Leading the way to heaven : pastoral care and salvation in the Carolingian period /

The grass-roots approach allows for a better understanding of religion as it shows how it encompassed all spheres of daily life.

By exploring how pastoral care took shape at the local levels of society, the volume is useful in showing how the ideal of leading everybody to salvation was a central element of Carolingian culture. This will be useful for all students and scholars who are interested in the ecclesiastical history of Europe in the Carolingian period.

The various sections on the roles of the priest, such as priests as experts, shows how well-educated local priests did not only know how to baptise and preach, but could also advise on matters concerning health, legal procedure and even the future, which provides a more detailed and nuanced view of the role of the priest in this period.