Expert: Malcolm Speechley - 2/2/2010

Question
What was the situation regarding Christianity in Roman Britain around A.D.200 - 220? Specifically in York and the north.

Answer
Hello Rhonda

Unfortunately there is very little to say on this subject other than there were probably are small number of Christians in Britain at the begining of the first century but this is all we can learn from the evidence.

This is mainly because:

a) Christians at this time were heavily persecuted, particularly by Severus who has you know held court in Britain for some of this period. Anyone who was practising christiany kept the fact very much to themselves. There were no church buildings, meeting being held in private houses. As a result there is no archeology to pass down to our own generation.

b) Christians at this time were very strong in there belief that material possesions should be shunned. There were no Golden crosses or chalices such as we associate with todays christiany, these things, in any case would have identified the possesors as christians. Again this starves our own generation of evidence.

Although some historians place the martyrdom of St Alban at this time most would place this event some time in the second half of the third century.

However, this lack of evidence is itself history insofar as it points to the fact that christiany was not predominant at this time.

Good Luck

Malcolm.