How Christian Law Liberated Norway (1024-2024)
European Journeys 6.12 - The Christianisation of Norway
The Christianisation of Norway was not simply limited to the building of churches or to the baptism of the Norwegians. It also led to the reshaping of every sphere of life according to Biblical standards. One crucial sphere that began to be reshaped from early on was the Norwegians’ understanding of law, i.e. what a crime is and what its suitable punishment should be. In this stage, we will visit a small village where an event brought lasting changes to Norway’s legal system.
This small village is named Mosterhamn, which means Moster’s harbour. It is located on an island of twelve square kilometres called Moster, near Haugesund (see stage 6.2). As its name indicates, Mosterhamn is a small harbour facing mainland Norway. At a walking distance from the harbour stands a small white stone church, which was built on the site of a previous wooden church, in 1150. As such, it is one of the oldest standing churches in the country.
Similarly to the history of the island of Selja (see stage 6.11), Mosterhamn also saw two of the most influential kings in the Christianisation of Norway passing through it. These two kings are obviously Olav Trygvasson or king Olav I, and Olav Haraldsson or king Olav II, also known as St. Olav. While the events that led to the transformation of Norway’s legal system were linked with king Olav II, a few words must be said about what happened when king Olav I walked in these parts.
We have already explored the life of Olav Tryggvason in several previous stages. Before ascending the throne, Olav had spent most of his life abroad and become a prominent Viking ruler there. It was during one of his raids in England that he unexpectedly embraced the Christian faith. Since he was a direct descendant of Harald Fairhair, the father of the unification of Norway, Olav had a legitimate claim to the throne. So, after his baptism in Andover, England, Olav began his journey back to Norway. This ultimately led to his victory against the last pagan king of Norway, Håkon Jarl, and to his enthronement in 995.
Mosterhamn was, in fact, the first place where Olav set foot in Norway. His very first act here was to order the celebration of a mass in a tent on the spot where the church stands today. Olav’s understanding was clear: The worship of God ought to be the foundation of Norwegian society. Shortly after this, Olav set sail towards the North to confront and defeat Håkon Jarl near present-day Trondheim (stage 6.7).
It is quite interesting to note that the very first place where king Olav I offered worship to God was also the place where Olav II triggered the major transformation of Norway’s law code. Olav II had ascended the throne fifteen years after the death of Olav I. Like his predecessor, he also understood that God had appointed him king to fulfil his purposes. Olav II thus endeavoured to build on the foundations set by Olav I.
Olav II’s most important act took place here in 1024 – exactly a thousand years ago. For the first time, a Christian law code was adopted in Norway. It became known as Kristenretten, the Christian law. This was certainly not the first law code of Norway, but it was distinct in that it aimed at defining crime and punishment according to Biblical standards. So, how did Kristenretten redefine the law code of Norway?
Firstly, if crime had to be defined according to God’s standards, Kristenretten had to at least be aligned to the Ten Commandments. How did it interpret the First Commandment, Thou shalt have no other gods before me? Kristenretten boldly prohibited the worship of heathen gods and the observance of heathen customs.
The application of the first commandment led to significant societal transformation. Kristenretten was indeed the first step toward the abolition of slavery in the land. In previous times, it was customary to offer human sacrifices before a thing, or political assembly, took place in the land. Usually, slaves were sacrificed to appease pagan gods. Now, not only did Kristenretten prohibit such practices, but it even ordered that slaves be liberated before each political assembly or on feast days such as Christmas.
The law code also dealt with the church and with worship. It included laws about the building and maintenance of church buildings, the rights and duties of church officials, the observance of holy days and days of fasting, baptisms and burials. The law also instituted Christian marriage and promoted the raising of children in the Christian faith, which both served to build Christian families and a Christian society.
It would be a mistake to suggest that Kristenretten followed Biblical principles on every point. While the understanding of crime came much closer to Biblical standards than the earlier law codes, sometimes the punishments were still inspired by ancient pagan practices. For example, while sexual relationships outside of wedlock were rightly prohibited, infants born outside of marriage were killed, unless the woman had been a victim of rape. The Biblical law code institutes death penalty for the adulterer, but not for the illegitimate child. In spite of such a practice, Kristenretten was nonetheless a decisive improvement when compared to previous pagan law codes. After the Reformation, the law codes of the Lutheran lands, such as Norway, became even more aligned with the Bible, in particular following the work of the German lawyer Johann von Schwarzenberg (1463-1528) in German lands.
Many criticisms are raised against Kristenretten in our times. Too often, however, these are raised from a secular humanistic standpoint, according to which man himself defines what a crime is and what the proper punishment should be. In other words, man comes to think of himself as god. This is exactly the same belief that led Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Kristenretten may not have always followed Biblical principles. Nonetheless, Olav II understood that Jesus Christ is the king of all the nations. For him, Norway needed to recognise the lordship of Christ, and thus follow God’s Law. Sadly, because of a theology that limits the lordship of Christ to so-called spiritual matters, the modern church often finds itself incapable of standing for God’s truth in the field of law-making. The understanding of Olav II needs to be recovered today, if the future of the nations is to be ensured.
Jesus Christ is still Lord over Norway just as He is over the whole world.
Source picture: Jan-Tore Egge, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons