1 Disarm a ghost reading through a particular book (6)
4 Medicinal shrub’s key to nipping smallpox in the bud across the continent (6)
8 Greek gods forged the original continent (7)
10 Norwegian Wood played at the Proms? (5)
11 Begging in the west is spreading (7)
12 Indian state railway carries back a haji on vacation (5)
13 He got a letter from Paul about moderating casino loss (9)
17 Give the thumbs up to accord (5)
19 Greek character’s bullish, vaulting lions (7)
21 Part of church used originally as location to accomplish rituals (5)
22 Opera piece Ned composed relative to the Minotaur (7)
23 One’s pieced together agency’s set back following the loss of half the spies in Tel Aviv (6)
24 He coached Nero, giving directions for the cutting of cards when twisting (6)
Cryptic down
1 Top-notch credit arrangement secretary raised, a 13 Ac woman (6)
2 American guys get across food options (5)
3 This has nothing to do with global warming: it’s the opposite of a Gallic fantasy (7)
5 African river mouth region under the governorship of Ben Geber (5)
6 The Bishop of Winchester is inside (7)
7 ‘Fake place’ is low even for a disgusting rag to be involved with (6)
9 At sea Argonauts get bitter (9)
13 Copper’s grade is admitted to clerical staff (7)
14 Prompt spread betting in anger (7)
15 He predicted this morning Welsh lake to rise (6)
16 Girl, missing the start, hummed the Spanish anthem’s introduction (6)
18 Eli the seer predicted the end of Og’s army here? (5)
20 Log cabin made of Lego bits is home to many (5)
Quick across
1 See 5 Down
4 Blocks of wood used to prevent the sliding or rolling of a heavy object (6)
8 Port in southern Turkey used by Paul on his first mission (7)
10 Inexperienced: environmentalist (5)
11 Heroine of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale (7)
12 Deflect (5)
13 Expert or scholar in the body of Jewish civil and canon law (9)
17 Brother of Jabal and inventor of musical instruments (5)
19 Vote back in (2-5)
21 —– Eaters, indolent hedonists (5)
22 Father of Elisha (7)
23 Syrian army officer healed of leprosy (6)
24 Thomas Alva —— (1847-1931), prodigious US inventor (6)
Quick down
1 Bernard Cornwell’s dashing Peninsular War soldier and eponymous TV series with Sean Bean (6)
2 Apostle entrusted with the ‘keys of the Kingdom of Heaven’ (5)
3 Resentment (3,4)
5/1A Built in the 6th century, the world’s largest cathedral at that time – and for another millennium (5,6)
6 Bishop of Rome, listed sometimes second, sometimes third, in succession after 2 (7)
7 Smaller national upper ‘house’ in US, France and other countries (6)
9 OT name given to Xerxes, King of Persia… (9)
13 …and the alternative name of Dorcas in the NT (7)
14 Nordic republic with full autonomy since 1944 (7)
15 One of the ten towns with pasture lands given to the remaining sons of the Levite Kohath (6)
16 —– Island, one of the five boroughs that make up New York City (6)
18 —– fever, lethal virus named after a village in Nigeria (5)
20 Distinctive principles of an era, group, etc (5)
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