Gregorian Adaptation in the Augustinian Mission to England

Abstract

Do the letters of Gregory I to Augustine and his missionary party in England reveal the early missiological reflection of a Benedictine or the practical realism of papal responsibility? Both, says Father McCulloch, and the mix is neither inconsistent nor incompatible. While Gregory planned and Augustine acted within the context of political realities, their “adaptation” primarily involved flexible approaches to issues of life and order. The author shows that this cultural flexibility accorded the newly-converted English pagans was not duplicated in the Mediterranean world (e.g. Sicily and Sardinia) where the issue was pagan resurgence among nominal Christians.