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The Origin and Early History of Christianity in Britain: From Its Dawn to the Death of Augustine

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Author: Andres Gray

Presents reliable evidence that St. Joseph of Arimathea established the first Christian church in Britain between 36 - 39 A.D. Reprint of 1880."

The long held belief that Christianity was introduced into Britain around 600 AD by St. Augustine is shown by the author to be unfounded. He presents the evidence that St. Joseph of Arimathea visited Britain around 36 to 39 AD and established the first Christian Church, then called 'Culdee', where is now the West country town of Glastonbury. The author states:

The first converts are said to have been members of the royal family of Siluria. It is asserted that there were two cradles of Christianity in Britain ----'the Chrystal Isle,' called by the Saxons Glaston, in Somersetshire, where Joseph is believed to have settled and taught; and Siluria, where Churches and Schools were founded by the Silurian dynasty.

. . . This decision laid down the principle that the Churches of France and Spain were bound to give way, in point of antiquity and precedency, to the Church of Britain, which was founded by Joseph of Arimathea, 'immediatly after the passion of Christ.'

. . . Regarding this date (given by Gildas) as our starting point, we have several testimonies assigning the first introduction of Christianity in or about the same year to Joseph of Arimathea.

The Culdee Church flourished for many centuries, independent of Rome, and knew no supremacy of the Bishop of Rome, held no dogmas concerning the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary nor the "Infallibility of the Pope". In short, it was far from being a "Roman Church." Gray:

We possess evidence that Churches were erected in Britain before the close of the second century, and whatever direction our investigations take, we find authority for the statement that the Church of Joseph of Avalon, or Glastonbury, was the first and oldest of them all, many affirming that it was the oldest or senior Church in the whole world.

Dr. Gray has painstakingly researched the material covered in this informative, as well as exciting, historical study and has carefully substantiated the majority of his claims with solid documentation. Makes for a most reliable reference book.

Paperback

136 pages

Gray's The Origin and Early History of Christianity in Britain is an important and fascinating work that deserves a wider readership. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Anglicanism, the English Church, or early Church history.

It's not surprising that a work of such remarkable and essential research was done by a 19th Century Englishman, for 19th Century English scholarship is unmatched ("how are the mighty fallen"!) Thankfully, Artisan Publishers has reprinted the work.

Gray's work is divided into 4 parts:
I. The Origin and Early History of Christianity in Britain
II. The Church in Britain from the Close of the First Century to the Establishment of the Heptarchy
III. The Missionary Character and Work of the Early British Church
IV. The Mission of Augustine

Of these, the first section is by far the most important and riveting, and so I'll spend most of the rest of my review on this section. In Section I, Gray asserts the following:
1. that Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain in A.D. 38
2. that Britain was the first nation to proclaim Christianity as its religion
3. that the Aristobulus mentioned in the book of Romans traveled to Britain and
was made the first bishop of Britain
4. that St. Paul himself traveled to Britain

It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of these well-substantiated claims. If they are, true, then they refute what was once the prevailing wisdom that the Church of England was established in A.D. 597 by the Roman Catholic Church's commissioning of St. Augustine to establish a mission in Britain. In other words, the Church of England had a national, ecclesiastical identity for almost 6 centuries before the Roman Church came to the British shores.

Furthermore, this evidence underscores the importance of remembering that the Church of England was most certainly not created by Henry VIII!

In considering Gray's claims, it's important to begin with his methodology. Gray, fortunately, cites a wide variety of sources to back up his astonishing claims. While some of these sources contain legendary material, the number and antiquity of sources Gray cites converge to paint a picture that is most probably an accurate one.

The evidence at hand will not persuade everyone who is looking for overwhelming evidence for Gray's claims. But given the general availability of evidence for the ancient world of 2000 years ago and the fragility of manuscript evidence, for example, Gray's claims are as solidly established as much of what we think we know about ancient history. As Gray states, "Had any doubt existed, on this point of priority [of the English Church], it certainly would have been contested by some of the other Churches . . ." (p. 9). Again, "No author, indeed, who has taken pains to examine its evidence rejects its main facts" (p. 10).

For the curious, here are some of the sources Gray cites for his claims that Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain in A.D. 38 and that Britain was the first nation that proclaimed Christianity as its religion:
1. Polydore Vergil (Roman Catholic contemporary of Henry VIII)
2. Cardinal Pole (1555)
3. The Councils of Pisa (1417), Constance (1419), and Sena.
4. Sabellius
5. Gildas (520-560)
6. Maeglygwyn of Llandaff (450)
7. Vellum Cottonian manuscript (also quoted by Archbishop Usher in the 17th century)
8. The Vatican Manuscript
9. The Chronicon of Pseudo-Dexter
10. The Fragmenta of Haleca, Archbishop of Saragossa
11. Archbishop Parker (in a letter to John Calvin!)

Gray compiles an equally impressive array of sources to suggest that St. Paul traveled to Britain.

As you can see by the sources I listed above, some of the dates of the sources are missing. That's because Gray doesn't provide them. This is one of the shortcomings of Gray's work.

Gray's work is an essential starting point for understanding early church history, particularly that of the Church of England and Anglicanism. However, his work needs to be updated not only to provide missing pieces of information but also to bring it into line with the past century of scholarship. Any takers?

As Anglicanism tries desperately to find its way forward, it should consider the evidence in Gray's work and remember that its roots go back to the 1st century in the Church of England, and that Anglicanism did not begin or in the 16th century of Henry VIII and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer.

...for those new to the subject and who think Augustine (not that Augustine, the other Augustine) was the first to bring Christianity to Britain. Gray suggests evidence that Christianity arrived in Britain even before the Roman Empire began it's expansion onto the island. Surprising and well written and worth pursuing.