JESUS' DISCIPLES TO BRITAIN #9

 

The Lost Disciples to Britain

The Church at Rome!

DRAMA OF LOST DISCIPLES TO BRITAIN by George Jowett (1961) THE ROYAL BRITISH FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT ROME, A.D.58 FOLLOWING the famous trial and release of Caractacus, with the rest of the royal Silurian family, we find them settled in the family residence at Rome, on the part of the Mons Sacer, called Scaurus. Here the British king begins his seven-year parole in absolute freedom. Caractacus alone is subject to the parole. It was not required of any of the other royal captives. They were free to leave Rome had they so desired. Over a period of time most of them returned to Britain. The first to leave, almost immediately following their pardon, were the two sons of Caractacus: his eldest and his youngest sons, Cyllinus and Cynon. Cyllinus returned to Britain, particularly to take over the reins of government, acting as regent during the absence of his father. Cynon entered the Silurian theological university. The home of the remainder was established in the palatial Roman residence known as the Palatium Britannicum - 'the Palace of the British', or, 'the British Palace'. At that time it was unlikely that any one of them realized the dramatic part they were to play, under the instruction of St. Paul, in laying down the foundation of Christianity at Rome. They were well aware that the situation was fraught with danger. On it with characteristic British stubbornness they turned their back. They cast the die and unflinchingly dedicated their lives to the Christian service. For this they were to pay with their lives and with their fortunes. It is an unhappy fact that, as the centuries sped by with their turmoils, these monumental events in our Christian history, with its stark, heart-breaking tragedies, in the main became forgotten. It seemed as though a dark curtain shrouded their glory in sombre shadows. Nevertheless, it is certain that St. Paul's fruitful work could never have been achieved among the Gentiles but for the sacrifices of these noble Britons. The old Greek and Roman Martyrologies, preserved to the present, are most illuminating. Therein are recorded the happenings and dates, in many cases but briefly detailed, but more than enough to give us the story of the pitiful endings of those first great soldiers of Christ. Many of the disciples are completely lost to the record. Nowhere are their names and achievements found. The silence of the grave enfolds them. Many of the tortured bodies never even found a grave. The Vatican states that there are many thousands of ancient documents in the archives of the Vatican library that have never been read: therefore, it is with pleasure we read of the splendid effort of the Vatican, during the last two years, to microfilm every document, to study and better preserve them. Recently it was announced that copies of these microfilms would be distributed among the various Christian theological centres for co-operative study. In the U.S.A. the Knights of Columbus raised a large fund to purchase a special centre to house these precious records. They are responsible for supplying the Vatican in the first place with the funds that enabled them to produce the first microfilms. It is to be hoped that copies will be as generously distributed among the various Protestant Theological Institutes of learning. Like the mass of ancient manuscripts recently found in the caves of the Dead Sea, it will take years and require the combined intelligence of all to complete this titanic task. The famous British Museum library in London, the largest in the world, and other great libraries, in Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin, Marseilles, Rouen, Paris, and many others, apart from the vast accumulation of ancient Church records in England have been most generous in providing co-operation for research. Therein is contained a mass of informative material not possessed by the Vatican. An example is the famous Myvyrean Manuscript, a gigantic work exceeding one thousand volumes. It reaches into the dim centuries antedating the record of this story. It is written in the ancient Cymric language of the British and is housed in the British Museum, often referred to as the Bible Museum for the wealth of first-hand Biblical reference it contains. The Magdalen College, at Oxford University, is named for the famous Magdalen Manuscript it contains, written by the Archbishop of Mayence, 1 A.D. 776-856. It brings to life the beautiful story of Mary Magdalene's wonderful work in the service of our Lord in Britain and particularly in Gaul, as told by one of the earliest bishops of the Christian faith. Just as archaeology has proven the historic facts of the Old Testament, which formerly were regarded as fantasy, so has it with the study of the old tomes lifted the majestic story of the ancient ...... 1 Rabanus Maurus. ...... Britons and the work of the Apostles in Britain, out of the realm of legend, myth and superstition into the light of reality. The most important part of the founding of the Gentile Christian Church in Britain and Rome is available to us, and the facts regarding the First Church at Rome begins with the Royal Cymric family, domiciled in that city, under the instruction of St. Paul. Twenty years after the Crucifixion the trial and pardon of the British royal captives took place, in the year A.D.52. Peter first went to Rome twelve years after the death of Jesus, in the year A.D.44, eight years after Joseph and his Bethany companions arrived in Britain and two years after the Claudian campaign of persecution began against Christian Britain. Paul did not arrive at Rome until A.D.56. This is the date given by St. Jerome, and considered the most authentic. This does not mean that there were not Christians in Rome before the two Apostles arrived, or even before the British Silurians came as captives. There were a number of them present and they are scripturally referred to as 'the Church'. This must not be taken too literally. It did not refer to a material institution; it was a spiritual body in Christ. The number of Christians then at Rome were unorganized, treading in fear. They met secretly in small groups at the homes of various converts to worship, though most of them went underground. The Tiberian and Claudian ban that inflicted death on all who professed the Christian faith was still in effect. The Bible refers to two Christian churches at Rome: the Jewish Church of the circumcision and the Gentile Church of non-circumcision, presided over by Hermas Pastor; the first being composed of Jewish converts retaining the old practice of circumcision. This group met in secret at the house of Aquila and Priscilla, referred to in Romans 16:5. The separation of the two converted groups was in the main the cause of the heated discussion on circumcision between St. Paul and the other Apostles. The Apostle to the Gentiles won the argument, making it plainly known that neither made any difference where salvation was concerned. The Jewish Church did not last. Gradually it became absorbed into the Gentile Christian Church, as proved by the fact that we later find many Jews functioning within the Gentile Church, a number of whom are mentioned as going to Britain with various missions. At this time bands of converts met in grottoes, but mostly in the catacombs among the dead. The Ronian law, perhaps with satirical cynicism, had sought fit to recognize these underground cemeteries with the decree of sanctuary. However, when Christian persecution was at its worst, the Roman soldiery would waylay the worshippers on entering or leaving the catacombs. To avoid capture the Christians made secret entrances and outlets. Such were the conditions that prevailed in Rome at the time of our story, but unconsciously the tide had begun to turn against the Romans, with the marriage of Arviragus, the Christian King, to Venus Julia, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, A.D.45. Venus, known as Venissa, in the British records, had been converted by Joseph after her arrival in Britain with her husband. Since his recall from Britain, Aulus Plautius had resided at Rome with his wife, Pomponia Graecina, the sister of Caractacus, and they are referred to as a Christian family. Plautius, with his position as a nobleman of great wealth and Pomponia, with her brilliance and golden beauty and as a leader of Roman society, certainly would exert considerable influence. Now, the most important and by far the most extraordinary event was to take place that was eventually to swing the tide in favour of the Christian cause at Rome. Strange as it may seem, this incredible situation was created by the Emperor himself, the very man who had sworn by his Edict to exterminate Christianity. Probably it is the most astounding incident in Christian history, showing how God can use even His bitterest enemies to work out His divine purpose. Following the pardon of Caractacus, a close relationship developed between the two former enemies and their households evolving into a startling climax. Claudius greatly admired the character and extraordinary beauty of Gladys, the daughter of Caractacus. It grew into a deep paternal affection with the result that Emperor Claudius adopted Gladys as his own daughter, a girl who was an exceptionally devout Christian! Caractacus had two daughters, Eurgain, the eldest, and Gladys, the youngest child. Eurgain had been officially converted by Joseph, the Apostle of Britain, at the same time as her brother Linus. Eurgain was not only the first British woman to be converted to the faith, she is also recorded as being the first female Christian saint in Britain, the reward for her outstanding missionary work to which she devoted her life. 1 Gladys, the younger, was born A.D.36, therefore she would be an infant when Joseph and his saintly entourage arrived in Britain, following the Judean exodus of the same year. Joseph baptized Gladys and later confirmed her into the faith with the laying on of hands. Both girls were profoundly spiritual, devoted to the Christian faith with all the zeal of a Mary ...... St. Prydain, Genealogies of the Saints of Britain. ...... Magdalene. Both had been taken to Rome as hostages, with their father and all the other aforementioned members of the royal Silurian families, and had been party to all the unusual circumstances. One wonders with what feelings did Eurgain witness the extraordinary adoption of her younger sister by the Emperor Claudius. The next unusual event was in Gladys' taking the name of her adopted parent. Henceforth Gladys was known as Claudia. The Emperor was well aware of the strong Christian convictions of Gladys, and what strikes one forcibly is the fact that the record states that the terms of her adoption did not require her to recant from her faith. Gladys was not to remain long under the royal roof. The year after her adoption was to see a beautiful romance destined to culminate later in heart-breaking tragedy. In her teens, Claudia was betrothed and married. In the year A.D.53, she became the wife of Rufus Pudens Pudentius, an epochal event history could well mark as momentous. Pudens, as he is most commonly referred to, was a Roman Senator and former personal aide-de-camp to Aulus Plautius. Pudens went to Britain with the Commander-in-Chief at the commencement of the Claudian campaign A.D.42. 1 What could be a stranger circumstance than that of the British Pendragon Caractacus permitting his favourite daughter to become adopted by the remorseless enemy who had brought about his defeat at Clune and see his sister and daughter married to the leaders he had opposed in battle for nine long years, Plautius and Pudens. Truly the Hand of God works in a mysterious way to perform His Will. Claudia was seventeen years of age when she married Rufus Pudens. The nuptials did not take place at the Imperial Palace of her adopted father, as one might expect, but at the palace of her natural father, the Palatium Britannicum, a Christian household. It was a Christian marriage performed by the Christian Pastor, Hermas, which proves that Pudens was already a Christian convert. It is interesting to note that they continued to live at the Palatium Britannicum; interesting because Pudens was an extremely wealthy man, owning vast estates in Umbria, but he chose to live at the Palace of the British, where their four illustrious children were born. On the marriage of his daughter to Pudens, Caractacus bestowed the Palace as a bridal gift upon them, with all its spacious grounds. ...... 1 Morgan, St. Paul in Britain, pp.103-107. ...... An idea can be gained of the vast scope and opulence of the British Palace by referring to the domestic routine required to operate the household. The Roman Martyrology, referring to the Pudens, states that Rufus brought his servant staff from Umbria to manage the palatial home. It declares, "There were two hundred males and the same number of females, all born on the hereditary estates of Pudens at Umbri." Adjoining the Palace of the British were two magnificent baths, the largest in Rome. They were named after the children of Claudia and Rufus Pudens, known as the Thermae Timotheus and the Thermae Novatianae. Later the Palace and all the spacious grounds of this great estate were deeded to the First Christian Church at Rome by Timotheus, the eldest son of the Pudens. He was destined to be the second last surviving member of this family and the second last to be martyred. It is recorded that these were the only properties owned by the Christian Church at Rome up to the time of the Emperor Constantine. Pastor Hermas refers to this munificent home as "amplissimus Pudentes domus" the "hospitium", or home of hospitality for Christians from all parts of the world. It was more than this. For many years it was to be Sanctuary, in the true sense of the word, wherein no Roman soldier dare set foot to arrest any member or guest of the Pudens' household. Such was the home in which the bridal pair began their marital life in the year A.D.53. Many students have puzzled over these extraordinary marriages. Some considered them political alliances. This can be ruled out on two scores. If they were political, war would not have continued but, as history shows, the conflict of arms between Briton and Roman continued, with rare interludes, for over three hundred years. On the other hand, the Roman writers state that the "British could not be coerced by force of arms or persuasion". They, more than any other, affirm the unbending nature of the Briton where his hereditary rights were concerned, particularly his religion. Practically all armistices ended in Treaty Alliances, wherein the British kings retained their sovereignty, privileges and freedoms. If conflict had ended in true conquest these privileges would never have been recognized. The Romans imposed their full authority on all the nations they conquered. There must be a valid reason why it was never fully imposed on the British. History shows an unbroken line of kingly successions which alone proves that they were never conquered. Even in the case of Caractacus we see that he retained his sovereignty, his hereditary estates and privileges and this in spite of the fact that Arviragus conducted the war against the Romans without abatement. Centuries later, when the church acquired political power, it strongly supported kingly succession in the blood strain. It was the very opposite in the Roman Catholic Hierarchy. The Pope made and broke kingdoms subject to the Roman Catholic faith. He alone approved or disapproved of royal marital alliances. The parties involved obeyed or were threatened with excommunication. In this manner the Papal See controlled and expanded the Holy Roman Empire throughout Europe until the time of Martin Luther and the Reformation. The British never were subject to this interference. To do so was to incite immediate rebellion. British royal marriages and succession to the throne have ever been governed by the iron precepts of the British Christian faith. Even today the same law is still adamant, as shown in the circumstances that brought about the abdication of Edward VIII, and more recently in the public declaration of Princess Margaret in her rejection of any marriage that opposed or broke the law of the hereditary rights as declared and set forth in the Christian faith that rules the succession to the British throne. In the events of our story we have positive proof that the British-Roman marriage alliances were truly an affair of the heart, as shown in each instance, the pagan becoming Christian. Strange as these marriages appear under the extraordinary circumstances, Martial, particularly, extols them as romances, and his pen is lavish in describing the nuptials of Claudia and Pudens. Martial writes: "The foreign Claudia marries my Rufus Pudens, she calls him Rufus her Holy husband." 1 Undoubtedly the attachment between Claudia and Pudens began in Britain, though one wonders how such a friendly social status could develop when Briton and Roman were engaged at war. No doubt Rufus Pudens Pudentius met Gladys for the first time during the truce period of A.D.45, when his chief, Aulus Plautius, married the sister of Caractacus, the aunt of Gladys. Both girls, before assuming their Roman surname, were named Gladys - Princess. At this time the niece would only have been nine years old. It is stated that her extraordinary beauty, which was to make her world renowned, even to exceeding the fame of her illustrious aunt, was then evident. Pudens, then a young man, became attracted to Gladys despite the differences in their ages. Evidently the attraction ...... 1 Vol. 4, p.18. ...... lingered and prospered over the ensuing years. We know that Pudens did not accompany Plautius to Rome on his recall by the Emperor, A.D.47. Today there exists positive proof in the Chichester Museum that Rufus remained in Britain, to the close of the Caradoc-Claudian campaign, A.D.52. While in Britain, Pudens was stationed by Aulus Plautius in command at Regnum, the name for the Roman encampment at Chichester. In the year A.D.1723 workers, while excavating some old foundations there, discovered a large stone tablet, which since has been known as the 'Chichester Stone'. Fortunately the inscription it bore had been deeply carved and when restored by the firm of Horseley and Gale the Latin memorial could clearly be read. Translated the inscription is as follows: "The College of Engineers, and ministers of religion attached to it, by permission of Tiberius Claudius Cogidunus, the king, legate of Augustus in Britain, have dedicated at their own expense in honour of the divine family, this temple to Neptune and Minerva. The site was given by Pudens, son of Pudentinus." This inscription contains a wealth of corroborating support of the presence of the husband of Claudia in Britain at a later date than A.D.47, apart from other matters of historic interest. This pagan temple was erected about A.D.50, two years before the close of the Claudian war and the return of Pudens to Rome, A.D. 52. This indicates that Pudens remained in Britain five years after his commander-in-chief had returned to Rome. It also shows that at the time Pudens made the gift of this site he was still a worshipper of the Roman pagan gods; therefore his conversion to Christianity did not take place until a later date. We can be certain that Pudens' recantation from the Roman pagan gods and declaration for Christ took place before his marriage to Claudia. It could not have been otherwise. Their marriage took place within the Palace of the Royal British. The officiating minister was a Christian convert, a kinsmen of Pudens, who also made his home at the Palatium Britannicum. He was known to St. Paul and St. Peter as Pastor Hermas. 1 The other note of interest introduced in this inscription is the name and title 'Codigunus, the king'. He was not a Roman, though he prefixes his name with Roman titles - Tiberius Claudius. The rulers of the Roman Empire never employed the title 'King'. It was always Emperor - Caesar or Augustus. He was a British king but nowhere in the British Triads is his name mentioned. He was ...... 1 Romans 16:14. ...... an arch traitor, one of the very few who defected to the Romans. It was he who treacherously betrayed Caractacus in the Claudian campaign. For this despicable act he was honoured by the Roman titles he appends to his own name. His family and estates were guaranteed Roman protection. To the British his name was anathema. He was branded by the most disgraceful name that could be applied to a Briton - 'bradwr', meaning 'traitor'. According to Celtic law death was the penalty for this act and his name forbidden to be spoken. His identity was completely erased from the historic record and the Bards assigned him to oblivion. While some Britons may have been indifferent Christians, then as now, their patriotism was ever beyond question. Then as now, it burned fiercely within them. No disgrace was so great as disloyalty. They never forgave, stripping the culprit of all honour and mention in their history. This intense patriotism, coupled with severe punishment for military disgrace, continued to be observed within the British Army up to World War I. Military disgrace was a public spectacle. To be 'drummed out' was the one thing every British soldier dreaded. Following conviction by court martial he was arraigned before his paraded regiment, then, one by one, the buttons were torn off his uniform by a common soldier in rank; his insignia ripped in shreds until he stood completely despoiled before all. Then his rifle or sword was broken. This done, he was ordered to depart. All the while the muffled drums throbbed out the tattoo of his disgrace. Officers and soldiers so disgraced were also sent to 'Coventry', an expression meaning that no one who knew him would ever speak to him. Their shame went so deep that they usually left Britain, migrating to some foreign country or to the Colonies, where they changed their name in a futile effort to hide their stigma. But it is said that the ignominy was so deeply etched in their heart that none succeeded in living it down. Many have been known to have committed suicide after being 'drummed out'. Such a traitor was Cogidunus. Tacitus knew him and his pen shared the disdain of the British. 1 As previously stated, among the British hostages to Rome was Llyr Llediaith, the grandfather of Caractacus. He died shortly after his arrival at Rome. As a result of his death his son, 'the Blessed Bran', the Arch Druid Silurian monarch who had abdicated in favour of his son Caractacus, voluntarily offered himself as hostage to replace his father, Llyr, the King Lear of Shakespeare. Thus we see the necessary characters gradually assembling in Rome in pre- ...... 1 Tacitus, Agricola, I4. ...... paration for the role they were all to play in the world's greatest drama, under direction of St. Paul. We now see residing at the Palatium Britannicum the High Priest Bran, King Caracatacus and the Queen, his wife; his daughter, the Princess Eurgain and her husband, Salog, lord of Salisbury; her brother, the immortal Prince Linus, now a Christian priest; the Emperor's adopted daughter, Claudia, and her husband the Senator Pudens; his mother, Priscilla; 1 Pastor Hermas, kinsman of Pudens. Cyllinus and Cynon, the eldest and youngest sons of Caractacus had already returned to Britain. There were other members of the Pudens' Christian household dedicated to the faith but those mentioned are the important figures to remember. The talented sister of Caractacus, the ex-Princess Pomponia Graecina, and her influential husband Aulus Plautius, resided nearby. All were spiritually confirmed Christians except Caractacus and Bran, who were soon to experience the laying on of hands by St. Paul, climaxing their confirmation in the faith in the same manner as is performed by the Priesthood today in the Church of the Anglican Communion. The following five years, apparently, were years of tranquillity at the Palatium Britannicum. From the works of the Roman writers of that period we read that the home of Pudens rapidly became the most fashionable and cultural centre in Rome. Martial, the Roman epigrammatist, of Spanish birth, was a constant visitor who valued the scholarship of the Pudens so highly that he freely submitted his works to them for their constructive criticism. In his works, which have been handed down to us, he delights in extolling Claudia's flaxen, blueeyed beauty, and her literary talent. He says, "Since Claudia, wife of Pudens, comes from the blue set Britons, how is it that she has so won the hearts of the Latin people?" He explains that for wit and humour she had no equal, and her beauty and scholarship exceeded that of her august aunt, Pomponia. Claudia was a fluent linguist and, like her aunt, wrote many volumes of odes and poetry in Greek, Latin and her native Cymric. For over a thousand years her works were treasured in the great Glastonbury library but perished in the great fire, A.D.1184. Copies of her hymns, elegies, etc., were contained at Verulum as late as the 13th century. Her British ancestry was never forgotten. Affectionately she was named by the Roman populace, Claudia Britannica Pudentius. Of her, Martial wrote ...... 1 Morgan, St. Paul in Britain. ...... "Our Claudia, named Rufina, sprung we know from blue-eyed Britons; yet behold, she vies in grace with all that Greece or Rome can show. As bred and born beneath their glowing skies." Rufina was the feminine vernacular for her husband's first name, Rufus. It was a common custom to refer to a married woman personally by replacing her own first name with his. Names then were used rather indiscriminately, which tends to confuse us who retain throughout our lifetime our given name and family name. Consequently it can be bewildering to read of the British Princess by so many names. Gladys-Claudia-Britannica, Rufina-Pudens, and Pudentius. The dark-haired Romans admired the golden-haired, blue-eyed, pink-complexioned women of Britain. Again Martial sings with praise: "For mountains, bridges, rivers, churches and fair women, Britain is past compare." Martial wrote a long poem describing the nuptials of Claudia and Pudens. He wrote another on the birth of Claudia's daughter, Pudentiana. In the four years following her marriage Claudia, at the age of twenty-one, was the mother of three children. A fourth child was later born. Timotheus the eldest, and Novatus the youngest, were boys. Pudentiana and Praxedes, born in between, were girls. Names which should never be forgotten. They should be written in red and spiked with nails of gold on the walls in every Christian home. All were martyred. 1 These four children, added to the family list of names mentioned; residing at the Palace of the British, represent the chief assembly of personalities who officially and openly first declared for the Christian faith at Rome. Fearlessly and with zeal they defied the edicts that were to follow. They befriended and defended all followers of 'The Way', who sought their sanctuary. Their numbers were legion, apostles, disciples, priests and neophytes. In Matthew 10:11, Jesus said, "Into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go hence." Where was there a safer or more worthy home than the Palace of the British? The name it acquired, 'Home of the Apostles', shows it to have been the most popular meeting-place of the Apostles among others. Claudia's first-born, Timotheus, was named after one of her ...... 1 Roman Martyrololgies. ...... favourite Apostles who frequented her home, St. Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus. He was closely associated with St. John and St. Paul. To Timotheus, St. Paul refers as 'The beloved son in Christ'. All her children were baptized in Christ and brought up in the presence of apostles, disciples and converts. Cardinal Baronius wrote that Justin Martyr made his home with them. Even though St. Paul had his residence provided for him at Rome by the Christian following, the Scriptures state that he only resided two years in it during his ten years' association with the city. The common inference is that St. Paul first arrived at Rome in the year A.D.58 but, as before stated, St. Jerome placed his arrival at A.D.56. He writes, "St. Paul went to Rome in the second year of Nero." Nero succeeded Claudius as Emperor. St. Jerome held a unique place in the post-Christian era of the Catholic Church. By request of the Church he wrote the first most important dissertations of the Christian record. His documentation of the early years of the faith stands unquestioned. A man of intense convictions, he was profoundly devout. Honest and sincere in his writings he was assiduous as to detail. Because of his tremendous knowledge of Christian history and his scholarly excellence, he was especially elected by the Church Fathers to produce the historic literary record; therefore the date he sets for St. Paul's arrival at Rome can be accepted. Moreover, the date is supported by such eminent authorities as Bede, Ivo, Platina, Scaliger, Capellus, Cave, Stillingfleet, Alford, Godwin, Rapin, Bingham, Stanhope, Warner and Trapp, to name a few. This being the date preferred, it allows eight years of contact with Rome in which St. Paul did not reside in his personal home. This fact supports the statements of the contemporary writers who state that St. Paul had his abode with the Pudens. There is a special and particular reason as to why he would prefer to reside with the Pudens at the British Palace, apart from its Christian environment. Startling as it may be to the reader, facts will prove that living with the Pudens family was the mother of St. Paul and that Claudia Britannica was the sister-in-law of the Apostle to the Gentiles. St. Paul, writing in his Epistles to those at Rome prior to his coming, says, "Salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." Some have sought to suggest that the woman was St. Paul's spiritual mother. This is entirely outruled by the facts. A spiritual mother, or father, was one who had converted another. As we all know, Christ had converted Paul on the road to Damascus, and Paul had not been to Rome since before the Judean persecution of Christ's followers, A.D.33. Thus twenty-five years had elapsed before his arrival at Rome as an Apostle of Christ. By deduction, Pudens must have been in his late twenties when he married the seventeen-year-old British Princess, and at the time of St. Paul's salutation he must have been near his mid-thirties, which shows a long separation between 'his mother and mine'. Pudens was born on the family estate at Umbri, a Roman state. His father was a Roman Senator, of a long illustrious ancestry. Paul, in describing his Roman citizenship, states that he was a Jew (Benjamite) by race; therefore his parents must have been Jewish Benjamites. 1 From this it is obvious that his mother was probably married a second time, and to a Roman of distinguished birth. Rufus Pudens was born of this marriage. His mother was not a Roman consort as Pudens inherited his father's estates as the legitimate son. If he had been an illegitimate son, born of a consort, the licentious pens of that time, ever ready to declare such an incident, would have said so. On the contrary, Pudens senior and his family are written of in high esteem. Therefore all facts point to a legal marriage, with Rufus as legal offspring. If it had been otherwise, Paul would not have addressed his mother and Rufus with the affection he did. At the time Pudens donated the ground in Britain for the erection of the temple to Neptune and Minerva at Chichester, he was pagan, following his inherited family religion subject to the Roman gods. This does not prove that his Jewish mother was a pagan worshipper. Born in the Judean faith she may have remained neutral or indifferent. However, it is certain, between the year A.D.50 and the nuptial year A.D.53, that both mother and son must have been converted, for we find Priscilla, his mother, a member of the British household, directly following the marriage of Rufus Pudens to Claudia. On the other hand, Paul would not have sought association with his mother and Rufus if he knew they had remained pagan. His salutation proves that Paul knew beforehand that both were then confirmed Christians. He salutes Pudens, 'chosen in the Lord'. This is further supported by the Roman writers of that time who attest that 'all' of the Pudens household at the Palatium Britannicum were Christian. From all this we realize that St. Paul and Rufus Pudens Pudentius were half-brothers, each having the same mother. In ...... 1 Romans 11:1. ...... turn this made the British Princess Gladys the Emperor Claudius's adopted daughter, now known as Claudia Britannica Rufina Pudens Pudentius, sister-in-law to the Apostle of the Gentiles! Recognizing the facts we can well understand why the ancient writers affirmed that St. Paul, by preference, spent most of his time with the Pudens at the Palatium Britannicum while at Rome. This substantiates other important facts cited in the Roman Martyrologies that, "The children of Claudia were brought up at the knee of St. Paul." Many students of the Biblical history of St. Paul are commonly confused by the scriptural report which states that St. Paul spent but two years at his provided home out of the ten years he was associated with Rome. They are conscious of the eight-year gap and ask, "Where was he?" If they had sufficiently considered British and Roman history of that time they would have known and also known that when St. Paul was not residing with the Pudens at Rome, he was absent in Britain, Spain, Gaul and elsewhere. It is interesting to note that St. Paul had other relatives at Rome whom he addressed in his salutations, notably Adronicus, Junea and Herodian. They also became partakers of the Pudens' Christian hospitality. They had been converted long before St. Paul arrived at Rome. They are mentioned in Scripture as being members of the first Christian church in the Imperial City. We can well imagine what a wonderful occasion the arrival of St. Paul must have been at the Palatium Britannicum, A.D.56, and the happy reunion between the mother and her two brothers, with Claudia, her children whom he loved so dearly, and other relatives and converts. From the swiftness of events that followed it is seen that St. Paul lost no time in putting into action his bold plan to erect at Rome, on an indestructible foundation, the first Christian Church among Gentiles above ground. This was the first need and was made possible by a bold act of the British royal family, Claudia and Pudens, in donating their home, the Palace of the British, to be openly declared to be the established Christian Church at Rome. The sacrificial act is made more courageous in the fact that Nero, the mad Emperor, then sat on the throne of the Caesars. This was the birth of the first Church of Christ above ground at Rome. Prior to the coming of St. Paul, the Palatium Britannicum for several years, dating from the marriage of Claudia and Pudens, had been the centre for the Christian gathering to worship. Hernias conducted the services. He was the first minister to the Christian flock in secret session. Now the challenge was openly declared. It was glory or the grave. St. Paul planned his two greatest adventures in the home of the Pudens; the first, establishing the Church of Rome, which was, as we note, accomplished in part. The second was a notable contribution in Britain in which Bran, Caractacus and Eurgain, his daughter, were to have the leading roles. When St. Paul came to Rome there remained three years of parole for Caractacus to complete. We are told St. Paul confirmed Bran and Caractacus shortly after he arrived at the home of the Pudens, but this is another story to be told in another chapter. Our attention now is still on the action at Rome. A Bishop had to be consecrated to lead the church to its destiny. Who would this great and grave honour be conferred upon? Linus, the son of Caractacus, who had remained at Rome, had long before been baptized and confirmed by St. Joseph of Arimathea in Britain. He was a priestly instructor. It was Linus whom St. Paul chose and personally consecrated to be the First Bishop of the Christian Church at Rome. A Prince of the royal blood of Britain, he is the same Linus whom St. Paul addressed in his Epistles. This fact has never been disputed, though seldom brought forth in the light of this reading. St. Peter affirms the fact. He says: "The First Christian Church above ground in Rome, was the Palace of the British. The First Christian Bishop, was a Briton, Linus, son of a Royal King, personally appointed by St. Paul, A.D.58." The church still stands and can be seen in what was once the palatial grounds of the Palatium Britannicum, a memorial to the Christianizing endeavours of St. Paul and the expatriate royal British family at Rome with Rufus Pudens. The church is recorded in Roman history under four different names: I. Palatium Britannicum; 2. Titulus; 3. Hospitium Apostolorum; 4. Lastly, as St. Pudentiana, in honour and memory of the martyred daughter of Claudia Pudens, by which name it is known to this day. Further corroboration is given to Linus, as the brother of the lovely Claudia and of his appointment to be the First Bishop of the Christian Church of Rome, and is provided in the following extract from The Apostolic Constitutions: "Concerning those Bishops who have been ordained in our lifetime, we make known to you that they are these; Of Antioch, Eudius, ordained by me, Peter, Of the Church of Rome, Linus, brother of Claudia, was first ordained by Paul, and after Linus's death, Clemens, the second ordained by me, Peter." In this statement Peter himself declared that Linus is the brother of Claudia and first Bishop of the Church at Rome. He further states that Paul performed the ordination and not he. In another statement herein given Peter affirms that Linus was a Briton, son of a royal king. In these statements the common belief that Peter founded the church at Rome, and that the first church there was Roman Catholic in origin, is confounded by the words of St. Peter himself. The Roman Catholic Church was not founded until about three hundred and fifty years later. Clearly Peter states that the first church was established by Linus, through the ordination of St. Paul. He gives the correct year, A.D.58. Clemens Romanus, the second Bishop of Rome, appointed by Peter, affirms the relationship between Linus and Claudia, writing: "Sanctissimus Linus, Frater Claudiae" (St. Linus, brother of Claudia). 2 Clemenus Romanus knew them all intimately, not only as an intimate guest of the Pudens. He knew of Claudia in Britain, for he was St. Clement of the twelve companions of Joseph. 3 Within twelve years after the martyrdom of Linus he was consecrated the second Bishop of the Church by Peter. 4 St. Paul had already suffered his martyrdom. In his works, still extant, Clement tells us that St. Paul was in constant residence at the Palatium Britannicum and personally instructed Linus for his consecrated office. He further writes that the First Church of Rome was founded by the British royal family and that St. Paul personally preached in Britain. 5 Irenaeus, A.D.180, who was also personally acquainted with the first Church, wrote: "The Apostles having founded and built up the church at Rome, committed the ministry of its supervision to Linus." This is the Linus mentioned by Paul in his Epistles to Timothy. 6 This saint was born in Asia and became a disciple of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Afterwards he became a presbyter of Lyons, in Gaul. From Lyons he was sent as a delegate to the Asiatic churches. ...... 1 Bk. i, ch. 46. 2 Epistola ad Corinthios. 3 Clement in an English context, Clemens in the Latin. 4 Apostolici Constitutiones, 1:46. (The interval of twelve years was filled by Cletus. He was not appointed by the Apostles; therefore Clement is described in the Apostolic Constitutions as the second. 5 "The extremity of the west"; Fpistola, ch. 5. 6 Irenaei Opera, 3:1. ...... He succeeded Photinus in the Bishopric and was martyred under order of Severus. Linus, the First Bishop of the First Christian Church at Rome, was also its first martyr. Of this royal Christian family Claudia was the only one to die a natural death. She saw her brother Linus murdered and, years later, her faithful husband, Rufus Pudens Pudentius. He was martyred A.D.96. Claudia died the following year, A.D.97, in Samnium. This beautiful, glorious woman was spared the agony of seeing her four noble children butchered for Christ. The beloved Pudentiana, immortalized in The Roman Yartyrologies, and by Martial, was executed on the anniversary of the death of her father, A.D.107, during the third Roman Christian persecution. After her martyrdom, the name of the Palatium Britannicum was changed and consecrated by name to her memory. Her brother Novatus was martyred during the fifth Roman persecution, A.D.137, while his elder brother Timotheus was absent in Britain, baptizing his nephew, grandson of Arviragus, King Lucius, at Winchester. Shortly after his return from Britain to Rome Timotheus, in his goth year, suffered martyrdom along with his fellow worker Marcus. Later that same year, in which The Martyrologies state, "Rome was drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus", Praxedes, the youngest daughter of Claudia and Pudens and the last surviving member of the family, was also executed. Thus, by the year A.D.140, all of this glorious family were interred by the side of St. Paul, in the Via Ostiensis, their earthly mission in Christ finished. Priscilla, the mother of St. Paul and Rufus Pudens, reposed in the underground cemetery nearby, named for her memory the Catacomb of St. Priscilla. In the year A.D.66 we are told that Claudia, with her husband and children, rescued the murdered body of St. Paul, interring it on the private burial grounds on the Pudens estate, where they were all to rest together. It was truly a dangerous operation. Christian ersecution was again at fever-pitch. One may wonder why the names of others were not mentioned in claiming the body. In a way it was a repetition similar to the circumstances in which Joseph claimed the body of Jesus. Pudens was a Senator and Claudia as still respected as the adopted daughter of the late Emperor Claudius. Many things had happened to show they still had influence with the Imperial Senate. They used it to claim the mutilated remains of St. Paul. Others of the Christian clan, not having influence and being under the Caesarian ban, dared not make the effort. At that time the eldest children of Claudia would only be twelve and thirteen years old respectively. The children being party to the act shows the great devotion they held for the Apostle, who was in all probability their uncle. The last salutation St. Paul sent out from prison before his execution was to St. Timothy, requesting him to deliver his last fond farewell to the ones he loved dearest on earth, to his sisterin-law, Claudia, and her husband; his half-brother, Pudens; to their children and to his nieces and nephews, whom he had taught with affection at his knee; the beloved Linus, whom he had consecrated and appointed First Bishop; to Eubulus, cousin of Claudia, 'and them which are of the household of Aristobulus'. In only ten years faithfully he carried out the mission to 'go to the Gentiles' as commissioned by his Saviour Jesus Christ. In those years he had established the First Christian Church at Rome and undertaken another mission in Britain, to collaborate with the Josephian Mission at Avalon. In each case his instruments in the divine work were the members of the British royal Silurian family. How short a time for such a stupendous, noble work. Now it was all over and left for posterity to carry on. So suffered all those who helped in founding the First Gentile Church at Rome, their glory sealed in Christ, and the spot wherein they laboured and were martyred steeped in their courageous British blood. No disclaimer can challenge these historic events. In our own time the Encyclopaedia Britannica names Linus as the First Bishop of Rome. The Vatican has ever endorsed the facts herein and has kept alive the glorious story. Probably the most authentic record of this great drama is that which can still be seen and read on the wall of the ancient former Palace of the British, the sanctified church of St. Pudentiana. The memorial was carved on its walls following the execution of Praxedes in the second century, the last surviving member of the original Christian band and the youngest daughter of Claudia and Pudens. Inscribed in these few words is told the noble, tragic story: "In this sacred and most ancient of churches, known as that of Pastor (Hermas), dedicated by Sanctus Pius Papa (St. Paul), formerly the house of Sanctus Pudens, the Senator, and the home of the holy apostles, repose the remains of three thousand blessed martyrs which Pudentiana and Praxades, virgins of Christ, with their own hands interred." How many tourists visiting the Imperial City of Rome take time out to go along the Mons Sacer Way to view this tragic memorial to their faith and humbly breathe a prayer of thanksgiving for the thousands who lie beneath, martyred for our sake? Eyes fascinated by the splendour of the Vatican Palace and other sumptuous buildings, not one Christian stops to view this hallowed place which played such a majestic part in making the faith they profess theirs to enjoy. All the riches combined in the Vatican cannot equal one iota of the wealth of devotion and sacrifice made for us within these time-weathered walls. Within its sacred precincts trod two of the greatest of Christ's Apostles, Peter and Paul; this the first Christian church at Rome to be established and the second church built above the ground to be created by the British and the Apostles of Christ. They represent the greatest gifts of the British to mankind and to posterity. Unlike the Josephian church erected at Glastonbury (Avalon), the church at Rome is drenched with the blood of martyrs. The valour of the British arms prevented the Roman or any other foreign invader from violation of the Glastonbury sanctuary. This protection was denied, by understandable circumstances, to the church at Rome. They could only die. Theirs is the greatest treasure in blood and sacrifice the British race gave to the people of the world - their cross for Christ that preserved the Word that set men free and saved their soul. How little do modern Christians realize that it was the Royal House of Britain, united with the noble Pudens, that actually made it possible for St. Paul to accomplish his mission, fulfilling the destiny Jesus ordained for him in establishing the faith permanently among the Gentiles? How few know of those gentle women, Claudia, Pudentiana and Praxedes, who gave their all for Christ, their beauty, their talents, their fortunes and their lives. What courage! No wonder the Romans proclaimed in awe: "What women these British Christians have - what women!" Those gentle hands alone had laid at rest the staggering total of three thousand butchered martyrs within the precincts of their church, the old Palace of the British at Rome. How many more they secreted and buried within the underground catacombs is not known. As one ponders on this dreadful tragedy the soul is shocked. Now only crumbling, uncared-for walls remain to remind us of its triumph and tragedy yet the modern Christian by-passes it without a look, without a twinge of gratitude or admiration, or a prayer, to be thrilled by the glamour of the Vatican and its cathedrals, basking in wealth and luxury, which had no part in the original planting of the faith, or in establishing and preserving our democratic freedoms. The inscription on the walls of St. Pudentiana sets the truth squarely before our eyes, with its incomparable drama. To this are added the words of Cardinal Baronius, who writes the following comment in his Annales Ecclesias: 1 "It is delivered to us by the firm tradition of our forefathers that the house Pudens was the first that entertained St. Peter at Rome, and that there the Christians assembling formed the Church, and that of all our churches the oldest is that which is called after the name Pudens." The eminent Jesuit Father, the Rev. Robert Parsons, in "The Three Conversions of England," adds his testimony: 2 "Claudia was the first hostess or harbourer both of St. Peter and St. Paul at the time of their coming to Rome." Who with an atom of intelligence dare deny the authenticity of this dramatic record in Christian history, against the mass of corroborative evidence, simply because their glory has been overshadowed by the ages, lost in antiquity to thoughtless minds? One can search in vain the modern church Calendars of Martyrs for the illustrious names. Once their names led that Calendar of Martyrs with red-letter dates. Of recent years their names have been omitted, giving precedence to others a thousand times less worthy of the honour. Yet we can still turn to the pages of the Martyrologies of Rome, The Greek Menologies and the Martyrologies of Ado, Usuard and Esquilinus, and therein read their glorious stories, noting the Natal Days of each, therein described. They are as follows: May 17. Natal Day of the Blessed Pudens, father of Praxedes and Pudentiana. He was clothed with Baptism by the Apostles, and watched and kept his robe pure and without wrinkle to the frown of a blameless life. May 17. Natal Day of St. Pudentiana, the virgin, of the most illustrious descent, daughter of Pudens, and Disciple of the Holy Apostle St. Paul. June 20. Natal Day of St. Novatus, son of the Blessed Prudens, brother of St. Timotheus the Elder and the Virgins of Christ, Pudentiana and Praxedes. All these were instructed in the faith by the Apostles. ...... 1 ad 19 Maii. 2 Vol. 1, p.16. ...... August 22. Natal Day of St. Timotheus, son of St. Pudens, in the Via Oatiensis. September 2I. Natal Day of St. Praxedes, Virgin of Christ in Rome. November 26. Natal Day of St. Linus, first Bishop of Rome. Such is the hallowed record of the illustrious royal British martyrs at Rome: First to house and openly protect the Apostles. First openly to teach the Christian faith in Rome. First to found the Christian Church at Rome. First to suffer martyrdom for the Christian faith at Rome. Therein lies the glory and the tragedy, the drama and the triumph of those born to the purple, who died in the purple for Christ; royal princes and princesses, born of a fearless race, converted in Britain by St. Joseph of Arimathea, the Apostle to the British, selected and ordained by St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to carry out His mission to the world and to be an unflickering light. Nobly the royal Silurians of Britain sealed their pledge to Christ with their lives; to the last unfalteringly proclaiming the deathless motto of their ancient Druidic ancestors - 'The Truth Against the World.' It can truly be said that the first church at Rome was the British church, in the true meaning of the word British - 'Covenant People'. Their Covenant in Christ was untarnished. ................... NOTE: SO IS THE RECORD OF TRUE HISTORY THAT MOST HAVE FORGOTTEN, OR REJECTED, TO FURTHER THEIR ERRORS OF THEOLOGY AS IT GREW IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHO AT THE SAME TIME PRESERVED THE ACTUAL TRUTH OF THE MATTER. BUT PEOPLE IGNORE TRUTH FOR THEY DID NOT LIKE TO BE CORRECTED, OR HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR MIND-SET, WHICH WOULD ALSO TRANSLATE INTO HAVING TO CHANGE THE WAY THEY LIVE AND THE CUSTOMS THEY PRACTICE. MEN LIKE TO FOLLOW THE IDEAS AND TRADITIONS OF OTHER MEN, HENCE AS JESUS SAID MAKING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD OF NO EFFECT. BUT ***YOU*** DEAR READER CAN FIND THE TRUTH OF GOD AND OF HISTORY ON THIS WEBSITE THAT IS DEVOTED TO THE COMING RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS. YES ALL WILL BE RESTORED TO ITS PURITY WHEN JESUS COMES AGAIN TO ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH. Keith Hunt To be continued with "Did Mary live and die in Britain?"