Before His Ascension, Jesus commanded His disciples to go to every nation and to preach the good news to all people (Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15). The disciples scattered and took the news of Jesus' death and resurrection throughout the Roman Empire. Eusebius (Bishop of Alexandria, noted historian and theologian who wrote the first comprehensive history of the early church and was present at Council of Nicea) says the apostles traveled to all points of the compass spreading the Good News. Within a short time churches were established in North Africa, Asia Minor and the European continent as reported in Acts. Historians and the Early Church Fathers tell us that the faith was brought to the Brittanic Isles too by Joseph of Arimathea.

Joseph of Arimathaea was a tin merchant and we’re told in Mat 27:57 that he was wealthy and in John 19:38 a secret follower of Jesus. The Talmud tells us he was Mary’s father’s youngest brother or Mary’s uncle. Even though Joseph of Arimathea had attempted to keep his love for Jesus a secret, he boldly went to Pilot and asked for the body of Jesus to be placed in his trust. Joseph's actions provoked both the Roman and Jewish elders and he eventually did spend time in prison for his support of Jesus. Malmsbury writes that after he had gotten out of prison and still fearing persecution he joined a team of missionaries led by the apostle Philip who set out toward Gaul where they landed near present day Marseilles, a Phoenician trading post. One night while Joseph lay asleep in his hut, he was wakened by radiant light. Joseph was told he should depart immediately the next day for Britain and bring the Good News to King Arvigarus, whom Joseph knew from his previous tin trading trips. With the eleven associates he sailed along the north shore of Cornwall and Devon and landed on the Somerset coast. At Glastonbury Joseph established the first missionary base in the British Isles.

Malmsbury writes: “In those days Avalon was called the Island of Apples, and also known to the people of the land as Ynis-witren, the Isle of Glassy Waters. He said it was Christmas Eve that Joseph and his companions reached the Isle of Avalon. With them they carried the Holy Grail hidden beneath its cloth of snow-white samite. Heavily they toiled up the steep ascent of the hill called Weary-All. And when they reached the top Joseph thrust his thorn-staff into the ground”. Joseph met with the pagan king and in time the king became a very fervent Christian. Years later his family would play a prominent role in bringing Christianity to Rome.

That Joseph of Arimathaea was the first to preach the Gospel in Britain is also confirmed by many other writers. St. Gregory of Tours in his History of the Franks, and Haleca, Archbishop of Saragossa in his Fragments. The famous Vatican Librarian, Cardinal Baronius, discovered an ancient MS in the Vatican library telling of Joseph of Arimathaea and the mission trip to Marseilles in 36 A. D. The Vatican recently released the contents of this document to the public to counter Dan Brown’s allegations that Mary Magdeline bore Christ’s child. This document lists all members of that mission trip, of which Mary was a member along with Lazarus and nine others.

Sir Henry Spelman wrote of Joseph’s mission as did Publius Disciplius who wrote: “The church of Avalon in Britain had no other hands than those of the disciples of the Lord themselves built”.

Theodore Martin (Lovar), in A.D. 1517 states; “It is not too much to say that the site of St. Mary’s church in the abbey grounds at Glastonbury is the site of the first known above-ground church in the world”. Archbishop Ussher writes: “The British National Church was founded A.D. 36, 160 years before heathen Rome confessed Christianity. Cressy, the Benedictine Monk and historian, tells us that St Joseph of Arimathea died at Glastonbury on July 27th, A.D. 82, and on his tombstone was written, in Latin, "After I had buried the Christ, I came to the Isles of the West; I taught; I entered into my rest."

After Joseph of Arimathaea, the next well known missionary to Britain was Simon Zelotes, one of the twelve apostles. Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre (A.D. 303) informs us that Simon Zelotes preached Christ all along the North Coast of Africa and then crossed to Britain. (Synopsis de Apostol 9, Simon Zelotes) Next came Aristobulus. The historian Alford (Regia Fides, Vol 1, p.&3) states, “It is perfectly certain that before St. Paul had come to Rome, Aristobulus was absent in Britain”.

Haleca, Bishop of Augusta also informs us as follows: “The memory of many martyrs is celebrated by the Britons, especially that of St. Aristobulus, one of the seventy disciples”. “Aristobulus, Cyndav and his son, Mawan, men of Israel, came from Rome with Bran the Blessed to teach the faith of Christ to the race of the Cymry. (lola MSS.) Again, Dorotheus of the fourth century says, ‘Aristobulus, who is mentioned by the Apostle in his epistle to the Romans, Romans 16:10 was made Bishop in Britain’.”