According to the historian N. J. Higham, Edwin of Northumbria and Paulinus of York, Edwin's bishop, were able to persuade Eorpwald to accept an "alien cult" whose authority rested outside East Anglia.
Historian N.J. Higham states that Edwin of Northumbria and Paulinus of York persuaded Eorpwald to embrace a faith with authority originating beyond East Anglia.