony
242, 244 Concept of 65n109
Goðorðsmaðr (owner of a chieftaincy) 93 Cultural 60–​66
Golden Age see Age of Peace Ideological 62n91
Gospel of Nicodemus 77n158, 210, 289 Heiðarvíga saga 128
Gospel of Pseudo-​Matthew 77n158, 292 Heimskringla 131, 240
Gospels (canonical) 141–​143, 146, 148, 154, Helgi Eyvindarson magri, settler 232
163–​164, 180, 211, 292 Hell 119, 123, 124n321, 160, 209, 210n275, 215,
Grágás 13, 14n34, 90, 91n197, 94 217–​218, 221–​225, 292
Gramsci, Antonio 21, 65n109 Henry iv, Holy Roman Emperor 40, 245
Great commission (Matt 28:19) 137, 146, 149 Heresy 149, 165, 166, 169, 173n134, 174–176,
Gregory i (the Great), pope 82, 96, 103, 193, 189, 190n209, 191–​192, 207, 261
242, 281, 284, 286–​287, 292 Heretic 123, 166, 171, 173–​177, 187–​189,
Gregory vii, pope 40, 42, 45, 47, 192, 191–​192, 195, 207–​208, 262
245, 249 Hermeneutical Jew see Jews
Gregory of Tours 72 Herod, king of Judea 208
Grímr Hólmsteinsson, priest 106 Hierarchy
Guðmundr Arason, bishop 87, 112, 233n14, Ecclesiastical 1, 40, 42, 46–​48, 54, 59,
264–​271, 273–​276 89, 134, 159–​160, 166–​170, 247, 251,
Guðmundr Þorvaldsson, dýri 253 255, 278
Gunnlaugr Leifsson, monk 99, 235 Imperial 26, 60
Social 21, 172, 193
Hadrian iv, pope see Nicholas Breakspear Hilary of Poitiers 161
Hagiography 8, 23, 29, 31–​34, 66, 73, 69, Holy Spirit 136, 146, 148–150, 164n108, 170,
99–​100, 103–​105, 111, 128–​131, 136, 139, 202, 212, 224, 238, 270n153
171–​172, 188, 206, 234n21, 270, 288 Hólar in Eyjafjörður 85
Hafliði Másson, lawspeaker 111n275, 243 Hólar in Skagafjörður
Hákon Sigurðarson, earl 239 Battle of 272–​273, 275
Hákon Sverrisson, king of Norway 267 Bishopric 1, 9n20, 26, 53, 55, 57, 121, 232,
Hákon the Good, king of Norway 52 235, 264, 292
Hamar 26, 52 Cathedral 83, 88, 218
Hamburg-​Bremen archbishopric 52–​53, Episcopal Seat 55–​56, 63–​64, 87, 109–​112,
235, 245, 246 244, 254
Hannes Finnsson, bishop 256n107 Hólar, battle of 271–​273, 275–​276
Haraldr ‘Bluetooth’ Gormsson, king of Honorius Augustodunensis 122, 124, 126,
Denmark and Norway 51 142, 199
Haraldr Greycloak, king of Norway 52 Höskuldsstaðabók 292
Hartwig, archbishop of Salzburg 245 Hrafnkels saga 13
Haukadalur 33, 63, 93, 95, 231 Hróðólfr (Rudolf), missionary
Haukdælir 91, 121, 231, 232, 246 bishop 90, 235
Heathens 169, 173, 174, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, Hugh of St. Victor 124
182, 187, 188, 195 Humbert of Silva Candida, cardinal 40
General Index 323

Hungrvaka x, 63n94, 121, 234, 242–​243, 245, virtual 186

254, 256 John
Apostle 69n124, 86, 136, 141, 146–​147,
Icelandic Homily Book 74n147, 75, 78–​81, 88, 154n77, 155, 155n78, 168–​170, 184–​185,
96, 101, 103–​108, 110n271, 111n274, 121, 192, 198, 224, 227
123, 140–​142, 164, 173, 176, 184–​188, 191, Saga of (Icelandic) 146–​147, 150, 158, 168,
193, 191, 199–​202, 205–​206, 207n263, 170, 182, 184, 223, 227, 287, 290
208, 215, 217, 223, 244, 263, 271, 281, John the Baptist
284–​286, 290–​291, 293 Saint 130
Icelandic School, the 11–​12 Saga of (Icelandic) 106
Iconography 41, 85, 129, 145, 183, 221 John Chrysostom 292
Ideology John xxii, pope 237n35
Christianity as 62, 119, 198n235 Jón Arason, bishop 87
Of divine kingship 51, 250 Jón Ögmundarson, bishop 55, 57, 64, 87, 93,
Imperial 29, 144n48, 199 102, 109, 121, 235, 245
Myth as 132 Joseph of Arimathea 289
Idolatry 149, 154, 174, 182, 184, 214 Judas Iscarioth 129, 148, 164
Idols 151, 159, 173, 179–​180, 182, 190, 213 Jude, apostle
Illugi Bjarnarson, chieftain 93 Apostle 68, 70, 72, 146–​147, 154, 158, 169,
Imperial hermeneutical framework 17, 182, 190n209, 287
20–​21, 24–​25, 37, 132–​133, 197, 278 Saga of (Icelandic) 69n123, 155, 157,
Imperial studies 20–​21, 24–​25, 132–​133 166n114, 189, 191, 287, 291
Innocent iii, pope 36, 161, 198n235, Judges-​delegate 43, 45
237, 237n35 Judgment Day see Day of Judgment
Innocent iv, pope 38 Julius Africanus 70n129
Inventories 34, 83, 86–​87, 118, 286n32 Justin Martyr 175
Investiture Controversy 40, 245
Irenaeus of Lyon 175 Ketill Þorsteinsson, bishop 218
Isidore of Seville 122, 283n13 Kiss of peace (osculum pacis) 200
Ísleifr Gizurarson 54, 56, 63, 91, Kingship see Ideology
234–​235, 242 Klængr Þorsteinsson, bishop
Íslendingabók see Book of Icelanders 254–​256, 263
Knútsdrápa 241
James the Greater, apostle Kojève, Alexandre 171n129
Apostle 146–​147, 168–​169, 182, Kolbeinn Tumason, chieftain 264–​265, 268,
200n240, 208 270–​271
Saga of (Icelandic) 69n123, 137n22, 146, Konráð Gíslason 282, 291
154, 189, 285, 287, 291 Konungs Skuggsjá 293
James the Less, apostle Kristni á Íslandi 6–​7, 9n19
Apostle 146–​148 Kristni saga 242
Saga of (Icelandic) 69n124, 136, 148n58, Kulturhistorisk Leksikon for Nordisk
153n74, 154n77, 175, 287 Middelader 5n5, 6n7
Jesus Christ 135–​139, 141–​142, 144–​151, Kygri-​Björn Hjaltason 289, 292
153–​154, 156, 158–​162, 163n102, 164–​165, Kyriarchy 144n48
168, 173, 179, 185–​186, 188, 197, 199, 212,
225, 228, 287 Laity 31, 65–​66, 78, 104, 107, 114, 131, 171, 210,
Jews 123, 137, 171, 173–​174, 185–​188 247, 252, 266
hermeneutical 186 Landnámabók See Book of Settlements
324  General Index

Lateran Council Mary, mother of Jesus

2nd 57 Annunciation 284
3rd 46 Nativity 271
4th 121, 237, 292 Purification of 188, 217
Latin Saint 86, 145, 147n55, 218, 225, 283
Proficiency 96–​101, 104, 143 Saga of 289, 292
As an Ecclesiastical Language see Mass 68, 76–​79, 87, 95, 96–​97, 106, 108–​112,
Ecclesiastical Language 142–​143, 158, 170, 187, 194, 199–​201, 222,
lay patronage (ius patronatus) 252 273, 285
Lazius, Wolfgang 70 Master-​Slave Dialectic 171n129
Lefebvre, Henri 118 Materiality 82–​87
Legenda aurea 71, 148n58 Matthew
Letter of privilege, of Magnús Erlingsson 250 Apostle 135–​136, 141, 148, 154, 157, 181–​182,
Leo i, pope 161 189n206, 208, 216
Leo ix, pope 40, 42, 47, 52 Saga of (Icelandic) 69, 135–​136, 148–​149,
Lincoln, Bruce 4n4, 21, 22n61, 132n1, 216, 221, 228, 282, 285, 287, 291
132n2, 134 Matthias
Linus, pope 166–​167 Apostle 148, 155n78
Lipsius, Richard Adalbert 69, 70, 71n132 Saga of (Icelandic) 136, 145, 148,
Literacy 61, 66, 95, 98, 98–​99, 102, 114, 155n78, 287
134, 236 Memory studies 117
Liturgical Clothing 87, 220 Mettener Collection i 76
Liturgical Texts 23, 31, 61, 79, 81, 103 Michael
Liturgical Year 74–​75, 78, 80, 82, 143n41, 145 Archangel 105, 281
Liturgy Saga of 105
As a Package 22n63 Miracles 66, 154–​155, 164–​165, 180, 215,
In monasteries 74 282, 285
Medieval Catholic 73, 97, 100, 117, 120, Mission
139n26, 140n31, 159, 199–​201, 171, 199 Missionary activity 50, 72, 137, 152, 154, 159,
Of the Eucharist 77 164, 169, 178, 182, 179–​180
Of the Office see Office Liturgy Missionary bishop 235
Of the Word 77 Missionary king 49, 205–​206, 231
Ljúfini 94 Monastery 1, 2, 8–​9, 16, 16n40, 23, 33, 55–​58,
Lord’s Prayer (Pater noster) 76, 96, 123, 62, 64–​65, 67, 73–​74, 80–​81, 90, 95, 99,
139–​141 103, 105–​108, 111, 158, 218, 235, 255, 285,
Luke, evangelist 141 286n32, 292
Lund, archbishopric 47n42, 52–​53, 56–​57, Augustinian 9, 57, 64, 73
246, 249, 278 Benedictine 9, 33, 55n71, 57, 218, 80, 218,
235, 292
Mandate, apostolic 137, 144–​150 Helgafell 57n77, 64
Magnús Erlingsson, king 249–​250, 266 Hítardalur 58
Marianus Scotus of Mainz 121n306 Bær in Borgarfjörður 90, 235
Marital affairs 15, 40, 96, 107, 253–​254, 258 Munkaþverá 58
Mark, evangelist 141 St. Victor 57, 64, 73
Martin of Tours Þykkvibær 57n77, 58, 64, 73
Saint 175, 180, 211 Þingeyrar 33, 55–​58, 64, 80–​81, 99, 105,
Saga of 69n125, 175, 180, 210, 285 218, 235, 292, 292n65
Martyrdom 72n135, 155, 174, 181, 206, 279 Morkinskinna 246
General Index 325

Nero, Roman emperor 135n13, 175, 177, 184, Medieval (passiones) 69, 73, 153n73,
208 153n75, 174n136, 183, 186, 201, 216,
Nicholas of Myra, bishop 106, 282 223, 291
Niðarós Of the Canonical Gospels 185
Archbishopric 26, 28, 52–​53, 56–​57, 95, Passio Domini, sermon 164, 173, 185n184
238, 248–​249, 254, 255, 259, 263, Passionaries 68, 72
267–​268, 273–​276, 278–​279 Pater noster see Lord’s Prayer
Cathedral 221 Paul
Niðrstigningar saga 69n125, 285 Apostle 39n10, 42, 87, 135n13, 141, 144,
Night Office (Matins) 73–74, 77 145, 145n50, 148, 151n68, 159n87, 162n95,
Nordic studies (Norræn fræði) 5 166, 175–​176, 178, 184, 198n233, 201, 210–​
Norway 49, 52, 55n71, 76, 78, 81, 95, 97, 211, 227, 288–​289
186, 205, 220n306, 221, 233, 235, 241, Saga of (Icelandic) 69n125, 136, 148,
247–​251, 256n111, 266–​268, 275 154n76, 285, 287, 290
Norwegian Homily Book (am 619 4to) 78–​80, Peace
118, 281, 286, 291n59 Age of see Age of Peace
Kiss of see Kiss of Peace
Office Liturgy 73–​74, 96, 106, 111, Disturbers of 206, 208, 224
111n274, 200 Of the Cemetery 205
Old Christian Laws section (Kristinna laga Of the Church (discursive) 10, 198–​209,
þáttur) 90, 91n197, 92, 94–​95, 100, 102, 229, 244–​246, 275
139, 234, 238, 238n38 Of God movement (Pax Dei) 258
Olof, King of Sweden 52 Penance 77, 108, 114, 203
Origen of Alexandria 161 Pentecost 105, 146, 150, 164
Ornamentation 23, 32, 34–​35, 66, 76, 83, Performance
85–​86, 117–​118, 218, 221, 278 Performative texts 23, 158–​159
Oslo 26, 49, 52 Performative context 72–​73, 107
‘Other’ 171–​173, 188, 192–​193, 197, 207, 228 Liturgical 107, 171, 199
Ólafr Haraldsson, King of Norway 49, 52, 79, Persecuting society 192
130, 240 Peter
Ólafr Tryggvason, King of Norway 49, 52, Apostle 39n10, 41–​2, 87, 119, 136, 137,
130, 231 139n26, 141, 146, 147n57, 154n77,
160–​169, 175–​177 , 198n233, 204, 207, 211,
paganism 6n8, 51, 128–​129, 69, 178, 260 225–​227, 237–​238, 241, 260, 262, 289
Páll Jónsson, bishop 63n94, 109, 121, 220–​ Primatus Petri see Primacy
222, 237, 253, 270n156, 285 Saga of (Icelandic) 69n125, 146, 151n68,
Panopticon 117, 118 160, 162–​167, 175–​176, 184, 185n184,
papacy 40–​48, 53, 56, 99, 119, 161n91, 166, 201, 204, 207, 227, 260–​261, 285, 287,
245, 299, 306, 307, 308, 310, 311, 313 290–​291
Papal-​historical turn (Papstgeschichtliche Peter Damian 40
Wende) 39 Peter of Poitiers 287
Papal legates 43–​46, 57, 249–​250 Phenomenology of the Spirit, Hegel 171n129
Papal letters 41, 43–​44, 48, 82, 162, 236n29, Philip
237–​239 Apostle 105n251, 136, 147, 148n58, 153n74,
Papal primacy 161n91 154n77, 169, 181
Paradise 222, 224–​225, 228, 257 Saga of (Icelandic) 69n124, 137n22,
Paschal ii, pope 53 147n55, 48n58, 153n74, 175, 287
Passion narratives Physiologus 81, 215, 283
326  General Index

Placidus (Eustace) Sacrament 96n220, 108, 125

Saint 290 Of penance 114
Saga of (Icelandic) 282, 289 Eucharistic See Eucharist
Polimius, king 136n15, 151, 184 Extreme Unction 97
Polytheism 178 Of baptism See Baptism
Possession, demonic 180, 213–​214 Sacred language 99
Postcolonial Sæmundur Sigfússon, the wise 251
Concept of 24, 59, 133 Saga of bishop Martin See Martin of Tours
Postcolonial historiography 59 Saga of Bishop Þorlákr See Þorlákr
Postcolonial studies 24, 27, 133 Þórhallsson, bishop
Postcolonial hermeneutics 20–​21, 24 Saga of Blaise (Blasius) See Blasius (Blaise)
‘Power over’ 27, 30, 39, 132n3, 144n48, 152 Saga of Clement See Clement
Primacy Saga of John the Baptist See John the Baptist
Papal (Roman) 41, 43, 45, 161–​162 Saga of Mary of Egypt see 291
Primatus Petri 160–​166 Saga of Nicholas 106, 282
Proprietary church system 103, 247 Saga of Sebastian see Sebastian
Prosper’s epigrams 82, 125, 286 Saga of the Apostle Andrew See Andrew
Psalter 32, 96, 98, 288 Saga of the Apostle Bartholomew See
Pseudo-​Ambrose 223 Bartholomew
Pseudo Clementine Corpus 175 Saga of the Apostle James See James the
Pseudo-​Melito 224 Greater
Pseudo-​Abdian Collection 68–​72, 169 Saga of the Apostle John See John
Purgatory 124n321 Saga of the Apostle Paul See Paul
Saga of the Apostle Peter See Peter
Ragnheiður Þórhallsdóttir 253 Saga of the Apostle Thomas See Thomas
Rainbow allegory 81, 215, 283 Saga of the Apostles Philip and James See
Refectory 73, 105, 158 James, Philip
Reform Saga of the Apostles Simon and Jude See
Gregorian 39–​43, 45–​46, 57, 192n220, 237, Jude, Simon
245, 247–​249, 251–​253, 256, 258–​260, Salvation History (Heilsgeschichte) 187,
264, 268 215, 236
Monastic 39n10 Saphira 165
Reformation Satan See Devil
Of modern democracies 20n55 Saxony 49, 63, 90, 95, 245
Protestant 6n9, 78n163, 111 Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth 30, 134n9, 144,
Regula Benedicti 73, 80 155, 230, 230n1
Relics 236, 270–​271, 290 Sebastian
Religious specialist 102, 115, 209, 278 Saint 223
‘Reluctant bishop’ motive 266 Saga of (Icelandic) 181, 292–​293
Retributive dynamics (discursive) 133, Second Council of Lyon 174n138
228, 278 Second Lateran Council See Lateran
Ringerike style 85–​86 Council
Romaldus 283 Selja, Norway 235
Roman Penitential 86 Senses of scripture 126–​127
Roman rite 199 Septem artes liberales 95
Rule of Benedict See Regula Benedicti Serenus, bishop of Marseilles 82
Rúðólfr (Rudolf), missionary bishop see Sermo humilis 33
Hróðólfr Sermon 2–​3, 8, 23, 31–​33, 66, 74–​82, 88,
Rúnólfr Sigmundarson, abbot 106 103–​104, 107–​108, 110n271, 118–​121,
General Index 327

138, 160–​164, 171, 178, 184–​188, 191, 193, Stubbornness, capital sin 181, 258, 261, 271,
198n233, 201–​202, 205–​206, 215, 217, 274–​275
222–​226, 244, 271, 273, 278, 281, Sturla Þórðarson, saga writer and
283–​284, 290, 293. lawman 256, 271, 273
Concept 74n149 Sturlunga 91n198, 93–​94, 103, 111, 231, 243,
Types of 75–​76 255, 258, 264–​265, 269
Servile priests 92–​95, 278 Sveinn Jónsson, follower of bishop
Sexual morality 255, 258–​259 Guðmundr 272
Sigurðr Ormsson, chieftain 270n156, 271, 273 Sverrir Sigurðsson, king 266
Sigurður Nordal 11n25, 12, 108 Sweden 52, 55n71, 109
Sigvatr Þórðarson, skald 241 Syncretism 233, 239
Simon Magus 164–​166, 175–​177, 184, 188, 204, Synod of Ingelheim 52
207–​208
Simon (the Zealot) Teaching
Apostle 68, 72, 146–​148, 154, 158, 169, 182, Correct 101, 201, 260
189–​190 Erroneous 177, 191
Saga of (Icelandic) 69n123, 70, 155n78, Kenning, discursive theme 134–​143, 171
157, 166n144, 189, 191, 287, 291 Of the Apostles 135–​136, 139, 155–​156,
Simone de Beauvoir 171n129 164n109, 177, 191, 227
Simony 175, 175n141 Of Christ 135–​136
Skagerrak 49 Of the Church 134–​135, 139, 167, 170, 260,
Skaldic Poetry 239–​242 262, 271, 274
Skálholt Of the Gospels 143
Bishopric 1, 26, 53, 55, 64, 67, 212, 232, Teitr Ísleifsson 63, 93, 231
253, 292 Tertullian 175
Cathedral 83, 87 Textual community 114–​115
Episcopal Seat 63, 80, 109, 111, 121, 244, Textus receptus (of the Apostle’s Creed) 101, 141
254, 283, 285–​286 Thecla 283
Skapti Þóroddsson, lawspeaker and Theodwin, cardinal 57
skald 240 Theophilus 285
Snorra Edda 131 Tithe 1, 7 14, 56, 244, 273
Snorri Sturluson, chieftain, scholar 112n280, Law 12, 57
131, 273 Tranquility of order (tranquillitas
Sociology of knowledge 19–​20 ordinis) 203, 204
Soul 79, 122, 194–​195, 197, 203, 214, 216–​217, Transcultural history 16
221, 225, 228, 262, 274–​275 Translatio Ecclesiae 114–​116
Space of representation (Lefebvre) 118 Trinitarian faith 143, 225
Speech against the bishops 267 Trinity 202, 212
Spirit see Holy Spirit Trinubium Annae 292
St. Père de Chartres 79 Typology see Figuralism
St. Victor monastery 57, 64
Stactaeus 224, 227 Ulrich Engelberti 96n220
Staðir-​controversy 248, 258 University of Iceland 6n9
Stavanger 26, 52 Uppsala-​archdiocese 47n42, 53, 57
Stave Church Homily 117–​118, 141, 271, 281 Urðar brunnr 239–​240
Stave church, building 221 Urnes style 221
Steindór Ormsson 287
Stephen martyr 186, 290 Valþjófsstaður, door of see Door of
Stjórn (i, ii, iii) 100, 104 Valþjófsstaður
328  General Index

Veldi (power, dominion) 151–​153, 168, 191, Þórðr Sölvason 91, 93

209–​210, 216, 221–​222 Þorgeirr Þorkelsson, lawspeaker 6n8, 244
Venantius Fortunatus 71n135 Þorgils Oddason, chieftain 243
Veraldar saga 122n309, 236, 282, 284 Þórir Guðmundsson, archbishop 274
Vercelli Book 77–​78 Þorlákr Þórhallsson, bishop 8, 57, 63, 73, 87,
Víðines, battle of 271–​273, 276 99, 130, 247, 251–​254, 257–​258, 260–​261,
Villa (heresy) 173, 175, 187, 189, 191–​192 264, 268, 270
violence 119, 137, 163n102, 175, 181, 184–​185, Miracle book of 69n125, 285
188, 198, 204–​207, 243, 258–​259, 264, 275 Penitential of 253
Virtutes Apostolorum 71–​72, 190n209, 224 Saga of 121, 252, 254
Vulgate 100, 162 Þorvaldr Gizurarson, chieftain 275
Þrándur in Gata 232n5
Wessobrun confession 141n33
Wonders see Miracles Ælfric of Eynsham 77–​78
Æthelweard 78
Þangbrandr, missionary 90
Þingeyrar-​monastery 55, 81, 99, 218, 235 Ögmundr Þorvarðsson 266
Þingvellir 6n8, 53, 55 Özurr, archbishop of Lund 56–​57