November 26th … a 20 mile long reef of chalk has been found by divers offshore of Sheringham in Norfolk. It consist of arches and caves within a ridge of chalk that extends out to sea by at least 20 miles in length. Its width has not been measured. The question now might be – did it once form a barrier to the sea? … or was it a former ridge or range of hills that has been overwhelmed by rising sea levels?
ditto … a clean-up of the walls of the Tower of London's 'White Tower', a murky grey due to pollution, has revealed a stone with an undecyphered Roman inscription. It may simply be a mock text from the Middle Ages but on the other hand it might be genuine, an odd stone that was incorporated into the wall as it was the right size and colouration.
ditto … Dr Harry Freedman, a former director of the Assembly of Masorti Synagogues and a specialist in Aramaic, has written a book, The Gospels Veiled Agenda – which claims to have unveilled a mystery. He thinks the true mission of Jesus was to replace corrupt officers in the Temle at Jerusalem by installing a new priesthood. Jewish scholars are becoming more interested in the figure of Jesus in recent years – and the question of the origin of Christianity. Jesus was in fact a Jew and operated within a Jewish millieu. For example, the Gospel of Matthew is similar in style to the Midrash. It has many parallels.