Gregory advises adapting temples for Christian worship
About this date: The letter is dated 601 in Bede's account. Advice in correspondence is distinct from evidence that every community implemented it.
Gregory tells Mellitus that suitable temples may be cleansed and reused while their idols are removed. He proposes redirecting customary communal celebrations toward Christian observance.
Historical context
The letter presents a strategy of gradual change in missionary practice. Buildings, festivals, and food customs are treated as different questions from the worship offered through them.
Key points
- The advice distinguishes structures from idols.
- Consecration and new uses are central to the proposal.
- Gregory argues that habits are changed in stages.
People
- Gregory the Great
- Mellitus
- Augustine of Canterbury
Sources and further reading
- Gregory's letter to Mellitus
Letter concerning buildings and festivals in the English mission.