Trial of Christ

Hey everyone, I am trying to perform a search to find any information of the trial of Christ with regard to the illegal trials that the Jews put Him through. What would be the easiest way to perform a search to find a comparison as to their trial rules? Thanks

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David Paul

This may seem simplistic, but I just typed in "trial of christ" and got the following result from searching my entire library.

That doesn't seem to me to be to large a result to manage. Also, I would check your Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias using the same search term. You ought to find good results.

John Brumett

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/380713#Comment_380713

Arnold Fruchtenbaum has a very helpful discussion in his Messanniac Bible Study Collection:

The religious leaders transgressed twenty-two laws during the course of Jesus’ trial.^{^[1]}

1. According to Exodus 23:8, there was to be no arrest by ecclesiastical authorities that was effected by a bribe.

2. There were to be no steps of criminal proceedings after sunset.

3. Judges and Sanhedrin members could not participate in the arrest.

4. There were to be no trials before the morning sacrifice.

5. All trials were to be public; secret trials were forbidden.

6. Sanhedrin trials were only to be held in the Hall of Judgment in the Temple Compound.

7. The proper procedure for the trial was to be: first the defense; then the accusation. The judges who argued for innocence were to speak before the ones who argued for guilt.

8. While all judges of the Sanhedrin may argue in favor of acquittal, all may not argue in favor of guilt.

9. On the basis of Deuteronomy 19:15, there were to be two or three witnesses, and their testimonies had to be in perfect agreement.

10. There was to be no allowance for the accused to testify against himself.

11. Based on Leviticus 21:10, the high priest was forbidden to tear his garments.

12. The charges against the defendant were not to originate with the judges; they could only investigate charges brought to them.

13. When the charge was blasphemy, guilt could only be established if the defendant had actually pronounced the very name of God.

14. A person could never be condemned on the basis of his own words alone.

15. The judges’ verdict could never be announced at night.

16. In cases of capital punishment, the trial and the verdict of guilt could not occur at the same time. They had to be separated by at least 24 hours.

17. Voting for the death penalty had to be done by individual count beginning with the youngest judge so that the younger would not be influenced by the elder.

18. A unanimous decision for guilt showed innocence since it was impossible for a minimum of twenty-three men or a maximum of seventy-one men to agree without plotting.

19. The sentence could only be pronounced three days after the guilty verdict.

20. A person condemned to death could not be beaten or scourged beforehand.

21. Judges were to be humane and kind.

22. No trials are allowed on the eve of the Sabbath or on a feast day.^{^[2]}

^{^[1]} Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, vol. 9, The Messianic Bible Study Collection (Tustin, Calif.: Ariel Ministries, 1983), 5.

^{^[2]} Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, vol. 9, The Messianic Bible Study Collection (Tustin, Calif.: Ariel Ministries, 1983), 5-6.

DMB

I'm just moving this back up since I'm no search guru. I typed in 'illegal WITHIN 4 words trial' and got some nice discussions. Many in the IVP reference collection.

How to find a comparison of the rules seems like a difficult one unless there a resource specific to it (like Jewish Law).

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/380752#Comment_380752

trial NEAR rules applied to a collection of Talmuds yields some useful information.

Philana Crouch

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/380759#Comment_380759

One place to look for information are Bible Dictionaries/Encyclopedias:

Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary has an article called “TRIAL OF JESUS”

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia has an article called “JESUS CHRIST, ARREST AND TRIAL OF”

Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels has an article called “TRIAL OF JESUS”

They should be helpful.

Blessings!