Were there Christians in Britain BEFORE Augustine?

[Neil]

By Sarah Griffiths
 
A treasure hunter has unearthed a valuable silver ring that provides tantalising evidence that there were early Christians in Britain before St Augustine arrived on an official mission in 597AD.

The ring, found by an anonymous treasure hunter in Swaffham, Norfolk, is inscribed with words commonly found on converts' rings. Experts have dated the ring between 312 and 410AD, long before Augustine's official mission to convert the Britons in 597AD.
 
A treasure-hunter unearthed this valuable silver ring which gives more evidence for early Christians in Britain. It bears a Latin inscription saying 'Antonius, may you live in God', a phrase commonly found on the rings of Roman converts

The ring, that was found using a metal detector to hunt for precious artefacts, adds further weight to an increasing body of evidence that more Christians existed in Roman Britain than has been traditionally thought.
It bears a Latin inscription saying 'Antonius, may you live in God', a phrase commonly found on the rings of Roman converts.

The finder, who has not been identified, stumbled upon the ring with his metal detector near Swaffham, Norfolk in February.
 

Only the top disc remains of the signet ring, which was declared treasure by an inquest in King's Lynn on yesterday on 19 August.

Finds officer Adrian Marsden, at Norwich Castle Museum, said: 'The disc that would have been set into the bezel from a signet ring constitutes important evidence for Christianity in late Roman Norfolk.'

  Experts have dated the ring between 312 and 410AD, long before Augustine's official mission to convert the Britons in 597AD. The missionary monk (pictured, left, on a manuscript) is said to be buried in Canterbury (right)


The inquest also declared a Viking silver ingot and four Iron Age coins as treasure.
Historians have come to believe that Christianity arrived long before the arrival of Augustine and could have reached our island in the first century AD.

It is thought that Roman traders arriving in Britain spread stories about Jesus alongside other tales of Pagan deities.
However, Augustine, who was sent from the Pope in Rome to visit King Aethelbert of Kent, is credited with sowing the seed of the religion in Britain.


WHO WAS AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY?
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597.

He is considered the 'Apostle to the English' and a founder of the English Church.
Augustine was the prior of a monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great chose him in 595 to lead a mission, usually known as the Gregorian mission, to Britain to Christianize King Aethelbert and his Kingdom of Kent from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism.

Kent was probably chosen because the king had married a Christian princess, Bertha, daughter of Charibert I the King of Paris.
In 597 Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet and proceeded to Aethelbert's main town of Canterbury.
King Æthelberht converted to Christianity and allowed the missionaries to preach freely, giving them land to found a monastery outside the city walls.

Augustine was consecrated as a bishop and converted many of the king's subjects.
Pope Gregory sent more missionaries in 601, along with encouraging letters and gifts for the churches.
Roman bishops were established at London and Rochester in 604, and a school was founded to train Anglo-Saxon priests and missionaries.
The archbishop probably died in 604 and was soon revered as a saint.

[Dryland]

It's amazing how ancient history seems to alter daily, as more evidence is recovered from the ground.

[Chef Geoff]

I think that's a bit of journalistic licence trying to make something special out of nothing spectacular. Christianity was the religion of the later Roman Empire so of course it was here and as for Augustine he just caused problems, thus the synod of Whitby.
I think it's now generally accepted that Christianity came to Britain, filtered out to Ireland then back in to Britain from the north under Columba.

[Pon]

I agree Geoff.
There have been many roman artefacts found in Britain which contain the "Chi Rho" symbol. As you say Journalists need to sell stories etc etc

Still a nice find none the less.

[probono]

I don't think it entirely disappeared in Wales Chef - there are plenty of churches built on the site of Roman Villas (such as Llandough) - Bassleg is a corruption of Basilica - again 'church' and that's in Gwent - and if you believe the Liber Llandavensis, Llandaff was founded in 120AD.......but there were reports of 5th / 6th century graves found under the North (Jasper) Tower when it was being renovated - plus you have the diocese of Archenfield - that's certainly quite old..... I think it was that Augustine brought Christianity to the 'English'....

[Chef Geoff]

I have my doubts on the 120AD bit but yes your right in fact he didn't even "bring Christianity" he re-established the rule of Rome by way of the Church, the celtic catholic church was probably still going well so it was the "new" Saxons that were his aim and to bring the Celtic church in to line.

[probono]

I have my doubts on the 120AD bit but yes your right in fact he didn't even "bring Christianity" he re-established the rule of Rome by way of the Church, the celtic catholic church was probably still going well so it was the "new" Saxons that were his aim and to bring the Celtic church in to line.

Don't worry - i have my doubts on the 120AD bit too - I did say 'if you believe'...... - anyway, wasn't Gildas pre-Augustine? Gildas was based in Llantwit.

[Chef Geoff]

He certainly was by a few years but as to where he was actually based is another matter

[Spooyt Vane]

We have the Avitus stone inside the parish church where i grew up and this grave marker is in latin...Similar stones are fouind in Britain with similar latin inscriptions and crosses carved on them,..They are believed to be around 5th century with the collapse of Roman Empire....They are older than St Augustine ,St Patrick and St ninian...The first people to spread to christiany to areas of Britain not occupied by the Romans...There was underground  christian movement in Roman settlements of Britain ..Earlier than even the Avitus stone