Description
Book SynopsisChristianity, in its Catholic, Protestant and Nonconformist forms, has played an enormous role in the history of Wales and in the defining and shaping of Welsh identity over the past two thousand years. Biblical place names, an urban and rural landscape littered with churches, chapels, crosses and sacred sites, a bardic and literary tradition deeply imbued with Christian themes in both the Welsh and English languages, and the songs sung by tens of thousands of rugby supporters at the national stadium in Cardiff, all hint at a Christian presence that was once universal. Yet for many in contemporary Wales, the story of the development of Christianity in their country remains little known. While the history of Christianity in Wales has been a subject of perennial interest for Welsh historians, much of their work has been highly specialised and not always accessible to a general audience. Standing on the shoulders of some of Wales’s finest historians, this is the first single-volume history of Welsh Christianity from its origins in Roman Britain to the present day. Drawing on the expertise of four leading historians of the Welsh Christian tradition, this volume is specifically designed for the general reader, and those beginning their exploration of Wales’s Christian past.
Table of ContentsForeword Rowan Williams Preface David Ceri Jones Chapter 1. Roman Beginnings, c.AD 1–c.AD 400 Barry J. Lewis Chapter 2. The Age of Conversion, c.400-c.600 Barry J. Lewis Chapter 3. The Definition of Christian Wales, c.600-c.800 Barry J. Lewis Chapter 4. Vikings to Normans, c.800-c.1070 Barry J. Lewis Chapter 5. The Age of Definition and Hierarchy, c.1066-c.1200 Madeleine Gray Chapter 6. Conquest and Apocalypse, c.1200-c.1420 Madeleine Gray Chapter 7. Y Ganrif Aur: Christianity in Late Medieval Wales, c.1420-c.1530 Madeleine Gray Chapter 8. Reformation Wales, 1530-1603 David Ceri Jones Chapter 9. Securing a Protestant Wales, 1603-1760 David Ceri Jones Chapter 10. Building a Nonconformist nation, 1760-1890 D. Densil Morgan Chapter 11. Adapting to a Secular Wales, 1890-2020 D. Densil Morgan & David Ceri Jones A Guide to Further Reading Index
