Trial of Jesus - Softcover

Watson, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0820341525 ISBN 13: 9780820341521

Publisher: University of Georgia Press, 2012

Synopsis

In The Trial of Jesus Alan Watson argues that by virtue of Jesus’s conviction and crucifixion at the hands of the Romans he failed to fulfill the prophecy of his messiahship in the manner he had intended. Jesus’s destiny, as he saw it, was to be condemned by the Jewish authorities to death by stoning. This is just one of the provoking insights in Watson’s fresh interpretation of the arrest, trial, and conviction of Jesus. Drawing on the four Gospels, writings from the period, and Jewish and Roman laws and customs, Watson adds substantially to what we know about Jesus himself, his prophesies, the justness of the charges against him, his degree of guilt, and the powers, prerogatives, and motivations of his accusers. The Trial of Jesus joins three other works by Watson―Jesus and the Jews, Jesus and the Law, and Jesus: A Profile (all Georgia)―to examine the early dynamism of western religion through refocused attention on biblical texts and other historical sources.

About this title

About the Author:

ALAN WATSON, Distinguished Research Professor and Ernest P. Rogers Chair at the University of Georgia School of Law, is regarded as one of the world's foremost authorities on Roman law, comparative law, legal history, and law and religion. He is the author of numerous books, including The State, Law, and Religion: Pagan Rome (Georgia) and Roman Law and Comparative Law (Georgia). He is also the editor of the four-volume translation of the Digest of Justinian.

From Library Journal:

Watson (Jesus and the Jews, Univ. of Georgia, 1995) examines the testimony regarding the arrest, trial, conviction, and execution of Jesus as presented in the canonical Gospels. His goal is to adduce evidence regarding historical plausibility rather than factual certitude, focusing primarily on the books of Mark and John. From his sifting of the evidence, Watson highlights two main issues: the nature of Jesus' ministry as it led to conflict with the Jewish leaders and the reaction and actions of the Sanhedrin. He portrays Jesus as little more than a charismatic miracle worker, prone to fits of rage, seeking to engineer his own execution by stoning at the hands of the Sanhedrin. Some of Watson's conclusions, particularly those regarding the personality of Jesus, seem contrived and without basis in testimony. His assertion that the Sanhedrin did have authority to impose and execute a death sentence (against John 18:31) will spark debate. Recommended for academic and larger public library theology collections.?Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama Lib., Birmingham
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Georgia Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0820341525
• ISBN 13: 9780820341521
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 236