Language group and religion of the Norwegian population. Religion in Norway. State Church of Norway

Norway, whose religion is legally linked to the state, and about 83% of the population is a member of the state Lutheran church, is not part of the countries with true religious traditions. According to sociological surveys, only 20% of the population allocates a significant place to religion in their lives. In the land of wild and powerful Vikings, ancient cults and beliefs are still strong.

Main religion in Norway

The Protestant Christian movement, aimed at combating the abuses committed by the ministers of the papal church, arose in the 16th century in Germany. The Protestants were led by Martin Luther. A new religious movement that arose subsequently was named after him. The basic principles of Lutheran teaching are set forth in the Book of Concord and are approximately as follows:

• No work other than mercy can earn God's mercy.
• Atonement for sins is provided only by true faith.
• Of all the scriptures, only the Bible is important.
• Lutherans venerate all saints, but worship only God.

Followers of Luther recognize only the sacrament of baptism and communion; they perceive church ministers as preachers and do not elevate them above the rest of the laity. Divine services in these churches are accompanied by organ music and choral performances.

Lutheranism as a religion became unexpectedly widespread in European countries and penetrated into North America. The language group and religion of Norway are related to the inhabitants of Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, Finland, and the Baltic states.

in Norway

The indigenous inhabitants of Scandinavia, in particular Norway, are tribes of Germans, strong and powerful warriors - the Vikings. They sacredly revered their beliefs. Attempts by missionaries and Norwegian kings to consolidate Christianity in the 10th century ended in failure. Not only Norway was on fire - religion became the cause of civil war in all of them. The Vikings burned churches and monasteries, killed ministers and missionaries.

Christianity took root in Norway only in the 12th century, when the country became part of Catholic Denmark through the efforts of a certain Olaf II. After Christian III joined the beliefs of the Lutherans, this movement became the main one here too.

Features of the Viking religion

Which religion in Norway resisted Christianity for so long? For a long time, the Viking gods were prototypes of the basic forces of nature, good and evil. Mythical elves, gnomes, Valkyries and other pagan symbols accompanied the inhabitants of the northern country from birth to death, as well as all Scandinavians. The epic of the ancient Vikings spread far beyond the borders of the country, their myths and legends became the subject of study and a real monument of ancient literature. Scandinavian fortune telling, horoscopes, and runes still excite the minds of lovers of the supernatural.

There were many gods, according to legend, once upon a time they fought, then they concluded a truce and began to rule the world of people.

Sami religion

The shamanic beliefs of the Sami are another pre-Christian religion in Norway. Briefly we can say this: worship of all kinds of providential spirits. The Sami are tribes of reindeer herders inhabiting the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Karelia. The spirits of hunting, fishing, and reindeer herding still dominate the everyday life of Sami settlements. There is a strong reverence for ancestral spirits and sacred stones. The clergy are shamans.

State and religion

Modern Norway, whose religion is officially enshrined in the Constitution, is a Christian country. influences the political and everyday foundations of society. The same Basic Law prescribes mandatory membership of royalty and most members of parliament in the state church. In turn, the state controls the appointment of senior church leaders to positions. In Norwegian schools, which are financed by the church on an equal basis with the state, the subject “fundamentals of the Christian religion” is included in the list of basic and compulsory disciplines from the first grades of primary school.

Despite such a close relationship between church and state, Norwegians cannot be called a very religious people. Most citizens admit to only formally observing membership and basic obligatory rituals, only 5% attend religious services weekly, and about 40% admit that they do not attend them at all.

Gentiles in Norway

Although this country has an official state church, freedom of religion is also enshrined in the Constitution. Citizens professing other religious movements constitute a small group, but they live peacefully with Lutherans and are not oppressed on the basis of religion. Children from families of other beliefs are not allowed to attend Divine Law lessons. Of the Christian denominations in Norway, communities of Orthodox, Catholics, Baptists, and Protestants are registered. Emigrants from Muslim countries make up a small (about 2%) group of Muslims. Gentiles are allowed to have their own churches and freely conduct worship services. Even a small Muslim community opened its own mosque in the capital of Oslo.

Norway: religion in sights

The main historical and religious shrine of Norwegian Lutherans is St. Olav's Cathedral in Oslo.

The decoration of the unique area and real works of wooden architecture of this region are the numerous small wooden churches or stavki that have been preserved from antiquity.

Architectural monuments include the Lutheran Arctic Church. The beliefs of the pagan Vikings are carefully preserved in the form of historical sites. There is even a Troll Park in Norway.

4.1 Unification of Norway by Harald Fairhair

The time when Norway began to acquire the features of a single state is considered to be the 9th-10th centuries. Around 900, King Harald Fairhair (Harald Herfagre) subdued the rulers of the remaining areas and became the first supreme ruler of Norway. Around the same time, the Christianization of Norway began (in fact, it was the instrument with which attempts were made to unite the country).

Let us present a consistent chronology of the reign and life of the kings of Norway during this remarkable period, when events took place in the history of this country that determined the entire further course of its development.

	Haraldr I harfagri Halfdanarson (858-940). Harald I Fairhair, son of Halfdan the Black
	Eirikr I blo?ox Haraldsson (885-954). Eirik I Bloodaxe, son of Harald Fairhair
	Hakon I A?alsteinsfostri (e?a go?i) Haraldsson (920-961). Hakon I Pupil of Adalstein (or the Good), son of Harald Fairhair
	Haraldr II grafeldr Eiriksson (935-970). Harald II Greycloak, son of Eirik Bloodaxe
	Hakon blotjarl riki Sigur?sson. Earl of Hladir Hakon the Mighty
	Eirikr ok Sveinn jarlar Hakonssynir. Earls Eirik and Svein, sons of Hakon the Mighty
	Olafr II helgi Haraldsson (995-29 Jul 1030). Olaf II the Saint (or the Thick), son of Harald the Greenlander, son of Gudröd
	Hakon jarl Eiriksson. Earl Hakon
	Knutr II riki (995-1035). Cnut II the Mighty, King of Denmark 1018-1035
	Sveinn jarl Alfifuson Knutsson (1015-1036). Earl Svein, son of Cnut the Mighty

Harald was the son of Halfdan the Black, a king in southeastern Norway. His family was traced back to the Swedish dynasty of the Ynglings, who were descended from the “gods.”

“...Harald became king after his father. He was then ten years old. He was taller and stronger than everyone else, very handsome in appearance, wise and courageous. (Earthly Circle, The Saga of Harald Fairhair, I)

As the sagas tell, Harald vowed not to cut his hair until he conquered all of Norway, so he was called Harald the Shaggy.

It must be said that both processes - the unification and Christianization of the country - proceeded rather slowly and met strong resistance from the local kings of the people, which was broken thanks to the victory in the battle in Havrsfjord (between 885-890).

In the future, when presenting the topic, historical material will be largely used, borrowed from the sagas of the “Earthly Circle” by Snorri Sturluson (early 13th century). In this regard, it is necessary to cite some opinions of authoritative historians about this work.

For a long time, “The Earth’s Circle” was taken as a story about the past that deserves complete trust, that is, as history. With the development of historical science, skepticism towards the “Earthly Circle” as history increased, and statements became more and more frequent that boil down to the fact that “The Earthly Circle” is, in essence, not history, but a historical novel, i.e. fiction. But what is the “Earthly Circle” really? More precisely, “The Earth’s circle is “primary history.” Prehistory differs from history primarily in that the task it set itself was incomparably greater than what history can set itself. Prehistory claimed to be truth and not fiction, but at the same time it sought to recreate the past as a living and full-blooded reality. . If we express the same idea in Christian terms, we can consider that this work carries the spirit of that era. The reader becomes, as it were, a living participant in that era, so great is the charm of this book.

So, about the battle in Havrsfjord: “The whole army gathered north of Jadar and entered Havrsfjord. And there King Harald was already waiting for them with his army. A hot battle immediately broke out, which was both fierce and long. It ended with King Harald winning, and King Eirik and King Sulkw, and his brother Soti Earl perishing. Thorir the Longface placed his ship close to King Harald's ship. Thorir was a mighty berserker. The fight here was very fierce, but in the end Thorir Longface fell. All the people on his ship were killed.-XVIII). (Who hasn’t heard about the battle in Havrsfjord between the Great King and Kjotvi the Rich?... Rattling their swords, the berserkers howled, the Valkyrie led the fierce ones into battle.-XVIII).

During the time of Harald Fairhair, the rulers of a number of regions of Norway lost their independence, recognizing the supremacy of the conqueror, or were expelled or died. Many noble people who did not want to obey him left Norway and sailed to the western islands. The Norwegian colonization of Iceland that began during that period may have been partly due to the emigration to which many noble people were driven by Harald's oppression and confiscations. However, the unification of Norway was fragile, resting solely on the military strength of Harald.

4.2 Christianization during the time of Hakon the Good

After his death, discord broke out between his sons. The brothers did not recognize the autocracy of the new king, Eirik the Bloody Axe, who, in the end, had to flee from Norway (he managed to seize the throne in the Viking colonies in the British Isles, in York). The situation in Norway stabilized somewhat after the transfer of power to the youngest son of Harald Fairhair, Hakon the Good. He was brought up in England, at the court of the Anglo-Saxon king Æthelstan (Adalstein sag), where he converted to Christianity.

“Hakon Adalstein's pupil was in England when he heard about the death of his father, King Harald. He immediately got ready to go. King Adalstein gave him people and good ships and equipped him in the best way for the trip, and in the fall Hakon arrived in Norway. Then he heard that his brothers had fallen in battle. Hakon sailed north to Throndheim to Jarl Sigurd of Hladir, the wisest man in Norway. He was well received there and made an alliance with Sigurd. Hakon promised him great possessions if he became king. They convened a crowded Thing, and at the Thing Sigurd spoke in favor of Hakon and invited the bonds to proclaim him king. After this, Hakon himself stood up and spoke. Then people began to say among themselves that it was Harald Fairhair who returned and became young again.

Hakon began his speech by asking the bondsmen to give him the rank of king, and also to provide him with support and assistance in maintaining this rank. In exchange, he promised to return them to the property of their fatherland. This promise caused such approval that the entire crowd of bonds made noise and shouted that they wanted to take him as king. This was done, and the Thrandheims proclaimed Hakon king of the whole country. He was fifteen years old at the time.”(Saga of Hakon the Good, I)

However, his attempts to spread the new religion in Norway encountered stubborn opposition from the bonds, despite the fact that, unlike his father and brothers, Hakon did not gain power in the country as a conqueror - he was recognized by the Things of different parts of the country (so, in any case, is told in the “Earthly Circle”). He obviously made concessions to their demands and did not oppress the people - hence his nickname “Kind”.

Around 960, Hakon the Good died during the invasion of Norway by his nephew Harald Grayskin (son of Eirik the Bloodaxe), who, with the support of the Danish king, managed to seize power. Harald Graypelt ruled the country like his grandfather, like a conqueror. He took away estates from his opponents and extorted taxes from the population.

The first kings of Norway, with the exception of Hakon the Good, were not much different from the Viking leaders who established their dominance in the conquered countries. They, in fact, were Vikings, for the careers of many Norwegian kings, not only in the 10th century, but also in the first half of the 11th century, began overseas, in conquests and predatory expeditions, or in the service of a foreign sovereign. Defending Norway from Viking attacks, they themselves ruled it, sometimes using similar methods.

Around 970, power over the country passed to the jarl from Hladir (in Throndheim) Hakon Sigurdarson, who enjoyed the support of the king of Denmark. It is significant that the Danish king Harald Bluetooth, pursuing a policy of Christianization at home, tolerated the fact that Earl Hakon and his subjects remained pagans. The people of Norway continued to adhere to the faith of their fathers. But according to the skald, Earl Hakon regularly made sacrifices to the old gods, and therefore peace reigned in the country. According to pagan beliefs, under the rule of a ruler pleasing to the gods, the country prospers, the harvests are bountiful and the livestock produce good offspring. Thus, Earl Hakon also performed the religious functions of the king.

4.3 First Christian king Olav Tryggvason.

The sagas preserved the bondsmen's complaints about extortion and offenses committed by Earl Hakon. As a result, around 995, the bonds of Trøndalag rebelled against the jarl, he was killed by his own slave, and Olav Tryggvason, a famous Viking, a representative of the family of Harald Fairhair, who came to Norway from England at that time, ascended the throne with the consent of the population.

It was from this period that the actual mass Christianization of Norway began. As a summary, we will give a brief description of this period.

Accessing the Norwegian throne after spending their youth in more civilized and feudal states, at the end of the 10th and in the first third of the 11th century, kings Olav Tryggvason (995–999 or 1000) and Olav Haraldsson (Olav the Saint, 1015–1028) consistently pursued a policy of eradicating the independence of local princes, and the most important means of this policy was Christianization. Not to mention the fact that the Christian church in Norway, as elsewhere in Europe, contributed to the triumph of the monarchical principle, the transition to a new faith undermined the foundations of the power of the old nobility, under whose control the pagan cult was. By destroying the temples of the gods and prohibiting sacrifices, both Olaves deliberately eliminated the trinity of “cult-ting-ruler”, on which local self-government was based. It is clear from the sources that the population also felt a connection between their independence and the old cults. The Christianization of Norway, carried out by the kings with great determination and cruelty, led to the death of part of the old nobility and the confiscation of their possessions; representatives of the nobility who did not fall in this bloody struggle were forced to enter the service of the Norwegian king. It is fair to say of this country that it has been baptized by fire and sword. However, when carrying out Christianization, the kings resorted not only to violence (as it may seem when reading the sagas about the kings). There are indications that, in order to convert influential people, Olav Haraldsson in some cases granted them possessions and privileges. Since the time of Olav Haraldsson one can speak of the Norwegian Church as an institution established throughout the country and subordinate to the king.

Let us dwell in more detail (using the sagas of the “Earthly Circle”) on the biography and activities of these outstanding kings of Norway.

According to the sagas, Olav Tryggvason spent his childhood in exile in Rus', was at the court of Prince Vladimir Igorevich, and when he grew up, he began to command Scandinavian mercenaries.

“Olav Tryggvi’s son was in Gardariki all this time and was in great honor with King Valdimar and enjoyed the favor of his wife. King Valdimar made him the commander of the army that he sent to defend his country. Olaf fought several battles there and was a good military leader. He himself had a large squad. He supported her with the funds that the king gave him. Olav was generous with his people, and therefore he was loved very much... It so happened that the king believed the slander and became reserved and unfriendly in his dealings with Olav. Olaf noticed this and told the king’s wife, adding that he wanted to leave for the Nordic Countries. He said that his relatives had previously had a power there and that he would probably succeed most there. The king’s wife wished him a happy journey and said that he would be honored everywhere, wherever he was.”(The saga of Olaf son of Tryggvi-XXI). « King Valdimar is none other than Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, Grand Duke of Kiev.

Holy book Vladimir was an Eastern Scandinavian by blood and language, but from those “Varangian” families who became completely Slavic and submitted to the mysterious genius of the Slavic language and its elements. In the struggle for power, he fled for a long time to Scandinavia to his relatives and recruited squads of Varangians there, with whom he returned to Rus'. Here, in Kyiv, his relative Olav Tryggveson, the future king of Norway, lived with him for years. In joint conversations, the two pagan kings experienced their intimate religious crisis, and both led their people along the Christian path: Olav along the western, Vladimir - along the eastern. The church was not yet split. The question of the Roman heresy did not yet exist. Vladimir's family was related through marriages to all Western dynasties of the Latin rite. Vladimir hosted Western missionaries and papal embassies as fellow believers. And yet he consciously preferred the Greek rite and Greek culture.

This was a period of active Christianization of the northern “barbarians” of Europe. In Europe IX-XI centuries. In order for any people to cease being barbarians, it was necessary, first of all, to be baptized and enter the universal Church. Kings after kings, countries after countries, after a stubbornly naive struggle against the cross, bowed their violent military heads before the ministers of the Church and humbly immersed themselves in the baptismal font. Otherwise, it was impossible to “go out into the people and bring out” your peoples. Christianity became the only door in culture, the white bone of aristocracy, leading out of the black body of paganism.

However, let us return to the Christian affairs of Olav Tryggvason. “When Olav son of Tryggvi was on Sylling, he heard that on one of these islands there lived a soothsayer who predicted the future... Olav went to him and had a conversation with him. Olav asked him what he would predict for him - whether he would rule the state and what his fate would be in general. Then the hermit answered him with a holy prophecy;

- You will be a famous king and accomplish glorious deeds. You will convert many people to the Christian faith and thereby help yourself and many others. And so that you do not doubt this prediction of mine, I will give you this sign: you will have betrayal and rebellion on your ships. There will be a battle and you will lose some of your men and be wounded. Your wound will be considered mortal, and you will be carried on a shield to your ship. But in seven days you will be healed of this wound and soon you will be baptized.

Olav returned to his ships and there he met rebels who wanted to kill him and his squad. Everything happened as the hermit predicted: Olaf was carried wounded to the ship and was healed on the seventh day. Then Olaf saw that this man had told him the truth and that he was a true soothsayer, no matter where his knowledge of the future came from. Olaf therefore went to this man a second time and talked with him for a long time. He asked him where he got such wisdom that he could predict the future. The hermit replied that the God of the Christians himself reveals to him everything he wants to know, and he also told him about many wonderful deeds of God. Thanks to these admonitions, Olaf agreed to be baptized, and so Olaf and all his companions were baptized. He stayed there for quite a long time and studied the right faith, and took priests and other learned people from there with him. –XXXI"

“When Olav son of Tryggvi became king in Norway, he lived for a long time in the summer in Vik... King Olav announced to the people that he wanted to make all the people in his kingdom Christians. The first to submit to this were those who had previously promised him their support. These were the most powerful of the people there, and all the others followed their example. Thus all the people in the east of Vic were baptized. After this, the king went to the north of Vik and demanded that all people be baptized, and he subjected those who opposed to cruel punishments, killing some, ordering others to be maimed, and expelling others from the country. In the end, in all the land that King Tryggvi, his father, had previously ruled, and also that which belonged to Harald the Greenlander, his kinsman, all the people accepted the Christianity proclaimed by Olav. So, that summer and the following winter, all of Vik converted to Christianity"-(LII)

This is how “Earthly Circle” briefly and succinctly tells about the beginning of the mass Christianization of Norway. What was at the heart of this process? Only socio-historical reasons, the struggle for power, the influence of an enlightened and richer Europe - how do authoritative historians tell us about this? Of course not. At the heart of any spiritual process are deep spiritual reasons. As the Holy Scripture tells us “... The fullness of the time has come, God sent His (Only Begotten) Son... to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons...(Gal.4:4). “...But then, not knowing God, you served gods who are not gods in essence; Having now come to know God, or better yet, having received knowledge from God, why are you returning again to the weak and poor material principles and want to enslave yourself to them again?”(Gal.4:8). For 10 centuries Christianity has been marching victoriously around the world. In the person of their apostles, waves of knowledge of grace and truth reached the most remote corners of the world (as, indeed, this process continues for the next 10 centuries). Christian history knows their names, honors them, carefully preserves the memory of them, paying tribute to their exploits (as, in particular, St. Ansgarius, the apostle of the north, as described above).

Pagan beliefs (“... not really gods..."), invariably distorted the process of reaching the knowledge of the truth. This was manifested both in the persistence and opposition of those being baptized, and in the actions of those who baptized. Thus, in the sagas we read that in response to the demand to be baptized, the bonds set the condition to make a sacrifice to the gods, for which the king took their relatives as hostages and objects of sacrifice. " I will not choose slaves or villains for this. I will sacrifice the noblest people to the gods… He said that he wanted to sacrifice them all for a fruitful year and peace, and ordered them to be captured immediately. But when the bonds saw that they did not have enough people to resist the king, they began to ask for mercy and surrendered to the will of the king. It was agreed that all the bondsmen who came to the feast would be baptized and swear to the king that they would adhere to the right faith and renounce all sacrifices. (LXVII)

The belligerence and straightforwardness in the actions of the former Vikings who became kings also affected the way they acted in the fight for a just cause. " King Olaf went to the temple, and with him several of his people and some bonds. When the king came to where the gods stood, Thor, the most revered of the gods, sat there, decorated with gold and silver. King Olaf picked up the gilded staff that he had in his hand and struck Thor, so that he fell from his throne. Then the king's people arrived and threw all the gods off their thrones. While the king was in the temple, Iron Skeggi was killed in front of the doors of the temple. This was done by the king's people" -(LXIX.

“The king ordered Raud to be brought to him and invited him to be baptized.

“Then I will not,” says the king, “take your property from you.” I'll be your friend if you value it.

But Raud vehemently rejected this proposal, said that he would never believe in Christ, and was very blasphemous. Then the king became angry and said that Raud would die the worst possible death. He ordered to take Raud, tie him face up to a log and insert a stick between his teeth so that his mouth was open. Then he ordered to bring a snake and put it to Raud's mouth. But the snake did not want to crawl into the mouth and climbed back, wriggling, as Raud blew on it. Then the king ordered an empty angelica stem to be brought and inserted into Raud’s mouth. And some people say that the king ordered his pipe to be inserted into his mouth. The snake was forced to crawl by bringing a hot iron to its tail. She crawled into Raud's mouth and then into his throat and gnawed through his side. Here Raud said goodbye to life"(LXXX).

Few of the kings of that time died a natural death. The conscious life of a Viking began and ended in battle. Snorri Sturulson figuratively describes the death of Olaf Tryggvi's son: “...Then the earl said to the man - he was an excellent shooter - about whom some say that his name was Finn and others that he was a Finn:

- Come on, shoot an arrow at that red-haired fellow on the stern of the Serpent.

Finn fired, and the arrow hit the center of Einar's bow just as he was drawing his bow for the third time. The bow broke in two with a crash. Then King Olav asked:

- Why did it burst with such a bang? Einar answers:

- Your business in Norway has failed, king.

“There has never been such a loud crash,” says the king. - Take my bow and shoot.

And he threw him his bow. Einar took the bow, pulled the string onto the tip of the arrow and said:

“The king’s bow is weak, too weak...”(CVIII)

“...And then both of them - King Olav himself and Kolbjorn - jumped into the sea, one from one side, and the other from the other. And the earl's people placed small ships around the Serpent and from them killed those who jumped into the sea. When the king himself jumped into the sea, they wanted to capture him and deliver him to Earl Eirik. But King Olaf, jumping, raised his shield above himself and sank into the abyss.”(CXI)

Was the death of the first Christian king of Scandinavia inevitable? In all likelihood, yes. A kind of forerunner of future victories, Olav perishes in the abyss and whirlpool of events of a turning point in history. (Just as the death of John the Baptist was inevitable). He is replaced by Olav Haraldsson - Olav the Saint. This is already the beginning of a new Christian period in the history of Scandinavia and the end of the Viking period.

4.4 Completion of the introduction of Christianity in Norway. OLAF (Olav) II Haraldsson Saint.

Historical information: - OLAF (Olav) II Haraldsson the Saint (also Olaf the Fat) (Olav Haraldsson den Hellige) (c. 995 - July 29, 1030, Stiklastadir, near Trondheim), king of Norway in 1015-1028. Olaf was the son of the local king Harald the Greenlander, a descendant of Harald I Fairhair, and thus could lay claim to the Norwegian throne. According to tradition, Olaf was on Viking campaigns from the age of 12. .

“Olav the son of Harald was short, stocky and strong. His hair was brown, his face was wide and ruddy, his skin was white, his eyes were very beautiful, his gaze was sharp, and it was scary to look into his eyes when he was angry. Olav mastered many arts: he was good at archery, excellent with a spear, and a good swimmer. He himself was skilled in all kinds of crafts and taught others. He was nicknamed Olav the Tolstoy. He spoke boldly and beautifully. He became smart and strong early, like a real man. All his relatives and friends loved him. He was persistent in games, and wanted to be the first everywhere, as befitted him by his nobility and origin.”(The Saga of Saint Olaf –III)

Participation in Viking campaigns in foreign lands meant, first of all, participation in predatory and aggressive actions. As reported in the chronicles, he robbed in the West, in the British Isles. However, in one of the sagas of the Earthly Circle we encounter a description of an amazing and significant event, which was obviously a turning point in the life of young Olav.

“When King Olav stood in Karlsar and waited for a fair wind to sail to Nørvasund, and from there to Jorsalaheim, he had a wonderful dream, as if a stately and prominent, but terrifying man came up to him and spoke to him. He asked Olaf to abandon his intention to sail to distant lands.

- Return to your homeland, because you will forever be the king of Norway.

King Olav understood this dream in such a way that he would rule the country and his compatriots for a long time.” (XVIII).

Without a doubt, this was a covert description of a spiritual meeting with the great man of Scandinavia, Olav Trygvason.

After some time, Haroldsson was baptized. In 1015 Olaf returned to Norway and subjugated it within a year. In these events one can discern some parallels with the New Testament narrative of the conversion to Christian ministry of the Apostle Paul.

Acting as his relative, the first Christianizer of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason, it could not have been otherwise, Olaf sought to base his rule on Christian laws, considering the church his ally, and Charlemagne as his model. He actively built churches, brought English monks with him, and divided Norway into church districts.

Norway, ecclesiastically, was initially subordinate to the archbishops of northern Germany. But the policies pursued by the clergy, first of all, contributed to the strengthening of the Norwegian monarchy. In turn, the church found support from the king, including material support. Unlike other Western countries, the church in Norway could not count on a wide influx of donations from the population and the transfer of a mass of land holdings in its favor. The alienation of hereditary plots of land was hampered by traditional restrictions, and attempts by the clergy to abolish them were unsuccessful. The possessions of the church and monasteries, which soon began to be founded in Norway, consisted mainly of grants from the king; subsequently they grew due to gifts from the nobility, as well as as a result of mortgages of real estate by poor people who were then unable to redeem their plots, and through the clearing of new territories. The church was far from immediately able to achieve the introduction of tithes (only in the first half of the 12th century).

Christianization marked a new stage in the development of the early Norwegian state. A new ideological support appeared; in the person of the clergy, a force arose in Norwegian society that consistently fought against the old pagan orders that permeated the entire traditional social structure. If previously the socio-legal community (the ting district) was at the same time a religious community, now this unity was broken, since church parishes were built according to a new scheme that did not coincide with the ting system.

“The king headed south along the coast, stopping in each county and calling the bonds to a Thing. At each Thing, he ordered Christian laws and commandments to be read. He prohibited many bad customs and pagan rituals, because the jarls lived according to the old laws and did not impose Christian customs on anyone. At that time, everywhere on the coast people were baptized, but Christian laws remained unknown to most, while in the mountain valleys and mountains everyone remained pagans, since when people are left to themselves, they firmly remember the faith that they were taught in childhood. Those whom Olav could not persuade to accept Christianity, he forced them to do so and did not look at who was in front of them - a powerful person or not.”(LX) .

King Olav also Christianized the interior of Norway and tried to break the power of local leaders. Therefore, Olav soon became hated by the majority of the population of Norway, but the Lord protected him. One of the sagas tells about an assassination attempt on the king right in the church:

“On the day of the Ascension, King Olaf went to mass. The bishop at the head of the procession began to walk around the church, and the king followed him. When they returned to the church, the bishop led the king to his place north of the door in the chancel. Next to the king sat there, as usual, King Hrorek. He covered his face with his cloak...When the mass came to an end, King Olav stood up, raised his hands above his head, leaned towards the altar, and the cloak slipped off his shoulders. Then suddenly and swiftly King Hrorek jumped up and struck King Olav with a dagger. But as the king bent down, the blow fell on the cloak. The cloak was severely torn, but the king was not wounded. When the king felt the blow, he jumped back. King Hrorek struck again with his dagger, but missed and said:

- Why are you, Olav the Fat, running away from me blind!

The king ordered his men to take him and take him out of the church. They did just that. After this incident, Olav's people asked him to allow them to kill Hrorek.

“You’re tempting fate too much, king,” they said...”( LXXXIV).

At the head of the opposition to royal power and his Christian policies was the old nobility, which maintained traditional ties with the bonds. She was able to involve them in her struggle against those kings who, in her opinion, were becoming excessively stronger. In the decisive battle between Olav Haraldsson and the powerful people of Norway, who sided with Cnut of Denmark, the majority of the Bonds opposed their king. And this is not difficult to explain if we remember that it was the king who acted as the bearer of innovations: he mercilessly eradicated pagan cults, and at the same time their adherents, he encroached on the institution of family revenge, which was very tenacious among the Scandinavians, streamlined the collection of feedings and distributed weitzls to his entourage. Peasant society, committed to tradition, reacted negatively to these innovations.

Many betrayed him and accepted money from the Danish king Canute I the Mighty, against whom Olaf opposed in alliance with the Swedish king Onund Olafsson. In his confrontation with Canute, Olaf did not receive any support within the country and he had to leave it. For some time he stayed with Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise. This is how it is written about in the sagas

“Having arrived in Gardariki, King Olav indulged in deep thoughts and reflections about what he should do next. King Yaritsleif and his wife Ingigerd invited King Olav to stay with them and become the ruler of a country called Vulgaria. It forms part of Gardarika, and the people in it are unbaptized. King Olav began to think about this proposal. But when he told his people about him, they began to dissuade him from staying in Gardariki, and convinced him to return to Norway to his possessions... He often thought about all this and turned his thoughts to God, asking God to show what is the best thing for him to do. All these thoughts haunted him, and he did not know what to do, for he saw that he would not escape trouble, no matter what he did.(CLXXXVII).

The following narratives speak about trust in God and Christian zeal in business:

“...It happened that the son of a noble widow had such a large abscess in his throat that the boy could not eat anything, and they believed that his days were numbered. His mother went to Ingigerd, the wife of King Yaritsleif, since she knew her, and showed her her son. Ingigerd said that she could not cure him.

“Go to King Olav,” she says. - He is the best doctor here - and ask him to touch with his hand what hurts your son, and if he refuses, then say that I am asking him to do this.

The widow did as the king's wife told her. Coming to King Olaf, she told him that her son had an abscess in his throat and was dying, and asked the king to touch the sore spot with his hand. The king replied that he was not a doctor and that she needed to see a doctor. Then she said that the king's wife had sent her:

- She asked me to convey her request that you use all your art. She told me that you are the best doctor here in the city.

The king approached the boy, ran his hands over his neck and felt it for a long time until the boy opened his mouth. Then the king took a piece of bread, soaked it and put it in a cross on his palm. Then he put this piece of bread in the boy’s mouth, and he swallowed it. The boy's pain immediately went away, and after a few days he was completely healthy. The boy's mother and all his relatives and friends were very happy about this. At first they thought that King Olav simply had skillful hands, like those who master the art of healing, but then, when everyone found out that he could work miracles, they realized that this healing was a true miracle.”(CLXXXIX)

« One Sunday it happened that King Olaf was sitting in his place of honor at the table and was so busy with his thoughts that he did not notice how time was passing. In one hand he held a knife, and in the other - some kind of piece of wood, from which he was cutting small shavings. A servant stood in front of him and held a jug. He saw what the king was doing and realized that he was thinking about something. The servant said:

- Tomorrow is Monday, sir.

Hearing these words, the king looked at the servant and suddenly came to his senses. Then he ordered a candle to be brought. He collected the shavings in his palm, brought the candle to them and set them on fire. This shows how he strictly observed all the orders and commandments and did not want to break them.”(CXC)

“When King Olav approached Stiklastadir, one man appeared to him... He appeared before the king, greeted him and asked if the king would like to accept help from him....

Then the king asked whether he was baptized or not. Arnljot could only say about his faith that he believed in his power and strength.

- This faith was enough for me until now. And now I want to believe in you, king.

Konung says:

- If you want to believe in me, then you must believe in what I teach you. You must believe that Jesus Christ created heaven and earth and all people, and that all good and righteous people come to him after death...(CCXV)

Two years after the death of the ruler of Norway, Earl Haakon Eiriksson, Olaf, leaving his young son Magnus with Yaroslav, returned to Norway with an army consisting of his squad, Swedish volunteers and forest robbers. The bonds and nobles opposed him, and in the battle of Stiklastadir Olaf's army was defeated, and he himself died. At the time of Olaf's death, a solar eclipse occurred.

King Olav died on Wednesday, the fourth calendar of August. The troops converged around noon, the battle began before midmundi, the king fell to non, and it was dark from midmundi to non.”(CCXXXV) (The solar eclipse described here actually occurred on August 31, 1030; non - 3 o'clock in the afternoon, midmundi - midday between noon and midnight. In fact, the eclipse began at 13.40, peaked at 14.53 and ended at 16.00.)

His body had not yet been buried when the miraculous healing of the blind man occurred.

“The Bonds did not rob the dead, since immediately after the battle many of those who fought against the king were seized with fear...”(CCXXXV) “...They took Olav’s body and moved it to an abandoned hut that stood to the side of the estate. ...Among them there was one blind man, about whom the following is told. He was poor, and a boy walked with him as a guide. They left the estate and began to look for shelter. They approached the hut where the king’s body lay…. And when he felt the floor, he felt something wet under his hands. Adjusting his hat with wet hands, he touched his eyes with his fingers. He felt a strong sting in his eyes and began to rub them with wet hands. Then he crawled out of the hut and said that it was impossible to lie there, since everything inside was wet. But when he crawled out of the hut, he saw his hands, and then everything that was nearby and that could be seen in the dark. He immediately went back to the estate, entered the house and told everyone that he had received his sight and became sighted..."(CCXXVI)

After the death of Olav, Norway was ruled by the son of Canute I the Mighty, Sven, and his mother Olviva. Their rule, following the Danish model, soon displeased the Norwegians. The rule of the Danes began to be seen as a punishment for the murder of the king. People began to talk about miracles occurring at Olaf's burial place, and his friend, Bishop Grimkel, proclaimed Olaf a Saint. Soon, many leaders who had previously opposed Olaf recognized his holiness. Although Olaf was never officially canonized, his cult quickly spread throughout Scandinavia. In Novgorod already at the end of the 11th century. There was a church of St. Olaf, built for Gotlandic merchants. Many churches are dedicated to Olaf. Scandinavian literature is replete with examples of healings, victories in hopeless battles and other miracles of Saint Olaf. In the peasant environment, he was endowed with a number of features of pagan gods - Frey, the bearer of the harvest, and Thor the conqueror, the protector from all evil spirits. Olaf came to embody the biblical ideal of a just king and was seen as the "eternal king of Norway." In the 12th century King Magnus Eiriksson declared himself "vassal and subject of St. Olaf." Tradition credits him with introducing the first Christian laws.

When the mighty Viking Harald Sigurdarson, the half-brother of Olaf the Saint, returned from overseas campaigns, shared power over Norway with Magnus the Good in 1046, and then became its sole sovereign, conflicts between the royal power and the people escalated again. Harald fully deserved the nickname “Severe”: he suppressed the actions of the bonds with fire and sword. With the death of Harald during the campaign against England (1066) ends viking age. The nickname of his son and successor on the throne, Olav, “The Quiet” (or “Bond”) is no less symbolic than the nickname of Harald himself. A period of peace ensues, during which cultural contacts with the West intensify. It was during the reign of Olav the Quiet (1066–1093) that the growth of cities dates back to; under him, the first stone churches in Norway were built (before that, there were only wooden churches of the original design). At the same time, a church organization was formed in Norway with four bishoprics subordinate to the archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen (until 1104, when the archbishopric of Lund, Sweden was founded). The Christianization of Scandinavia was completely completed by this time.

Bibliography.

Despite the fact that Norway has a state church, there is complete freedom of religion in the country. This means that everyone can practice their religion without fear of persecution or punishment for doing so. This also means that every person is free to choose the religion to which he or she wants to belong. Equally important is that a person can choose not to belong to any religion.

Norway's largest religious community is the Church of Norway, whose members comprise about 70% of the population. A high percentage of membership does not mean that religion occupies a significant place in the lives of all people. Statistics, for example, show that only 12% of Norwegians go to church more than once a month. 37% say they never go to church. However, the church still plays an important role for most residents during ceremonies such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals, not to mention Christmas.

Various religious communities receive money from the state for their work

Religious communities and ideological societies can receive economic assistance from the state and the commune. Officially approved religious communities and worldview societies receive the same economic support for each of their members as the Church of Norway.

Norway is a multicultural and secular state

Norway adopted Christianity about 1,000 years ago, and since the Reformation in the 16th century, Lutheranism (Protestantism) has remained the dominant religion in Norway.

In earlier times, Norwegians were prohibited from leaving the state church, and it was only about a hundred years ago that it became possible for non-Christian religious communities to organize in Norway.

Today society is becoming more and more secular. This means that religion has less importance in society than before - both among the population and in shaping the laws of the country.

Various religious and ideological groups in Norway

About 30% of Norway's population is not a member of the state church. Approximately half of them are members of other religious communities and worldview societies, and the remaining half do not belong to any of these societies.

The 10% of the population belonging to one of the religious or ideological societies outside the Norwegian Church is distributed as follows:

DATA

People's Church

• The Norwegian Church is a folk church. It is the largest religious community in Norway, professing Lutheran-Protestant Christianity.
• Previously, the Church of Norway had the status of the state church of Norway.
• Norway no longer has a state religion.

Almost 83% of Norwegians are members of the state Church of Norway, to which they are registered at baptism. Many remain in the state church to be able to use services such as baptism, confirmation, marriage and funerals, rites that have a strong cultural position in Norway. However, only 20% of Norwegians say that religion is important in their lives (according to a recent Gallup Poll), making Norway one of the world's most secular countries (only Estonia, Sweden and Denmark have the same percentage of people who believe that religion was important was below). In the early 1990s, it was estimated that between 4.7% - 5.3% of Norwegians went to church weekly. Up to 40% of the membership attend church or religious meetings at least once annually.

According to the new Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 32% of Norwegian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god," while 47% responded that "they believe there is some kind of spirit or life force" and 17% that "they Don't believe there is any kind of spirit, god, or life force." According to Gustafson and Pettersson (2002), 72% of Norwegians do not believe in a ‘personal God.’

Other Christian denominations total about 4.5% of the population, including the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, the Roman Catholic Church, theBaptists, Pentecostal congregations, the Methodist Church, and Adventists, and others. Among non-Christian religions, Islam is the largest, representing approximately 1.5% of the population. It is carried out mainly by Somali, Arab, Albanian, and Turkish immigrants, as well as Norwegians of Pakistani descent. Other religions comprise less than 1% each, including Judaism as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Indian immigrants introduced Hinduism to Norway, but amounted to less than 5,000 people, or 1% of non-Lutheran Norwegians. There are eleven Buddhist organizations, grouped under the Buddhistforbundet organization, which make up 0.42% of the population. About 1.5% of Norwegians adhere to the secular Norwegian Humane Association. Approximately 5% of the population is self-sufficient.

Like other Scandinavian countries, the Norwegians followed a form of native Germanic paganism known as Norse paganism. By the end of the eleventh century, when Norway was Christianized, native Norwegian religion and practices were banned. Remnants of Norway's native religion and beliefs survive today in the form of names, reference names of cities and locations, days of the week, and other parts of everyday language.

Minority parts of the Sami retained their shamanistic religion well into the 18th century, when they were converted to Christianity by Dano-Norwegian missionaries.

Orthodoxy is the fastest growing religion in Norway with a rate from 2000 to 2009 of 231.1% compared to Islam's 64.3%.

Useful information about Norway More than any other, Norway is a country of contrasts. Summer here is very different from autumn, autumn from winter, and winter from spring. Norway offers a wide variety of different landscapes and contrasts.
Norway's territory is so large and its population so small that there is a unique opportunity to relax alone with nature. Far from industrial pollution and the noise of big cities, you can gain new strength surrounded by pristine nature. Wherever you are, nature is always around you. Have lunch at a city street restaurant before heading out for a bike ride through the forest or before taking a dip in the sea.
Many thousands of years ago, a huge layer of ice covered Norway. The glacier settled in lakes, at the bottom of rivers and deepened steep valleys that stretched towards the sea. The glacier advanced and retreated 5, 10, or perhaps even 20 times before finally retreating 14,000 years ago. As a reminder of itself, the glacier left deep valleys that were filled by the sea, and magnificent fjords, which many consider the soul of Norway.
The Vikings, among others, founded their settlements here and used the fjords and small bays as the main routes of communication during their campaigns. Today the fjords are more famous for their spectacular scenery than for their Vikings. What makes them unique is that people still live here. These days, you can find working farms high up in the hills, clinging idyllically to the mountainside.
Fjords exist along the entire Norwegian coastline - from Oslofjord to Varangerfjord. Each of them is beautiful in its own way. Still, the world's most famous fjords are located in western Norway. Some of the largest and most powerful waterfalls are also found in this part of Norway. They form on the edges of rocks, high above your head and cascade into the emerald green water of the fjords. Equally high is the “Church Pulpit” rock (Prekestolen) - a mountain shelf rising 600 meters above Lysefjord in Rogaland.
Norway is a long and narrow country with a coastline that is as beautiful, amazing and diverse as the rest of its territory. Wherever you are, the sea is always near you. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Norwegians are such experienced and skilled sailors. For a long time, the sea was the only route connecting the coastal regions of Norway - with its coastline stretching for many thousands of kilometers.