Introduction

A shift in religion in a fundamentally religious society involves all aspects of society as well as all the individuals that live in it. The traces of these events are consequently very diverse and often problematic both to identify and to interpret. Even the term ‘conversion’ in itself is problematic, since it can have both particular and general connotations. Either it can be treated as a sudden and clearly detectable event or as a long drawn-out series of many different and interconnected processes. One way to get around these problems is to divide the one complex transformation into several shorter transformations or phases, as has been done by Fridtjov Birkeli in a study of the conversion of Norway. He separates the conversion into a phase of infiltration, a phase of mission and a phase of institution (Birkeli 1973:14). The phase of infiltration is the period during which the population gets passive information about Christianity through their own travels and contacts with Christian countries (ibid.: 14 ff.). The phase of mission is characterised by active missionary activities from the continent and from the growing number of Scandinavian Christians (ibid. 20 ff.). The phase of institution is characterised by the establishment of an ecclesiastical organisation and the building of churches (ibid.: 26 ff.). While the phase of infiltration is predominantly ‘heathen’, the phase of mission is both ‘heathen’ and Christian, and the phase of institution is predominantly Christian. The different religious ‘phases’ are also accompanied by, or perhaps rather spring from, different political considerations.

If we want to use these phases as analytical tools for studying the conversion of Sweden, several adjustments have to be made. The phases from infiltration to institution represent the conversion as a whole in chronological order, as Birkeli used them. But since the conversion of Sweden was a very slow and diverse process it seems reasonable to assume that several of Birkeli's phases occurred at the same time in different parts of the country. Setbacks in the conversion might also have put a region back into the characteristics of an earlier phase (see Welinder, Chapter 32 in this vol.). Even though this separation of the conversion into different phases might seem very artificial, it puts focus on the fact that the terms Christian and Christianity are very relative concepts during the conversion, both from our point of view and from the perspective of the converts.