Across
1 Chemical class that can neutralise acid. (6)
4 An ancient Egyptian city near the Valley of the Kings (6)
9 A Republic adjoining Greece (7)
10 Most northerly of the Ionian Islands of Greece (5)
11 The place where Jesus was crucified (8)
13 An extensive desert in Central Asia (4)
14 The city in which Paul preached at Mars Hill (6)
17 A long narrow cream-filled cake (6)
19 They provide accommodation for travellers (4)
20 His house accommodated the Ark when it was returned from the Philistines (8)
24 "The day of the Lord so cometh as a …. in the night." (5)
25 Paul passed though this district [Acts 15] (7)
26 British admiral and hero of the 18th century (6)
27 A 2-part book contained in the Apocrypha (6)

Down
2 The capital city of 9 Down (5)
3 The sixteenth President of the USA (7)
5 To cut irregularly (4)
6 Surname of a disciple called Simon (7)
7 Al-Qaeda's operatives are in this oil-rich kingdom (5, 6)
8 One of the five great Philistine cities (4)
9 A country sheltering Osama bin Laden. (11)
12 A bladed hand-held cutting implement (3)
15 A Manassite leader appointed to divide the land [Num. 34:23] (7)
16 A tub for relaxation or invigoration (3)
18 "I will search Jerusalem with …, and punish the men that are settled on their lees" [Zeph 1:12] (7)
21 "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking ..…, is fit for the kingdom of God" (4)
22 A decorative style or scheme (5)
23 A rounded, very thick, tightly curled hairstyle (4)