Reactions to On the Origin of Species man to be envious of a naturalist like myself, immeasurably his inferior!" Darwin's had estimated that erosion of the Weald would take 300 million years, but in the second edition of "On the Origin of Species" published on 7 January 1860 he accepted that it would be safer to allow 150 million to 200 million years. Geologists knew the earth was ancient, but had felt unable to put realistic figures on the duration of past geological changes. Darwin's book provided a new impetus to quantifying geological time. His most prominent critic, John Phillips, had investigated how temperatures increased with depth
Who Wrote The Dead Sea Scrolls? us much more than just a fresh and convincing interpretation of the origin and significance of the Qumran Scrolls. His book is also — among other things — a fascinating case-study of how an "idee fixe", for which there is no real historical justification, has for over 40 years dominated an elite coterie of scholars controlling the Scrolls, who have not only sought to restrict access to those who are prepared to toe their party-line, but have abused and rubbished those 'heretics' who have attempted to place a different interpretation on them." The Publisher Weekly, refers to this book as