Aristobulus of Britannia – Aristobulus of Britannia is a Christian saint named by Hippolytus of Rome (170–235) and Dorotheus of Gaza (505–565) as one of the Seventy Disciples mentioned in Luke 10:1–24 and as the first bishop in Roman Britain.

Traditions
Pseudo-Hippolytus lists “Aristobulus, bishop of Britain” among the seventy disciples.[2]

Aristobulus may be mentioned in the New Testament in the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:10: “…Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household”) although this may mean members of the household of the late Aristobulus IV.[4] According to Lionel Smithett Lewis, the writings of St Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre AD 303, assert that he is the one saluted by Paul in the Epistle to the Romans.[5] : 118–121 

Orthodox tradition
Orthodox tradition says Aristobulus was the brother of the Apostle Barnabas, of Jewish Cypriot origin. Like Barnabas, he accompanied Saint Paul on his journeys.[6] He was one of the assistants of Saint Andrew,[7] along with Urban of Macedonia, Stachys, Ampliatus, Apelles of Heraklion and Narcissus of Athens (all of these names are mentioned together by St. Paul in Romans 16:8–11, which cannot be casual). On his missionary journey to Britain, he stopped to preach to the Celtiberians of northern Hispania.[7] Catholic tradition identifies Aristobulus with Zebedee, father of James and John.[8]

Aristobulus preached and died in Roman Britain.[6] While some orthodox traditions say he “died in peace”,[9] others say he was martyred in Wales.[7] Catholic tradition says he was martyred.[8] The Benedictine monk Serenus de Cressy (1605–1674) maintained that Aristobulus was ordained by St. Paul and died at Glastonbury Abbey in 99; but Michael Alford (author of Fides Regia Britannica Sive Annales Ecclesiae Britannicae) says that Aristobulus was the husband of “Mary” Salome, which makes this date appear too late.[5] Alford gives his death as “the second year of Nero” – 56.[10] Alford also asserts that “It is perfectly certain that, before St Paul had come to Rome, Aristobulus was away in Britain”.[11][12] This is in accord with the date given by Gildas (c. 500–570 AD) that the “Light of Christ” shone in Britain in the last year of Emperor Tiberius.[13] However, George Smith points out that this a misinterpretation of Gildas, and asserts that the Gospel was not preached in Britain before the reign of Claudius,[14] whose full name was Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.

British tradition
From these traditions, it seems that Aristobulus was the founder of British Christianity. There is no evidence for any connection with Glastonbury and John Scott shows in An Early History of Glastonbury that the legend purporting that Joseph of Arimathea founded the Abbey there is of 12th or 13th-century origin and has no basis in fact. Rather, the early writings frequently centre on Aristobulus.[5] There is no mention of Joseph prior to the Conquest. For this and other reasons, Smith also considers the account of Joseph of Arimathea a “superstitious fable of comparatively modern invention”.[15]

John Williams identifies Aristobulus with Arwystli Hen, a “man of Italy”, and one of four missionaries believed to have brought Christianity to the British Isles.[16] There is a tradition linking him to one of the medieval Welsh saints Arwstyl ap Cunedda.[17] The title “Arwystli Hen”[5]: 119  may have originated through a later British tradition.

Aristobulus of Britannia – Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristobulus_of_Britannia