Skírnir - 01.04.2005, Page 110

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SVERRIR JAKOBSSON
SKÍRNIR
einn fremstu konunga í kristni, eða jafnvel „höfuð kristni“, eins og
segir í Karlamagnús sögu. Þessi viðhorf eru áberandi á 12. öld þeg-
ar viðtökur norrænna konunga og fyrirmanna í Miklagarði virð-
ast hafa skipt þá miklu máli. Þessi mynd virðist hafa haldist fram
á 14. öld, þrátt fyrir breytt viðhorf í ritum grannþjóða. I ritum sem
færð voru í letur seint á 14. öld er litið á Miklagarðskeisara sem
kristið kennivald sem geti veitt guðræknum mönnum mikil völd í
Austurvegi.
í þessu samhengi virðast frásagnir um krossferð Magnúsar
Eiríkssonar gegn Rússum um miðja 14. öld, ekki síst sá tilgangur
þeirra „að kristna fólk“, nokkuð á skjön við þá sögu um kristnun
Rússlands laust fyrir 1000, sem íslenskir sagnaritarar höfðu gert
ítarlega grein fyrir. Enda urðu ekki til nein íslensk sagnarit um
þessa herferð. Hún virðist ekki heldur hafa orðið til þess að Is-
lendingar yrðu varir við „hinn mikla klofning". Þeir trúðu ennþá
á sameinaðan, katólskan heim.
Summary
The Great Schism of 1054 is one of the defining moments in European medieval
history. It is generally assumed that from then on Christianity was divided
between two branches, one Roman Catholic and the other Greek Orthodox. This
generally accepted view fits uncomfortably with Icelandic medieval sources. It
does not appear that Icelanders ever took the schism seriously or knew the main
reasons for it. The few existing references to the schism in the sources indicate that
the quarrel was thought to be temporary and of no consequence. In Icelandic his-
toriography, especially sagas dealing with the Norwegian missionary king Olaf
Tryggvason (d. 1000) it is apparent that the Christianization of Norway and the
Norse islands in the Atlantic was thought to be a part of the same process as the
Christianization of Russia through Byzantium. This is also indicated in the lives of
other missionaries in Iceland, such as Þorvaldur víðförli (Thorvald the Far-Farer).
The Emperor in Constantinople was also highly regarded in Iceland, and often
depicted as the “head of Christianity”. This idea is still dominant in narratives
from the late 14th century, in which the Emperor is depicted as a supreme author-
ity on the Christian World View. This was in contrast with contemporary events
in Scandinavia, as King Magnus Eriksson went on a crusade against the schismatic
Russians. Remarks about this campaign in Icelandic annals indicate that these wars
were not considered to be against schismatics. At the end of the 14th century,
Icelanders seem to have held on to a belief in a unified catholic oecumene.