Whole Europe. Germany, Austria, France.....full of Orthodox Saints

I was baptised in my 40s into the Orthodox Church. My journey was sparked by my Anglican minister who told me about the origins of my faith, when I asked about the icons on British saints that were in his office.

The Greek traditions may have been in place in the early centuries of the Orthodox Church in Britain. Whatever we do we must keep the Greek music tradition as that harks back almost to the Apostles themselves. Such rich hymnography and unlike Anglicanism very theological and scriptural.

@@SteveGriffiths-tk6uo Why criticise the Church of England? Have you evidence that the Celtic Church was Greek? The Early Church was undivided. Why are Christians so critical of each other? In reality there is only one Church since Christ can only have one body.

The church had many traditions in the past.What was orthodox in the past was the theology.Now the theology of anglicanism is faulty in keeping faithful to the orthodox theology.The Patriarchate of Rome was different than that of the eastern pathriarchates but the theology was the same and the creed likewise

"The English Church is essentially Orthodox and needs no imported Greek or Russian traditions- we simply need to remember our Orthodox roots." I am an English Protestant, but I really like this argument.

@SteveGriffiths-tk6uo The available evidence doesn't support your claim. According to Tradition, St. Joseph of Arimathea first brought Christianity to Britannia. He was a Middle Eastern Jew. Further down in history, British Monasticism was almost entirely influenced by Egyptian monasticism from its earliest days, even with the Celtic monastics. This Egyptian-influenced monasticism eventually became formalized under Benedictine monasticism. St. Benedict of Nursia (Nursia being a kingdom in central Italy) adapted the form of monasticism that he had received through the influence of St. John Cassian, who, though he was a Latin speaker from Scythia Minor, learned monasticism first in Palestine before settling with and being discipled by the Origenist monks of the Nitrian Dessert in Egypt. (His spiritual father was none other than Evagrius Ponticus, or Evagrius the Solitary, as he is called in the _Philokalia._ ) He later fled with those monks to seek refuge under St. John Chrysostom in Constantinople but, after Chrysostom's deposition (partly as a result of his harboring the Origenist refugees with whom he sympathized), Cassian was sent to Rome to make his appeal to the pope. Later, he founded an Egyptian-style monastery, the Abbey of St. Victor, in Massalia, Gaul (France), where he reposed. So, ancient British Christianity has more influence from Egypt and Rome than it ever did from Greece.

This is true, for those who have forgotten their Saints but puzzling for us Catholics who have never stopped venerating our Saints on these Isles 🙏

I promise that I will get to him! Thanks for your interest.

Just down the road/ down the Usk from where I live too! (Abergavenny/ Y Fenni) I wonder how many there are of us in this beautiful area deeply interested in the ancient roots of our Christian faith.

Yes there seems to be some confusion here. Jesus Christ founded his Church on St Peter and the Christian faith has been Catholic from the start. The hatred of Catholics since Henry8th creates bizarre stories as if the faith of St Patrick was not Roman Catholic! This push to re-brand early British Christianity as Orthodoxy is such an attempt based on an anti-Catholic stance. Celtic Christianity is the right word for it and it started in Ireland and the Irish converts spread the true faith to England and also back to Europe who lost it. The English Protestants keep trying to 'claim' the early saints because they can't cope with the truth. The TRUE original Christian religion of the entire British and Irish Isles is Catholic! Early saints in Ireland and in England were Catholic not Orthodox. The traditional Catholic faith is orthodox in that it adheres to the ancient true practices and core beliefs. Back then the Christian worlds of east and west were very close and not much difference existed between them so it hardly matters in some instances if someone wandered in from the east, but all the essential teaching and tradition that developed the Early Church in England and brought to these islands started in Rome and was Catholic. I understand that the English who are attracted to the Truth would seek Orthodoxy because it is closer to the Truth than the falseness of protestantism and bypasses the deep discomfort with the Catholic Church that is baked into the DNA at this stage. Being Orthodox is better therefore and very close but it has problems in its theology.

Orthodoxy with its wonderful Hymnography and services is the ultimate expression of the Christian faith.

Yes there seems to be some confusion here. Jesus Christ founded his Church on St Peter and the Christian faith has been Catholic from the start. The hatred of Catholics since Henry8th creates bizarre stories as if the faith of St Patrick was not Roman Catholic! This push to re-brand early British Christianity as Orthodoxy is such an attempt based on an anti-Catholic stance. Celtic Christianity is the right word for it and it started in Ireland and the Irish converts spread the true faith to England and also back to Europe who lost it. The English Protestants keep trying to 'claim' the early saints because they can't cope with the truth. The TRUE original Christian religion of the entire British and Irish Isles is Catholic! Early saints in Ireland and in England were Catholic not Orthodox. The traditional Catholic faith is orthodox in that it adheres to the ancient true practices and core beliefs. Back then the Christian worlds of east and west were very close and not much difference existed between them so it hardly matters in some instances if someone wandered in from the east, but all the essential teaching and tradition that developed the Early Church in England and brought to these islands started in Rome and was Catholic. I understand that the English who are attracted to the Truth would seek Orthodoxy because it is closer to the Truth than the falseness of protestantism and bypasses the deep discomfort with the Catholic Church that is baked into the DNA at this stage. Being Orthodox is better therefore and very close but it has problems in its theology.

follow me, I know the way. Truly 🕊 Born again since returning home to my beloved cymru

This man brought me here 👆👏

@@TheaWeaver55 I promise! At Fr Andrew’s request, we visited Tintagel, and ended up discovering St Piran, together with his oratory and standing cross half buried in the dunes. It was all very inspiring!

@@orthodoxexchange wonderful! I look forward to watching. Thank you for replying!

@@orthodoxexchangeEMERGENCY. Jeremiah.4:22. this proves that we are the Israelites the real ones

There is also a Saxon cross in the church grave yard, it was gifted to him by Alfred the great when he was still a prince.

Thank you for this. I will add it to my destination list

The church is a site of a miracle. There was a fierce fire in the church all the pews ceilings alter, were completely destroyed in the fire. But the cross that hung above the altar in front of the beautiful stained glass. Was completely uncorrupted by the fire. I believe the cross thats there to this day is that uncorrupted cross.

Oh one more thing, on the pathway leading to the holy well of st Noet. In the wall you can see the original baptismal font for the church. Thank you for this series Father I’m sure it’s going to be of great interest to a lot of people. I will let everyone in my parish know about it. In Christ, Christopher.

Any relation to Jason Bray?

@@robertjarman4261 no

Yes please!

That would indeed be great. Have been reading through the works of St Gregory of Tours lately.

I can definitely see expanding into France eventually. Probably via Brittany, considering its connections with Wales and Cornwall. But that will come later.

@@sperestillan ‘Celtic’ = occult, which simply means ‘hidden’. There were two major migrations to Briton. 1st around three and a half thousand years ago - with Albyne, a Syrian princess (‘perfidious Albion?). 2nd around two and a half thousand years ago - under Brutus ( descendant of Aeneas of Troy who founded Rome). The Lemnos stele commemorates Brutus gathering the ‘remnant’ of Troy prior to embarkation for Britain. Brutus also brought Greek heritage given that he had married the daughter of the local king. It was his father-in-law who provided the ships and provisions. Britain was then renamed for Brutus who divided the main island into three kingdoms, named for his three sons (who may, themselves, have been named for others in previous history). Lloegr / Alban / Camber.

St Patrick was a Briton (Welsh) - He took Christianity to Ireland and the Synod of Whitby is also significant in the story… The Welsh bishops had declined their invitation to attend this. The vote of the other bishops (as to the form of worship to be practised in the rest of Britain) was tied. The decision was taken on the casting vote of the hostess, Hilda.

The Welsh Church did not recognise the outcome of Whitby and continued in their apostolic faith - ‘embraced’ by Bran who received Joseph of Arimathea when he arrived in Britain with his family ‘in the last year of Tiberius’). Though, I believe that their initial reception was in Cornwall.

@@megw7312 It is universally accepted scholarship that Saint Patrick was a roman living in what is now Wales and had the Christian faith (from a Roman uncle) and didn't practice it until he was enslaved by the pagan pirate Irish who kidnapped him. While enslaved he regained his faith. I read the direct translation of Saint Patrick's Confessions. He escaped. He returned and converted Ireland within violence because the Druids were open-minded. Early Christianity in the British Isles developed in the Celtic areas but was led by the early Irish Christians who continuously spread the Gospel to the lands in Britain and beyond. The Irish monks re-Christainised Europe in the 6th and 7th centuries after it fell apart there. All these Christians were Roman Catholic. There were divisions at synods but there was no NON Roman Catholic Christians until Henry the 8th. People are taught and told different stories to support cultural narratives and it gets passed down but Celtic Christianity originally comes from Rome because the entire Christain faith comes from Rome. Nobody regarded themselves as 'not catholic' because the terms Christian and catholic are the same thing. There was no need for the distinction. If you were Christian, you followed the faith of Rome. Of course there were variations as there are everywhere and the particular nature of Christianity in these islands took on a very unique character over the centuries. I understand that those who wanted to erase the Roman aspect of Christianity after Henry 8th viewed their history differently and passed down that legacy.

@@megw7312 I appreciate both your comments and find them very interesting!

@@marynadononeill Christianity arrived in South Wales 35-37 a.d. which was the ‘last year of Tiberius’. The Monarch (Bran the Blessed) embraced this. The remains of the first church dedicated to St Peter are still discernible. Christianity was taken to Rome (52 a.d.) by the family of Bran following the capture (betrayal) of King Caradoc who was then taken to Rome in chains and kept under house arrest for 7 years in the Palace of the Britons. Bran, together with other members of his family, eventually travelled to Rome to join Caradoc. Timothy 2 : 4 : 21. :- The first bishop of Rome was Linus, son of Caradoc. ‘Claudia’ took this name on her adoption by Claudius and marriage to Rufus Pudens. She was natural daughter of Caradoc.

In my parish, it's English and Welsh, with some Slavonic and Greek. Another parish in Wales is Welsh. Others across England, Scotland, and Wales, and in English, Greek, or Slavonic depending on where they are and the mix of people that attend.

@orthodoxexchange thank you for this detailed reply. So many YT channels never bother to reply to questions.

Well, there are Romanian, Moldavian and Serbian speaking churches near me, a Georgian speaking cathedral in London and several Ukranian churches have sprung up... and I'm sure services are being conducted in more languages but most are trying to do some English, at least

@@TheMetyx yes I am

​@@orthodoxexchange well then the Catholics have just as much claim to the above; actually more.

Can you please provide a reference?

@@orthodoxexchange Check out the work of Wilson and Blackett, and an ancient variant of Welsh called Colbren.

Ray Simpson's book on Celtic Christianity has the apostle Paul converting the Celts of Galatia around AD 40/50 and from there Christianity reached Britain via the Roman occupation soon after.

I was wondering if my birdsong overlay would get me into trouble! Sorry, but I'll be more careful in the future. 🙂

The Church prior to 1066 in England had more in common with Orthodoxy than Papism. The Normans enforced the papal Gregorian Reforms that centralized the medieval Latin church as we know it.

@Burgermeister1836 that's not true. Unless you merely mean that thi was more monastic or cloistered. For it is true that the Celtic Church thought the Abbot superior to the Bishop. St.s Cuthbert and Wildfird resolved this, agreeing on evidence of scripture that the Episcopi were indeed the Bishops. That being said, there were still ostensibly under the Latin Patriach rather than their own separate church. Where people have professed differently has been to seek greater claim for their own cause, wether orthodoxy in this video or aglicanism in the works of Stephen lawhead. Both belie the truth.

@@mickyfrazer786 Well of course they were still under the Patriarchate of Rome - but what that authority entailed was much more in line with the early Church's understanding of it as well as what was believed in the East before and after 1054.

Yes there seems to be some confusion here. Jesus Christ founded his Church on St Peter and the Christian faith has been Catholic from the start. The hatred of Catholics since Henry8th creates bizarre stories as if the faith of St Patrick was not Roman Catholic! This push to re-brand early British Christianity as Orthodoxy is such an attempt based on an anti-Catholic stance. Celtic Christianity is the right word for it and it started in Ireland and the Irish converts spread the true faith to England and also back to Europe who lost it. The English Protestants keep trying to 'claim' the early saints because they can't cope with the truth. The TRUE original Christian religion of the entire British and Irish Isles is Catholic! Early saints in Ireland and in England were Catholic not Orthodox. The traditional Catholic faith is orthodox in that it adheres to the ancient true practices and core beliefs. Back then the Christian worlds of east and west were very close and not much difference existed between them so it hardly matters in some instances if someone wandered in from the east, but all the essential teaching and tradition that developed the Early Church in England and brought to these islands started in Rome and was Catholic. I understand that the English who are attracted to the Truth would seek Orthodoxy because it is closer to the Truth than the falseness of protestantism and bypasses the deep discomfort with the Catholic Church that is baked into the DNA at this stage. Being Orthodox is better therefore and very close but it has problems in its theology.

@@Brett.Crealy-kh1sk I am an Orthodox priest, and so I dress like an Orthodox priest. It is important for the world to see that its priests and ministers still exist, and for Muslims to see that it is not only them that maintain a sense of dress that reflects their faith.