The Drama of the Lost Disciples

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''The Drama of the Lost Disciples''}}
[[File:Drama of the Lost Disciples .jpg|thumb|right|165px|The dust jacket of an earlier edition]]
{{christianity}}

{{cquote|So much rubbish has been written concerning Britain’s [[pagan]] past and [[persecution complex|so many attempts have been made to destroy our justifiable pride in the very real achievement of our race]] that we welcome unreservedly one more book devoted to the purpose of informing our people of the glorious Christian heritage that was bequeathed to us in the first four centuries.|||Rev. Ansley Rash introduces ''The Drama of the Lost Disciples''<ref name=jowett />{{rp|9}}}}

'''''The Drama of the Lost Disciples''''' is a [[Pseudohistory|pseudohistorical]] book by George F. Jowett that was first published in 1961.<ref name=jowett>George F. Jowett, ''The Drama of the Lost Disciples''. Covenant Publishing, 2011. {{isbn|0852050429}}.</ref> The book purports to trace the evidences of [[Joseph of Arimathea]], the [[apostle]]s, [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]] and even [[Jesus]] in [[Great Britain|Britain]]. The book is full of [[Counterfactual fallacy|speculation]], misquotes, and unsourced assertions, and outright [[lie]]s. The book has gone through 16 editions selling 55,000 copies.<ref>''The Drama of the Lost Disciples'', preface to the 16<sup>th</sup> edition.</ref> 

The book was published by the [[United Kingdom]]-based screed publisher Covenant Publishing.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071109061449/http://www.covpub.co.uk/index.php The Covenant Publishing Ltd.]</ref> Covenant was established in 1922 by the {{wpl|British-Israel-World Federation||,}} a [[fringe]] organization that promotes 
professional wrestling
 [[British Israelism]], the pseudohistorical belief that the peoples of the British Isles are descendants of the [[Ten Lost Tribes]] of ancient Israel.<ref>[http://www.britishisrael.co.uk/history.php The British-Israel-World Federation: Our History].</ref>

==Dubious claims==

{{cquote|Queen Victoria had in her possession in the Royal Library a genealogical chart showing the kings and queens of Britain who were descended in direct line from the Shepherd [[King David]].|||George Jowett<ref group=note>The claim that the British royals descended from the biblical King David is a common theme in British Israelism. Covenant Publishing sells a [https://web.archive.org/web/20210725194240/https://www.covpub.co.uk/search.php?advtype=id&id=24 "Chart of the Royal Line from Adam to King David and through to Queen Elizabeth II, showing the two houses of Israel"] for £4 on their [[webshite]].</ref><ref name=jowett />{{rp|237-238}}}}

In attempting to establish a link between [[Joseph of Arimathea]] and the [[British Isles]], Jowett claims that Joseph was nicknamed "Decurio" in ancient sources<ref name=jowett />{{rp|15}} which he claims means an official in charge of metal mines. While it is true Joseph is called "Decurio" (for example in the [[Latin]] [[Vulgate]], {{bible|Mark|15|43}}), there is no evidence this has any connection to metals or to mines. "Decurio" translates as "council member", and denoted a member of a municipal senate in [[ancient Rome]]. 

Based on the entirely unsubstantiated claim Joseph was an official of metal mines, Jowett then asserts that Joseph travelled to Britain and was responsible for tin mining operations in Cornwall.<ref name=jowett />{{rp|40-42}} No evidence is provided.

Jowett claims that the name "British" derives from [[Hebrew]] (''B'rith'' meaning "covenant", and ''ish'' meaning "a man").<ref name=jowett />{{rp|43}} This claim has a long history among [[British Israelism|British Israelites]], but is not taken seriously by any linguist.

Drawing entirely from the ''{{wpl|Annales Ecclesiastici}}'' (1588-1607) of Cardinal Caesar Baronius (1538-1607) which places Joseph in Gaul and Britain, Jowett states that Baronius was drawing from ancient Vatican records.<ref name=jowett />{{rp|69}} However there is no evidence for this. The first literary connection of Joseph of Arimathea with Britain is the 9<sup>th</sup>-century ''Life of Mary Magdalene'' attributed to Rabanus Maurus {{lived|c. 780|856}}.<ref>[https://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/blog/pseudo-rabanus-maurus-life-of-mary-magdalene-and-her-sister-martha/ Pseudo-Rabanus Maurus’ Life of Mary Magdalene and her sister Martha]. Magdalen College, University of Oxford.</ref> In other words, between the time of the apostles in the 1<sup>st</sup> century CE and this text, there was a gap of around 800 years of no source placing Joseph in Britain. This is why genuine scholarship on this issue regards stories of Joseph in Britain as a romantic literary invention.

Jowett cites many ancient Christian writers (such as {{wpl|Eusebius}} (260/265 – 339/340), Tertullian and Clement of Rome) which claim some of the apostles (such as Simon the Zealot) reached the shores of Britain during the early 1<sup>st</sup> century, but he then asserts that Joseph was among these apostles, when none of these sources specifically note this.<ref name=jowett />{{rp|71}} As noted, the earliest known literary connection of Joseph of Arimathea with Britain comes in the 9<sup>th</sup> century, long after the writings of the Church Fathers.

According to Jowett, Joseph of Arimathea met the British Christian king {{wpl|Arviragus}} in Avalon, which he identifies as Glastonbury Tor.<ref name=jowett />{{rp|78-85}} The only classical source which describes Arviragus is a cryptic reference in a satirical poem by {{wpl|Juvenal||,}} that makes no mention of his religion.

Bizarrely, Jowett claims ancient [[druidry]] in Britain was in fact disguised Christianity.<ref name=jowett />{{rp|88}} He therefore claims that when the Roman historian [[Suetonius]] claimed druidry was to be banned by [[Roman Empire|Romans]] this meant Christianity, implying that practising Christians were in the British Isles as early as 37 AD.

Jowett writes that [[Constantine|Constantine the Great]] was the son of Helena,<ref name=jowett />{{rp|93}} daughter of King Cole of Colchester. The source for this is a medieval legend starting with Henry of Huntingdon; while not discredited, it is extremely improbable.

''The Drama of the Lost Disciples'' is most notorious for its fabricated genealogy of {{wpl|Caratacus||,}} a first-century British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who led the British resistance to the Roman conquest.<ref group=note>Spelled as Caractacus throughout.</ref> Jowett attempts to claim that Caratacus was somehow linked to [[King Arthur|Arthurian]] figures,<ref name=jowett />{{rp|97}} despite Caratacus having lived some four centuries before Arthurian times.

Jowett claims that {{wpl|Pomponia Graecina}} was a Christian from Britain,<ref name=jowett />{{rp|100}} citing [[Tacitus]]' ''Annals'' xiii.32 in support of this assertion; however nowhere does Tacitus actually say Pomponia was British. Tacitus only states that Pomponia's husband was returning from Britain. Jowett did not originate this misreading, as the historical author {{wpl|John Lingard}} {{lived|1771|1851}} first made this reading mistake. Jowett however ignorantly repeats it throughout his book without having checked.

Jowett describes {{wpl|Claudia Rufina||,}} a woman of British descent who lived in Rome circa 90 CE, as having been the daughter of Caratacus — again a wild claim not substantiated.<ref name=jowett />{{rp|110-123)}}

According to Jowett, Mary lived a large part of her life in Britain.<ref name=jowett />{{rp|133-149}} No evidence is provided, and Jowett can only find a few scant legends.

Jowett quotes the {{wpl|The Lost Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles|''Sonnini Manuscript''}} as evidence of [[Paul of Tarsus|St. Paul]] in Britain.<ref name=jowett />{{rp|197}} This short text purports to be the 29th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, wherein Paul the Apostle journeyed to Britannia. This forgery was likely [[PIDOOMA|dreamed up]] in the nineteenth century in support of British Israelism.<ref>Edgar J. Goodspeed, [https://www.tertullian.org/articles/goodspeed_strange_new_gospels.htm ''Strange New Gospels'']. The University of Chicago Press, 1931.</ref>

==External links==
*[https://archive.org/details/DramaOfTheLostDisciples/mode/2up The Drama of the Lost Disciples] at the [[Internet Archive]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{biblebox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drama of the Lost Disciples, The}}
[[Category:Bible woo]]
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Christian fundamentalism]]
[[Category:Pseudoarchaeology]]
[[Category:Pseudolinguistics]]
[[Category:Religious books]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory]]

Categories: Bible woo, Books, Christian fundamentalism, Pseudoarchaeology, Pseudolinguistics, Religious books, Pseudohistory