Sacred Texts Christianity Index Previous Next
The Trial of Christ, by David K. Breed, [1948], at sacred-texts.com
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 1 The death of Christ as the sacrifice of God for man is the greatest fact in the story of salvation, except His glorious resurrection. No legalistic study of The Trial of Christ can take the place of the Evangelistic message of The Christ. To many lawyers, no trial of history is quite so interesting as the Trial of Christ. Our purpose will be to re-examine the trial in the light of the Roman and Jewish laws of that era, and our laws today, in order to call the attention of Christian people to the legal significance of that trial—and, perchance, to demonstrate again the fact that there is no substitute for Christian faith.
Our approach to the subject will be in legalistic style, a style perhaps not too familiar
to lay minds, but that most adaptable to our subject.
In preparing a case on Appeal today, an attorney edits and files in The Supreme Court
(1) a digest of the charges, the pleadings, the testimony and judgment in the lower court (called collectively "The Record"),
(2) a list of the points on which he intends to rely as grounds for reversal of the judgment below (called an "Assignment of Errors"),
(3) a repetition of the Assignment of Errors, with reference to legal publications as authority for the propositions relied on as error, usually somewhat amplified in form and known as "Points and Authorities," and, finally, (4) an essay discussing the record, errors and authorities in logical sequence and known as an "Argument." In most Appellate and Supreme Courts these documents must be printed and the practice is to print The Record as a separate volume, combining the Errors, Authorities and Argument under another cover.
We will follow the above classification with one modification, that we will combine the Authorities with the Errors and give within these pages a statement of the following:
A. In Chapter II, some comment on the nature of law and the sources of the Record of The Trial of Christ;
B. In Chapter III, that Record, as we have it in the four Gospels;
C. In Chapter IV, a discussion of the term "Reversible Error" and a list of the Errors in The Trial of Christ;
D. In Chapters V, VI, VII and VIII, we explain and argue the various errors listed in Chapter IV, and draw from these arguments A Lesson in Citizenship; and,
E. In the Epilogue we summarize our study to emphasize that Christ is Our Redeemer.
A word as to the authorities. Our study is not unique, and an attempt is made to credit its sources, both legalistic and theological. For brevity's sake, the standard legal citations are given in our footnotes and the theological works referred to in an abbreviated form, to all of which a key is found in an Appendix.
9:1 John 3:16.