Week 2 Readings

The readings this week had three important aspects. The first is the retelling of historically important moments in Christianity for the (then) modern Franks. The majority of this lies in Books I and II of Gregory of Tours. His first book is dedicated to the retelling of Christian history – i.e. a survey of Old Testament stories – until the time of Gregory himself. This is important to note as it sets the stage for understand the importance of the Church within the lives of Europeans at the time of the History of the Franks being written. Other readings for this week had central moments that the authors considered to be important within this theme. For example, Sulpitius Severus wrote on the life of St. Martin, which helped to establish St. Martin’s reputation of a wonder-working saint throughout the Middle Age. In particular, the writings about the Saints Gall and Martin reflect a desire on the part of the author to place important Christian figures into the narrative of Frankish history. It is important to note that many of the writers either knew, or had first-hand knowledge about much of what they wrote. Sulpitius Severus knew St. Martin while he was still alive, and Gregory of Tours wrote much on the time period immediately preceding his bishopric installation. The Narratives also discuss much of the miracles that Gregory knew and at times, witnessed first-hand that occurred during or immediately before his lifetime. As Goffart points out, both Gregory’s Histories and Life of the Fathers list “historical events involving real people in their relationship to the saints” (pg. 131). These stories are important, as they highlight not simply beliefs of the Frankish and Christian (Catholic) population in Gaul during this time, but also the societal importance that was placed on faith during this era. These hagiographic stories allow readers today to better understand that history for the Middle Ages revolved around the influence of God, and Church, not human action. Though Gregory dedicates Book II to the history of Frankish Kings, he is sure to include many tales of Christianity within it, most notably the conversion of the well-known Frankish King Clovis. These stories would not have been widely read by the common layman, but rather the nobility and other members of the clergy, though they could be easily read aloud to parishioners, should priests and bishops choose to do so. The goal of many of these stories was to allow for a common history to form for the emerging group of Franks that had come together through the conquests of Clovis and to instil an increased amount of respect towards the Church, its members, and the Saints themselves.