Beowulf Context Analysis

Gregory Bateson said, “Without context, words and actions have no meaning at all” (Mind and Nature 15). That quote may seem melodramatic, but surely you acknowledge the axiomatic certainty of the foundational importance of context. The proper context is imperative to understanding the content, and context is fundamental to understanding Beowulf. Warren Christopher said, “It's very important to always put statements in their historical contexts. It teaches important lessons about the country in question.” To assimilate the historical context of Beowulf you must envisage the time period it is set in, the culture at the time, and the technology. I will aid you in your comprehension of the cultural context primarily. Beowulf was written …show more content…
At the opening of the 7th century a new force was creeping into the Anglo-Saxon realms, it was Christianity. Celtic Christianity was advancing from the north, while the Roman church was progressing in the south. The Roman church was led by the Bishop of Rome, the pope. Recently Leo I, Bishop of Rome, had claimed that the Bishop of Rome was the successor of Peter and the head of the church. Since then the Bishop of Rome led the church in western Europe, it was the Bishop of Rome, Gregory, who sent the first missionaries to the Anglo-Saxons. When the Roman and Celtic missionaries met, the Celts submitted to the Roman church. In Beowulf you can see the Roman church’s influence in lines 109-110, “Cain got no good from committing that murder Because the Almighty made him anathema” (Heaney, Seamus 5).
The author of Beowulf doubtlessly let his Christian beliefs alter the telling of the legend. In fact, Beowulf has almost fifty references to God, eight to the Almighty, and five to heaven. However, all of the allusions to the Bible are to the Old Testament. Therefore, I conjecture that the knowledge of Christianity may have been more of a knowledge of the Roman church and its