The Missing Years of Jesus - by Dennis Price - Book Review

The Missing Years of Jesus - The Greatest Story Never Told

The premise of this book by Dennis Price is that the character referred to in the New Testament of the Bible, as Jesus Christ, effectively goes missing between the ages of 12 and 30, as there are no accounts of his life during those years, and that this disappearance can be explained by the idea that during those missing years, he travelled to Britain with his uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, a man thought to have made part of his fortune by shipping tin back from mines in Cornwall, which was later used in the manufacture of bronze. It is further suggested that Jesus may even have drawn on lessons learned and knowledge gleaned during his putative sojourn in England from spiritual sources there.

As the author notes, for someone who is considered one of the most notable people ever thought to have existed, it seems strange indeed that there is no official record of the middle 18 years of his life, and accordingly an investigation is launched to ascertain whether numerous rumours, myths and legends suggesting JC visited England, have anything of substance to them.

This eminently readable and engrossing book is divided into three main parts, the first of which looks at accounts from the New Testament which might throw a light on the whereabouts of a man whose mid- life goes largely unrecorded, both in the canonical texts, and sundry other gospels that were excluded from the Bible, more of which I'll write later.

The second part takes us from the Eastern Mediterranean homelands of Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea to the physical landscape that comprised the western reaches of historic England and Wales, including natural features and archaeological sites that can still to this day be seen and visited, and which furthermore retain legends attesting to the presence and deeds of both individuals.

The final part of the book concerns itself with individuals and institutions throughout the last 2,000 years whose existence, words and actions the author feels should also be taken into consideration when attempting to discern the veracity of his own theories. To achieve these ends, Dennis Price casts the net far and wide, and in the process hauls in a very impressive selection of curiosities, anecdotes and enigmas, meaning that even if some readers aren't wholly convinced of the basic premise of the book, they will nevertheless find many fascinating insights into the distant history and mythology of Britain, as well as some rather surprising observations on various figures from our more recent past, including Sir Arthur C. Clarke and archaeologist R.J.C. Atkinson, who for many years seemed to hold exclusive excavation rights at Stonehenge. As we will see later, and this will come as little surprise to regular readers of the author's website, Eternal Idol, the site of Stonehenge is writ large across the pages of this book, whilst other sites such as Silbury Hill, Priddy and the Mendip Hills also feature prominently throughout.

The opening chapters set the scene by looking into the words of a poem that became a hymn that should by rights be the national anthem of England, namely 'Jerusalem', by William Blake, the first verse of which runs thus...

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills?

As we see from this snippet at Wikipedia, one interpretation of what those mysterious 'Satanic mills' might be, holds that...

An alternative theory is that Blake refers to Stonehenge; an illustration of it and other megaliths is featured in his work, Milton. However, he did not see ancient Britain as satanic, but rather saw the Druids and their supposed temple, Stonehenge, as precursors of Christianity.

We are introduced to the idea that Jesus had been away from the area of his childhood by various narratives describing other places around the eastern Mediterranean supposedly visited by him, as well as other accounts of how people found it hard to recognise him, as if they had not seen him for many years, during which time it is assumed his physical appearance had changed dramatically, as might be expected from one who had become a fully grown adult since his last known presence as a 12 year-old child on the cusp of adolescence.

Reference is made to the way in which Jesus is described in the New Testament as frequenting high and remote locations, such as the transfiguration event when having climbed a mountain with several disciples, whereupon Jesus was illuminated by a bright light, and the ghosts of the prophets Moses and Elijah appeared. During an episode describing how Jesus was tempted by the Devil, the action once again takes place in an elevated and distant location, whilst many more incidents are also recorded, all of which behaviour the author later suggests is a continuation of the way in which Jesus favoured the upland areas of western England and Wales.

There is an investigation of the Mendip Hills, under which lies a veritable underworld of openings and chasms, largely unexamined by archaeologists, but which have nevertheless yielded occasional artefacts suggesting ritual use of the subterranean realms dating back at least 4,000 years.

We are also pointed toward numerous references to Jesus having become an experienced mariner in the intervening years between childhood and adulthood, a set of skills he might have acquired during long ocean-going journeys to and from England, by way of the Mediterranean and thence northward to the shores of south-western England.

For example, there is the description of Jesus and his disciples being caught in a storm whilst on a boat; Jesus is reported as having fallen asleep, causing his worried disciples to awaken him, whereupon we are told that he rebuked the wind and the storm subsided. It is suggested that Jesus was able to sleep through a severe storm at sea as this is a situation he would have encountered many times before, testament to the idea that he was indeed a seasoned mariner.

Key to the putative seafaring adventures of Jesus was his uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, with whom Jesus is posited to have set sail for England, and who is also described a secret or hidden disciple; after the crucifixion, it was he who apparently demanded the dead body, and who moreover is credited with having hewn the tomb from rock himself, a skill again suggested to have been reflected in his time spent in the depths of Cornish tin mines. His importance in the story of Jesus is underscored by the accounts of him demanding the body of Jesus after the Crucifixion, and his presence at the lamentation thereafter.

Further on into the book, reference is made to the Harrowing of Hell, when Jesus is said to have descended into Hell to rescue various souls trapped therein, and although most accounts state that that this event took place after the Crucifixion, it is suggested there may be some echo of this story in the swallets at Priddy. There are many versions of this story in canonical and non-canonical literature, including a few versions from English Mystery plays.

These are deep hollows in the ground, which it would appear, were the subject of ritual activity at least 4,000 years ago, and were likely associated with the mythical realm of the Underworld. Scant though excavations of these places has been, enough archaeological evidence in the guise of artefacts believed to have been associated with funereal ritual has been recovered to suggest that these subterranean realms had attracted humans for many thousands of years. A vast amount still remains unexplored, (this linked book, The Netherworld of Mendip, published in 1907 paints a very vivid picture of a world that lay beneath the feet of our earliest ancestors, still exists today, and will continue to do so long after this civilisation has ended. Very slow download, but well worth the wait)

A quick note on Renaissance Art - although there is passing reference to this in the book, there are no illustrations included, so for the sake of this review, I decided to illustrate some of the the points referred to in the book with a selection of images (see link at end) created in the mid 15th century, by Fra Angelico at al.

Fra Angelico was a mendicant (as opposed to an observant) within the Dominican Order, and is famous for having created and designed most of the work now on display at the Museo di San Marco, which included frescoes on the outer walls, as well as many that were painted in the monk's cells, there to be meditated upon at the end of each day by the monks who dwelt within.

The picture at top by the Fran Angelico stable of artists, depicts Christ at the Gates of Hell, on his way to rescue Adam, and this picture amongst others, depicts him carrying a flag, adorned with the Cross of St. George, which then, as now was the official flag of England. At the time the fresco was painted, this flag had long been associated with English crusader knights who had fought in the Holy Land for many years before their eventual defeat. I haven't been able to find anything that states why this choice of emblem was used in this work from the mid 15th century, or even why Jesus was carrying a flag at all, as it surely wouldn't have had as much practical use in that situation as for example a flaming sword or other weapon of choice with which to fend off the depicted demons.

Had I not read this book, I doubt that I would ever have made any connection between the flag-bearing JC and any idea that this signified a possible link to England, and indeed, it's quite possible that no such connection was implied by the artist. Moreover, Fra Angelico and his collaborators would have been aware of exactly what the Cross of St. George meant back in the day - the ill fated Crusades to the Holy Land had seen widespread use of this emblem by English and French knights, before it was adopted by England as its official flag.

Flicking around online, there are other paintings depicting the same scene which also feature JC flying the same flag, notably by Giotto, and other artists of the time.

Prominent to the Nativity scene is the depiction of oxen, which we normally understand to have been used to reinforce the idea that Jesus was born in a stable or dilapidated agricultural structure of some sort. I can't help but wonder if instead, the oxen were key, and signify the roots of Christianity being somehow entangled with what we know was a very ancient and persistent Cattle Cult, which had been in existence for many thousands of years, through the Bronze Age at Stonehenge, and possibly dating all the way back to Çatalhöyük, some 7, 500 years before the presumed birth of Jesus. In any event, mention is made of the voluminous collection of cattle bones recovered during past excavations at Stonehenge, which led John North to remark upon the tenacity of such a cult spanning many years, and presumably a wide area of the prehistoric world.

Another interesting aspect of these two images is the way in which the stable is depicted in front of a large rock or mountain, whilst in the second image, we can clearly see what appears to be a cave or tunnel extending back into the rock - thus we see a possible interpretation of this religion as having originated in caves or subterranean spaces, incorporating cattle or oxen along the way, with the birth of Jesus being hailed as some sort of renaissance, a new beginning for a new era, and one that was infused with light rather than shrouded in darkness.

Although we think of the discovery of Palaeolithic art to be recent, it should be borne in mind that around this period of Mediaeval history, Pope Calixtus III in 1458, is reported to have ordered the cessation of 'the religious ceremonies held in the Spanish cave with the horse pictures’ - the Pope was from Valencia, and it is assumed that the painted cave he was referring to was Palaeolithic. (Who knows, we may have lost a painted cave over 500 years ago because the Pope sent someone along to remove the paintings of horses from the cave walls). Thus it is quite possible that Renaissance artists - especially those who were part of the Church itself, could have been made aware of this art, even if they might not have appreciated the extent of its antiquity, or even seen it in person.

Moreover the Bible is replete with animal sacrifice and references to herd and flock animals are abundant, thus it wouldn't have been beyond the capability of a mediaeval mind to have conceived the process by which the Christian religion had manifested itself following early pagan religions that had begun within the depths of caves, moved out into the open as it evolved into cattle cults, and thence to Christianity itself, which cast its eye upward in the direction of heaven. Indeed part of the Renaissance philosophy held that this world and its imperfection and suffering were merely the precursor to an eternal life after death in Paradise, assuming of course, you toed the God-fearing line. This Renaissance idea has particular similarities to the beliefs of the Cathars who had all but perished more than a century beforehand, more of whom later.

Thus it should come as no surprise that a golden child of light, said to embody the very essence of God, should be thought of as having fought and conquered demons, especially in remote underworld locations, and who knows what folk-lore these mediaeval monks would have read or heard - if it was reported in a non-canonical or apocryphal source that Jesus had indeed visited England on a crusade of his own, and once there vanquished a deadly foe of the Underworld, perhaps it is possible to understand why a flag with the Cross of St. George was encoded into the allegorical fresco at top. As we shall see later, such unorthodox thoughts might well have been considered heresy if spoken aloud, or written in ink, but a painter could easily include what appear to be unrelated details such as flag with Cross of St. George, while claiming that this was purely an artistic device used to emphasise the power of the sign of the True Cross.

Of course, the reasons for this particular employment of a flag with a red cross on it could be for entirely different reasons; for example, in every depiction of Jesus, Fra Angelico and his collaborators and assistants always depict the golden halo of Jesus with a red cross included, though in these depictions, it's more of a Maltese Cross within a circular design, than an explicit reference to St. George or England.

The point the author makes in his book is to question whether the Harrowing of Hell was an account of a historical event, in the area of Priddy, whereby someone, possibly JC, descended into the depths of the Earth to battle with what were considered to be demons and evil spirits, vanquished them and returned back up to the surface in triumph.

Stonehenge comes in for particular scrutiny, with the suggestion that Jesus may have visited, and that in doing so, may have attempted to exorcise some sort of demon that may have been summoned or otherwise manifested, some 1,600 years earlier, when the site appears suddenly to have fallen into disuse, for reasons that have never been conclusively explained.

Reference is made to the way in which the site has repeatedly been associated not only with death, as evidenced by its funerary use in the Bronze Age, but its various association with the occult and the feelings of gloom and uneasiness which cling to the stones to this very day,

Although it has popularly been assumed that one of the reasons behind the design of Stonehenge was to capture the sunrise on the longest day of the year, at the Summer Solstice, a paper written by Lionel Sim, The ‘Solarization' of the Moon: Manipulated Knowledge at Stonehenge' proposes a somewhat different focus for the ancient megalithic structure.

Although researchers such as the late John North have written that Stonehenge could more easily be explained by seeking out lunar alignments, Lionel Sim has taken this argument a stage further by suggesting that the aim was to plot the 'longest, darkest night', which would have been concerned with a sky near the Winter Solstice, but one which lacked a full moon, which we in modern times have assumed would have been most important to our distant forebears.

By shifting the focus to the longest night of the year, during which there was no sign of the moon, a stronger association with the occult is implied, with the distinct possibility that some time around 1600 years ago, something happened that was so ghastly or disturbing that all such ritual activity ceased and the place fell into virtual neglect - the author suggests that Stonehenge became haunted or infested with evil, and that part of Jesus' work in England may have involved trying to banish the perceived evil from that place. However, the site wasn't devoid of all human activity, as several changes and modifications were carried out at various times.

There is a very interesting section of the book which deals with the strange matter of the ancient axeman depicted on a stone pillar and on various coins of about 30 AD. Thought to be the Gaulish god Esus, part of and dating from the time of Emperor Tiberius, the author wonders whether people at the time drew a comparison between the warlike god and his association with wood-cutting, and Jesus who was opposed to the militaristic Roman Empire, and who was further rumoured to have been a carpenter, as his mortal father Joseph had been before him.

Further, there are coins dating from around this period upon which the name Eisu has been found; these coins were minted by a tribe known as the Dubunni or Dobunni, who inhabited an area around the Mendip Hills. It is recorded that they surrendered to the Romans before the invasion of 43 A.D., the reasons for which are unclear; it is suggested that there may have been some thing or some person in their territories that they wished not to be sought out and destroyed or killed by the Romans, with the further suggestions that Jesus may have fathered offspring during his stay, and they remained behind in England after he had departed home.

Most of the Eisu coins, in common with others of that era described as being of Celtic design, feature a three-tailed horse, though the meaning or symbolism of what this represented is lost to history.

The author notes that despite many legends linking the rumoured presence of Jesus in this part of the world at the same time, nobody appears to have remarked on the similarities of his name to the other two names of Esus on the Stone Pillar of Sailors, and Eisu on the coins of the Dubonni, and Jesus, or any connections that may exist between them.

The final chapter of the book is titled, 'The Sound of Silence', in which the author asks us to consider why information that Jesus had visited England would have been kept quiet, rather than shouted from the roof-tops and proclaimed from bell towers.

The author asks why the mediaeval monks of Glastonbury apparently chose not to officially state that Jesus had once been in the immediate vicinity, an opinion held by historian Geoffrey Ashe, who cited their reticence on the subject as evidence that no such legend had existed in the Middle Ages.

In response, we are told that a fire at Glastonbury in 1184 consumed many of the books that had been there, and in which it is presumed, texts confirming the presence of Jesus might have existed. But as we know, legends don't always depend on the written word to survive, and it's likely that any such revelatory tales would have lived on in the minds and on the tongues of those who survived the conflagration.

Five years after the fire at Glastonbury, the doomed Third Crusade was heading off to the Middle East, there to meet a mighty new foe in the guise of Saladin, who had galvanized the Islamic armies into becoming a far more effective military force. The fact that this Crusade was headed by an all-star line-up in the guise of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, newly crowned King Richard I, Cœur de Lion, of England, and King Philip Augustus of France, underscores the determination of those involved to reclaim what they regarded as the Holy Land in the Middle East. One of the many ostensible aims of the Crusades was to allow pilgrims to visit the locations mentioned in the Bible that were associated with the deeds of Jesus, which to all intents and purposes were perceived to have taken place exclusively in the lands of the Eastern Mediterranean. Obviously, any ideas or rumours that the western reaches of England could equally have been considered holy in the sense that Jesus had spent part or much of his life there would certainly have lessened the claims of the Crusaders with regard to attacking lands from which he may have been absent for anything up to 18 years.

In the midst of these Crusades to the Middle East, came the infamous Albigensian Crusade, unleashed by Pope Innocent III in 1209, in which the Cathars of Languedoc in the south of France, were on many occasions more or less slaughtered to the last man, woman and child - simply because they held what were considered heretical beliefs, not the least of which was that Jesus was more a phantom than real human being, that all matter was inherently evil, and that the Papacy was little more than an armed gang that grown rich by robbery, and moreover had corrupted the intended message of Christianity.

Very little in the way of texts have survived from the Cathars - most contemporary writings were compiled by their adversaries, and it is presumed that whatever writings were in existence were destroyed at the time of the Papal genocide, were hidden by the Cathars, or have otherwise been lost or obscured from view. The legend of the Cathars' Treasure might mean that there were texts considered so important that they were hidden from harm, either by the Cathars themselves, or even by the Vatican, in whose archives they may yet remain.

As such, there doesn't appear to be any specific evidence they considered Jesus to have visited England, either in the meagre literature, or from any source which discusses their supposed beliefs - for example, there is no record they objected to the Crusades on the basis that Jesus might have spent the majority of his life elsewhere, or specifically in England.

We turn next to the late and somewhat maligned archaeologist of yore, R.J.C Atkinson, who between 1950 and 1964 spent many long seasons excavating at Stonehenge, and whom the author opines discovered something important at - or about - the site which for reasons unknown, he chose not to divulge. It was Atkinson who infamously declared that the builders of Stonehenge were 'howling barbarians', although without explaining exactly why he chose those specific words.

It seems clear from contemporary reports that operations at Stonehenge were conducted poorly, and moreover, Atkinson and fellow archaeologist Stuart Piggott proved more of a hindrance than help, apparently to the extent that those reporting on the excavations took a very dim view of their conduct and behaviour.

The author claims Atkinson's curious behaviour may in part be explained by his intense dislike for the place, and although that may well be true, 14 years seems an awfully long time to have spent on a single site - it seems likely that as he was considered a leader in his field, he could easily have closed the Stonehenge excavations, declaring there to be nothing of interest, and found other sites to excavate.

The fact that he chose to spend so long at Stonehenge, even visiting in subsequent years when he could be seen digging further holes, speaks more of an obsession with the place - whether this was based on finds we know nothing about, is of course impossible to say.

My overall opinion is that whether or not one believes that Jesus really existed, or that the canonical texts of the Bible can be regarded as an accurate documentation of events that took place so long ago, there are plentiful points of interest throughout a very well written and clearly expressed set of ideas, many of which draw the reader's attention to people and places that may not be immediately familiar to all.

My only gripe is that various sections of the book could have done with a great deal more in the way of pictures and illustrations, but this is something that could easily be resolved by the making of a TV documentary, in which many of the artefacts, landscapes, sites and people involved could be viewed. But suffice it to say, this book should be of great interest to anyone who likes a good mystery, and wishes to decide for themselves to what extent a discrete set of data points could be assembled to form a coherent explanation to a mystery that has for the most part, never been fully explored in over 2,000 years.

Although I've covered some of the salient points raised in this detailed and analytical book, I have by necessity given a greatly abbreviated account in this review, partly because there is so much material to cover, and partly because it should be for the reader to embark upon an adventure which through various twists and turns, makes for one of the most readable books I've encountered in a very long time.

I've added some supplementary images here.

Eternal Idol - website of author Dennis Price