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Matteo Tarsi: On the origin of Christian terminology 87
the Landnámabók, in fact, not few of the Norwegian sett lers, some of
which had already embraced the new religion, came from the region
that Haraldr I had previously conquered (Sigurður Líndal 1974:232–
236). Moreover, it is a well-known fact that Hákon I, King Æþelstān’s
foster-child, organised some evangelical activity upon his return to
Norway with the help of Anglo-Saxon missionaries (Sigurður Líndal
1974:229). Of even greater importance is the activity of King Óláfr I
Tryggva son, who was the promoter of two out of three evangelical
missions to Iceland (995 and 997),2 the last of which was led by the
Saxon bishop Þangbrandr, of whom Ari fróði Þorgilsson gives an ac-
count in his Íslendingabók (Ari Þorgilsson 1968:14–15).
As regards the second phase (1000–1153), when ecclesiastical ac-
tivity in Iceland fi nally became part of the Church’s organisational
system (Magnús Stefánsson 1975b), it is of primary importance to
focus on the activity of Óláfr II Haraldsson. He was, in fact, the pro-
moter of evangelical missions during the fi rst years following the
conversion (1016–last quarter of the 11th century), which were carried
out by ‘itinerant bishops’ (Icel. farandbiskupar), who mostly came from
the Low German and Old English speaking area (cf. Hjalti Hugason
2000:146). During that very period, in 1056, the fi rst Icelandic bishop,
Ísleifr Gizurarson, was appointed in Bremen, while the fi rst bishopric
was established at Skálholt by his son, Gizurr Ísleifsson, in 1082.
In the 12th century, the local Church reached institutional matu-
rity with the establishment of another bishopric at Hólar in 1106, the
writing of the Church law (Icel. kristinna laga þátt ur) in 1122–1133 (cf.
Magnús Stefánsson 1975a:66–68), and the establishment of the fi rst
monasteries (1975a:81–85).
If one looks at the populations with which Scandinavians and sub-
sequently Icelanders, had contact during the aforementioned period,
it is clear that the languages from which the very fi rst Christian vo-
cabulary was borrowed are Old English3, Old Saxon, and Middle Low
2 The fi rst evangelical mission to Iceland took place in 981–986 and was carried out
by Þorvaldr víðförli Koðránsson and the Saxon bishop Fredrik (Sigurður Líndal
1974:236).
3 With ‘Old English’ is meant the oldest variety of English known to us. It was spo-
ken mainly in England in a period ranging from the 5th century to the end of the
12th century (cf. Hogg & Denison (eds.) 2006:2–3).
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