Colloquia Theologica Ottoniana (Jan 2017)

METODY MISYJNE BP. BERNARDA HISZPANA I BP. OTTONA Z BAMBERGU. ANALIZA PORÓWNAWCZA

  • Robert Masalski

DOI
https://doi.org/10.18276/cto.2017.1-04
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1

Abstract

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The sacrament of baptism is an indispensable element of the faith in personal life and also in the social life of entire nations. The beginnings of Christianity in Western Pomerania should be combined with two people: bishop Bernard and bishop Otto of Bamberg. They were characters with diametrically different mission profiles. The Bishop Bernard, poor clergyman whose evangelization failed in contact with the mentality of Pomeranians. Bishop Otto enriched by the experience of its predecessor, counting with the mentality of contemporary people and being aware of effectiveness of trial by ordeal, initiated the process of Christianization of Western Pomerania. Bearing in mind the theory of the mission it should be emphasized that missionaries in Pomerania, as throughout the whole Middle Ages, used the guiding principle of persuasion. Analyzing the course of the mission, it is noticeable that missionaries went by Alcuin’s scheme. The consequence of Christianization of Pomerania, was the creation of Pomeranian bishopric missionary with its capital in Wolin, on 14 October 1140.

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