Letter 7: The mission to the Avars [who had been recently defeated by Charlemagne's forces and whose territory was now open to...

To the most holy and beloved Archbishop Arno of Salzburg, from his friend Alcuin, greetings. The mission to the Avars [who had been recently defeated by Charlemagne's forces and whose territory was now open to missionary work] is one I think about a great deal, and I want to share my thoughts with you who are directly responsible for it. The approach that has been used in many missionary contexts — baptize first and instruct later — is, I believe, backwards. Instruction must come first, because baptism without understanding is not genuine conversion and will not produce genuine Christians. The difficulty is that instruction takes time and resources that a military campaign does not easily provide. What I recommend for the Avar mission: identify and train missionaries who speak the local language or can learn it quickly. Establish communities — hospices, small religious houses — that can provide a stable base for ongoing pastoral work. Work with the local leaders who have accepted the new arrangement to build churches and schools. The Avars are not stupid. They are not without spiritual capacity. They have accepted the political reality of Frankish dominance; the question is whether they will accept the spiritual reality of Christian faith. That acceptance cannot be compelled; it must be invited. Write to me as the mission develops. I want to understand what you find. Your loving friend, Alcuin