Description
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 36-39 AD & established the first Christian Church then called ‘Culdee’ where is now the West country town of Glastonbury. “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 & taught; & Siluria where Churches & Schools were founded by the Silurian dynasty. . . . This decision laid down the principle that the Churches of France & Spain were bound to give way in point of antiquity & precedency to the Church of Britain which was founded by Joseph of Arimathea ‘immediately 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 & whatever direction our investigations take we find authority for the statement that the Church of Joseph of Avalon or Glastonbury was the first & oldest of them all many affirming that it was the oldest or senior Church in the whole world. Dr. Gray painstaking research & exciting historical study…has carefully substantiated the results.
