Why did William Blake ask this; what seems, on the face of it, to many people to be a ridiculous question; in his famous poem?

Why would a child who is supposed to have grown up in Nazareth have been in England? Did William Blake know something you don’t?

Official historical records, both domestic and foreign, including at least four official Vatican documents*, confirm that Joseph of Arimathaea fled the Holy Land with Mary the mother of Jesus and others; came to England; settled and was eventually buried, along with Virgin Mary, in Glastonbury after the Crucifixion of Jesus the Nazarite (Num. 6), during the vicious persecution of the first followers of The New Way - Christ.

* Council of Pisa (A.D. 1417); Council of Constance, also in A.D. 1417; Council at Sienna 1424; Council at Basle in 1434.

Twelve hides* of land were given by the British High-king (Arviragus) to Joseph and his companions, free from tax in perpetuity - also confirmed by official historical records including the Domesday Book** (Domesday Survey, folio p. 249b). Why? Surely a pagan monarch would not give a large area of land, and make it free from taxation in perpetuity, to just anyone, especially not to a person espousing a new religion that was strange to him, and therein lies a hidden clue to where Jesus spent his childhood and missing years. A Christian monarch would be much more likely to welcome fleeing followers and family members of Jesus. But if Jesus lived in Nazareth, and the British monarch was a blue-painted savage, as the Roman and Protestant Christian churches would wrongfully have us believe, how could the British monarch be a Christian before Joseph of Arimathaea arrived in England?

* Hide - Measure of land, enough to support a man and his extended family (160 acres. 1 acre = 4840 sq. yds.).
** This record called Domesday Booke was completed in 1088 A.D. and it contains this record. "The Domus Dei, in the great monastery of Glastonbury, called the secret of Yahweh. This Glastonbury church possesses in its own villa XII hides of land which have never paid tax." Note that this official record names this early church Domus Dei, the home of God, and the secret of Yahweh ("I AM" – God).

Many truths have been purposely hidden from the world by so-called Christian religious leaders wanting to enlarge their power and coffers using their false "protection-racket" and many lies and deceptions have been perpetrated upon the world, especially the British and English speaking peoples in order to achieve their evil aims of self-aggrandizement, enrichment and domination.

For example: how many British people have been taught in school that the word Brit-ish is Hebrew and means "Covenant-man", as it does also in Welsh, in other words, Israelite-man? None. If they have learned it, they have had to do so from unofficial sources, even though it is an undeniable fact, known to Sir Francis Drake and stated by him before the Armada in his letter to John Foxe (1587).

First of all, Jesus could not possibly have been from Nazareth, because there was no town called Nazareth at the time of Jesus, who was a Nazarite (Num. 6), not a citizen of non-existent Nazareth. Nowhere in the ancient Jewish writings is there a town called Nazareth mentioned and there is no physical evidence that a town called Nazareth existed before the fourth century A.D., long after Jesus had ascended from the Mount of Olives into heaven.

So, as there was no town of Nazareth and the British monarch was already a Christian (Gildas, De Excidio Britanniae)* when Joseph of Arimathaea arrived in England: who converted the British people to Christianity? It couldn’t have been the disciples because they arrived with, or after Joseph. So who did convert the British people to Christianity?

* Gildas the Wise (born Strathclyde c. 493 – died 570 A.D.),who reportedly spent some years at Glastonbury Abbey states:

"These islands received the beams of light - that is, the holy precepts of Christ - the true Sun, as we know, at the latter part of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, in whose time this religion was propagated without impediment and death threatened to those who interfered with its professors." - "De Excidio Britanniae" ("The Ruin and Conquest of Britain" probably written between 516 and 547; c. 540) (Matthews, p. 87)

As Tiberius Caesar died in 37 A.D., this reference places Christianity in Britain during the life of Jesus.

Is there any proof that Jesus lived in England during the missing years? Physical evidence – no; circumstantial evidence, allied with common-sense deduction - yes. Lots of it. There is more than enough evidence to persuade anyone with a truly open mind that Jesus spent his missing years in what is now called England, at Glastonbury and not in the then non-existent town of Nazareth.

In the Irish version of the Gospel of Matthew we are told that Druids came to the East to worship the King of kings. Britain was ruled by the Levitical Druid religion and the word Druid means Truth, their motto being "The Truth Against the World". Glastonbury was a Druid centre of learning and there was an observatory on the summit of Tor Hill for the study of astronomy. They were waiting for their Messiah Yesu/Hesus – Jesus (the Truth made flesh) - to come. In other words the real true Druids were the Levitical priesthood of the ten "lost" tribes of Israel, in exile.

In the year 7 B.C. there was a conjunction of Jupiter (the king of the planets) and Saturn (thought to be the protector of Israel) in the Constellation of Pisces (the Sign of the Messiah), as computed in 1603 by the Astronomer Royal in Prague - Johannes Kepler, that was first visible at daybreak on the 12th of April 7 B.C. (Passover in 7 B.C. was on Monday April 13th which commenced at sundown on the 12th). The earth-shattering significance of this conjunction – Messiah; King; Protector of Israel; Passover - would have been unmistakable to the Levitical Druid astronomers in the British Isles, where the monarch was also the Archdruid.
 

King of kings’ Bible - Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men (druids) to the East to Jerusalem,
2:2 Saying, Where is he that has been BORN King of the Jews? for we saw his "Star" in the East, and are come to worship him.
2:3 When Herod the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and lawyers of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
2:6 And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor (of this prison planet), that shall rule My people Israel.
 

Historical records show that Mary the mother of Jesus was a member of the British royal family, descended from David and also the priestly line of Levi - she was the cousin of Elisabeth. This Levitical connection is confirmed both in the Gospel of Luke and also in the Koran, which also confirms that Mary travelled to the East to give birth to Jesus in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Mary’s Levitical and Davidic lineage meant that Jesus was therefore eligible to be both King and High-Priest, also in fulfillment of Scriptural prophecy.
 

Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
1:40 And entered into the house of Zacharias (a Levitical priest), and saluted Elisabeth.
1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit:
1:42 And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb.
1:43 And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

King of kings’ Bible - Sura 3:33. God did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of Amram above all people,-
3:34. Offspring, one of the other: and God heareth and knoweth all things.
3:35. Behold! A woman (Hannah - Anne who was a member of the British Royal Family) of Amram (who was a Levite and Moses’ dad) said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: so accept this of me: for Thou hearest and knowest all things."
3:36. When she was delivered, she said: "O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a female child!"- and God knew best what she brought forth- "And in no way is the male like the female. I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the Evil One, the Rejected."

King of kings’ Bible - Sura 19:16. Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family (in Britain) to a place in the East (Israel).
 

Is it not perfectly logical then, that Druids seeing his star in the East and, being the Levitical priesthood in exile, therefore knowing the Old Testament prophecies, would come to the Holy Land to pay homage to their prophesied Messiah and long-awaited King of kings? It took them almost two years after seeing the "star" to prepare for and make the journey from Britain and that is why Herod slew all the male children up to two years of age, after having talked to them and made diligent inquiry about the date of Jesus’ birth (12th April 7 B.C.). The Druids found a young child, in a house, not a baby in a stable as the shepherds had done two years earlier.
 

Matthew 2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the "Star", which they had seen in the East, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
2:10 When they saw the "Star", they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
2:11 And when they were come into the HOUSE, they saw the young CHILD with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
 

Herod (who died in 4 B.C.) was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. So troubled that he ordered the "Slaughter of the Innocents" that Jesus escaped from, by going into Egypt. Where would they stay in Egypt? How would they live in a strange land? Joseph de Marmore from Arimathaea lived at Marmorica in Egypt before later moving to Arimathaea. The Jesus family would have escaped by going to visit their uncle Joseph who was extremely wealthy and Rome’s "Nobilis Decurio" (Minister for Mines), and, knowing they would not be safe for long in Egypt, they took passage on one of uncle Joseph’s ships and sailed to Mary’s home in England, where they would be safe. Would they not be safest in Mary’s homeland, being also the land from where her relatives, the Druid kings, had come from to pay homage to their Messiah - the King of kings? Britain was also, at that time; unlike the Holy Land; free and safe from pagan Roman domination.

A young man, who, according to Scripture (Luke 2:46-47), at 12 years of age could astound the elders in The Temple with his knowledge, would not sit idly by for the next 20+ years, especially after saying he must be about his Father’s business. During that time he would have been talking to many people and astounding them too. If the mission in the Holy Land did only last for three and a half years, as is commonly believed, then where did he spend the other three and a half years confirming The Covenant, as was prophesied through Daniel? It must have been in England. He told the disciples: "Other sheep I have (present not future tense), who are not of this fold. Go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel – the ten 'lost' tribes of Israel."
 

Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm The Covenant with many for one week: (seven days/prophetic years) and in the midst of the week (Wednesday 21st April 34 A.D.) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations He shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation (the "Lake of Hell-Fire"), and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

In the abbey grounds at Glastonbury, there is a section of the ruins (Feature No. 3 on map below) confusingly called, variously: Mary’s Chapel; Lady’s Chapel; Joseph’s Chapel and also known as the "Vetusta Ecclesia"; the "Lignea Basilica"; the "Ealdechurche" or "Old Church" and "Domus Dei" (Home of God). It is here that both Mary the mother of Jesus and her uncle Joseph de Marmore from Arimathaea were buried inside a wattle and daub building, reputed to have been built by Jesus.
 

 
It is claimed that Jesus built a church there for his mother but that is extremely unlikely because Jesus, as recorded in Matthew chapter six, instructs his followers not to go to church but to pray only in private - in their closet, after first closing the door. The building may have been Jesus’ own house, that later would naturally become the burial place of his mother and uncle Joseph, which then became a shrine and was later-on built over as a church, in violation of Jesus’ commands. Do mothers today, who have lost their children, not spend much time in their lost child’s room, trying to be near to them? Would Mary not have done the same and have also wanted to be buried there?

Since that time, other more durable buildings have successively been built over it, getting bigger and grander, exactly like has happened with the church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem. However, every time they rebuilt it and made it stronger, Christ had it demolished to prevent people from going to church, as he had instructed his faithful not to go to church, as is recorded in Matthew 6:5-6.
 

Matthew 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt NOT be as the hypocrites [ARE]: for they love to pray standing in the churches and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and WHEN THOU HAST SHUT THY DOOR, pray to thy Father in private (Enoch 56:5; Sura 7:55); and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
 

Ancient records tell of the original building being preserved by a shell built around it, of boards, covered with lead. Later a stone building was erected, enclosing the earlier ones. David erected a large stone church as an addition to this in 546 A.D. A record he made of this on a bronze tablet was still in place at the time of the seizure and dissolution of the monastery, under orders from king Henry VIII.

Taliesin the Druid, the great Welsh prince and Bard of the sixth century wrote, "Christ, the Word from the beginning, was from the beginning our teacher, and we never lost His teachings."

Even in Ireland; which, incidentally, has the largest copper deposits in Europe; is found the tradition of Joseph of Arimathaea having founded the Glastonbury church. Bronze, from which the plaque mentioned above was made, is a mixture of copper and tin, probably from what was once one of Joseph’s tin mines.

Still existing royal charters granted by king Ina, dated 704 A.D., and by king Cnut dated 1032 A.D., attest that these kings, in this church, signed them.

This great abbey was the one destroyed by the fire, in 1184 A.D., which consumed the greater part of the abbey, including the original wattle building. The lead that had encased it melted and destroyed it. No real reason was ever put forward as to why the fire started, but it was generally circulated at the time, that candles had ignited some curtains during a wind-storm. Immediately thereafter, king Henry II of England issued a royal charter for the rebuilding of Glastonbury Abbey. The charter called the abbey, "The mother and burying place of the saints, founded by the very disciples of our Lord".

After almost a 100 years the work on the great Church had been completed and then, in 1275 A.D., years of work was destroyed by an earthquake that severely damaged much of the stone work. Again, the monks undertook restoration work under the supervision of the various abbots and the abbey once again became a building of splendour. Finally, in 1539, the abbey came into the possession of the king, Henry VIII, and so came about its final dissolution.

The great church historian, Hugh Paulinus de Cressy, writing in 1668 A.D. said, "This, our land of Brittany, though called by the Romans another world, as being divided from the whole then discovered habitable earth, yet the riches of Divine mercy received the beams of the Son of Righteousness before many other countries nearer approaching to the place where He first rose." He also says, "Now the most eminent of the primitive disciples and who contributed most to this heavenly building, was Joseph of Arimathaea and eleven of his companions along with him, among whom is reckoned his son of the same name. These, toward the latter end of Nero’s reign and before Peter and Paul were consummated by a glorious martyrdom. By the testimony of ancient records they were said to have entered this island because of its isolation, the benevolence of the British princes (blue-painted savages, we are told by church and historians) and freedom from Roman tyranny. This place was more opportune and better prepared for entertaining and learning the Gospel of the Kingdom, than almost any country under the Romans."

The legend tells us that Joseph of Arimathaea brought his staff from the Holy Land and planted it on Wearyall Hill. But it certainly was not his own staff, because he had to pass on his own staff to his eldest son, as was the death-bed custom. Joseph was an extremely wealthy man with a fleet of ships, who owned tin-mines in Cornwall and lead-mines in the Mendip Hills and, like all wealthy men, would not have done much walking, but rather would have ridden in comfort. Therefore he would not have needed a walking-staff, and, if he had one, it would have most probably been ornate, perhaps with a gold or ivory handle to demonstrate his position in society. Jesus however, as the Good Shepherd, did a lot of walking, seeking out his "lost" sheep and would have needed a Shepherd’s staff, whilst spreading his message far and wide.

After the Crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathaea, as Jesus’ great-uncle and oldest male relative, would have, along with the body of Jesus, whom he laid in his own tomb, become custodian of Jesus’ possessions – his staff and his olive-wood drinking-cup. He would have treasured these simple possessions as keep-sakes of his great nephew and Master. Naturally when he fled from the persecution he would carry these keep-sakes with him to England. So then we are left with a question – after carrying Jesus’ staff to England with him, why did he plant it in that particular spot on Wearyall Hill?

Jesus was in the habit of finding a quiet spot in which to reflect and to talk to Father. We have the evidence of this habit, in the Scriptures, where we are told that Jesus would go apart to talk to Father and the Garden of Gethsemane is mentioned by name. Anyone who has visited the site of the Holy Thorn on Wearyall Hill should understand why Jesus would have picked that spot, as his place of solitude. It is on the sunny-side of the hill and in a natural hollow, where many people, since then, including the legendary king Arthur, who was reputedly a descendant of Joseph’s, have laid and prayed and/or admired the view. It has the feel of being an unspoiled and special place, even now, 2000 years later. So, being a special and favourite place of Jesus’, would it not be perfectly natural for Joseph to plant a tree there in commemoration of his favourite and very special great-nephew? Do we not still plant trees to commemorate people today? Why? Perhaps it is a custom we have learned from our ancient ancestor/s like Joseph of Arimathaea.

What better tree could Joseph plant, for that purpose, than the very staff of Jesus, knowing also that the tree itself would prevent the place from being desecrated by having a locked-up church built on it and becoming a commercialized shrine, denying people free access, having its simple beauty, for which it was chosen, and its accessibility spoiled forever? The placing of a stake, or planting of a tree, is also part of the ancient custom of laying claim to an "Appointed Place" (2 Sam. 7:10), as Jesus did posthumously through prior instructions given to Joseph of Arimathaea, claiming it for his sheep/people.

The Glastonbury Holy Thorn Tree is unique in that it has no exact parallel amongst native English trees. It blooms twice a year, which no other English tree does. The natural blooming time of the Levantine (Palestine) thorn is during the month of December, whilst British ones bloom in May. The Glastonbury Thorn; of which there is one in the grounds of the abbey ruins, one in the grounds of the Parish Church of John the Baptist on the Glastonbury High Street and one at the Chalice Well, all taken as cuttings from the original on Wearyall Hill; blooms in May along with all the English trees and then again in December along with all the Palestinian trees. Cuttings from the trees have been sent to a variety of places around the world and the subsequent trees grown from the cuttings have continued to bloom twice a year.

But what happened to the cup? There is a legend that Joseph buried it at Chalice Hill and another that is more credible, that it was kept hidden in the Celtic church at Glastonbury, which originally was a church of the Culdees but later was demolished and rebuilt in a manner more suitable to Rome. King Arthur’s knights (c. 500 A.D.), who were Celtic "Culdee" Christians, like Columba of Kells and Iona was, went looking for the Holy Grail, both physically and spiritually, to return the land to the true teaching of Christ, but could not find the Grail, as it was hidden from them by the monks of the rebuilt and Romanised church in Glastonbury. Columba; who also taught Celtic Christianity, with justice, equality and prosperity for all; was censured by a synod of the Romanised clergy at Teltown near Kells, Co. Meath, in Ireland and, as a result of that censure, he left Ireland and went to Iona in 563 A.D., at the age of 42.

No-one has ever understood the story of Arthur and Excalibre – the Sword of Power (Ex-calibre - without equal) that he drew from the Stone. The story is very simple and perhaps that is why no-one has ever understood it, because people always try to physicalise and humanize things that are spiritual. "He who draws the Sword from The Stone shall be king", means quite simply that he who draws the Sword of the Spirit (God’s Truth) from The Stone (Christ) will be king. This is explained in more detail in my Book – "The Way home or face The Fire"

Arthur; reputedly a descendant of Joseph of Arimathaea; prayed at the Holy Thorn site on Wearyall Hill, to find the Truth of Christ’s teaching and then returned the land to keeping The Covenant and God’s Law, instead of the laws of men, as Jesus taught and for which he was crucified.* This put Arthur, like Columba in Ireland, in direct conflict with the Roman church and its corrupted, churchified, idolatrous, ritualized ceremonies and teaching, which he fought and defeated with his famous Knights of the Round Table, bringing peace, health and prosperity to all, as God promised He would do, if people kept The Covenant. The Round Table, which is reputed to have been made by Uther Pendragon for his son Arthur, after the pattern of the Last Supper, or a copy, now hangs in the Great Hall of Winchester. The rules of the Round Table were from the Druidic, Levitical, Torah Law-principles and "Self"-sacrifice in the cause of King and country, as taught by Christ.

* It is of note that some of the first words Pilate said to Jesus were "What is Truth?" These three words were passwords used by the British Druids and there are authorities who say that Pontius Pilate finished his education in a Druid College in Britain

Gradually, over a period of many years, there was the inevitable falling away again from the original teachings of Christ Jesus and Joseph of Arimathaea. As the Catholic Church became more and more powerful and involved in religion, so, many of the earlier teachings became lost and the simplicity of the Gospel was lost in the profound "mysteries" of Catholicism, followed closely by its daughter - Protestantism.

As Arthur was dying, he told Percival to find a lake of still waters (Ps. 23:2) and throw the Sword of Power into the lake, predicting this falling-away from the truth and that the people would not accept it from his successor, Percival at first refused, saying that the Sword (Truth) that Arthur had drawn from The Stone (Christ) must not be lost to mankind, but on Arthur’s reassurance, that one day The King (Christ) would come (in England to His British people) and the Sword would rise again, he obeyed Arthur and cast it into the lake of still waters (Ps. 23:2).

The reason that the true identity of the British people, being the House of Israel, and therefore the fact that the British Throne is Christ’s Birthright, has been purposely kept from them, is because the monarchs, under God’s Law (Deuteronomy 17:14-20), are not allowed to use their position for personal gain of any kind. So the British monarchs, in league with the churches, have hidden their true identity from the British peoples in order to enable themselves and their friends to give them-selves grandiose false titles, seize lands and property and make up their own laws to enrich themselves, at the expense of the rest of the people. The churches have been assisted by them in this as is explained by Christ in Scripture (Rev. 17 & 18). This practice is strictly forbidden under God’s Law in the Bible, which is why God’s Law is not taught in schools, or churches and consequently this world that we live in is overflowing with so much greed, hatred, poverty, crime and filth.

Churches, that Jesus told people not to visit, or build, have been used to teach people the lie, amongst others, that Jesus was very poor and so the people must try to emulate him and not complain about being forced into becoming poor, because, in being poor, they are supposedly following in Jesus’ footsteps, thereby enabling their powerful friends to further enrich themselves, with little or no resistance from the people. The British church leaders are also members of parliament and have actually worked with the monarchy and their powerful friends to pass legislation that God says is prohibited.
 

Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not ADD unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the Commandments of the "I AM" your God which I COMMAND you.
 

In the 16th century, to protect the Cup from Henry the Eighth, it was sent to Nanteos Manor near Aberystwyth and more recently it is, or rather what is left of it, reputed to have been returned to Glastonbury. I say "what is left of it" because silly superstitious people taking a drink from it, over the centuries, have taken and swallowed small bites out of the wood, so that now there is approximately only the bottom third remaining of it.

It is reported that at the time of the destruction of Glastonbury Abbey, Richard Whiting, the last Abbot, entrusted a wooden cup to his monks to carry away to safety. This cup was described as "the most precious treasure of our Abbey". The monks fled into Wales and took sanctuary in the remote Cistercian Abbey of Strata Florida (now ruined). However, with the continuing approach of king Henry’s men they had to flee even further west and they ended up at Nanteos Manor which is in a secluded valley about three miles from Aberystwyth. Over the years the monks remained safely at Nanteos Manor, until eventually they began to die of old age. At that time the last surviving monk supposedly gave the Cup to Mr. Powell the lord of the Manor and charged him that the Cup would remain at Nanteos Manor "until the church claims her own".

Many silly stories have been told about the Cup and the search for the Holy Grail (grail - wooden cup) because no-one has ever understood what Jesus really said about the Cup of Life - immortality.

The disciples asked Jesus if they could accompany him to heaven and were asked: "Can you drink from the cup that I drink from?" Obviously Jesus was not referring to the physical cup used at the Last Supper because they all drank from it, whilst drinking to the New Covenant. The real "Holy Grail" was not the physical cup that was used at the Last Supper, but the bitter Cup of Crucifixion of the "Self" that Jesus explained and referred to in Gethsemane. But man always seeks the easy path and tries to physicalise something that is spiritual, in order to delude himself into believing he can achieve human immortality of the flesh, rather than spiritual immortality, in or out of the flesh.
 

Matthew 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the "Cup" that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
20:23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father.
26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
26:28 For this is my blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this "Cup" pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou [wilt].
26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.
26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this "Cup" (Holy Grail) may not pass away from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.
 

This was the simple but powerful Truth that the boy Arthur found when he prayed by the Holy Thorn and drew the Sword of Power (Excalibre - without equal) from The Stone (Christ). It was the principle upon which he ruled the land and under which it and the people prospered in peace and good health.

In the year 1345 Edward III, king of England, gave permission to one John Bloom of London, to dig for the body of Joseph of Arimathaea. Up to this time the grave had been undisturbed. John Bloom had to obtain permission from the Abbot and monks at Glastonbury Abbey and also from the Glastonbury Community. Permission was granted and apparently the remains of Joseph were found. A monk, R. de Boston, from his Lincolnshire Monastery, recorded the following: "The bodies of Joseph of Arimathaea and his companions were found in Glastonbury."

Joseph’s bones were placed in a silver casket which was then placed into a stone sarcophagus which in turn was placed at the east end of the crypt under Mary’s Chapel. From then on the chapel was often referred to as Joseph’s Chapel, as well. Originally the crypt was reached by a staircase that passed the ancient Norman well of Joseph and this is purported to be near where John Bloom actually found the tomb of Joseph. On visiting the Abbey now, you can go into the Joseph’s Chapel and actually climb what is left of the original staircase by the well and emerge on the outside of the building.

Well-substantiated ancient records tell of the death and burial of Joseph of Arimathaea at Glastonbury. The epitaph on his tombstone read, "I came to the Britons after I buried the Christ. I taught, I rest." Between 1345 A.D. and 1367 A.D., the body was placed in a silver casket with a beautiful stone sarcophagus, which was still in position in the year 1662 A.D. By putting Joseph’s bones into a silver casket they could be easily removed and shown to the many pagan, so-called "Christian" pilgrims who came to the abbey. It would appear; from several historical documents; that the stone sarcophagus of Joseph of Arimathaea was still in place, in Joseph’s Chapel, as late as 1661, when the Joseph chapel containing it had become partially ruined.

One John Ray records that on 22nd June 1661; "we saw Joseph of Arimathaea’s tomb and chapel at the end of the Church." Later, in the same year, the same man returned to Glastonbury and records seeing the sarcophagus of Joseph in the ruined Chapel. John Ray was afraid that there might be another wave of Puritanical fanaticism such as had almost totally destroyed the original Thorn Tree, and fearing that Joseph’s tomb might be desecrated, he removed it secretly and buried it, unmarked, in the church yard adjoining the east end of Mary’s chapel. Saying that the initials J.A. carved on it stood for John Allen concealed its identity. Thus it escaped destruction.

It was in 1928 that the Rev Lionel Smithett Lewis (late Vicar of Glastonbury) accidentally stumbled, quite literally, on a corner of the sarcophagus in the graveyard. The stone sarcophagus now sits under the Arthurian window, in the north transept of the ancient Katherine’s Chapel in the Parish Church of John the Baptist, in the High Street of Glastonbury. Its construction indicates it was made to fit the silver casket. It bears the initials J.A., with a caduceus between the initials. The caduceus, a winged staff with two serpents twined around it, is used today as the emblem of physicians. Originally it was the badge of Mercury, the "messenger" of the gods. Even today it has been assimilated into the symbolism of some Christian churches. In our own times, the patriarchs of the eastern churches have a caduceus, not a crozier, carried before them in official processions. It was an official badge, which would not have been put on a mere common person’s grave.

The silver casket holding the bones of Joseph of Arimathaea was never found.

 
Therefore we see that not only ancient legends and ancient historical records, but the official acts and records of the kings of the Middle Ages, have recognized the close connection of Joseph of Arimathaea, the great-uncle of Jesus, with Glastonbury and Cornwall in Britain. All of these lend strong support to the ancient legends and records of these places that it was here that Jesus spent the missing years of his life, which the Bible does not account for. Where else would we expect him to go, but to what was to become the principal home of his own British people – the House of Israel.

Given the principle of Ockham’s Razor: that, all things being equal, the simplest explanation is usually the right (correct) one. Does William Blake’s question still seem ridiculous to you? I hope not.

JAH.