Why you are what you are and believe the way you do.

Why do we believe the way we do?

Long ago when the Druids were kings and priests in a great northern island, Christianity was ripe for the people. If you are British (Britannia) in your genealogy and Episcopalian, Baptist, Methodist, Congregational, Quaker and many other denominations, you may have religious origins to familiar names in the New Testament.  Do you wonder where your beliefs were kindled? Do you want to know why you are a Baptist, etc? Here's a short summary!

II Timothy 4:21 : Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.

Claudia was the Roman name of the Silurian (British) Princess Gladys, daughter of Carodoc of Siluria (Welsh).

(St. Paul in Britain, Williams Morgan, 1860) In the year a.d. 36, Bran resigned the Silurian crown to Cara- doc, and became Arch-Druid of the college of Silu ria, where he remained till called upon to be a hostage for his son. At the period of his accession Caradoc had three sons, Cyllin or Cyllinus, Lleyn or Linus, and Cynon, and two daughters, Eurgain and Gladys, or Claudia.

Linus, mentioned by St. Paul above was Linus, son of Caradoc and sister to Claudia (Gladys).

Pudens was a Roman Christian and centurion whose full name was Aulus Pudens and the husband to Claudia. It is believed that Claudia (his wife) took the Latin name from the Emperor Claudius. It is not certain because Claudia was a common female name in the time of Claudius, but the link to "Linus" above in II Timothy points toward Claudia (aka Gladys) daughter of Caradoc. Likewise Pudens was a friend to the poet, Martial, who writes of Pudens' marriage to "Claudia Peregrina" ("Claudia the Foreigner") in Epigrams IV:13.
Nothing more is known of the Greek Eubulus. He was a Christian living in Rome faithful to Paul.

Like modern genealogy ancient research is no more certain. It would appear that Paul had few supporters in Rome, but mentioned in II Timothy were those who were faithful! It seem strange that three of the four strongest Christians in Rome were of the family of the Silurian (Welsh) leader Caradoc who was taken captive by Claudius and the entire family taken to Rome.

Killing of the captured was the norm because it was "good sport" enjoyed by the emperors, Claudius included. However, Caradoc was spared because of a plea to the Claudius to be spared so that Claudius would have a good legacy and Britian would cooperate more fully. Gladys was given the Roman name Claudia and married an early Christian convert there named Aulus Pudens.

What's so important about this? Williams Morgan's research shows that the British Church preceded the Roman Church and was started by the well-known biblical character, Joseph of Arimethea, whose tomb Jesus borrowed for a few days. It appears that right after Christ was crucified, according to Williams, Joseph spread Christianity to Britain (ca 60 AD) long before Augustine kidnapped the church in Britain later on.

Williams contends that "Christianity was first introduced into Britain by Joseph of Arimathsea, a.d. 36 — 39 ; followed by Simon Zelotes, the apostle ; then by Aristobulus, the first bishop of the Britons ; then by St. Paul. Its first converts were members of the royal family of Siluria — that is, Gladys the sister of Caradoc, Gladys (Claudia) and Eurgen his daughters, Linus his son, converted in Britain before they were carried into captivity to Rome; then Caradoc, Bran, and the rest of the family, converted at Rome."

There is much support that the British Church is ancient and the early church much different than the Roman Church.   If so Baptists, both General and Particular, who are descendants of the Church of England (1606 General Baptists and (1638 Particular Baptists) have a rich history!  (Most Baptists today are a tempered version of the two, being called "Regular Baptists". However, still in existence are both General Baptists and Calvinist or Particular Baptists).

Before the separation (Hence, Separate Baptists) from the Church of England, the mother church was taken from the Roman Catholic Church because King Henry VIII failed to get the Pope to approve his divorce from Ann Boleyn in 1533. Thomas Cranmer, Arch Bishop of Canterbury, signed the annulment, creating the schism that formalized the Church of England under Queen Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Ann,  in 1559.

Augustine of Hippo organized the Christians in Britain for the Roman Church in 597 AD. Christianity, according to Williams, was already flourishing in Britain thanks to the church fathers who arrived there much earlier, and Williams places St. Paul around 53 AD, long before Augustine was ever born!

What a legacy we have. We should be thankful to Paul, Claudia, Pudens and Linus for standing firm in the face of tribulation! Will you do the same for our descendants? As for me and my house, we will!