TESSON CHAPEL: 1861 – 2001 – Part 2

TESSON CHAPEL: 1861 – 2001 – Part 2
By Richard and Gwyneth Syvret

THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

The buyer of the chapel in 1888 was Mr William Pellier. His daughter, Elsie Mary, who later became Mrs Pitts, inherited the chapel on his death in 1893. It is believed that Mr Pellier allowed the chapel to be used by a Mr. Gilley as a potato store for a time.

The year 1893 however also saw the birth of Miss Charlotte Luce, a niece of Mr Philip S Langlois — the daughter of his sister, Charlotte, and her husband, Francis Luce. Her recollections of early days lived at Tower Hill on the opposite side of the road to the chapel included in particular attendance at a day school in the chapel for about twenty boys and girls called 'The Vale School'. The only teacher was Miss Laura Laurens and it was remembered that in those years around the turn of the century the children sang to her organ music, were taught writing and sewing and sat at two long trestle tables. Drinking water was obtained from Miss Luce's home.

In 1904, when what is now St Lawrence Primary School was opened, the Vale School was closed and all the pupils transferred there. Miss Laurens took up a position in the new school.

The building however had been brought back into use also as a chapel in 1897. Sunday 18th July in that year saw the first of the fortnightly evangelistic services that were held at 3pm each Sunday afternoon. An advertisement in the 'Nouvelle Chronique' heralded the opening and the chapel was identified as 'proche le Moulin de Tesson' — near Tesson Mill. It must have been around this time however that it became known for a while as Rock Chapel.

Closure of the day school, it seemed, allowed the owner, Miss Pellier, to lease Rock Chapel to Mr Philip Sorsoleil Langlois from the summer of 1904 onwards. There is reference in the lease to strips of land to the north and east of the chapel and permission is given to build on those strips and to fix in the building "an ordinary fireplace or other heating apparatus". Mr Langlois' connection with the chapel was to continue until his death in 1933 and was to be extended through his daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren — and their spouses - to the present day.

THE BRETHREN CONNECTION

Mr Langlois had, prior to 1904, married Miss Ann Bichard. Husband and wife, principally through their friendship with Mr and Mrs Monet, had close connections with the Open Brethren meeting at Lyric Hall in Cattle Street, St Helier and later in Belmont Hall, Belmont Road, St Helier. Mr Monet, who was a leading figure with the Open Brethren in Jersey, was effectively a partner with Mr Langlois in the commencement and maintenance of an evangelical work at the chapel.

Not surprisingly therefore those attending the chapel came under the ministry of the lay speakers connected with that fellowship. Also, Mr Langlois was happy later to link Tesson Chapel, as it became known, to a Fellowship of Undenominational and Unattached Churches and Missions which included churches in Halkett Place (St Helier), and at Maufant (St Saviour), Les Tours (St Clement), Sion (St John) and Mitspa (Trinity). He preached himself, in both French and English, and was the superintendent of Tesson Chapel and of the meetings held there up until the time of his death in 1933.

It is recalled that in the years when Mr. Langlois headed the work Mr Harold Alexandre, Mr Stephen Bull and Mr W Horn (the latter two being sons-in-law of Mr Monet), amongst many others, preached at Tesson. An afternoon Sunday school was started in the mid-1920's by Mr and Mrs Beard, missionaries on furlough, and Hilda Langlois, Mr Langlois' elder daughter and her husband Mr George Querée took up that work which at one stage had around fifty children attending. Mr Hedley W Maillard also assisted for some time. The afternoon service was moved to the evening and Mrs Langlois took charge of the opening up of the chapel for the services.

In 1931 there was a Sunday afternoon school at 3pm and a Sunday evening service at 6.30pm. The weeknight service was held at 7.30pm on a Wednesday. Sometimes services were held in the open-air just outside the chapel. Those who heard the good news of forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ in that way were the many French farm workers who came over year by year to help with the manual harvesting of the potato crops. One may have no doubt at all that the gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ was preached there throughout those years and that the teaching would have been based solely on the Bible as the Word of God and on the historic Protestant Christian faith.

Before his death Mr. Langlois organised the insertion in the west gable of a window designed to give light in the pulpit area. Mr Philip Le Sueur was the stonemason. The only occasions when those attending had an opportunity to give money was when it was wished to make chapel donations to missionary causes. At all other times there was a notice in the porch "All seats free - no collection". Most of the congregation walked to the chapel - often from two or three miles away - and heating was by paraffin stoves.

On 10th October 1925 a change of ownership of the chapel occurred when Mr Langlois purchased the freehold together with the adjacent cotil for £200. The freehold was therefore part of his estate when he died. The 'partage' which took place in 1933 between his two daughters, Mrs Hilda Ann Querée and Mrs Emily Rose Coutanche, resulted in the former inheriting the chapel.

Mrs Querée and her brother-in-law Mr Philip Coutanche watched over the fellowship that continued to gather. Mr and Mrs Querée had no children but the son and four daughters of Mr and Mrs. Coutanche were all brought up at the chapel. They and their respective marriage partners comprised a substantial part of the congregation during the remainder of the 1930s.

The preachers continued to be drawn mainly from the Belmont Hall Brethren Assembly and a number of new names from there appeared like Mr Lindsay Proudfoot and Mr William Perchard. In addition, from other churches, Mr Bert Renouf and his sister Susan, Mr John Langlois (who always spoke in French), Mr John Le Breton (who had married Phyllis, one of the daughters of Mr and Mrs Coutanche) and his father Mr J P Le Breton (who was a Wesleyan circuit preacher) came to preach and, in some cases regularly to attend.

Just before the Second World War Mrs Querée arranged and paid for an extension to the chapel behind the west gable and to the north. Mr Andre Jezequel undertook the carpentry work and Mr W Horn's building firm dealt with the blockwork. The extension comprised a small room for Sunday school activities plus a toilet reached from outside the building.

THE GERMAN OCCUPATION AND POST WAR YEARS

All through the occupation of Jersey by German armed forces the work at the chapel continued. The shortage of heating fuel in the early 1940s gave rise to the placing of a wood-burning stove in the centre of the chapel with long pipes reaching to the chimney in the north wall.

The main source of speakers during that time and the 1950s and 1960s remained the Belmont Hall Brethren Assembly and to those previously named were added Mr Ernest Le Breton. Mr William Proudfoot, Mr W Querée (a Wesleyan), Mr Richard Voisin, Mr Kenneth Lear, Mr Eric Colebrook, Mr Enoch Prosser, Mr James Colback, Mr Clifford Colback and others. The Coutanche grandchildren swelled the numbers attending after the occupation years, participating with others in the Sunday school and later as part of the fellowship. After the end of the Second World War it was decided to hold a Sunday morning service as well as the afternoon Sunday school, Sunday evening service and weeknight meeting and the chapel had taken on a full church role in the lives of its congregation.

Mrs Queree's ownership, Mr Coutanche's administration and their combined supervision of the fellowship at Tesson Chapel allowed the spiritual teaching ministry of Mr John ("Jack") Le Breton to have its full effect during all these years. Mr Le Breton, as mentioned earlier, had married Phyllis, one of Mr Coutanche's daughters and a niece therefore of Mrs Querée. He was an able preacher and teacher. It was perhaps not surprising therefore that on her death in 1970, Mrs. Hilda Querée bequeathed to him by will the property of the chapel and additionally of the car park that had been formed on her land in the meadow across the road.

With a view to the long term maintenance of a Christian testimony at Tesson Chapel, Mr Le Breton very quickly set about placing both the properties in the hands of trustees to be held for the purposes of undenominational meetings of evangelical Christians there.

THE TRUSTEES

In 1971 therefore the realty of Tesson Chapel was conveyed into the hands of nine trustees - three of these were sons-in-law of Mr Philip Coutanche, one a son, two were grandsons and one a grandson-in-law.

Mr Philip G Le Moignan who had been connected with the chapel since 1908 and who had been an organist there for many decades was also appointed, as was Dr David Carnegie, who at the time was a senior lecturer at London Bible College.

The trustees - at present six in number - are the appointed overseers of the work of the chapel, which functions as a non-denominational independent evangelical fellowship with a statement of Christian doctrinal position clearly set out in the Trust Deed under which the property was transferred to them. Of the present six, two are married to great grand children of the original Philip Sorsoleil Langlois.

THE LAST THREE DECADES OF THE 1990s

During the past thirty years, the chapel has been blessed with the Christian ministry of many visiting preachers. Not least among these has been Dr David Carnegie (the Chairman of the trustees), along with Mr Walter Boxall, Mr Neville Brooks, Mr Geoffrey Powell, Mr Clarence Schofield, Mr Douglas Dron, Mr John de la Haye, Mr Walter Clarke, Mr Ron Brint, Advocate Ian Le Marquand, Mr Brian Vibert, Dr Douglas Begg, Mr Brian Clarke, Mr Peter Gallaher, Rev David Le Seelleur, Dr William Taylor and many others.

A feature of these years too has been the significant prayer and financial support shown by the fellowship at the chapel towards evangelical missionary organisations engaged in various ways in the proclamation of the Christian gospel at home and abroad.

In 1986 the fellowship appointed as Pastor the Revd Clifford M Measday, who, for over twenty-one years, had been the minister of the Jersey Baptist Church in Vauxhall, St. Helier. He and his wife Doreen provided the congregation with a much-valued settled preaching and caring ministry for over ten years — and continue to support the fellowship in every way.

In 1997 however, the congregation, on Revd Measday's formal retirement, welcomed Revd Nigel Houillebecq as part-time pastor. Mr Houillebecq had been a Baptist pastor in the United Kingdom and returned then to the Island — his native home — until his emigration with his family to Canada in 1999.

In 1989 the car park was extended into land owned and donated by Mrs Joan Bisson, a granddaughter of Mr Philip S Langlois. In addition, the over-covering of the brook running by the roadside of the park was completed. The contracting firm owned by one of the trustees — Mr Stephen Hotton -undertook the work at a cost in excess of £7000.

In 1994 Clifford Measday's professional skills as an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects came to the fore once again in his ministry and the fellowship embarked on a major building project under his guidance. The extension built in the 1930s was demolished and significant excavation of the rock face at the rear of the chapel cleared the space needed for a new large meeting room, kitchen, toilet, hall and other facilities. The building contracts were followed by refurbishment of the chapel itself and other external works to re-establish walls and boundaries. The main building contractor was H L Bertram & Co Ltd and the congregation met virtually all of the total cost, in excess of £65,000. Only an amount of just under £5,000 was provided from a small trust fund in the hands of the trustees.

The extension enabled the continuing Sunday school word to be undertaken, for the first time, during the time set aside for the Sunday morning services for the adult congregation.

Two meetings on a Sunday were held throughout these years— morning and evening - as well as a Wednesday evening time of prayer and Bible study.

In 1995, Mrs Doreen Measday started a fortnightly Thursday afternoon meeting for ladies and this proved to be very successful with well attended events being held in the new meeting room and Christians from a wide variety of occupations and backgrounds presenting different aspects of the Christian faith and gospel.

Many Christians during these years preached and had fellowship with the congregation at the chapel — and still do. They come from many different denominations — Baptist, Anglican, Methodist and others - reflecting the non-denominational Christian position of the chapel.

AN INVITATION

The present Trustees and the entire congregation extend to all an invitation to join them on the following occasions: [This has been updated to reflect current day services in 2026]

At the Chapel
Car Parking Opposite
Every Sunday at 10.30 am
Bibles provided

The apostle Paul in AD57 in a letter to the Christians in Corinth wrote: -

"What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and then to the twelve."

Guernsey in 1974 – Part 5

Guernsey in 1974 – Part 5

This is an extract from Peter Haining’s guide book of 1974, which is as much interest today for the historian as to the tourist, as many of the places and industries described in his book have long vanished. Please do not take it as a current guide.

Bays for bathing – Part 1

Havelet Bay: Havelet adjoins the harbour at St. Peter Port and has the nearest beach to the town—but this, unfortunately, is inaccessible at high tide. The main attraction, however, is the extensive La Vallette Swimming Pool which provides good bathing whatever the state of the tide along the coast. The pool—it is actually three separate pools— protrudes into the sea and this makes the setting doubly attractive. Water polo is also played here. Havelet Bay is ideal for water-skiing and this takes place daily throughout the season. It is also considered a good starting point for hikers along the south coast, and the best route begins at the south end of the bay by the Halfmoon Restaurant— where, incidentally, all manner of information about walking in Guernsey can be obtained. Also in the bay, and not far from La Vallette Swimming Pool, are two smaller pools which are open daily.

The "Halfmoon Restaurant": This no longer exists. The venue at the south end of the bay near the slipway is now home to the Octopus Restaurant (though travellers should note it is temporarily undergoing refurbishment). While Havelet Bay remains a popular destination for local sea swimmers, kayakers, and paddleboarders, daily scheduled water-skiing and regular water polo matches are no longer the primary active attractions advertised for the bay.

Soldier’s Bay: A secluded little nook, reached by a path from Havelet Bay, the shore is pebbly, but bathing in the deep, clear water is a joy to swimmer and non-swimmer alike. The rocks, which jut into the sea are excellent as diving points. ““Soldier’s Bay” earned its name because it was for generations used by the soldiers stationed at what was once Fort George on the cliff top. The fort was built in 1780, but it was not until the German Occupation that it was actually called upon to serve its purpose. However, the shelling which it received from British aircraft in 1944 was so heavy and so costly in human life that it was evacuated immediately afterwards.

"Bathing... is a joy to swimmer and non-swimmer alike": This is no longer true. Following severe coastal subsidence and highly unstable cliff faces above the cove, the States of Guernsey officially closed Soldier's Bay to the public via footpaths. Landslides and rockfalls make accessing it by foot illegal or physically barricaded.

"It was not until the German Occupation that it was actually called upon to serve its purpose": Historically false. Fort George served actively as a major British military hub for generations long before World War II. For instance, the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry trained heavily at the fort before deploying to the Western Front in 1917 during World War I.

The attacks in June 1944 were targeted Allied air raids specifically designed to destroy the sophisticated Adlerschloss German Luftwaffe radar early warning system built at the fort. The text claims the fort was "evacuated immediately afterwards" due to heavy losses. In reality, the Allied air raids before D-Day were largely ineffective against the heavily fortified structures, and German forces did not evacuate; they successfully held the fort and the rest of Guernsey until the official German surrender on Liberation Day, 9 May 1945.

As of 2026, even if approached by sea, there have been temporary water quality warnings in the bay due to a damaged deep-sea sewage outfall pipe originating from the modern residential development atop Fort George.

Fermain Bay: Undoubtedly one of the most popular bays on the island and always much frequented by families. A boat service runs between here and St. Peter Port which provides some splendid coastal views. There is a pebbly foreshore which gives way to white sand at half tide. The walk to the bay is long, but pleasant, winding through wooded countryside. The half-way mark is Le Chalet Hotel which was the first dwelling on Guernsey to have electric lighting at the beginning of this century. Then it was a private house belonging to a skilled mechanic who harnessed a dynamo to a stream which runs down the valley. Although the bay is now a haven for small boats, it was once considered the ideal place for a raiding party to land. In the 18th Century, for instance, a press gang landed at Fermain, crept inland and made off with several unwilling recruits. There are still one or two German fortifications visible including a white-washed sentry box which now serves as a ship marker and is generally called “The Pepper Pot’. The bay has its own restaurant and toilets, and floats can be hired. Bathing is safe except at high tide when the bank of pebbles make it unsafe for those not experienced. A final interesting point about Fermain is that in the early 1900’s the bay was segregated— women had to go at one end and men at the other. Needless to say this ruling is no longer enforced.

"A boat service runs between here and St. Peter Port": This is completely outdated. While a legendary water-taxi and boat service ran between the St. Peter Port harbour and Fermain Bay for decades, the regular service officially ceased in 1993 when its long-time operator retired. Today, the bay is only reachable by private vessel or on foot.  Commercial float and deckchair hire is no longer a standard daily fixture on the beach; visitors generally need to bring their own paddleboards or swim gear.

Le Chalet Hotel: The story regarding the skilled mechanic using a stream dynamo to create Guernsey's first electrically lit private home is a fascinating piece of local history, but Le Chalet Hotel is permanently closed and derelict. It closed its doors as a commercial hotel years ago, and recent developments have focused on converting the site into residential accommodation.

Petit Port: This bay can justifiably boast the finest stretch of sand on Guernsey and coupled with the magnificent cliff scenery and good bathing make it a popular spot (it is also possible to surf here). Unfortunately there is one snag which may deter older people from visiting the bay— there is a long, steep climb down into the bay with no fewer than 227 steps (I counted them) let into the cliff face. There is a secondary approach to the bay, but though gentler is very much longer and not without danger. Not far from the top of the cliff is Mont Durand where silver was discovered in the 19th Century and an attempt was made to mine it commercially. This was a disastrous failure and today there is little left to serve as a memorial to the project. It was at Petit Port on July 14, 1940, that 
a commando raid under the direction of LieutenantColonel Durnford Slater landed and scoured the area for information about the Occupation. Today the exploits are still discussed, and elaborated on, by the local people. The area also has some interesting rock formations including the circular mass of granite called “Cannon Rock”’.

"No fewer than 227 steps": Underestimated. The author's count is outdated. Due to modern cliff stabilization, path rebuilds, and repairs by the States of Guernsey, the official step count is over 270 steps (with some locals counting closer to 300 depending on where you start).

Secondary Approach Danger: The "gentler but dangerous" alternative path mentioned is completely closed off due to severe, ongoing coastal erosion and cliff landslides. The steps are now the only legal and physically viable way to access the beach by land.

"It is also possible to surf here": Highly misleading. Petit Port is an extremely sheltered, enclosed cove on the south-east corner of the island. It rarely gets a surfable wave breakdown. Guernsey's actual surf scene is explicitly located on the west coast at beaches like Vazon Bay.

Moulin Huet: Only those who enjoy a walk are advised to visit Moulin Huet which is approached by a narrow track which has to be taken in single file. It is not the best bathing beach, as there is only sand at low tide, but swimming— and diving—can be particularly good in the numerous gullies here. Getting to Moulin Huet involves walking — along Water Lane before actually joining the path to the sea. This is extremely pretty and half-way along it there is an old fountain called the ‘“Wishing Well”. If you seek good luck put your foot over the water and wish! There is a beach kiosk at Moulin Huet with chairs spread out on the cliff-side.

Single File Access Track: While the footpath gets narrow, it is wide enough for two people to pass comfortably in most sections, though oncoming foot traffic does have to step aside in the tighter, steeper bends

"Beach Kiosk... with chairs spread out on the cliff-side": Outdated. While a traditional, basic beach kiosk operated at the valley base for decades, the site has been completely transformed into the bohemian Renoir Tea Garden. Instead of just chairs scattered loosely on the cliff-side, there is a beautifully terraced, intimate garden café featuring modern outdoor seating booths and wooden decking overlooking the spectacular bay views.

Saints Bay: One more of Guernsey’s secluded coves which has a shingle beach (except at low tide when a little sand is exposed) and presents every facility for enjoyable bathing. Approached by a long winding lane, the bay has its own small pier which is used by local fishermen. This also serves as a diving stage and an ideal point for a man after a day’s fishing to settle down. Deck chairs and floats can be hired and there is a restaurant for soft drinks and snacks. In the past the bay has been a busy harbour, and in fact there is a stone monument commemorating this fact lying in the sea! Originally it stood by the harbour but as it got in the way of their gun sights, the Germans uprooted it and deposited it into the bay during the Occupation. Another point of interest is the well in La Ruette du Navet which is credited with having the power to cure eczema.

The Café/Restaurant: The text mentions a restaurant for soft drinks and snacks. Today, this is primarily known as the highly popular Saints Bay Kiosk located right at the top of the slipway. It serves homemade food, coffee, tea, and quick bites.

Hiring Deck Chairs/Floats: While standard in classic mid-20th-century tourist guides, current regular services emphasize kayak or equipment hire depending on the seasonal operators rather than traditional deckchair stands.

The 18th-century structure guarding the bay is officially known as Saints Tower No.14. Often mistakenly called a Martello tower, it is actually a distinct Guernsey Loophole Tower.

he tower was built between August 1778 and March 1779. At the outbreak of the American War of Independence, France joined forces with the Americans against Britain. Because the Channel Islands sit just off the French coast, they were in immediate danger of invasion.

In response, the British government constructed a chain of 15 identical loophole towers around Guernsey's coastline to act as a unified defensive shield

The Philosophy of Politics Jersey Discussions

I thought it might be useful to lay out some of the way in which I structured Politics Jersey Discussions on Facebook. 

Politics Jersey Discussions

It is designed as a heavily moderated discussion forum:

• Swearing and abusive language restricted.

• GIFs, emojis, and low-effort reaction posts discouraged.

• Links and photos require explanatory text.

• Anti-spam automation is active.

• Repeat offenders move onto post approval.

• Personal attacks on candidates are moderated.

• Measures against repetitive posting and agenda-spamming.

• Membership screening based on account age and existing Facebook activity.

• No anonymous membership, although anonymous posting is allowed.

The effect is usually:

• Slower discussions.

• Fewer meme wars and reaction-posts.

• Higher barrier to entry.

• More emphasis on written arguments and debate.

• Less trolling and fewer fake/new accounts.

Culture difference

In practice, groups often end up attracting different people because of their rules:

Politics Jersey Discussions	Politics Jersey
Structured debate	Open discussion
Higher moderation	Looser moderation
Longer text posts	More mixed content
Anti-spam focused	Higher volume
Quality over quantity	Quantity and activity over strict quality control
Harder for trolls to stay	Easier for anyone to participate

A useful way to think about it

Politics Jersey Discussions  tries to function more like a moderated civic forum or online town hall. 

Politics Jersey appears closer to the classic Facebook model: a large public square where discussion is broader, noisier, and less tightly controlled.

Whether one is "better" depends on what you want. If you're looking for detailed policy discussion and fewer distractions, the stricter rules can help. If you prefer a wider range of voices and more spontaneous debate, the larger group may feel more open.

Proofs and Refutations in Historical Jesus Research – Part 4

Proofs and Refutations in Historical Jesus Research – Part 4

When we map Imre Lakatos’s four strategies onto the high-stakes battlefield of Gospel scholarship, we can see exactly why NT scholars and historical-Jesus researchers rarely change their minds.

Because the text of the Gospels is ancient, complex, and open to interpretation, it provides the perfect raw material for academics to build a "Protective Belt" around their core theories.

In these posts, I will illustrate how historians deploy the four basic Lakatosian strategies to defend their views against troublesome textual data:

James DG Dunn

If N.T. Wright’s program is a hyper-insulated fortress and the ultra-literary camp (Walsh, Mills) is a rigid, degenerating program, James D.G. Dunn’s research program in “Jesus Remembered” is a textbook example of a highly progressive, methodologically honest Lakatosian model.

Dunn does things better because he didn’t just build a "protective belt" to defend against anomalies after the fact; instead, he designed his "Hard Core" from the very beginning to naturally expect and absorb messy data.

Here is how a Lakatosian critic would evaluate why Dunn’s approach works so beautifully:

The Genius of a "Flexible Hard Core"

Most historical-Jesus scholars choose a rigid, black-and-white "Hard Core" thesis:

• The Literalists/Conservatives: The Gospels are 100% historically exact video-recordings.
• The Radical Literary Critics: The Gospels are 100% elite, fictional desk-editor fabrications.

If your Hard Core is that absolute, any slight variation in the text becomes a lethal threat, forcing you into desperate special pleading.

Dunn broke this cycle by choosing a fluid, scientifically grounded Hard Core: The Gospels are the oral memory of the impact Jesus made on his disciples

By grounding his theory in how oral tradition actually works (rather than how modern books work), Dunn built a model where variation is not an anomaly but is a feature. He based this on current research into oral memory. 

When Matthew and Luke alter Mark's wording, or when the resurrection accounts don't perfectly align, a literalist has to sweat to harmonize it. But Dunn’s model naturally predicts this: in an oral culture, performers constantly adapt the details of a story to fit their audience while fiercely preserving the "gist" or the core truth. Dunn doesn't have to defend against textual messiness because his theory beautifully explains it.

A Truly "Progressive" Research Program

Lakatos argued that a research program is progressive if it has high "heuristic power"—meaning it elegantly explains a massive amount of diverse data without needing clumsy, ad-hoc adjustments.

Dunn’s model is hyper-progressive because it seamlessly solves puzzles that crush other scholars:

• The Aramaic Gems: Why does the Greek text randomly drop into Aramaic (Abba, Talitha koum)? The literary camp has to claim elite authors were "simulating robots." Dunn’s model elegantly notes that these are the literal, indelible linguistic footprints of the original oral impact left in the disciples' minds.

• The Continuity Puzzle: How did a simple Galilean preacher suddenly become the divine Lord of the early church? As we saw earlier, Dunn’s model shows that the "seed" was already there in the oral memory of Jesus's implicit authority. The shift was organic, not a fictional hijack.

What a Lakatosian Critic Would Challenge in Dunn

Even though Dunn does things vastly better, an honest Lakatosian critic would still point out where his "Protective Belt" has to do some heavy lifting. No scholar is totally immune to the mirror problem.

The critic would point to Dunn’s treatment of the "Q Source" (the identical, word-for-word Greek text shared by Matthew and Luke). As we noted earlier, oral memory can explain similar stories, but it cannot explain long strings of identical Greek vocabulary copied across scrolls.

When confronted with this, Dunn deployed exception-barring. He essentially said: "Yes, we must admit that written notebooks or a Greek document existed for these specific, lengthy blocks of text (like the Sermon on the Mount). But those are the exceptions. The vast, overwhelming matrix of the Gospel tradition remains purely oral."

A Lakatosian critic would warn Dunn: "Dr. Dunn, by cordoning off the written evidence as a 'special exception,' you are protecting your oral-impact thesis from being forced to admit that the Gospel writers were much more like literate desk editors than your folk-memory model comfortably allows."

Ultimately, Dunn’s research program is the most compelling because it requires the least amount of special pleading.

While Walsh and Mills have to treat the text like a hyper-intellectualized riddle from a university lounge, and Wright has to construct massive theological-metaphorical frameworks to protect his orthodox dogmas, Dunn simply lets the text be what it looks like: a vibrant, messy, living, oral portrait of a historical figure who made a monumental, shattering impact on the people who knew him. He didn't break the mirror completely, but he constructed one of the most honest lenses to look through.

Next Monday:  Dale Allison Jr.

Religion, History and G. R Balleine – Part 5

Religion, History and G. R Balleine – Part 5
(The Reformation in Jersey)
By Jason St John Nicolle
From "The Pilot", 1991

Part V (finale) The Dog that failed to Bark

AND SO Advocate Balleine rises to address the court.

“The defence has argued that the victory of Protestantism in 16th century Jersey was slow and by no means inevitable; and you will be wondering how the 'prosecution is going to respond to an argument which poses so direct a challenge to any concept of a Reformation 'from below.'

"The jury will doubtless be familiar with the series of detective stories written by a prominent Edwardian physician and Spiritualist, featuring a retired army doctor and a violin-playing drug-addict. One of their cases involved an attempt to lame a famous race horse, Silver Blaze. How was Holmes able to deduce that the villain was a certain John Straker? It was because he had "grasped the significance of the silence of the dog" — the dog who had failed to bark at a man quietly edging towards the stables in the middle of the night. Clearly, the mysterious visitor was someone whom the dog knew well. The great detective had realised that there can be as much significance in the things that don't happen, as in the things that do.

"We have already heard the defence's argument that it would be wrong to assume that Jerseymen were dissatisfied with Catholicism on the eve of the Reformation. But it admitted that the available evidence is simply too limited for us to be at all certain of the character and degree of their religious commitment. The evidence relates to external practices, such of the membership of religious clubs known as Confraternities and the endowment of anniversary masses; but such practices might reflect custom and social pressure as much as the deeply held beliefs of committed individuals. How many of those sitting in the pews on a Sunday morning have a deep attachment to the Anglican faith? What degree of commitment are we showing to the problems of the Third World, when-we send off a cheque to Oxfam?

"And when the defence argues that the victory of Protestantism was incomplete as late as the 1570's, are they doing anything more than pointing out that there were some Islanders who objected to the new faith? There will always be those who refuse to recognise a victory; but if these objectors had been a significant force in Island life, the very same anti-Catholic legislation which reveals their presence would itself have been so unworkable as never to have been worth promulgating in the first place.

"Again, what force is there in pointing out what might have happened if Elizabeth had had as short a reign as her half-sister Mary, when we .know that she did not die in the 1560's or 1570's; when we know that England's last Catholic ruler died in 1558? Why bother with what might have happened when we know what actually occurred?

"Or, more to the point, when we know what did not occur? In England, popular support for Catholicism dominated the grievances which found expression in three serious rebellions: the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536, a revolt in northern England partly precipitated by the Dissolution of the smaller monasteries: the Western Rebellion of 1549; and the Revolt of the Northern_ Earls twenty years later. But there were no such expressions of religious conservatism among the g-grievances which 16th century Jerseymen placed before their monarchs. Nor were any Jerseymen prepared to join the handful of English Catholics who trod the road to martyrdom. If the majority of Jerseymen were unhappy with the introduction of Protestantism, why did this discontent fail to find expression? As Holmes might have put it, why did the Catholic dogs fail to bark?

With this question, Advocate Balleine winds up the case for the prosecution; how will the defence respond?

“The prosecution has assumed a familiarity with the stories of Sherlock Holmes; the defence will also assume knowledge — knowledge of the ways of Man's Best Friend. Dogs bark for a good reason — they bark when they feel threatened. So when did Island Catholics start to fear that the new religion might supplant the old? Arguably, it was not until the 1560's. As late as 1562, enough Islanders were in possession of Catholic service books for the authorities to consider it necessary to order their destruction; and it is hard to see why they would have bothered unless Islanders were using these service books in acts of Catholic worship. When, four years later, permission was given for the establishment of a Presbyterian church in St Helier, the remaining Island parishes were told to 'diligently cast away all superstitions used in the said diocese (of Coutances)'. 'Superstitions' were the features of Catholic worship which did not meet with Protestant approval.

"But why was no voice raised against the confiscation of property given by the pious for religious, and specifically Catholic, purposes? It was hardly a novel departure: the Crown had been confiscating religious property in the Islands since the 14th century. More importantly, in the England of the 1530's, monasteries were numerous and their functions as much social as religious, providing employment, charity and a market for local goods Jersey was completely different. Here there was only one monastery, situated on the islet which was to become the site of Elizabeth Castle; more to the point it was in a sorry state, already in a largely derelict condition.

"But what about the sale of the wheat renter which formed the endowment for numerous anniversary masses? It is interesting that when the majority were sold off, in 1550-4551, the price set by the Commissioners was the equivalent of a mere six years purchase. It is hardly surprising that people were willing to take advantage of what was quite probably: the bargain of the decade. Most dogs can be silence, with a good bone; and for 16th century Jerseymen such bones came almost exclusively from the Crow or the Governor. From the appointment of Seymour 1537, the Governors were solidly Protestant, so was the context of patronage. In short, these Catholic dog failed to bark for a very good reason: it was not in their interests to do so. 99

And here the Advocates finally rest their cases; the Court of Jersey History rises, and the jury retires to consider its verdict A Reformation 'from below', as argued by Advocate Balleine Or a Reformation from above'? It is up to the jury to decide.

Gaza

This is not a poem about politics, except insofar as people are politics. So many are caught up in this conflict, a conflict not of their own making, but of their own suffering. I am not concerned here with the political excuses and blame games, but with mothers and children. The true cost of any war is not measured in political points, but in civilian displacement and trauma.

Gaza

My child is forgotten, one of many,
As we trek on, searching for any
Place for refuge, to call home;
Until then we simply roam
Dispossessed. The sky at night
Brightened by the shooting stars:
But these are the harbingers of Mars,
Not cosmic, but man-made,
As rockets come and many slayed;
I will fear the terror by night,
Breaking open in explosive light,
As we cower, and pray for life,
To just survive within this strife;
Rubble of fallen buildings all around:
Aftermath: cries of the wounded sound;
It was another day, and it was bad:
I weep for my children, I am sad,
That no one sees our plight,
And day brings no respite.

TESSON CHAPEL: 1861 – 2001 – Part 1

TESSON CHAPEL: 1861 – 2001 – Part 1
By Richard and Gwyneth Syvret

INTRODUCTION

In Jersey in the Middle Ages an ancient right of sanctuary for outlaws existed which enabled those accused, and possibly guilty, of crimes to take refuge in one of the twelve parish churches or its nearby cemetery. This was a parallel, although not a close one, to the establishment in Old Testament times in Israel of cities of refuge in which a person who had unwittingly killed another could live without fear of reprisal. In Jersey however long-term existence in a church or churchyard was impossible and, while the friends of an accused could bring him food there for nine days, he had after that time to take an oath to leave the Island and never return. The church authorities would then escort the outlaw down specified routes from each parish church to the sea. Whilst on such a route or 'perquage' the accused could not be arrested.

The perquages of St Mary, St John and St Lawrence met together at the point at the foot of a cotil on Les Monts Greberts in St. Peter's Valley where Tesson Chapel now stands. Looking out from the porch of the chapel, were one able to step back in time some four or five centuries, one might have seen fugitives passing occasionally from those parishes and on through Beaumont marsh to the sea of St Aubin's bay.

Such ecclesiastical arrangements did not however outlive the Reformation but what has remained for later generations is the ability to find a different but more enduring sanctuary for time and eternity in the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE BIBLE CHRISTIANS

The story of Tesson Chapel must of course begin prior to its construction and even prior to the purchase by contract dated 2nd November 1861 of the small piece of land (44 feet by 30 feet) on which it now stands by trustees representing the Bible Christian Society. The work of the society, which was later to become a part of the Methodist denomination, was commenced in Jersey on 20th August 1823 when Mary Ann Werrey arrived from England to evangelise the Island.

She was a follower of the founder of the movement - William O'Bryan (whence the nickname 'Bryanites' which was attached to members of the movement for many decades). She preached energetically both in a room used generally for dancing and in the open air. A larger room was obtained and pews and pulpit donated. By October 1823 reports regarding the missionary activities of the Society stated that many in Jersey had been blessed and converted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Mary left Jersey before the end of the year and Mary O'Bryan, daughter of William O'Bryan, took her place. Mary was then only seventeen but a preacher in both French and English.

In 1825 the Society erected a small chapel in Great Union Road St Helier. Numbers there fluctuated over the years - 69 in 1827; 14 in 1834; 100 in 1847 - but the Society continued to send itinerant preachers to labour, alongside the local people, on the Island. During the 1840s there came to settle in Jersey Mr John Cory who was a member of one of the families in England which greatly supported the Bible Christian movement. He was followed to Jersey by several of his brothers and became a leading figure in the building and maintenance of the loyal and prosperous churches established in the 1860s and 1870s in the Island.

Improvements were made in 1849 to their small chapel at Great Union Road and these enabled it to seat 700 when opened in January 1850. That chapel was further enlarged in 1864.

It was from the work at Great Union Road that a Sabbath school for children developed in St Lawrence Valley.

This Sunday school was a satellite work of the main St Helier Sunday school and a lease for two rooms at "St. Lawrence Valley" for £3 per annum was agreed in June 1858, it being decided at the same meeting to take down the partitions dividing the rooms. The positions of superintendent and co-superintendent at St Lawrence Valley were filled from time to time from those engaged in the children's work at Great Union Road. Names like Scard, Job, Bragg and Newbury feature in those positions in the second half of the 1850s. A practice seems to have grown up of combining a tea for the pupils there with an outing for the townsfolk. Combined numbers envisaged were thirty children and fifty adults in 1857 in late summer.

THE WORK COMMENCES

The year 1861 however became a turning point for the Sunday school at St Lawrence Valley because the elders of Great Union Road chapel in October of that year received a report from a special committee appointed relative to the building of a chapel in the valley. On November 2nd 1861 trustees purchased the land from Mr and Mrs Richard Simes for £5. The trustees were bound by the deed of purchase to conform to the orders and directions of the 'conference' of the Bible Christian Society both in respect of the ground and of the chapel that would be built on it.

The chapel building itself was erected on a piecework basis with certain individuals responsible for each aspect of the construction. The work commenced in November 1861 and went on through to the summer of 1862. One record shows a total cost including land of just over £163, another £135, A part of the money needed was borrowed for the purpose from individuals - mainly from a Mrs Burton who advanced £50 -and by June 1866 £60 of debt remained outstanding. The Bible Christian Trustees on the island however, in the year to June 1866, had much larger financial matters on their hands, Great Union Road chapel had recently been enlarged and work had commenced at Gorey with initial borrowings of £300.

In 1867 the foundation stone of a new church designed to seat 1200 people was laid in Royal Crescent, Don Road, St Helier on the site of an old theatre and, whereas by 1880 no debt was outstanding for St Lawrence chapel, the total circuit debt was £3,305

What of the spiritual work of St Lawrence chapel during this time however? Weil, the first recorded service there was on 7th September 1862. Quite a number of seat rentals were charged (at one shilling per quarter year) and until 1868 the only Sunday service each week was in the morning, this being altered to 3 p.m. in November of that year. The chapel was part of the circuit that appointed and supported two full time ministers and it participated in the missionary endeavour (for which the Bible Christians were noted) by having missionary speakers on a weeknight. The key work however does seem to have remained with the Sunday school. A number of changes of superintendent occurred and there was talk of a library for the valley school. The circuit Sunday school outing was also held each year at St Lawrence Valley - in 1864 for 350 persons, in 1869 the 'Mill Room' being requested (presumably a room in Tesson Mill) for 200 and in 1871 the chapel when 100 persons were expected.

The register of baptisms solemnised by the Bible Christian Minister in the Jersey circuit for that period show at least three infant baptisms at St Lawrence chapel in those years (1865, 1871, 1875). The children concerned were the offspring of Samuel Gilley who was a miller - probably again at Tesson Mill. In 1864 the chapel had 9 members (compared with 179 for the circuit), in 1870 15 members and in 1874 6 members. In the latter year a decision was taken to discontinue the preaching service although missionary and deputation meetings remained.

By 1880 the membership had fallen to three (circuit - 243) and the scene was beginning to be set for another change.

DECLINE AND CLOSURE

In 1883 a decision was taken to close the chapel and to request the trustees to sell it. The sale cannot have been proceeded with however for on 18th June 1884 the report of the circuit minister - Revd. John Luke - was that "at St Lawrence, where we have re-opened our chapel, we do not find much to encourage".

It would seem that Beaumont had more residents at that time than the area of St Peter's Valley where Tesson Chapel now stands because in March 1886 it was decided by the Bible Christian Trustees to purchase from a Mr Voisin the Friendly Hall at Beaumont with St Lawrence chapel being transferred to him as part consideration. This however also did not materialise.

Instead, on 29th October 1888 Mr. James Cory, one of the trustees, auctioned the property following a decision of the trustees to that effect. Advertisements had been placed in four Jersey newspapers and the reserve price of £80 was also the selling price. Two days later decisions were taken regarding the disposal of the harmonium, seats, inside porch, rostrum and other items. The net proceeds of sale were shared equally between Great Union Road, Royal Crescent, Gorey and St Martin's chapels and the general circuit funds.