Roman mosaic tiles discovered under Chichester may be nearly 2,000 years old. At a time when most Britons were uncivilised by any modern standard, the Romans had mosaic floors, central heating, half-decent sanitation, and an Empire that stretched from the Mediterranean Basin to the northern fringes of the known world.
The earliest evidence shows Christianity reached the U.K. by 180 A.D. and remained after the Romans left in 407 A.D.
By c450 another invasion, this time of Saxon pagans, swept away much of the Roman legacy, and the Christian Church retreated into the south-west of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. These Celts kept the torch alight and the Celtic Church had a significant impact on history.
By then, many of the Roman villas and buildings were destroyed or overtaken by the ravages of Time. The mosaic in the photo was unearthed quite recently (1960-1970) from the buried bathhouse underneath Chichester.
It struck me that the letter of Paul to the Church in Rome was written at roughly the same time as the bathhouse was tiled. The mighty Roman Empire was outlasted by the Kingdom of Christ- the death and Resurrection of Jesus began a surge of faith that has spread all over the globe.
Just think- when “Linus the Plebian” was setting tiles in a bath in Sussex, Paul was scribing the introductory words in Romans 1 (v16-17).
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed- a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
No doubt the Tiler was proud of his work- which has survived through to today- just as Paul was satisfied that his life and work would lay a foundation for the unknown future.
Little pieces of history… Both mosaic and Christianity have had to weather many storms. Both survive. Wise people are willing to examine the past, and learn from it. Yesterday I stood on ground that had known the imprint of Roman sandals. Today I stand on a foundation that knew the footprints of Jesus, the One who changed history forever.
The Reflectionary 