History of the West in View of the East - fr. John Strickland 

On the way to 100k subs. I’m sure Jonathan never thought he’d be a popular RU-vidr but I’m thankful he is. Never would have discovered Orthodoxy without this gentleman.

100% feel the same as Strickland. My HS/college education, despite being at Christian institutions, had the history story go like "there was Babylon, Greece, Rome, Renaissance...." It's absurd that they skip 1200 years.

I took art history in college. In reality, I attended some woman's powerpoint presentation of old paintings and carvings and memorized some vocabulary words. I spent nearly $1000 on that class and now I find myself watching this conversation for free.

To add to what you said about the influence of humanism: In his youth, Michelangelo was aware that the humanists in the court of his beloved Medici, "blended the teachings of Plato and Dante into the framework of the Bible.” And this inspired him in his sculpture and painting with his conclusion, “Ideal beauty leads to God." But in his old age and failing health Michelangelo wrote something different: "Beauty was my idol then. Now faith alone guides me.”

Great interview. He’s our Parish Priest… I really appreciate his books and work. Glory to God

My book buying passion is being fueled by this convo.

Iconoclasm is at odds with the iconic faith of Christ. Icons [eikons = images] are a window into the incarnation, God made flesh. The rediscovery of the incarnation is the best gift the east can offer the secularized west, overturning the diminishing of the heavenly presence in the world. Excellent interview.

Jonathan, as I always say, May Christ be with you always. I'm glad you touched on this subject and I'm very glad you talked about your reluctance to deny Charlemagne as whole, while also acknowledging the seed that was indeed planted with his schism, the one he helped create. I understand the complexity of it for people of the west (pious/secular or not). I do truly, as I grew up in the west. Altough this is not widely discussed by the church fathers in the Eastern Orthodox Church, when we as Orthodox Christians do mature enough in age and we understand it, purely by realizing what the history of it all means, it's heartbreaking. Especially when you learn about the 4th crusade. And thus I learned in art history in a US college by and a man of Anglo-Saxon descent and he taught us about the influence of the fall of Constantinople on the Renaissance. Growing up in the US, the Catholic people in my neighborhood did know that we as Orthodox Christians existed but it was not easy around Pascha. The rest of everyone was too secular as the Father said in this video and easter for them was the easter bunny and egg hunts. I can't say I know what they celebrated in church, if they did go to church. This was in the Eastern coast of the US, not in Canada and not the Midwest. I just find astonishing that the west doesn't know about the Orthodox Church and it's foundation since they keep quoting the Bible in the Greek. But I must say that is in the last maybe 20 years that it increased. But they did know what KYRIE ELEISON was, as even the rock band Mr Mr had a top 40 hit song about it and even then the ones who were more stunned were the Anglo-Saxon people in the neighborhood and kept asking us as Greeks how it felt. I say all this to say that I understand that the west thinks of Charlemagne as pious. Unfortunately the older I get and the more understand is that even though he might have become pious in the end, that was not his goal in the beginning. Please don't blame Byzantium on a power grab that was clearly the initial goal of the schism. We ourselves when we want to say something is incredibly complicated we call it "being more complicated than Byzantium". You're forgetting that Byzantium was being hit on all sides from the north and the newly created Turkish khazars, from the east and centuries before by the newly created Turkish Muslims and the east still being under that even though it gave us such Saints as Saint John of Damascus and Saint John Chrysoatomos. What was the initial reason that led to the fall of Constantinople was indeed from the west and the man Charlemagne himself mentioned above and everything that followed after that. It is by the grace of Christ we still exist and have kept everything as it was as we then went into 400 years of subjugation and everything that went along with it, everything! There are less than 1000 Greek Orthodox Christian in Constantinople today. And yes, we still call it Constantinople. Then came independence for mainland Greece only to be under a foreign rule and 2 World Wars and then communism for most of Orthodoxy. This led to not only NOT being allowed into church but not even to light a candle in their own homes or to have icons at all. And for some like in Albania where there are still Orthodox Christians this went all the way up until the 90s, nevermind Serbia, Romania and Russia, etc the entirety of Eastern European Christendom . And the complexity of it all continued in Greece itself with civil war. And as stated above for others further east it is worse and it continues. When you speak of Saints' cards, we still call them icons in the Eastern Orthodox Church and they are passed to the worshippers by the church but feature the actual original icon on a card. When you speak of El Greco and his elongated shapes, they were influenced by the west as his homeland was under Venetian Rule and he studied in Venice under Titian before ending up in Toledo Spain. In his Christian paintings, he was emphasizing the Spirit/Soul instead of the body as Orthodoxy demanded, indeed in a break from paganism. In his Renaissance paintings, he was conforming to the norm of the west but without the nudity as his traditional faith demanded. He also was interrogated by the inquisition, which will tell you enough of what he went through. He began in Crete as an Orthodox Byzantine Icon painter and carver. He was named El Greco because his Greek name was too complicated I guess: Dominikos Theotokopoulos. He had the Theotokos in his very surname, Jonathan. His original Orthodox Byzantine icons, made in Crete, are still reveared for us Greek Orthodox Christians. So when people talk about the Eastern Orthodox Church, they should tell all of it Jonathan because it is a miracle that it exists in the form that it began despite ALL the above complexities, to put it mildly. And because it didn't change or reform is the reason why it still exists. It is the reason why one might, and many do, say it exists is ONLY by of the Grace of CHRIST Himself. We don't over analyze it, we simply believe Christ Is Risen from the dead trampling down death by death and to those in the tomb bestowing life. This is Fundamental. IC XC NIKA. Ο Χριστος μαζι σου Ιωναθαν.

I was very hesitant to listen to this, because so much of shared East/West discussion I've heard devolves into this pompous, holier-than-thou, "We, the East, are better than you, the awful West, in every way." Far be it from me to refuse to acknowledge some of the flaws I see in my own tradition, but I also see what I perceive to be flaws in the others as well. I appreciate that the discussion talks seriously about these subjects with more of a humility than I've heard elsewhere. Great stuff. (Now on to listen to the entirety of your interviews with Jordan Petersen.)

I had Fr Strickland for a class in college in the late 2000s. Great class!

The west really has drifted quite far astray since the great schism. I'm thankful that the west was able to provide a safe bastion for the east (despite the tremendous difficulty it also brought) through the upheaval of the 20th century. I also am hopeful that now the east can reach back into the rich history it was able to preserve to rescue the west from itself before it strays too far off path. It really looks like fr. Strickland's work will bear that sort of fruit, exactly what the world needs right now! I enjoyed this conversation

I am reading The Age of Paradise right now and it is wonderful.

Got "The Age of Paradise"! Now, if my kids would just leave me alone long enough to let me read it...

After its "renewal" we're all glad to see the gradual "rectification" of Jonathan's office.

What a delight. Just yesterday I began going through all of my books in an effort to create some order and, as is often the case, I came across one I'd completely forgotten about: "The Illuminating Icon" by (Fr. Deacon) Anthony Ugolnik. His insights so parallel those shared by you and Fr. John that yesterday's reading was made richer by your interview, which I only saw today. Many thanks.

Great conversation. Jonathan is constantly putting out fantastic content. This is one of the best channels on RU-vid. Hopefully it can survive the current dystopian purge.

This was an eye opening conversation. Especially the last part about before the reformation and about the artists. I hope you guys speak again. ...the idea about the great division being this thousand year schism that we’re still dealing with today is what I find eye opening, perhaps we can find a way to reverse division before it’s too late

This was very informative, thanks Jonathan and Fr. John!

We have to rediscover the mystery in our religion both East and West, we have a incredible tradition that won over some of the brightest minds in Greece and Rome and has been taken away from us slowly but surely and buried.

All of these books will be on my bookshelf

Fr. John Strickland did an excellent podcast about this topic for AFR: "Paradise and Utopia". It is very in depth.

Spain integrated and uplifted everything related to imagery and a living tradition that brings heaven into earth. It is quite astonishing the whole culture of the "Cofradías gitanas" inside of the Spanish Church. When I think of True Christendom I usually just think about Spain haha. Loved the talk.

Thank you Jonathan for having this discussion.

Wonderful, wonderful conversation. Cheers from Mexico.

Real eye-opener! There is a spring-cleaning going on in my mind -Things start to make sense, fall into place in the light - from history to Christian doctrines, from the idea of Christendom to prayer-life..... These conversations are very much part of this process for me personally but I am sure I am not the only one with these foundational changes! Thank you! Can I suggest you have a chat with Iain McGilchrist, too?

This was a fantastic video, as a Western Catholic I appreciate it tremendously, thanks for helping me understand why I like those little Saints images so much.

Wonderful discussion. I am reading this book series right now.

Mr. Pageau, Thank you for this wonder discussion. While I can't truly recognize icons, the gift of Our Lady to Saint Juan Diego of her painting in Mexico, seems to reflect iconic imagery, at least to my untrained eye. Since this is a gift from Our Mother, I see it as a guide to how we should do art, and that is more in common with the Iconic East and Native American relief-art traditions than the more extravagant Western Europe artistic traditions (again to my untrained eye). Also, while I would agree with much of what the Father said on the history of the faith, I see the spit between East and West as more a substantiation of the split between western and eastern Empire by Constantine, which itself was built into fractures between the worlds and words of Hebrew, Egyptian, Fertile Crescent, Greek and Latin worlds, combined with the fractured nature of the Western European Empire's continuous rebellions, invasions by the Germanic and other northern and east Asian peoples. But I have to applaud him for pointing as far back as he does. Sincerely, Bill

I was just reading "The crisis of the modern world" by René Guénon, which is a book I highly recommend that covers this topic with traditional metaphysical principles. Short book, but with a lot of information. Funny that this video came up in my recommendation, probably a sign that I should get Johns book.

Great conversation. Thank You!!!

I’m so excited for this convo! I’ve made the suggestion to Paul V to speak to Fr John.

Very interesting, and makes me yearn as a Western Catholic for what we lost with our connection to the East. But, there is always hope. Also, I have a hunch that the East lost something with the split, also. For example, the development of sacred music. Would be interested to hear what Dr.Rachel Fulton-Brown would say about this, as someone who has been immersed in western medieval history, theology and devotional practice.

I very much enjoyed this video! Thank you jonathon.

You should have Anthony Esolen on your channel. He was the first one to open my eyes about the supposed "dark" ages.

HUGE thanks! I had always wondered why those Renaissance artists were lauded by the Vatican.

Illuminating conversation. History like it's never been told.

There are so many wonderful things about this talk! One thing is, yes, Mr. Pageau, the Renaissance was *totally* a Pagan move! I would like to talk to someone about this. If there are any fellow commentators who would like to be on Curiosophy Now!, I'd love to dialogue and possibly disagree about elements of this topic. Spot on with the stuff about Theosis. God Bless Fr. Strickland. This is good medicine for the soul of our culture.

It's interesting how Fr. John notes that the West was, in many ways, mirroring the developments of the East. One example of which I am reminded is Ambrosian chant , which is attributed to Ambrose of Milan because Church tradition is that he introduced hymnody from the Eastern Church to the West.

Interesting stuff. I need to learn more history.

This video is interesting thanks to Jonathan. Explains a lot about the image making in the orthodox tradition that I never knew. I always understood that the development of glass making (mirrors, lens, windows etc) in the late Middle Ages lead to the development of the Renaissance rather than any set of ideas. However, I can now understand why the art of Orthodox Christianity never changed. I am interested in more content that discusses the theology of image making, Jewish/orthodox/western interpretations.

Very interesting. Cheers from snowy Sweden, stay safe!

Love this I can't wait to read this book it is on my list.

His books Age of Paradise & Age of Division are amazing!

Dante maintained that Purgatory wasn’t punishment; it was penance. Sinners happily endure purgation, dearly desirous of paying for their sins before entering heaven.

Besides it’s omission of the East, I think Francis Schaefer’s “how should we then live” 10 part mini series (RU-vid and Amazon Prime Vid) is helpful in understanding history of Christendom in the west. Fun watch too in many ways

I enjoyed this immensely. Particularly since I live 30 minutes from Poulsbo!

Lot's of juicy content here. Thanks.

I particularly enjoyed the discussion of renaissance art

Why can we not appreciate the traditions of both East and West? There must be more attempts at reunification. Christ desires His True Church to be united and One.

I bought one of your T-shirts, of St George slaying the dragon. I love it. I also bought an Orthodox Study Bible (NT & Psalms) and have been enjoying it.

One question I have is: if during the time of Charlemagne the western theological tradition primarily took the view that religious images were for the purpose of teaching, why was it the case that (I believe roughly around the same time) the cults of various miraculous holy images (for example Our Lady of Walsingham or St. Michael of Mount Gargano) took off in the West, the purpose of which images was veneration rather than instruction or decoration? Is it also significant that the images that came to be mostly presented for veneration in the West were for the most part statues in contrast to the panel-paintings most commonly venerated in the East?

Wow I really want to read his work

Michelangelo's work never landed? No one copied his work? I beg the question who would be bold enough to try? You have to remember Michelangelo was first and for most a 'Sculptor' not a painter? I believe he depicted Angelic babies as a metaphorical meaning of innocence. - I saw the Angel in the marble and I carved it until I set it free - Michelangleo

Thanks

Get John Strickland in touch with Tom Holland (not spider-man). I'd love to see that one!

This was a really good talk about how the west diverged from the east both good & bad. I would interested to know if you've talked about the western rite liturgy and your thoughts on that in terms of the variance of the west.

Tracing back our modern problems to the Schism is basically what Fr. Seraphim Rose did in his Orthodox Survival Course, as well as his book Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age. Both are worth checking out if you haven't read them. The former is more of a proper history of the West since the Schism from an Orthodox perspective, and the latter traces the intellectual lineage of Nihilism in the West.

At what point does ‘everything that’s different is proof of heresy’ enter the consciousness of the East? That’s not to say there isn’t good points about Renaissance art, but you already made the point it wasn’t liturgical.

I want to know if Father Stickland built the shed with the wood burning stove in his background. I've heard he does woodworking.

It's sometimes insightful but sometimes funny to see how "rereading" and reinterpreting History to accomodate our representations of our present clumsy selves is becoming trendy across cultures and nations. Revivification of old myths and beliefs, restoring or building new foundation myths, revising bloody history etc. Sholmo Sands' " Twilight of History" is a must read from the perspective of understanding how the evolution of "History" as a taught and reinforced disciplin is shaping national and transnational egos.

In this video, Fr. John makes a distinction between Catholicism's penitential focus versus the Orthodox focus on the Incarnational aspect. Does anyone know if this is explored in greater depth in his books or whether this explains a principle difference between these two lungs of Christianity?

Excellent.

Good discussion about the problems the Western Christianity faced without its Eastern lung. However there certainly are problems that the East faced without its Western lung. I would be interested to hear a conversation on that as well

Dr. Myles Munroe's teaching about the Kingdom of God was the one that introduced me to the knowledge of the actual and physical Kingdom. Raised Evangelical i was taught about a FUTURE kingdom, but now i know that there is an actual Kingdom here on the Earth. That paved the way to later on understand about Catholics and Orthodox, which I'm still discovering. Blessings.

Fascinating stuff. Some of the Western letting go of Theosis as the primary purpose of the Incarnation comes from its adoption of Greek philosophy in the second millennium, which downplays physical patterns. Yes, it had to engage with the introduction Aristotle to the west by the Moors. And it gave the west a deep tradition of reason at the service of Faith. Therefore Roman Catholicism has done better at avoiding the risks of pantheism than Orthodoxy, and generally at staying faithful while also engaging with culture.

Great video! May I know where I can a find a picture of the icon used in the intro?

Another book 2 books to add to my list

For 3yrs I've been listening and reading on the internet and off, and here I think is perhaps the kernal I've been missing. In uncovering my Lutheran tradition, the eastern Christians fascinate. There is fundamental language differences, that I can't understand the teaching of those ancient mongolian Christians; I'm lost in translation. That an Ethiopian deacon influenced Luther, that Damascenus and Cyril were quoted so much in our Christology; that the earliest 'lutherans' appealed to the 'Greek' Christians and even reached out years before any other tradition. I've wondered, why does the EO sound like they believe the same regarding the Eucharist; why do they sound the same explaining the Two Natures in Christ; why do they sound the same regarding Baptism and the Christian life (the monk's last words of 'only saved by Christ's mercy', Luther's 'we are beggars this is true'), a similar sounding use of Tradition and Scripture, why 'Divine Liturgy' instead of our 'Divine Service", why does Mull monastry's spirituality sound so line with what I've been taught? What is the basis of the difference from which all else flows? Is that kernal perhaps iconography? Now new questions; What are the effects of those changes mentioned toward the end of the video in my own tradition? The difficulty of Chemnitz, who compiled the traditional explanation of Christology against the semi-nestorian/semi-gnostic explanations of Calvin and Zwingli, delving lovingly into John of Damascus' Christology yet questioning his considerable words against the iconoclasts. The acceptance of the ecumenical councils, yet trouble with the 7th ... Perhaps this is the fundamental difference, a lack of a living 'iconology' in my tradition. Perhaps it's as simple as we 'sound' the same, but we don't 'look' the same; with all the differences flowing from there.

There's something more going on before the Iconoclasm. Justinian II putting Christ on the Empire's currency points to an excess with imagery that brought on a counter-reaction.

' naked orgiastic flesh' as K Clark talked or wrote about the pink flawless body of Christ in his crucifixion painters he,Clark used the word' incorruptible '....

The great detective story tracing back the beginnings of western error in the Church, some say it goes back to the filioque.

great talk

After hundreds of years of cultural pretense, with the Renaissance, Western Christianity begins to come to terms with its nakedness. Nakedness, a trigger issue of the Garden, must be dealt with-but don't get distracted by appearance. The issue in reality is no more about nakedness than the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil is about trees.

I think my definition of the west includes Greeks (...and Arabs too)

sendin this right to ma dad

Are you guys familiar with the work of James Hillman? In his book Healing Fiction in particular he argues that iconoclasm is an attack on soul. This is the basis for what I call the soulless religions -- those who are either against or simply lacking imagery: Judaism, Islam and Protestantism. I like your point that the image is acceptable as representing the Kingdom on Earth, the fact that Christ is INCARNATE.

Father Strickland mentions Putin and Russia at 47:55-48:16and then the YT stream cuts out at 48:18. 😉🤔. Just sayin...

Good discussion tho!

There is a renaissance (:)) of icon in Catholic Church

I'm confused, do they think that the renaissance was bad and that non-religious art is bad?

commenting for algo

Good stuff.

I don’t understand how you can compare Botticelli’s Venus to pornography. Also, the naked form is far more expressive than the clothed. Nakedness in art is proper as long as it’s not attempting to produce an unhealthy lust.

Something is said here concerning the view of purgatory and how it turned the western mind towards despair. But the view of the Tollhouses is in many ways equally unbearable. The idea is essentially more suffering after this life, a description by certain church fathers says (paraphrasing) that just seeing the demons is the most horrible thing that we have ever experienced. And then having them relentlessly try to drag you to hell. So where is the contrast? And doesn’t purgatory seem to stem from the toll houses?

I wouldn't stop at the year one thousand, I would go back to pre-nicene the teachings of the two kingdoms. How early Christian were in fact rejecting the world, with no desire participation in public offices, it was all about charity, and agape. Institutionalization of the church as a official body was the beginning of deformation of the faith of the real church that is the believers.

As an artist seducing ones model is a tedious obligation thrust upon us by societal expectations...

You asked whether other people have done similar things of restoring a more unified East-West narrative. Ioannis Romanidis does this. Along the way he explains a lot of otherwise incomprehensible features of the west as the remnants of medieval/pre-schism "resistance" under the "new world order" that the schism brought to the west. And of course he explains how the theology and the church history are upstream from the popular culture, which of course is upstream from the politics and the "history of states". He is a westerner himself; he grew up and studied in the US before traveling later in his life. (His mom was a refugee from Cappadocia, from the "mass killings" of the christians of Asia Minor, so his background is eastern too -- a hybrid, if you will.) His "Original sin" and "Dogmatic theology" are among the most significant orthodox theological studies of the 20th century. It was also his students who proved and made widely known the fact that the term "Byzantine" was only coined by Jeronimo Wolfe after the 1500s (along with why this is a big deal). Before Romanidis, the term "byzantine" was widely used as a face-value "accurate" characterisation of the people and the state and the art *even in orthodox countries*. It was very common that professors of theology in orthodox countries had studied in the west, due to political and social conditions (Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia ravaged by war, Turkey's christians exterminated, Russia transformed by revolution etc). As a result, a lot of western academic theology and history was asserting itself in orthodox countries, trying to expel the traditional orthodox theology and history, branded as "the stuff that unlearned fanatical monastics believe". Romanidis has earned quite a bit of hostility by some in the academy for turning this fight around, as he was fully equipped to point out the clear departures from orthodoxy, use a high standard of scholarship, and ultimately stop the dominance of non-orthodox theology in orthodox theological schools in the east. More broadly, he also challenged historical "western orthodoxies" :P about the East, which had become dominant in orthodox countries for the same reason. What Kontoglou did for art, Romanidis did for history and theology. For the serious student of history, you need to understand what Romanidis is saying (not necessarily what other people are saying about him -- myself included). Sure, he might "shock" the tidy little boxes of a casual westerner in some things; e.g. his Cappadocian-greek background makes intolerable for him the balkanisation of "greek" history into first "ancient greek", then "roman", then "byzantine" (which is supposedly not quite roman), then again "greek" (which is supposedly not quite byzantine) etc. This fragmentation is of course put there, among other things, to explain why "there are no cappadocian greeks" or syrian rums etc. He also identifies Charlemagne as the turning point and the beginning of a very profound rift -- as you did in this discussion and is far from a commonplace understanding. Oh, and don't expect him to equivocate to the level of 21st century worldly politeness: yes, we all know there are good people on all political/national sides, but the Schism can't be a "half-full glass" for an orthodox theologian & priest... This is the kind of thing on which there is minimal room for sympathy / charity, as our catholic brothers know very well actually...

READ "The Promethean Right: Why the Right is Losing the Battle of Ideas and What its Revitalization Must Look Like"

You can’t sacrifice unless you first be in the world.

The "naked teen-ager" next to God in that painting is Eve! God has Eve waiting in the wings at the time of creation. That's what that means.

The picture of God in the Sistine Chapel... you are missing its meaning. The idea is God strenuously reaches out to man, and man is distracted, carnal... can hardly lift a finger. The cloth around God is shaped like a brain and God reaches out the front and center, which is the quiet spot in the forebrain, once called the seat of God. The puti are representative of the brain as our receiver of Gods thought and the supporting structures in the brain... still known in some schools. It wasn’t just poetic ornamentation 🤗

Can you please have Eric Ybarra on your show or have you already had him on your show and I missed it. Thx

I'm an Italian catholic (from Florence!!) and as much as I admire my compatriots artistic skills I totally agree with both of you. We should totally go back to iconography of the East in the churches! Jonathan, you should have a look to what Kiko Argüello has done in many churches, here is pretty much what you talk about: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N8vVjI6U2KM.html (Unfortunatelly it is in italian with polish translation).

Listened to Young Heretics podcast on mimēsis, which is about our human tendency/compulsion to imitate creation ( The Cosmos & the Crucifixion ) . Seems to dovetail into remarks about iconography.

Did he ask if Bacon was still alive? He died in the 1620s me thinks! Maybe i misheard something.

Well, I guess it was complicated back then to join orthodoxy and catholicism because of political issues. For example in 1876 when Poland was annected by Russian Empire in my city Russians build huge orthodox church in the main square of the city. It was a symbol of russian domination. So in 1920s when Poland finally was independent, this huge orthodox church was demolished.

But the West didn't separate from the East randomly. The West suffered many abuses from the East, any example being Byzantium's attempts to "reconquer" Rome by massacring the Latin population in Rome. Also the Crusaders were started at the request of the East for assistance.

Dear Fr. Strickland and dear Jonathan! This conversation gave me goosebumps and I'm really grateful for this. What fr. Strickland claims is the very same thing what I've heard casually mentioned by Jesuit fr. Marko Ivan Rupnik years ago: the problem of the Franks and the problem of renaissance art in the Catholic Church. He sees the return to some kind of 1st millenium Christianity as the solution if I understand him correctly. He's also currently the most prominent Catholic artist that is doing eastern style mosaics, for example the "Sistine chapel of John Paul II". And he's also an author of many books. Unfortunately, they're only published in italian or slovenian language as far as I know. His art: www.centroaletti.com

The role that Britain had is played down I feel in these discussions. If I may share some quotes from George Jowett's "The Drama of the Lost Disciples"; Bishop Ussher writes in Brittannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates "The British National Church was founded in AD 36, 160 years before heathen Rome confessed Christianity." From Augustinicio Mission AD 597 "Britain officially proclaimed Christian by King Lucius, at National Council at Winchester, AD 156" Eusebius of Caesarea Demonstratio Evangelica "The Apostles passed beyond the ocean to the Isles called the Brittanic Isles" Sabellius AD 250 "Christianity was privately confessed elsewhere, but the first nation that proclaimed it as their religion and called it Christian, after the name of Christ, was Britain." Origen wrote "the power of our Lord is with those who in Britain are separated from our coasts." Chysostom, the venerable Patriarch of Constantinople Sermo De Utilit; "The British Isles which are beyond the sea, and which lie in the ocean, have received virtue of the Word. Churches are there found and altars erected.... Though thou shouldst go to the ocean, to the British Isles, there thou shouldst hear all men everywhere discoursing matters out of the Scriptures, with another voice indeed, but not another faith, with a different tongue, but the same judgment."

Love your stuff but the thumbnail looks like a mugshot! 😂😂