Sufficient was said concerning the entire work in the preface to volume
one to warrant a very brief preface to volume two.
The reader will notice that the plan of treatment of the Roman trial of
Jesus is radically different from that employed in the Hebrew trial.
There is no Record of Fact in the second volume, for the reason that the
Record of Fact dealt with in the first volume is common to the two
trials. Again, there is no Brief of the Roman trial and no systematic
and exhaustive treatment of Roman criminal law in the second volume,
corresponding with such a treatment of the Hebrew trial, under Hebrew
criminal law, in the first volume. This is explained by the fact that
the Sanhedrin found Jesus guilty, while both Pilate and Herod found Him
not guilty. A proper consideration then of the Hebrew trial became a
matter of review on appeal, requiring a Brief, containing a complete
statement of facts, an ample exposition of law, and sufficient argument
to show the existence of error in the judgment. The nature of the
verdicts pronounced by Pilate and by Herod rendered these things
unnecessary in dealing with the Roman trial.
In Part II of this volume, Græco-Roman Paganism at the time of Christ
has been treated. It is evident that this part of the treatise has no
legal connection with the trial of Jesus. It was added simply to give
coloring and atmosphere to the painting of the great tragedy. It will
serve the further purpose, it is believed, of furnishing a key to the
motives of the leading actors in the drama, by describing their social,
religious, and political environments. The strictly legal features of a
great criminal trial are rarely ever altogether sufficient for a proper
understanding of even the judicial aspects of the case. The religious
faith of Pilate, the judge, is quite as important a factor in
determining the merits of the Roman trial, as is the religious belief of
Jesus, the prisoner. This contention will be fully appreciated after a
careful perusal of Chapter VI of this volume.
Short biographical sketches of about forty members of the Great
Sanhedrin who tried Jesus have been given under Appendix I at the end of
this work. They were originally written by MM. Lémann, two of the
greatest Hebrew scholars of France, and are doubtless authoritative and
correct. These sketches will familiarize the reader with the names and
characters of a majority of the Hebrew judges of Jesus. And it may be
added that they are a very valuable addition to the general work, since
the character of the tribunal is an important consideration in the trial
of any case, civil or criminal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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