CHRISTIAN ORIGINS IN BRITAIN.

Evening Star, Issue 22460, 3 October 1936, Page 11

CHRISTIAN ORIGINS IN BRITAIN.

TO TUB EDITOR. Sir, —When will the myths of St. Augustine and St. Patrick, being responsible for the conversion of the Britannic Isles from heathenism, be filially disposed of? Your columns last 'luesday asked us to believe that Augustine landed in England in 597 A.n. to find it “ a savage, turbulent, and heathen island,” and that 70 years later the Roman priest had succeeded so well in his civilising efforts that the learned Bede, one of our first historians, was the outcome of it. Bede in his own writings does not give much credit o Augustine’s transformation of the land from heathenism and savagery. Grildas, our earliest English historian, informs us that “ the sun of righteousness arose in these islands (British) between A.n. 35 ami 61. The Council of Pisa, 1417. affirmed that Britain owed its Christianity to Joseph of Arimathea. Cardinal Baronins recorded that this same Joseph came to Britain A.n. 35, and, having preached the gospel, there died. Glastonbury claims _ his chapel and his grave. The Druids of preChristian times believed in God, whom they worshipped under three names, Belenus, Hesus, and Taran, and retained the name Hesus when .they accepted Christianity. In the British Museum is a medal of the first century. dug up under the ruin of a Druid circle in Anglesea Isle, bearing an effigy of Jesus with the words in Hebrew “ Naught in Thee was found worthy of divine wrath.” _■ Further tangible evidence of early civilisation of tlie Britannic Islands, particularly with reference to Ireland and St. Patrick’s influence upon it, is to be seen day by day at Westminster in the shape of the Stone of Destiny. _ Fernando Warner, L.L.D., in his history of Ireland published in 1763, gives a very comprehensive study of all the evidences relating to this stone, and traces its arrival into Ireland some seven centuries before Christ as part of the luggage of one wise man, “ Ollam Fodla,” who came from Spain at that time. Dr Warner says; “ Fodla’s coming marks a wonderful epoch in Irish hi.sto.ry, as he was a prince who excelled greatly all his predecessors in wisdom and learning. Ho instituted heralds and triennial and by his change in the religion of the people made complete change in the face of Ireland.” Dr Warner goes further back still, and quotes from 11 a very ancient MS. history in his possession which says that the sons of Milesius who first invaded the island gave it the name of Hibernia, either

from the name of the river Iborus, in Spain, or from Heber, one of his Brethren.” Referring to their learning, Dr Warner despises the Romans for terming the Kelts barbarians, for he says “ in the infancy and most-confused state of their Government they never sank into ignorance mid barbarity.” After giving much information as to their learning, he sums up in the following words, “In short, Ireland was at that time the prime scat of learning to all Christendom.” As to the original Celtic religion, be says; “We learn from liish and foreign authors that it was the same as that of the Scriptural patriarchs,” and gives many references. Ollam Fodla’s scat was at Tara, but St. Patrick and bis confreres destroyed every remaining trace of it save its mound.—l am, etc., October 1. G. Steel.