In the second place, it must not be forgotten that, in matters of review
on appeal, errors will not be presumed; that is, errors will not be
considered that do not appeal affirmatively upon the record. The law
will rather presume and the court will assume that what should have been
done, has been done. In conformity with this principle, only such errors
will be discussed in these pages that affirmatively appear in the New
Testament Gospels which form the record in this case. By "affirmatively
appear" is meant that the error is clearly apparent or may be reasonably
inferred.
In Part II of the preceding pages of this volume, Hebrew criminal law,
which was actively in force at the time of Christ, was outlined and
discussed. In Part I the Record of Fact was reviewed in the light of
judicial rules. It is the present purpose, in Part III, to enumerate,
in the form of a Brief, the errors committed by the Hebrew judges of
Jesus, as the result of their failure to make the facts of their trial
conform with the legal rules by which they were bound in all criminal
proceedings where human life was at stake. The plan proposed is to
announce successive errors in brief statements which will be designated
"Points," in imitation of the New York method on appeal. Following the
statement of error will be given a short synopsis of the law applicable
to the point suggested. Then, finally, will follow the fact and argument
necessary to elaboration and proof. Accordingly, in pursuance of this
method, let us consider the points in order.
POINT I
THE ARREST OF JESUS WAS ILLEGAL
LAW
"Now the Jewish law prohibited _all proceedings by night_."--DUPIN,
"Jesus Devant Caïphe et Pilate."
"The testimony of an accomplice is not permissible by Rabbinic law
both _propter affectum_ and _propter delictum_, and no man's
_life_, nor his _liberty_, nor his _reputation_ can be endangered
by the malice of one who has confessed himself a
criminal."--MENDELSOHN, "Criminal Jurisprudence of the Ancient
Hebrews," n. 274.
"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people:
neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor. Thou
shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: Thou shalt not avenge
or bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."--LEVITICUS xix. 17, 18.
FACT AND ARGUMENT
The Bible record discloses three distinct elements of illegality in the
arrest of Jesus: (1) The arrest took place at night in violation of
Hebrew law; (2) it was effected through the agency of a traitor and
informer, in violation of a provision in the Mosaic Code and of a
Rabbinic rule based thereon; (3) it was not the result of a legal
mandate from a court whose intentions were to conduct a legal trial for
the purpose of reaching a righteous judgment. These elements of
illegality will be apparent when the facts of the arrest are briefly
stated.
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