The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, Vol. 1

Chandler, Walter M. (Walter Marion), 1867-1935Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8
Word count
636K words
Chapters
64

Tags

English Originals ReligionLaw Historical ReappraisalSocial ObservationPower GameMoral DilemmaAcademic StudyIntellectual CommentaryPopular Explanation

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Walter M. ChandlerAuthor: Chandler, Walter M. (Walter Marion), 1867-1935,Language: English, Class: BT: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Doctrinal theology, God, Christology, Release Date: Oct 7, 2012

Editor's review

This is the first volume of Chandler's legal study of the trial of Jesus, analyzing the Gospel accounts as a matter of procedure under both Roman law and Jewish law. Its value lies not in persuasion but in reorganizing the narrative around legal concepts such as evidence, jurisdiction, and procedure, bringing out trial details and power relations easily overlooked in the text. The argument is openly structured, with chapters moving through the stages of the trial, making it a useful case for reading legal history alongside religious texts. Readers should note the author's standpoint as a lawyer: he is not a neutral historian but intervenes in the text as an advocate. For general readers it serves as an accessible introduction to how ancient judicial procedure and religious narrative intertwine; for scholars it is a representative example of early twentieth-century American legal interpretation of the Bible. This public-domain reprint is plainly typeset and suited to close rather than quick reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read the relevant Gospel passages first, then compare them with the procedural analysis to judge the author's choices.
  2. Keep pen and paper handy to trace the author's use of jurisdiction, burden of proof, and related concepts into a procedural chain.
  3. Treat the author's stance as an object of analysis, marking biases that arise from his advocate's perspective.
  4. Finish this volume before deciding whether to continue to the next, rather than plunging ahead before becoming familiar with the argumentative style.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64

FAQ

Is this a theological work or a legal analysis? It is closer to legal analysis. Writing as a lawyer, the author reorganizes the trial narrative around procedure, jurisdiction, and evidence; theological argument is not the main thread, and readers should approach it as a legal reading of the text.
Can I understand it without a legal background? Yes, but it requires patience. Legal concepts are tied to specific stages of the trial and explained as the narrative unfolds. Familiarize yourself with the basic Gospel story first, and interpret procedural terms from context; no prior knowledge of Roman law is required.
Why is only the first volume available? The work was originally published in two volumes, and this is Volume 1. It already sets out the argument around the earlier stages of the trial, so readers can judge the author's stance and method before deciding whether to seek the second volume.
What is the reading experience of the electronic edition like? This is a public-domain electronic reprint in plain text, without modern notes or an introduction. It suits highlighting and excerpting on an e-reader, but if you prefer paper annotations or need supporting material, pair it with the biblical text and background works on legal history.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Chandler, Walter M. (Walter Marion), 1867-1935 Author · American · 1867–1935

Walter M. Chandler (1867–1935) was an American lawyer, U.S. Representative, and writer. Public information about his life and education is limited; what can be confirmed is his dual role as a legal practitioner and political figure. Two of his works are held in this collection: Volume 1 and Volume 2 of The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint. In these books he examines the historical trial of Jesus through a lawyer's eyes, analyzing it in terms of evidence, procedure, and the legality of the proceedings. By bringing the reasoning of courtroom argument into the biblical narrative, he created a distinctive style of religious-legal writing. This interdisciplinary approach gives the work a recognizable place in its field and reflects the author's ability to turn professional legal expertise into accessible exposition.