Broad Chalke Church

[1] ... but of the Jews none washed his hands, neither Herod nor one of his judges. And since they did not desire to wash, Pilate stood up.
[2] And then Herod the king orders the Lord to be taken away, having said to them, "What I ordered you to do, do."
[3] But Joseph, the friend of Pilate and of the Lord, had been standing there; and knowing they were about to crucify him, he came before Pilate and requested the body of the Lord for burial.
[4] And Pilate, having sent to Herod, requested his body.
[5] And Herod said: "Brother Pilate, even if no one had requested him, we would have buried him, since indeed Sabbath is dawning. For in the Law it has been written: The sun is not to set on one put to death." And he gave him over to the people before the first day of their feast of the Unleavened Bread.
[6] But having taken the Lord, running, they were pushing him and saying, "Let us drag along the Son of God now that we have power over him."
[7] And they clothed him with purple and sat him on a chair of judgment, saying: "Judge justly, King of Israel."
[8] And a certain one of them, having brought a thorny crown, put it on the head of the Lord.
[9] And others who were standing there were spitting in his face, and others slapped his cheeks. Others were jabbing him with a reed; and some scourged him, saying, "With such honor let us honor the Son of God."
[10] And they brought two wrongdoers and crucified the Lord in the middle of them. But he was silent as having no pain.
[11] And when they had set the cross upright, they inscribed that THIS IS THE KING OF ISRAEL.
[12] And having put his garments before him, they divided them up and threw as a gamble for them.
[13] But a certain one of those wrongdoers reviled them, saying: "We have been made suffer thus because of the wrong that we have done; but this one, having become Savior of men, what injustice had he done to you?"
[14] And having become irritated at him, they ordered that there be no leg-breaking, so that he might die tormented.
[15] But is was midday, and darkness held fast all Judea; and they were distressed and anxious lest the sun had set, since he was still living. [For] it is written for them: Let not the sun set on one put to death.
[16] And someone of them said: "Give him to drink gall with vinegary wine." And having made a mixture, they gave to drink.
[17] And they fulfilled all things and completed the sins on their own head.
[18] But many went around with lamps, thinking that it was night, and they fell.
[19] And the Lord screamed out, saying: "My power, O power, you have forsaken me." And having said this, he was taken up.
[20] And at the same hour the veil of the Jerusalem sanctuary was torn into two.
[21] And they drew out the nails from the hands of the Lord and placed him on the earth; and all the earth was shaken, and a great fear came about.
[22] Then the sun shone, and it was found to be the ninth hour.
[23] And the Jews rejoiced and gave his body to Joseph that he might bury it, since he was one who had seen the many good things he did.
[24] And having taken the Lord, he washed and tied him with a linen cloth and brought him into his own sepulcher, called the Garden of Joseph.
[25] Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, having come to know how much wrong they had done themselves, began to beat themselves and say: "Woe to our sins. The judgment has approached and the end of Jerusalem."
[26] But I with the companions was sorrowful; and having been wounded in spirit, we were in hiding, for we were sought after by them as wrongdoers and as wishing to set fire to the sanctuary.
[27] In addition to all these things we were fasting; and we were sitting mourning and weeping night and day until the Sabbath.
[28] But the scribes and Pharisees and elders, having gathered together with one another, having heard that all the people were murmuring and beating their breasts, saying that "If at his death these very great signs happened, behold how just he was,"
[29] feared (especially the elders) and came before Pilate, begging him and saying,
[30] "Give over soldiers to us in order that we may safeguard his burial place for three days, lest, having come, his disciples steal him, and the people accept that he is risen from the death, and they do us wrong."
[31] But Pilate gave over to them Petronius the centurion with soldiers to safeguard the sepulcher. And with these the elders and scribes came to the burial place.
[32] And having rolled a large stone, all who were there, together with the centurion and the soldiers, placed it against the door of the burial place.
[33] And they marked it with seven wax seals; and having pitched a tent there, they safeguarded it.
[34] But early when the Sabbath was dawning, a crowd came from Jerusalem and the surrounding area in order that they might see the sealed tomb.
[35] But in the night in which the Lord's day dawned, when the soldiers were safeguarding it two by two in every watch, there was a loud voice in heaven;
[36] and they saw that the heavens were opened and that two males who had much radiance had come down from there and come near the sepulcher.
[37] But that stone which had been thrust against the door, having rolled by itself, went a distance off the side; and the sepulcher opened, and both the young men entered.
[38] And so those soldiers, having seen, awakened the centurion and the elders (for they too were present, safeguarding).
[39] And while they were relating what they had seen, again they see three males who have come out from the sepulcher, with the two supporting the other one, and a cross following them,
[40] and the head of the two reaching unto heaven, but that of the one being led out by a hand by them going beyond the heavens.
[41] And they were hearing a voice from the heavens saying, 'Have you made proclamation to the fallen-asleep?'
[42] And an obeisance was heard from the cross, 'Yes.'
[43]And so those people were seeking a common perspective to go off and make these things clear to Pilate;
[44] and while they were still considering it through, there appear again the opened heavens and a certain man having come down and entered into the burial place.
[45] Having seen these things, those around the centurion hastened at night before Pilate (having left the sepulcher which they were safeguarding) and described all the things that they indeed had seen, agonizing greatly and saying: 'Truly he was God's Son.'
[46] In answer Pilate said: 'I am clean of the blood of the Son of God, but it was to you that this seemed [the thing to do].'
[47] Then all, having come forward, were begging and exhorting him to command the centurion and the soldiers to say to no one what they had seen.
[48] 'For,' they said, 'it is better for us to owe the debt of the greatest sin in the sight of God than to fall into the hands of the Jewish people and be stoned.'
[49] And so Pilate ordered the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing.
[50] Now at the dawn of the Lord's Day Mary Magdalene, a female disciple of the Lord (who, afraid because of the Jews since they were inflamed with anger, had not done at the tomb of the Lord what women were accustomed to do for the dead beloved by them),
[51] having taken with her women friends, came to the tomb where he had been placed.
[52] And they were afraid lest the Jews should see them and were saying, 'If indeed on that day on which he was crucified we could not weep and beat ourselves, yet now at his tomb we may do these things.
[53] But who will roll away for us even the stone placed against the door of the tomb in order that, having entered, we may sit beside him and do the expected things?
[54] For the stone was large, and we were afraid lest anyone see us. And if we are unable, let is throw against the door what we bring in memory of him; let us weep and beat ourselves until we come to our homes.'
[55] And having gone off, they found the sepulcher opened. And having come forward, they bent down there and saw there a certain young man seated in the middle of the sepulcher, comely and clothed with a splendid robe, who said to them:
[56] 'Why have you come? Whom do you seek? Not that one who was crucified? He is risen and gone away. But if you do not believe, bend down and see the place where he lay, because he is not here. For he is risen and gone away to there whence he was sent.'
[57] Then the women fled frightened.
[58] Now it was the final day of the Unleavened Bread; and many went out returning to their home since the feast was over.
[59] But we twelve [perhaps Judas hadn't yet committed suicide or does it mean eleven plus Mary Magdalene?] disciples of the Lord were weeping and sorrowful; and each one, sorrowful because of what had come to pass, departed to his home.
[60] But I, Simon Peter, and my brother Andrew, having taken our nets, went off to the sea. And there was with us Levi of Alphaeus whom the Lord ...
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The above text is part of the Gospel of Peter c. AD 150 which states that Jesus was alive when taken from the tomb in about AD 30-33. He did not have nails in his feet and was therefore able to walk out of the tomb, aided by two men. "head of the two reaching unto heaven" means tall and Jesus "going beyond the heavens" means taller than the two men. He recovered to meet Mary Magdalene and his disciples several times including "Doubting Thomas" and then disappeared. (The Ascension in the four main gospels is either not described or a bit vague and Peter's account is missing). Another translation is shown below.

The Gospel of Peter was excluded in Bishop Athanasius' list in AD 367 and Pope Damasus I, the Bishop of Rome in AD 382, promulgated a list of books which contained a New Testament canon identical to that of Athanasius. The gospel is included in the Ethiopian Christian Bible together with many others excluded by the Pope.

There is a plausible sequence of events that supports the Gospel of Peter and satisfies sceptics of the four main New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This is based on historical accounts of Roman law and practice and the diaries of the first-century Romano-Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus AD 37 - c. 100 who was born in Jerusalem and whose writings seem to be written earlier than the four main gospels and may therefore be more accurate. He mentions John the Baptist and Jesus although authenticity of parts of his references are debated.

Joseph of Arimathea is reported as a relative of Mary the mother of Jesus and to have taken responsibility for Jesus' body. He was a rich man with his own tomb available and he would have been well known to Pilate. He may have suggested to Pilate that Jesus wasn't a criminal but just a loud-mouthed preacher and if Pilate would take Jesus down from the cross before he was dead, Joseph would see that Jesus went into exile which would satisfy the Romans and the Jewish high priests. Other factors about the crucifixion are unusual. The crowd was kept well away from the cross and only friends and relatives were near. Jesus did not have nails through his feet according to Peter's gospel and Jesus was only on the cross for a shorter time than usual and removed before the two criminals. The centurion's stab in the side may have just been a surface wound and not a fatal stab. It seems that Pilate ordered his soldiers to do as little as possible to satisfy Herod and the high priests but to remove Jesus from the cross as soon as he was unconscious which was determined by a prick in his side. The men who removed Jesus from the tomb were probably servants of Joseph and Jesus was hidden while recovering.

There were many different ways that Romans crucified men: 2, 3 or 4 nails, one nail through both feet from the front, one nail through each foot from the front, one nail through both heel bones from the side, one nail through each heel bone from each side of the cross, nails through each palm from the front, one nail through the back of each hand after folding the arms over the back of the crossbar, cords to support the man in various ways, a block under the feet and many other ways.
Men nailed through the front of their palms would fall forward and put pressure on the lungs causing them to suffocate quickly while folding arms over the back of the crossbar and nailing the back of the hands would delay death. Archaeologists have found a hand bone that shows nail entry from the back and also a heel bone showing one nail through the side. Breaking legs would also speed death as a man would be unable to support his body and not breaking legs would prolong agony which was what Romans wanted. If Jesus had no nails through his feet and was taken down early, the soldiers must have known which method would keep him alive for a fairly long time but not so long as to kill him. John's gospel says that he showed his disciples his hands and side but no mention is made of his feet. The Turin Shroud shows a man with foot injuries so it probably isn't Jesus.

Pilate is reported to have had an estate in southern France where there was a small Jewish colony to which Jesus would go with Pilate's permission and authorisation. Joseph would have provided the travel finance.

Many churches in southern France like Rennes-le-Chateau are dedicated to Mary Magdalene and stories state that she died there, so perhaps she left Jerusalem with Jesus either dead or alive. If she or they left shortly after Jesus had recovered and shown his wounds to Mary Magdalene and his disciples, they would have avoided the Jewish insurrection in AD 67 which caused the Romans to destroy Jerusalem and steal treasures. Other stories tell of Joseph of Arimathea also going to France and on to southern Britain where he planted a thorn bush at Glastonbury (I've used modern place names).

Shortly after Jesus disappeared there was no Christian religion as the disciples had all gone back to their previous lifestyles, but Paul (Saul of Tarsus), a Jewish Roman citizen who did not know Jesus and was not one of the twelve disciples, was converted on the road to Damascus and started the Christian religion after about AD 34-37. It seems that Paul was blinded by a light and did not actually see Jesus, he just heard a voice.

Christians in the western world believe that Jesus ascended bodily to heaven and the gospel of Peter doesn't contradict that as Jesus' death isn't mentioned, but it makes it more likely that he died a normal death either in Jerusalem or in exile and only his spirit ascended to heaven.

[The above comments may not be the view of the Chalke Valley Benefice.]

Church Websites and Bulletin

NAME	TITLE	TELEPHONE	ADDRESS
Chalke Valley Churches	Administrator	07890 262376	Chalke Valley Churches Broad Chalke page with online calendar.
Church Times Archive			Church Times Archive 1863 to today

CHALKE TALK

You can read about local Church news, events, coffee mornings, sales and auctions, etc. on Chalke Talk on Chalke Talk which is also available in the Church or Chalke Valley Stores Coffee Shop.

Chalke Valley Bulletin

This is the Chalke Valley Bulletin for 17th April 2021 (PDF document, may take a little time to download).

This is the Chalke/Cueibet Partnership Newsletter 8 (PDF document, may take a little time to download).

This is the Fellowship Study Group (PDF document, may take a little time to download).

Some of the content on this page has been reproduced with the kind permission of the CHALKE TALK management.

Local Events

See also events in the Chapel.

DATE	PLACE	TELEPHONE	EVENT
Every Tuesday	Village Hall & Old School	01722 780789 01722 781200	Parenting Course; five to fifteen year olds; 10.15am; contact Caroline Lamb or Jayne Jennings
Every Tuesday	Wake House, Ebbesbourne Wake	01722 780285 01722 780008	Fellowship Study Group; Jane's Group meets weekly on Tuesdays, 10.00am until noon; contact Jane Pelly or Jackie Lowe
Tuesday evenings	All Saints' Church		Team Prayers; 5.00pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays	URC Chapel		Benefice Resource Centre; Library of Faith inspiring books and Traidcraft goods for sale; Tuesdays 10.00am to 12 noon and Thursdays 12.30pm to 4.00pm
Every 2nd Wednesday	Lodge Farmhouse	01725 519242 01722 780028	Meditation usually 3.30pm; contact Janet Roe or Anna Watson
Check if event has been cancelled or postponed.
Improvements	All Saints' Church		Parish Questionnaire: Friends of All Saints' Church have discussed improvements for the Church. Contact Chris Littlemore on chris @ cplarchitecture.com (no spaces) or by hand to Meadow House, High Lane. See the 2008 proposals below which are now largely out of date.
Phased work 2008 plans	All Saints' Church		Broad Chalke Church Development Project 2008, now subject to review Phase 1 - An improved lighting system, now complete Phase 2 - Improvements to the hearing loop system, upgrading the sound system and the integration of an audio-visual system, all now in hand including finance Phase 3 - New heating system; fundraising will be required Project details displayed in the porch in 2008 now seem to be a long-term plan, only partly implemented in the three phases described above. The plans included replacing central pews with seats; a new square centre altar; new vestry; additional storage; other relocations; improved lighting and heating using ground heat reclamation; inner glass doors to South Porch and an extension with kitchen and toilet through the North door. These were the three 2008 proposals: Church Upgrade 2008 (Potential Changes); Church Upgrade 2008 (Flexibility 1) and Church Upgrade 2008 (Flexibility 2);
ongoing	St Martin's Fifield Bavant	01722 417900	Fifield Bavant Church Restoration Appeal; contact William Hillary,

The Ministry Team

NAME	TITLE	TELEPHONE	ADDRESS
All Saints' Church			South Street, Broad Chalke, Salisbury, SP5 (Car park in The Causeway)
Rev'd Catherine Blundell (from 7th July 2015)	Team Rector		The Rectory, Newtown, Broad Chalke, Salisbury, SP5 5DS
Rev'd Jenny Taylor	Team Vicar		27 Viking Way, Salisbury, SP2 8TA
Rev'd Dr Anna-Claar Thomasson-Rosingh	Team Vicar		The Vicarage, Nunton, Salisbury, SP5 4HP
Rev'd Roger Leake	Curate
Mr David Blundell	Licensed Lay Minister		The Rectory, Newtown, Broad Chalke, Salisbury, SP5 5DS
Rev'ds Ana & Tod Gobledale	URC Ministers		URC Website & contact form
Rev'd Jackie Lowe	Assisting URC Minister		Church Bottom, Broad Chalke
Emily Broomhead	Benefice Office Team Administrator	07890 262376 or	URC Chapel, High Road, Broad Chalke, Salisbury, SP5 5EH
Chalke Talk	Chalke Talk News Editor
Chris Littlemore	Churchwarden
Rev'd Canon David Henley (retired February 2014; died 10/12/2018)	Team Rector		Hatch Beauchamp, Taunton TA3 6SD
Rev'd Roger Redding (retired 8th July 2012)	Team Vicar		Tintinhull, BA22 8PQ
Rev'd Alison Williams (retired 30th November 2012)	Team Vicar		Nunton, Salisbury, SP5 4HP
Rev'd Julian Thomas (retired 2013)	URC Minister		United Reformed Church
Rev'd Tom Grant (retired)	URC Minister		URC Website & contact form
Rev'd Rick Williams (moved 30th April 2017)	Team Vicar		Charfield, one of the team villages, just off the M5 north of Bristol, close to Chipping Sodbury and Wotton-under-Edge.

Assisting Ministers

NAME	TITLE	TELEPHONE	ADDRESS
Canon Ann Philp	Assisting Minister
Rev'd Jonathan Plows	Assisting Minister
Kate Rosslyn Smith	Assisting Minister
Mrs Sylvia Parrett	Licensed Lay Minister		Pear Tree Cottage, Upper Woodford, Salisbury, SP4 6PA
Canon Anthony Hawley	Assisting Minister
Canon Jane Charman	Assisting Minister
Rev'd Iori Price	Assisting Minister
Rev'd Terry Sankey (TS)	Assisting Minister		7 Charnwood Road, Salisbury, SP2 7HT
Rev'd Michael Turner	Assisting Minister
Rev'd Sally Wells	Assisting Minister
Rev'd Nigel Cumming	Assisting Minister		Pasture House, Whitsbury, Fordingbridge, SP6 3QB
Rev'd Charles Hatton (CH)	Assisting Minister		4 Longhill Drive, Salisbury, SP2 8TD
Deaconess Annabel Tier (AT)	Deaconess		7 Shaftesbury Road, Barford St. Martin, Salisbury, SP3 4BL
Rev'd Westley Cole (WC)	Retired Clergy		Cranborne Farm, Coombe Bissett, Salisbury, SP5 5LF
Rev'd Rob Eardley	Retired Clergy		Bridge Cottage, Martin, Fordingbridge

Lay Worship Leaders

NAME	TITLE	TELEPHONE	ADDRESS
Michael Chandler	Lay Worship Leader
Caroline Lamb	Lay Worship Leader		Knighton Manor, Broad Chalke, Salisbury, SP5 5EB
Sally Leaver	Lay Worship Leader
Donald Morgan	Lay Worship Leader
Adrian Taylor	Lay Worship Leader		Florida, Nunton Drove, Nunton, Salisbury, SP5 4HZ
Biddy Trahair	Lay Worship Leader		Yew Tree House, Lower Road, Charlton All Saints, Salisbury, SP5 5HQ
Denis Blake	Lay Worship Leader		Yew Tree House, Lower Road, Charlton All Saints, Salisbury, SP5 5HQ