Ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and site of the first Christian Church in Britain.

FFFactsFacts about the HHHistoryHistory of British

oday, as we accelerate into the twenty-first century, the Christian faith comprises over 1.759 billion people worldwide, one third of the human population. In the United States Talone over 190 million of the country's 300 million consider themselves Christian, while the largest church has a membership comprising some 57 million Roman Catholics. Christians are familiar with the Scriptures of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Every Sunday, pastors, ministers, and priests faithfully exhort, teach, and speak to their audience or parishioners about their particular take on Scripture with a general direction towards a spiritually and morally higher life. Caring more about the people around us and embracing the values of trust, love, and peace. Nearly every person of Christian faith has heard that Jesus died for our sins, and this is still the most significant thing that has ever happened on our planet. It is still the most important issue that each of us will ever have to deal with personally. However, we are often so mindlessly focused on tradition that we forget to ask simple questions. Questions like, Who? What? When? Where? and How? Consumed by our goals in life or perhaps just the stresses of survival living we simply forget to ask the basic questions? Here are just a few… What is the origin of the Bible? Where did it come from? Why is it so important? Who are the people of the ‘Book’ and what has happened to them? What is my connection, if any, to these people of the ‘Book’? Why does a book about an obscure group of wanderers living in Palestine some four and half thousand years ago have anything to do with me today? What impact has their lives had on Western civilization? What relevance do the Scriptures have for a twenty-first century person today? Who are the Jews? And what is the difference between an Israelite of the Bible and a Jew of today? Okay, okay, we could go on, but my purpose is not so much to answer all of these but rather light a spark of interest in your connection with the past, and more importantly, destiny for the future. Every successful human journey depends entirely on two simple but critical pieces of information. The first is, What is my origin—“Where did I come from?” And the second part is equally important, What is my destination—“Where am I going?” Based only, but only on the correct answers to those two questions can we track where and how we are travelling at any point along the road no matter whether it be our trip to work each day, or the trip of life. So… this is not about living in the past, but learning from it so we can find direction, courage and inspiration to live each day with purpose and not be a wandering generality getting ‘nowhere’ because that’s where we are headed. If we are not careful, much of life can be about dead-end streets and the Bible is one of the very few books that can, and will, and does provide answers, both about our origin as well as our ultimate destination. In a world where the sands of time are constantly drifting before the winds of change, it is awesomely powerful to be able to find a rock-solid truth on which to stand securely and face the future with unbending confidence. Did you know, for instance, that the Bible on your bedside table, or gathering dust in your bookcase is not a collection of children’s stories or even a collection of mythological tales? If your family is firmly planted in Western civilization then the Bible actually contains a history of your very own ancestors. It follows a nation whose humble beginnings in the Arabian desert, led them, after the Bible left most of them in Assyrian exile, and later the rest under Persian domination, to eventually settle on the Western seaboard of Europe, and in more recent history as their populations expanded, to colonies spread around the globe. Daniel, an exiled royal prince of Judah, and now a special adviser to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar [c.600 BCE .] likened this process to a ‘stone’ that would grow and became a great mountain filling the whole earth (Daniel 2:35, 44, 45 ). Like any good foreign diplomat, Daniel, was deliberately obscure in identifying the fifth ‘stone’ kingdom in the presence of his new boss, king Nebuchadnezzar. He obviously knew the identity of the fifth kingdom that would break in pieces and consume the other four kingdoms, for just a few chapters later he declared: “…The (a deliberate obscurity for Israel – Psalm 148:14; 149) of the Most-High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom for forever, even forever and ever.” (Daniel was very emphatic about how long this kingdom would endure) Daniel 7:18 The word ‘stone’ gives us the clue, for stones governed Israel’s whole, and special, relationship with God. The prophet Isaiah exhorted Israelites to look to the rock of Abraham from which they were hewn. Abraham’s grandson, the patriarch Jacob acquired a stone pillar that became his stone of witness or title deed and focal point to all that God had covenanted through the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This stone began it’s history as a reject building block that was consecrated by Jacob after a life changing dream. Today it is a priceless heirloom in the same category as the English crown jewels and holds pride of place in Edinburgh Castle. This rough sandstone block became known as the Coronation Stone upon which Israelite, Irish, Scottish and English Kings and Queens following King David’s line have been crowned for more than three thousand years. Then there were the tablets of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments and placed within the Ark of the Covenant. This was the focal point of the Law of Moses, governing the nation of Israel’s complete relationship with God for some fifteen hundred years. In a very real sense they were the vows by which Israel as a nation promised to be faithful to God in the same way a wife promises to be faithful to her husband. Then there were the precious stones that the High priest bore on his shoulders and on his breastplate. These identified each tribe of Israel for a memorial when he ventured into the presence of God within the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle. The Apostle Peter writing to these very same people as “the scattered” or “the dispersion” calls them “lively stones” built together with the “chief corner stone” into a “spiritual house”. In God’s eyes there has only ever been one nation where stones have played such a prominent part in their relationship with Him. And as foretold in Scripture, there has only ever been one kingdom that would stand forever and this is the physical nation of Israel. C/f: Joshua 4:1 – 9: I Kings 18:30 – 32; Isaiah 51:1, 2; I Peter 1:1 & 2:5 - 7 Did you know that the message of the New Testament profound as it is, is but a stepping stone towards what followed and is still to come, in the spread of that Good News into the rest of the world? Paul’s missionary ventures detailed for us in the New Testament, delude us into thinking that these were the first outreaching efforts of the early church, and nothing could be further from the truth. Did you know that before Paul’s conversion, and while he was still working for the Jewish Sanhedrin dragging early believers of this ‘new faith’ off to prison, this Good News message had already leapt directly from Jerusalem into the British Isles and was being propagated in the region of Cornwall, Somerset and Wales by one of the wealthiest men of his day and a great uncle of Jesus? I have found most Christians entirely unfamiliar, or worse, confused, with the origin and history of both the Bible and the Christian church. Many have erroneous historical views History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 2 because so much of history has been distorted or suppressed by foreign invaders such as the Roman state in its early occupation of Britain together with the later Dane, Saxon and Norman invasions, but even more so by the Roman church through its control during 1000 years of European ‘dark ages’. Here are some facts about a history that has for over twenty centuries both challenged and shaped Western civilization. Today, in many respects, our civilization is turning its back on the very tenets of truth that made our combined nations of the west the greatest ever known since the dawn of time. We do it to our eternal shame and impending disaster for ominous cracks of destruction are already evident within our societies as we move blindly and persistently towards the ‘Fall and Collapse of Western Culture and Civilization’. Winston Churchill once said, “A nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it”. We could rephrase that by saying, “A nation that forgets its past and the true source of its greatness has no future!” In The BeginningBeginning………… 1. We know Jesus was born to Mary by the overshadowing power of God’s Holy Spirit and that Joseph was his step-father. From the book of Matthew, we learn that Mary and Joseph later had a family of their own providing Jesus with four half brothers; James, who later became the leader of the church in Jerusalem and was stoned on the steps of the Temple; then Joseph, Simon, and Judas, along with at least two half-sisters. (The Papacy wishing to preserve Mary’s ‘virgin’ status make unsubstantiated claims that these were Joseph’s children from a supposed previous marriage.) Matthew also informs us that Joseph’s father was Jacob, while Luke informs us that Mary’s father was *Heli. Apparently, Jacob and Heli, as well as Joseph of Arimathea the youngest, were brothers, all sons of Matthat or Matthan depending on which record you read. This means that Joseph and Mary were first cousins. Both Matthew and Luke record the lineage of Jesus as a noble and direct descendent of King David. Matthew 1:1 – 17; 13:54 – 56; Luke 3:23 – 38 *Luke uses the word, Gr. Nomizo translated “as was supposed” Actually means a legal son as reckoned by the law, making Heli, Joseph’s ‘father-in-law’. – E.W. Bullinger 2. It is thought that Jesus lost his stepfather Joseph during his childhood years, for his mother’s uncle, Joseph of Arimathea was granted power of Paranymphos (guardianship) over the family. This would only have occurred through the death of the male leader and provider in the family. As a result, we find that Joseph of Arimathea significantly influenced Jesus’ upbringing. 3. Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy and influential tin, copper, and lead mining magnate and merchant. From his home near Lydda (Ramallah) in the plain of Sharon, about 20 kilometres from the port of Joppa (Jaffa) Joseph ran a fleet of ships, which delivered ore from mines in the British Isles to and Phoenicia. These were the same mines that nearly 1000 years earlier provided materials for the construction of Solomon’s Temple. As an important supply source for these minerals used extensively by Rome, Joseph acquired the status of an important Roman dignitary. As a legislative member of the Roman Senate and mining specialist his official title was ‘Noblis Decurio’. He was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin as well. There is more than enough tradition suggesting that as a boy, Jesus accompanied his great-uncle, to Cornwall, spending time in Britain, particularly around Glastonbury in Somerset. It is even possible that He was educated at one of Britain’s many famed Druidical colleges during his ‘silent years’, enabling him at the age of twelve to amaze the Jewish leaders gathered in the temple for the Passover feast. Luke 3:41 - 47 4. Joseph of Arimathea disagreed with and pleaded with the Sanhedrin when Jesus was condemned to death. Joseph then used his influence to demand and take possession of the body of Jesus from Pontius Pilate after the crucifixion. He provided his own tomb as a burial place. 5. Jewish records indicate that after the resurrection and the discovery of the empty tomb, the high priest Caiaphas, ordered Joseph of Arimathea to be questioned by the Sanhedrin about his role in the events. Because of his powerful Roman status, he was untouchable, so the Sanhedrin devised a new penalty by forcing Joseph of Arimathea and his companions into an oarless boat without a sail and setting them adrift on the Mediterranean Sea. History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 3 7. According to Cardinal Baronius, the followers of Christ, or disciples who were set adrift in the oarless boat included: Mary Magdalene Lazarus - whom Jesus raised from the dead Martha Marcellus – The Bethany sisters’ maid Mary - mother of Jesus Joseph of Arimathea Mary - wife of Cleopas Maximum Salome Sidonius (Restitutus) - Jesus restored sight Trophimus Martial Eutropius Saturninus Clean Although Jesus’ mother is not mentioned in the original list, I have added her to this list for it is almost certain she would have been in Joseph’s care. A confirmation of this comes when Mary is later recorded with Joseph’s group at Glastonbury. 6. In referring to the Christian exodus from Jerusalem in 36 CE., resulting from Saul’s fanatical persecution, Cardinal Baronius in his ‘Ecclesiastical Annals’ stated, in that year the party mentioned above was “exposed to the sea in a vessel without sails or oars. (I’m sure there is an amazing story hidden in those few words.) Against all odds, the vessel and its occupants arrived safely in Marseilles and on their arrival, they met numerous other believers who had preceded them. 8. Phillip, one of the twelve, was already in Marseilles and gave Joseph of Arimathea an Apostolic Appointment to Britain. Joseph and his company passed into Britain and after preaching the Gospel there, died and was buried at Glastonbury. Early church father, Eusebius (260-340 CE ), Bishop of Caesarea, sometimes referred to as the father of church history, wrote, “The Apostles passed beyond the Ocean to, the Isles called the Britannic Isles”. Because of his tin mining connections in Cornwall, including lead mines in the Mendip Hills close to Glastonbury, Joseph had close ties with the nobility of the region. King Arviragus of the Silures in Cornwall sent a delegation to invite the party to Britain, offering safety and land, resulting in Joseph and his team of disciples making the journey across the channel into England. 9. Britain became the first country outside Jerusalem to receive Christianity in about 36-38 CE, as acknowledged in many historical records as well as several church councils including Pisa in 1409 CE ., Constance in 1417 CE ., Sienna in 1424 CE ., and Basle in 1434 CE ., where Britain’s position of superior antiquity and precedence was challenged. It is also why Britain’s monarch carries the title ‘Our Most Religious Queen (King)’. 10. The church in Britain was first known as the “Culdee” Church, the natural result of Joseph and his companions being regarded as “refugees”. Under Rome’s sphere of influence, Britain was the only country that afforded a secure asylum for Christians persecuted first by Saul with the Jewish Sanhedrin’s approval, and later by Roman authorities. 11. The original church built at Glastonbury, and later expanded into an Abbey, was quite small, built of wattle and daub 20 meters (60 feet) in length and 9 meters (26 feet) in width. Following a pattern of the Old Testament tabernacle it was completed between 38 and 39 CE . In a letter from St. Augustine to the Pope 400 years later, Augustine acknowledges Joseph of Arimathea’s work and erection of the church on the very location where Jesus earlier built a wattle altar. 12. Arviragus King of the Silures and possibly connected by marriage to Joseph through a married daughter, gifted Joseph of Arimathea and his companions with twelve (approx. 120 to 150 acres) hides—or tracts—of land upon which to established their mission. Recorded a thousand years later, the land grant can be still seen today in the ‘Doomsday Book’ compiled by William I ‘The Conqueror’ [1066-1087 CE ], one thousand years later. 13. Caradoc or Caractacus, a cousin of Arviragus, was the Pendragon or war-lord of the British army. His family became closely aligned with Joseph. His father Bran ‘The Blessed’ who had abdicated the throne in favour of his nephew Aviragus in order to become an Arch- Druid was officially the first royal convert. Caradoc’s sister Gladys and his children, Gladys

History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 4 (Claudia), Cyllinus, Cynon, Linus and Eugain were also early converts to the new faith before their capture and seven-year house arrest as hostages in Rome. 14. Before Christianity was birthed in Judea, there existed from the remotest period in Britain a patriarchal religion known to us as the Druidic, of which the three leading, and identical teachings with those of Christianity were… a. the immortality of the soul, b. the vicarious atonement, c. the triune nature of Deity represented by three rays of light and called ‘Yesu’. The motto of the Druids, “The Truth Against the World” , was the principle and foundation upon which Druids build their order.

Joseph of Arimathea & the British Silurian Royal Family d. 27 July 82 CE. Daughter Anna m. = Beli Mawr – (the Great) Thought to have either married Beli or what is more likely , Bran below. Lud

Cymbeline Llyr (King Lear of Shakespearean fame) 10 CE.

Bran Fendigaid – (the Blessed) First British royal convert to Christianity

Gladys (Pomponia) m. Roman General Aulus Plautius Caradoc (Caractacus) 10-80 CE. (Spent 7 years in Rome after his capture 52 CE.)

Gladys (Claudia Britannica.) Cylinus Cynon Linus (1 st . Bishop of Eugain m. Salog d.97 CE. m. 53 CE. Roman senator Rome) & aide de camp to Aulus (Martyred about 90 CE.) Plautius Coel Rufus Pudens Pudentinus Rufus reputedly the ha lf -brother of the St. Paul – Rom ans 16:13. (Martyred 96 CE.) Lucius (Llewrug Mawr ) (Nationalized Christianity in Britain 156 CE. ) (Their 4 children Martyred…) A great luminary – light bringer of his time d.140 CE. d.1 07 CE. d.1 37 CE. d.1 40 CE. St. Ti motheus St. St. Novatus St. Praxedes

15. While multiple statues of gods and goddesses prevail throughout sites of Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Roman origin as well as other nations, not a vestige of an idol or image has ever been found that could be termed British. Although claims have been made for human sacrifices, only animal bones have ever been found in the vicinity of the Druids known altars. 16. Several significant legends emerge from Glastonbury Abbey. Joseph is said to have brought with him the chalice used by Jesus and the Disciples during the Last Supper. It was this goblet that gave rise to the ‘Quest for the Holy Grail’ legends of King Arthur, whose discovered remains lie buried at Glastonbury. Another legend relates to Joseph’s staff which grew when planted, and still another story turns on two cruets of Jesus’ blood and sweat reputedly brought to England by Joseph. 17. Joseph of Arimathea is said to have been present when Mary (mother of Jesus) died in 48 CE . and was buried at Glastonbury Abbey. 18. According to Cressy, a Benedictine Monk and historian, St. Joseph of Arimathea died and was buried ‘over Mary’ at Glastonbury Abbey on 27 July, 82 CE . Inscribed upon Joseph’s sarcophagus were the words ‘Ad Brittanos veni post Christum Sepelivi Doci Quieri’ or “To the Britons I came after I buried the Christ. I taught, and I have entered my rest.” Besides Joseph and Mary his niece, and contrary to Romanized history, a number of the Apostles, History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 5 ended their days in Britain and were buried at Glastonbury in Somerset. The remains of others were transported to Britain after their death. 19. Converts to Christianity flooded to Glastonbury Abbey for baptism, instruction, and missionary assignment. Isadore, Archbishop of Seville [600 – 636 CE ] wrote in his ‘Historia’ that Philip from Bethsaida together with his daughters preached Christ to the Gauls. At one point, Philip sent 160 disciples from Gaul to assist Joseph of Arimathea and his team at Glastonbury. One of the first outreaches from Glastonbury was undertaken by the Bethany group including Mary, Martha, their maid Marcellus and brother Lazarus. This family headed back across the channel to France where Lazarus evangelized in the region of Marseilles for seven years. They lived out the rest of their lives preaching and teaching in southern France. From this point, Glastonbury Abbey became the centre of Christian outreach worldwide. For centuries, Gallic records indicate the Archbishops of Treves and Rheims were all Britons supplied by the mother church of Glastonbury, Avalon. 20. There are records claiming that Joseph of Arimathea’s daughter Anna, and cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus, married the Silurian king, Beli the Great or what is more likely his great grandson, Bran ‘The Blessed’, and Joseph’s first convert to the new faith. It may well have been this family connection that drew Joseph back to Britain when persecution against Christianity broke out in Judea. 21. One of Jesus’ twelve disciples, Simon Zelotes, followed Joseph to Britain about 44 CE . but appears to have laboured independently. During the Boadicean War Simon was martyred 10 May 61 CE . by Roman forces who crucified and buried him at Caistor, in Lincolnshire. 22. The elderly Aristobulus was a third member of the Jerusalem church called to missionary service in Britain. One of the seventy, brother of Barnabas, and father-in-law of the Apostle Peter, Aristobulus was ordained the first bishop of Britain by the Apostle Paul and together with his son, Maw or Manaw, travelled to Britain from Rome with the elderly and recently baptised (58 CE ) Arch Druid Bran to engage in this commission. Within a year Aristobulus was dead, reputedly the first Christian martyr in Britain, killed by locals in a misunderstanding of his association with the much-hated Romans. He was buried near St. Albans about 59 CE . A district on the River Severn, in Montgomeryshire perpetuates his name—Arwystli—in the original Cymric language. British Achau, or Genealogies of the Saints 23. Reputedly, Peter the apostle was received by the family of Senator Rufus senior at the family’s country estate outside Rome in 44 CE . This was also the year a Claudian banishment decree forced all Jews and Christians alike to flee from Rome. The records indicate that Peter fled to Britain visiting and evangelizing in both Britain and Gaul several times during his lifetime before being incarcerated at Rome for nine months in the worst possible manner and refusing to die in the same position as his Lord, was crucified head- down in 67 CE . Argumentum Epistolae St. Paul ad Romanos – Cornelius á Lapide. 24. Pendragon Caradoc (War Lord Caractacus) carried the war successfully against, not just one, but a combined force of three or more of Rome’s elite generals, including at one stage the Emperor Claudius himself, until traitorously betrayed and captured by a break-away renegade tribal leader 52 CE . When taken to Rome as captives and hostages by the Roman military, this family’s home of house arrest (‘free custody’) became the official church of the gentiles (uncircumcised) in Rome and became the base for most if not all early Christian activity in this city. Both the apostles Peter and Paul, and many other Christian notables such as Paul’s prodigy Timothy, enjoyed the hospitality of this home. The other official church (of the circumcised) in Rome, was in the home of Priscilla and Aquila, until absorbed by the other. Romans 16:3, 5 25. When St. Paul arrived in Rome (56 CE ) as a prisoner, he found Caradoc’s family already living there under house arrest, including Linus, Pudens and Claudia, as well as Aristobulus (Eubulus) and already converts to Christianity through the work of Joseph of Arimathea. (Compare II Timothy 4:21 .) Here is further proof that the church at Glastonbury was established before the existence of the church at Roman.

History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 6 26. Aviragus succeeded to the position of Pendragon (War Lord) after his cousin’s capture and carried on the war against the invading Romans with increased vigour and success, forcing the Romans to accept peace by treaty rather than a too costly conquest. 27. Linus, son of British prince and war-lord Caradoc was ordained by St. Paul the first bishop of Rome before 69 CE . The ordination of Linus by Paul was confirmed in a statement by the St. Peter in a publication entitled ‘The Apostolic Constitutions’. Peter first stated that Linus was the brother of Claudia and further affirmed his British origins and princely birth. He also confirmed Linus as the first bishop and that the ordination was performed by Paul sometime after his first arrival in Rome in 56 CE . The claims of the Roman regarding the founding of the church at Rome by St. Peter are confounded by this statement made by Peter himself. Linus was a martyr of the church at Rome some time about 90 CE . 28. Although a hostage, Caradoc’s daughter Gladys, and sister of Linus, was adopted by the Roman Emperor Claudius and received the adopted family name to become known as ‘Claudia Britannica’. Claudia became very popular in Roman society and married into a Roman Senatorial family. Her husband Rufus Pudens Pudentinus had been aide-de-camp to Aulus Plautius, one of Rome’s ablest generals in Britain. His friendship with Claudia may have even begun in Britain when Aulus Plautius married Claudia’s Aunt. The marriage was performed by pastor Hermes (Hermas). 29. According to research done by Mr. Edwin Wilmhurst of Chichester and supported by known facts about the history of the time, the Apostle Paul’s grandfather was an immensely wealthy Benjaminite living in Tarsus, who with a great sum of money, purchased Roman citizenship for himself and in consequence his family. His son Davidus, Paul’s father, went further and assumed the Roman name of Appius Tillius. He took service in Rome’s army and rose to the rank of centurion—very possibly the same centurion recorded in Matthew (8:5). Davidus married a lady named either Praxedes or Prassedes. However, Davidus died leaving his wife a rich widow with a young son, Saul, in Tarsus. She subsequently married Pudentius a Roman senator who took her to Rome, while Saul was sent to Jerusalem to study law under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). One of the offspring of this second marriage was Rufus Pudens, who was later quartered at Regnum (Chichester) as aide-de-camp to General Aulus Plautius, where he left his name in what has become known as the “Pudens Stone”. The staggering outcome of this is that through their mother, Rufus and St. Paul are half- brothers. And this is not all, for Andronicus, Junia and Herodion are also listed as “kinsmen” together with Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater in St. Paul’s letter to his friends and relatives in Rome (16:7, 11, 13, 21), and are now connected by marriage to the British royal family. (See the chart above - page 5) 29. Rufus and Claudia had four offspring, all of whom were instructed in the faith by the apostles Peter and Paul and all four were also martyrs for their faith. 30. Caradoc’s Son Cylinus became king in Britain after Arviragus, and his grand-son King Lucius nationalized Christianity in 156 CE . so that Britain was the first of all nations to accept Christianity as its national religion. Romans 16:13 – 14 31. With the connection made between Paul and Rufus and noting the way chapter sixteen of Paul’s Roman letter unfolds, it is possible to believe that more of the Roman notables to whom Paul sends greetings in his letter were actually members of his own family. Romans 16: 7, 11 32. After his acquittal in Rome, of all charges relating to his arrest in Jerusalem, Paul followed his primary and stated purpose in coming to Rome. In the translated words of Clemens Romanus, the third bishop of Rome, he went “to the extremity of the west”. Paul left Rome about 58 CE . Possibly Caradoc, and his father Bran having just completed their seven years of detention, together with Aristobulus, newly appointed bishop of Britain, and his son Maw, were Paul’s companions for at least part of the journey. He travelled through Spain and Gaul before reaching Britain where reputedly Paul spent most of the next four to six years, out of European circulation, evangelizing particularly among the very receptive Druid communities in Wales. Church father, Theodoretus in 426 CE. , testifies that “Paul liberated from his first captivity at Rome, preached the gospel to the Britons and others in

History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 7 the West.” He returned to Rome sometime about 64-67 CE ., to a martyr’s death along with Peter at about the same time; both victims among thousands of Nero’s insane behaviour. Romans 15:24, 28 ; See also an apocryphal Acts 29 33. Her husband and all four children of British Princess Gladys (Claudia Britannica) suffered martyrdom in Rome for their faith. Her husband and Roman senator Rufus Pudens, 96 CE . Daughter Pudentiana in the third persecution, 107 CE . Novatus in the fifth persecution, 139 CE ., while his brother Timotheus was in Britain baptising his nephew, King Lucius. Just a year later now aged 89, Timotheus was martyred in 140 CE ., and also Praxedes his surviving sister, one month later that same year. Claudia was the only member of the family to die naturally 97 CE ., a year after her husband Rufus. All were buried in the family grave beside the remains of St. Paul their beloved apostle and relative. 34. In 137 CE. during the fifth Roman persecution 89-year-old Timotheus son of Rufus and Claudia travelled from Rome to baptize his nephew King Lucius in Britain, and some twenty years later in 156 CE . Lucius nationalized Christianity in Britain. Records indicate that 140 years after the original disciples erected the first wattle church Eleutherius, bishop of Rome between c.174-189 CE ., sent missionaries to Lucius, King of the Britons, arriving on the island and making repairs to the church at Glastonbury. Upon their departure, they chose twelve of their converts to remain on the island as hermits in memory of the original twelve. This community of hermits lived unmodified, until St. Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish, arrived in 433 CE . He taught the hermits to live together in a community, becoming their abbot and remaining until his death. 35. St. Cadval, a famed British missionary out of Glastonbury, was attributed as having founded the church of Tarentum, Italy, in 170 CE , 14 years after King Lucius Christianized Britain. 36. In the year 630 CE , at Glastonbury, St. Paulinus constructed St. Mary’s chapel over the wattle and daub church with the idea of preserving the church. However, in 1184 CE a fire gutted St. Mary’s and with it many of the church's original relics and documents. Rebuilding began at once, and Glastonbury Abbey was completed in 1186 CE . Soon after this, with the consent of King Richard I, and an expensive appeal made to the pope, the abbey's independence was secured. 37. The city of York (Caer Evroc) became the city of choice for Romans after the massacre and sacking of London by the rampaging outraged army of Boadicea in 61 CE . in retaliation for the savage rape of Queen Boadicea and her two daughters by Roman officials. In fact several Roman Emperors functioned from York, preferring it’s safety to the jealousy, intrigue and threats of Rome itself. One of these was Constantius Chlorus who ruled the Roman Empire from York for ten years. With him began arguably one of the most momentous chapters in the history of Christianity. In the year 265 CE . he married Elaine ( Helen) the daughter of King Coel of Colchester (the ‘merry ol’ soul’ of nursery rhyme fame), and a great grand daughter of King Lucius already mentioned above. It is to her credit, probably as much as her famous British born son Constantine the Great [274 - 337 CE ], that Christianity was accepted nationally and became the religion of choice of the Roman Empire. 38. Over a period of six years, between 306 and 312 CE , fighting his way to the top against serious odds and several contenders, and finally being hailed as victor and as saviour of the empire by the Roman Senate, Constantine ended persecution against Christians. Constantine's co-emperor, Licinius, joined him in issuing the Edict of Milan in 313 CE ., which mandated toleration of Christianity. With his mother’s support and encouragement Constantine favoured the church with legal rights and large financial donations. 39 Changes favouring Christians immediately began taking place. In chronological order, Constantine stopped pagan games, freed the Church of land taxes and civic obligations; permitted the freeing of slaves; forbade private people to offer sacrifices to idols, reserving this right only for societies; commanded Sundays be celebrated throughout the empire; protected Christian virgins; abolished Roman laws against celibacy; permitted the Church to receive property; ordered Christian Churches to be constructed; and restored Elia Capitolina to its former name Jerusalem.

History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 8 40. Constantine the Great commenced building Constantinople in 326 CE . on the site of ancient Greek Byzantium, present day Istanbul, where it remained the capitol of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire until 1453 CE . Amongst other achievements, his mother, Empress Helena, built seven churches in the Holy Land, that are still honoured today as shrines to some of the significant events in the life of Jesus. 41. Christianity now grew so rapidly that through ignorance, error, and deliberate design aimed at increasing popularity, numerous practices belonging to other popular pagan religions and cults were incorporated into church tradition and beliefs. Within a very short time the bishop of Rome now known as Pope was wielding more power over an enlarged Holy Roman Empire, than the Emperor had over the Imperial Roman Empire. This state of affairs continued for the next 1000 years called by some the ‘iron age of spiritual slavery’, until the reformation of the sixteenth century shook the church to it’s very foundations. 42. Probably the most momentous event to influence the church next to Constantine’s rise to power was the overthrow of his city Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in May 1453 CE . This seemingly unconnected incident in fact, triggered the renaissance that swept a tidal wave of new learning across Europe. Fleeing refugees from Constantinople brought with them a flood of manuscripts, many of them original Scriptures written in Greek, the language of the universities, that was in direct contrast to Latin, the compulsory language of the Roman church at that time. 43. The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in his home town of Mainz, Germany just thirteen years before in 1440 CE . added impetus to this flood that quickly swept beyond the restrictive controls of the church. 44. England again led the way when John Wycliffe labelled ‘The Morning Star’ of the reformation produced some time between 1380 and 1384 CE . an English copy of the Holy Scriptures translated directly from the Latin Vulgate. For the very first time, people were able to read the Scriptures in their own language and its popularity grew rapidly despite severe persecution from church officialdom. As a result of his studies Wycliffe also began to question and challenge the validity of some of the Catholic Church’s traditions. He died 31 December 1384 CE . before the church had time to deal more severely with him. 45. The next step forward in England was taken through the first visit in 1500 CE . of Erasmus the illustrious Dutchman whose meeting with the then still future Henry VIII (aged 9) sparked a correspondence that continued for many years. Erasmus also won many friends in Oxford and an open door in the future for his published “Testament of Jesus Christ in the original language”, a Greek New Testament collated carefully from the manuscripts, translations and commentaries available to him, and correcting many of the errors and Roman bias of the Vulgate version. Through the use of the new printing invention this publication set the world on it’s head, or in the words of historian J.H. Merle d’Aubigné, it “awakens the dead”. From peaceful homes to ancient university halls it created animated discussion wherever it went. It was from this time that the Reformation of England truly began, independent of everything else that was happening on the continent. 46. It was into this electrified atmosphere that William Tyndale was born about 1493 CE . with a linguistic skill of genius quality. After time spent at both Oxford and Cambridge, where he met Erasmus, Tyndale returned to his home in the Severn valley to a teaching position. It is here that he conceived the idea of translating the Scriptures into the mother tongue of those around him so that they could work out their own salvation without depending on the erroneous and downright false doctrine expounded by, what were in the main, ignorant monks. Eventually opposition forced him to leave England and it is possible that his first two gospels translated into English were actually printed in Wittenburg with Luther’s support and encouragement. He died a martyr 6 October 1536 CE . at Vilvorde in Belgium. Even after his death, edition after edition of his English Bible continued to flow into England in spite of every attempt being made to suppress it. His work fulfilled an early promise to an opposing theologian that, “If God spares my life, ere many years I will take care that a ploughboy shall know more of the Scriptures than you do.” History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 9 Tyndale took the fire that had been kindled in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge with the reading of the Erasmus Greek New Testament and set the world on fire with his version printed in the common tongue of the people. In 1534 CE . it led to Henry VIII’s momentous break with the Roman Papacy. In less than eighty years it led directly through other versions, namely ‘Matthew’s Bible’ (1537 CE .), the ‘Great Bible’ (1539 CE .), and the ‘Geneva Bible’ (1560 CE .), to the King James (authorized) version of 1611 CE . that after four-hundred years is still being printed and used by many today in the twenty-first century. 47. In November, 1729 CE , four young gentlemen of Oxford—John Wesley, [1703-1791] Fellow of Lincoln College; Charles Wesley, [1707-1788] Student of Christ Church; Richard Morgan, Commoner of Christ Church; and Robert (Bob) Kirkham, of Merton College— began to spend some evenings in a week together, in reading, chiefly, the Greek Testament. The next year two or three of John Wesley's pupils desired the liberty of meeting with them; and afterwards one of Charles Wesley's pupils. It was in 1732, that Benjamin Ingham, of Queen's College, and Thomas Broughton, of Exeter, were added to their number. To these, in April, was joined Mr. Clayton, of Brazen Nose College, with two or three of his pupils. About the same time James Harvey was permitted to meet with them; and in 1735, George Whitefield [1714-1770] of Pembroke College. The sight of this little group of fourteen or fifteen meeting so regularly and for long hours excited some ribald comment. The little company was dubbed “Bible Moths” the “Holy Club” the “Godly Club” and lastly “Methodists”, and that was the name that stuck. 48. After two years spent among the Indians in the American state of Georgia—from October 1735 to December 1737 CE John Wesley returned to England. Soon after he had a meeting with Messrs. Ingham, Stonehouse, Hall, Hutchings, Kinchin, fellow of Corpus Christi, and a few other Clergymen, who all resolved to be Bible-Christians and, to preach Bible Christianity. 49. Although perfectly regular and zealously attached to the Church of England, they became convinced, that “by grace we are saved through faith;” that justification by faith was the doctrine of the Church, as well as of the Bible. As soon as they believed, they spake; salvation by faith being now their standing topic. In this John Wesley followed the counsel of an associate who advised him to “Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it you will preach faith.” Indeed, this implied three things: (1.) That men are all, by nature, “dead in sin,” and, consequently, “children of wrath.” (2.) That they are “justified by faith alone.” (3.) That faith produces inward and outward holiness: These points they insisted on and in a short time became popular preachers. The congregations were large wherever they preached. Through the work of these men and the Methodist movement it is certain that Britain escaped a fate similar to that brought by the uprising and bloodshed of the French Revolution across the channel [1789–1799 CE ]. 50. A direct result of the Methodist movement was the work of (General) William Booth [1829-1912 CE ] born in Nottingham and founder of the Salvation Army. By the end of his life the army was operating in 58 countries, and today is one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid.

ConclusionConclusion:::: hristianity spread from a single church beginning with just 120 disciples in a Jerusalem upper room after the ascension of Jesus, to reach the western extremities of Britain Cthrough the work of Joseph of Arimathea, impacted the city of Rome itself and stretched east through the work of doubting Thomas into the sub-continent of India in less than one hundred years. Truly, as the people of Thessalonica claimed, “these…turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 ). A number of kings and princes, apostles and disciples, but mainly just ordinary people like you and I with a profound belief in the Captain of their Salvation, have played significant roles in spreading a faith that has now become the most far reaching religion in the world.

History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 10 I have come to realize that there is more to this Bible business than meets the eye. It is far more than a religion that is traditionally dead and lifeless. Christianity is about a person and all about relationship. From the moment of our birth a sacred trust has been placed in our hands. To revere the past and learn from those who have succeeded in bringing this ‘like precious faith’ to our time and our lives. Christianity has shaped world history, not always positively, but those occasions had everything to do with power mongering, bigotry and individuals and nothing to do with the message it brings. Whole countries and nations have been built on its solid moral values and conviction. In fact, as Jean Henri Merle d’Aubigne author of ‘The Reformation in England’ puts it, “If Jesus can do without kings to establish his kingdom, kings cannot do without Jesus, if they would have their kingdoms prosper. Justice, which is the fundamental principle of the state, is continually fettered in its progress by the internal power of sin; and as force can do nothing against this power, the state requires the gospel in order to overcome it. That country will always be the most prosperous where the church is the most evangelical.” It is the only code where all individuals are treated as equals regardless of status, sex, colour or creed. And where the single requirement demanded is a belief in the Name and work of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and soon coming Lord. As I have studied these histories, I realize the significance that these brave and industrious individuals have secured for my life and my faith. Over centuries of time, we have seen how God has spun a cycle through cause and effect to bring about the values we embrace today. Through the pedigree of Joseph of Arimathea and the connection so many of those early evangelizers had with each other and with Britain, I am alive, and able to thank God for the Royal House of King David [c.1000 BCE .] that still functions in Denmark, England, Holland, Norway and Sweden today 3000 years later, as a fulfilment of Jeremiah’s prophetic word, spoken when everything was unravelling, and it seemed so pointless, and the message so out of step with what was happening before his eyes…

“Thus says the LORD : ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son (heir) to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’” Moreover, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, “Have you not considered what these people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the LORD has chosen, He has also cast them off’? Thus they have despised My people, as if they should no more be a nation before them. “Thus says the LORD : ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return and will have mercy on them.’” Jeremiah 33:20 - 26

Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone and blessed him and increased him. For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 11 Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands (isles) will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. Isaiah 51:1 - 5

Together we are truly the family of God, and through His conscious awareness, we can better direct ourselves, our families, our communities, our churches and our nations for God’s future plan for mankind and this planet. May God’s plan be with you now and always. The truth is yours. “When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak to you.” Proverbs 6:22

- The Truth Against the World -

History of British Christianity – Ian J. Chamberlain 12 References & BibliographyBibliography:

Title: Author: Publisher: Celt, Druid & Culdee Isabel Hill Elder Covenant Publishing Co. Ltd. London UK St. George Of Lydda (Soldier, Saint & Martyr) Isabel Hill Elder Covenant Publishing Co. Ltd. London UK St. Joseph Of Glastonbury (or The Apostolic Church in Britain) Rev. Lionel S. Lewis M.A. James Clarke & Co. Ltd. London UK St. Paul In Britain Rev. R.W. Morgan Covenant Publishing Co. Ltd. London UK The Drama Of The Lost Disciples George F. Jowett Covenant Publishing Co. Ltd. London UK The Journal of John Wesley Moody Press, Chicago, USA The “Companion Bible” (King James Version – KJV) E.W. Bullinger notes Samuel Bagster & Sons, London UK The “Spirit Filled Life Bible” (New King James Version – NKJV) Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville USA The “Painted Savages” Of England Rev. Alban Heath Covenant Publishing Co. Ltd. London UK The Reformation of England (Volumes One & Two) J.H. Merle d’Aubigné Banner of Truth Trust, London UK The Royal House of Britain An Enduring Dynasty Rev. W.M. Milner M.A. Covenant Publishing Co. Ltd. London UK Tracing Our Ancestors Frederick Haberman Vancouver, B.C. Canada

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Basilica di S. Pudenziana 160 Via Urbana 00184 Roma Arguably the first Church above ground in Rome and home of Rufus Pudens Pudentinus, his wife Claudia Britannica (Princess Gladys, adopted daughter of the Emperor Claudius). And for seven years home to her hostage father Caractacus (Prince & Pendragon Caradoc) of British Royalty. Both St. Peter and St. Paul enjoyed the hospitality of this home.

A plan of Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset, from where the message of Good News was first preached to the British. The remains of St Joseph of Arimathea, his niece Mary, the mother of Jesus, among many other notables including St. Patrick and King Arthur reputedly lie buried here.

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