Through looking at the texts of Beowulf and of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, we can clearly see the dramatic change in society's attitude regarding Christianity. From the time Beowulf was written in 750, until Sir Gawain's creation in 1400, there was a remarkable surge of interest in Christianity. This can be proven through comparing the epic and the romance. By analyzing the two, we, the reader, can undoubtedly notice the difference. It is obvious that Christianity had become the leading religion by the romance's conception in 1400 because of many reasons, particularly because the author automatically assumes that his audience has a certain comprehension of the religion and its stories, he doesn't only show negative aspects of other religions, and because he admits that mistakes are possible. .
We can see that Christianity had become the main religion by the time of Sir Gawain in its actual text. Had Christianity not been established as the dominant religion of the time, the author would still be trying to convince his audience to convert, like the Beowulf scop. However, he presumes his audience is already familiar with the religion, which is reflected in his writing. For example, he incorporates many biblical references in the romance, including an Adam and Eve parallel. According to the Bible, man was created perfect, but brought imperfection to the world because of a woman. Similarly, in Sir Gawain, the opening description of Gawain gives the impression that he is perfect, but then he too is tricked by a female. Both Adam and Gawain lost their innocence and faultlessness because of a woman. The image of the Virgin Mary was engraved on the inside of his shield, but she wasn't called by her name; rather, she was referred to as "the high Queen " (647). Unless the author's audience was educated in Christianity, they would have missed the reference. "Then they showed forth the shield, that shone red With the pentangle portrayed in purest gold " (619-620).
