Drama of The Lost Disciples-CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT ROME, A.D 58

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

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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.

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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

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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-

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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

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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

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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?