God and History in the Early Medieval West

While virtually all early medieval historians wrote about God, they did not do so in the same way. Rather than taking their comments about God at face value then, as has been the case in much work on medieval history-writing, they are deserving of closer scrutiny, with implications not simply for how we understand the key narrative sources for early medieval history, but also the cultures in which they originated. Seeking to fill this historiographical gap, this book explores, through the prolific writing of historians in the Carolingian Empire, how historians in early medieval societies thought about God and what this meant for themselves and their audiences. It argues that although Carolingian historians wrote about God's agency with tremendous literary subtlety, while reflecting complex theological ideas and attempting to intervene into challenging political realities, in many respects they also broke with the example of early Christian historians from Late Antiquity, which demonstrates that writing about God was neither a uniform nor inevitable part of early medieval history writing. As well as yielding new insights into the nature of these crucial primary sources, this analysis helps to provide an overdue examination of the complex relationship between religion and history writing in early medieval societies. The book demonstrates that comments about God cannot be reduced to mere political propaganda or even moralistic encouragements for early medieval Christians to lead better lives. Instead, it argues that these historians sought to communicate a robust theology of divine activity which was relevant and useful for those involved in the often-threatening world of Carolingian public life.

While virtually all early medieval historians wrote about God, they did not do so in the same way. Rather than taking their comments about God at face value then, as has been the case in much work on medieval history-writing, they are deserving of closer scrutiny, with implications not simply for how we understand the key narrative sources for early medieval history, but also the cultures in which they originated. Seeking to fill this historiographical gap, this book explores, through the prolific writing of historians in the Carolingian Empire, how historians in early medieval societies thought about God and what this meant for themselves and their audiences. It argues that although Carolingian historians wrote about God's agency with tremendous literary subtlety, while reflecting complex theological ideas and attempting to intervene into challenging political realities, in many respects they also broke with the example of early Christian historians from Late Antiquity, which demonstrates that writing about God was neither a uniform nor inevitable part of early medieval history writing. As well as yielding new insights into the nature of these crucial primary sources, this analysis helps to provide an overdue examination of the complex relationship between religion and history writing in early medieval societies. The book demonstrates that comments about God cannot be reduced to mere political propaganda or even moralistic encouragements for early medieval Christians to lead better lives. Instead, it argues that these historians sought to communicate a robust theology of divine activity which was relevant and useful for those involved in the often-threatening world of Carolingian public life.