Summary
When did christianity come to england
When did christianity come to england
The Mist and the Cross: A Comprehensive History of When Christianity Came to England
The question of when Christianity arrived on the shores of England is not a simple inquiry into a single date on a calendar. It is a journey into the mists of antiquity, a detective story pieced together from archaeological fragments, ancient letters, and the legends of kings. Unlike a modern political treaty signed at a specific hour, the arrival of the Christian faith in Britain was not a singular event but a rolling tide—a series of waves that receded and returned over several centuries.
To ask “When did Christianity come to England?” is to open a book with two distinct beginnings. There is the first arrival during the Roman occupation, shadowy and quiet. Then, there is the second, more famous arrival—the organized mission to the Anglo-Saxons that would define the nation’s history. This guide explores the depths of this history, separating the golden threads of legend from the iron bedrock of historical fact, providing a definitive resource for understanding the spiritual birth of England.
Part 1: The First Wave – Christianity Under the Roman Eagle
Long before there was a nation called “England,” there was the Roman province of Britannia. It is here, in the first few centuries after the death of Christ, that the story begins.
The Silent Arrival There is no record of a specific missionary stepping off a boat in the first or second century to convert the Britons. Instead, Christianity likely arrived via the vast, arterial network of the Roman Empire. It travelled in the rucksacks of Roman soldiers stationed at Hadrian’s Wall. It arrived in the ledgers of merchants trading tin and wool with Gaul and the Mediterranean.
By the late second century, the Christian author Tertullian wrote that “parts of Britain inaccessible to the Romans have been subjected to Christ.” While this may be theological hyperbole, it suggests that the faith had penetrated the island deeply enough to be known in North Africa by 200 AD. Origen, writing in the third century, also speaks of the faith reaching the Britons.
The First Martyr: St. Alban The most potent evidence of early Christianity is the blood of the martyrs. Sometime during the third or early fourth century (dates range from 209 to 304 AD), a Roman soldier named Alban sheltered a fleeing Christian priest. Impressed by the priest’s piety, Alban converted. When the authorities came, Alban exchanged clothes with the priest, allowing him to escape, and was executed in his place.
St. Alban is recognized as Britain’s first martyr (protomartyr). The site of his execution, Verulamium, is now the city of St. Albans, where a cathedral stands as a testament to this early, pre-Anglo-Saxon faith. His story proves that Christianity was not just present but was vibrant enough to inspire the ultimate sacrifice long before the fall of Rome.
The Council of Arles We move from individual stories to institutional proof in the year 314 AD. The Council of Arles was a major gathering of bishops in Gaul (France). Records show that three bishops from Britain attended: Eborius of York, Restitutus of London, and Adelphius (likely of Lincoln).
This is a crucial historical datum. For Britain to send three bishops to an international council implies an established, organized church structure with dioceses and a hierarchy. Therefore, we can definitively say that Christianity was the organized religion of a significant minority in England by the early 4th century, fully integrated into the wider Roman Church.
Part 2: The Legends – Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Grail
While historians look to bishops and councils, the popular imagination of England has always been captivated by a more romantic origin story. These legends, while historically dubious, are essential to understanding how the English viewed their own spiritual heritage.
The Glastonbury Legend The most enduring legend asserts that Joseph of Arimathea, the wealthy tin merchant who donated his tomb for Jesus’ burial, traveled to Britain shortly after the Crucifixion. The story claims he landed at Glastonbury in Somerset and planted his staff into the ground on Wearyall Hill, where it miraculously bloomed into the Glastonbury Thorn—a hawthorn tree that blooms twice a year.
Some versions of the legend even suggest that a young Jesus accompanied Joseph on his trading voyages to Cornwall. This mythology is immortalized in William Blake’s anthem “Jerusalem” (“And did those feet in ancient time / Walk upon England’s mountains green?”).
King Lucius Another tradition, recorded by the Venerable Bede, tells of a British King named Lucius who, in the second century, wrote to Pope Eleutherius asking to be made a Christian. While modern historians view this as a misunderstanding of documents or a later fabrication to bolster Roman authority, it reflects the ancient British desire to claim an apostolic connection that predates the Anglo-Saxon invasion.
Part 3: The Retreat – The Dark Ages and the Celtic Fringe
If Christianity was established by 400 AD, why do we often speak of it arriving later? The answer lies in the collapse of the Roman Empire.
In 410 AD, the Roman legions departed Britain to defend Rome itself. This left a power vacuum. Into this void poured the pagan Germanic tribes from across the North Sea: the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes. These invaders pushed the native Romano-British population—and their Christian faith—to the western and northern fringes of the island.
Christianity did not die; it retreated. It survived and flourished in Wales, Cornwall, and, crucially, Ireland (thanks to the British missionary St. Patrick). While the area that would become “England” (Angle-land) was plunged into paganism, worshipping Woden and Thor, the Celtic periphery kept the light of the Gospel burning. This set the stage for a two-pronged return of the faith.
Part 4: The Second Wave – The Mission of St. Augustine (597 AD)
When history textbooks answer the question “When did Christianity come to England?”, they most often cite the year 597 AD. This marks the official, organized return of the faith to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, initiated by Rome.
Gregory the Great and the “Angels” The catalyst was Pope Gregory the Great. The famous story goes that Gregory, before becoming Pope, saw fair-haired youths for sale in a Roman slave market. Asking who they were, he was told they were “Angles” (from England). He famously replied, “Not Angles, but Angels” (Non Angli, sed Angeli), resolving to bring the Gospel to their land.
In 596 AD, Gregory dispatched a nervous monk named Augustine (not to be confused with Augustine of Hippo) and a group of missionaries to Britain. They were terrified of the “barbarous” Anglo-Saxons and nearly turned back, but Gregory urged them on.
The Arrival in Kent Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet in 597 AD. He was fortunate—or divinely guided—to land in the Kingdom of Kent. King Ethelbert of Kent was a pagan, but his wife, Queen Bertha, was a Frankish princess who was already a devout Christian. She had brought her own chaplain with her and had been worshipping at an old Roman church (St. Martin’s) in Canterbury.
Because of Bertha’s influence, Ethelbert received Augustine openly. He did not convert immediately but allowed the missionaries to preach. Eventually, Ethelbert was baptized, and thousands of his subjects followed. Augustine established his seat at Canterbury, becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury. This re-established the direct link between England and the Roman Church.
Part 5: The Northern Stream – The Celtic Mission
While Augustine was working in the south, a different brand of Christianity was flowing into the north of England. This was Celtic Christianity, originating from Ireland and Scotland.
St. Columba and Iona In 563 AD, the Irish monk Columba founded a monastery on the island of Iona, off the coast of Scotland. Iona became a powerhouse of missionary activity.
St. Aidan and Lindisfarne In 635 AD, King Oswald of Northumbria (who had spent time in exile among the Irish monks) invited missionaries from Iona to convert his kingdom. The monk Aidan was sent. Unlike the Roman missionaries who focused on kings and courts, the Celtic monks were known for wandering the hills, living in poverty, and connecting with the common people.
Aidan founded the monastery of Lindisfarne (the Holy Island). From here, the Celtic influence spread southward, converting the Kingdom of Mercia and much of central England. Thus, by the mid-7th century, England was being evangelized by two distinct forces: the Roman mission moving up from Kent, and the Celtic mission moving down from Northumbria.
Part 6: The Clash and Unification – The Synod of Whitby (664 AD)
By the 660s, Christianity was the dominant religion in England, but it was a house divided. The Roman and Celtic traditions differed on several points, most notably the calculation of the date of Easter and the style of the tonsure (the haircut worn by monks).
The confusion came to a head in the court of King Oswiu of Northumbria. It is said that the King celebrated Easter according to the Celtic calendar, while his Queen, Eanfled (raised in Kent), was still observing Lent according to the Roman calendar.
To resolve this, the Synod of Whitby was convened in 664 AD at St. Hilda’s monastery. The Celtic side appealed to the tradition of St. Columba. The Roman side, led by Wilfrid, appealed to the authority of St. Peter, who held the “keys to the kingdom.” King Oswiu, not wanting to be locked out of heaven, sided with Rome.
This was a decisive moment. The English Church aligned itself with the universal Roman Catholic Church, bringing England into the mainstream of European culture, scholarship, and politics. The Celtic eccentricities were slowly smoothed out, creating a unified English Church.
Part 7: The Cultural Transformation
The arrival of Christianity fundamentally transformed the fabric of English society.
Literacy and Law The missionaries brought with them the Latin alphabet and the culture of the book. Before Christianity, Anglo-Saxon laws were oral. Under the influence of the church, King Ethelbert issued the first written code of English law. Monasteries became centers of learning, producing masterpieces like the Lindisfarne Gospels and the histories of the Venerable Bede, to whom we owe much of our knowledge of this period.
Architecture and Landscape The wooden pagan temples were replaced by stone churches. The landscape was dotted with stone crosses. The organization of the church into dioceses and parishes created a geographical structure that persists to this day.
The Unification of England Perhaps most importantly, Christianity provided a unifying ideology for the disparate Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The concept of a single God and a single church hierarchy helped pave the way for the political unification of England under a single King in the centuries that followed.
Part 8: Conclusion – A Story of Two Arrivals
So, when did Christianity come to England?
If one seeks the earliest presence, the answer is the second or third century AD, brought by the currents of the Roman Empire.
If one seeks the permanent establishment of the English Church as a cultural and political force, the answer is 597 AD, with the arrival of St. Augustine in Kent, reinforced by the Celtic missions of the 630s.
It was not a single lightning strike, but a slow dawn. It began with Roman whispers, survived through the resilience of the Welsh and Irish, was reinvigorated by the mission of Augustine, and was finally unified at Whitby. This complex layering of history, legend, and theology is what gives the English church its unique depth and character. The faith did not just arrive in England; it was woven into the very soil of the land, creating a spiritual heritage that shaped the course of Western history.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the Arrival of Christianity in England
To further clarify the timeline and details of this complex historical period, here are answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding the origins of the church in England.
Q1: Who was the very first Christian in England? A: It is impossible to name the very first individual, as they were likely an anonymous Roman soldier, merchant, or slave who arrived in the 1st or 2nd century. However, the first known Christian by name is St. Alban, a Roman citizen who was martyred for sheltering a priest. He is traditionally dated to the 3rd or early 4th century, making him the first recorded believer to die for the faith on British soil.
Q2: Did Joseph of Arimathea really build the first church in Glastonbury? A: This is widely regarded by historians as a medieval legend rather than historical fact. The stories of Joseph of Arimathea arriving in Glastonbury appear in writings from the 12th and 13th centuries, likely created to boost the prestige and pilgrim traffic of Glastonbury Abbey. There is no contemporary evidence from the 1st century to support his presence in Britain.
Q3: What is the difference between Celtic and Roman Christianity? A: While they shared the same core theological beliefs (Trinity, Divinity of Christ), they differed in organization and style. Roman Christianity was urban, hierarchical (centered on Bishops and the Pope), and emphasized order and structure. Celtic Christianity was rural, monastic (centered on Abbots and monasteries), more ascetic, and deeply connected to nature. They also calculated the date of Easter differently and used a different style of tonsure (haircut) for monks.
Q4: Why is 597 AD considered the most important date? A: While Christians existed in Britain before this date, 597 AD marks the arrival of St. Augustine of Canterbury and the official mission sent by Pope Gregory the Great to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons. This mission succeeded in converting the kings of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, establishing the institutional structure of the English Church (like the Archbishopric of Canterbury) that exists to this day. It marks the transition from a scattered, retreating faith to a state-endorsed religion.
Q5: What religion were the English before Christianity? A: Before the arrival of Christianity (and after the Roman withdrawal), the Anglo-Saxon tribes practiced Germanic Paganism. They worshipped a pantheon of gods including Woden (Odin), Thunor (Thor), and Tiw (Tyr). These names are still preserved in our days of the week: Wednesday (Woden’s Day), Thursday (Thor’s Day), and Tuesday (Tiw’s Day).
Q6: Did the Vikings destroy Christianity in England? A: When the Vikings (Danes) invaded in the late 8th and 9th centuries, they were pagan and did target monasteries (like Lindisfarne in 793 AD) because they were wealthy and undefended. This caused a significant disruption to the Church. However, they did not destroy Christianity. Over time, through treaties (like the Treaty of Wedmore under Alfred the Great) and settlement, the Vikings themselves converted to Christianity.
Q7: Who was the first Christian King of England? A: The first Anglo-Saxon king to accept baptism was Ethelbert of Kent shortly after Augustine’s arrival in 597 AD. However, “England” was not a unified nation then. The first king of a unified England is often considered Athelstan (grandson of Alfred the Great) in the 10th century, and he was a devout Christian.
Q8: What was the Synod of Whitby? A: The Synod of Whitby (664 AD) was a meeting convened by King Oswiu of Northumbria to decide whether the English Church would follow the customs of the Celtic tradition (Iona/Ireland) or the Roman tradition (Rome/Canterbury). The King decided in favor of Rome, largely to ensure unity with the universal church and because of the authority of St. Peter. This decision determined the future trajectory of the English Church.
Q9: Is the Church of England the same as the Catholic Church? A: For nearly a thousand years (from 597 AD until the 1530s), the Church in England was the Catholic Church, under the authority of the Pope. However, during the Reformation in the 16th century, King Henry VIII broke away from papal authority, creating the Church of England (Anglican Church). While it retains many Catholic traditions and structures, it is a separate entity.
Q10: How do we know about this history? A: Our primary source for the history of Christianity in England is Bede, an 8th-century monk from Northumbria. His work, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, completed in 731 AD, provides the most detailed narrative of the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons, the lives of saints like Augustine and Aidan, and the political decisions of the kings.
