For a scholarly defence by a lawyer of the historical accuracy of the trials, as described in the Gospels, see Le Procès de Jésus by Prof. Jean Imbert.
For a summary of available information about crucifixion see Martin Hengel’s Crucifixion.
Matt. 27:32–35; Mark 15:21–25; Luke 23:26–33; John 19:17–18.
Antiquities xviii.3.2.
Ad Gaium 38, p.165.
Luke 23:4; John 18:38.
Luke 23:13–15; cf. John 19:4–5.
Luke 23:22; John 19:6.
H. B. Swete, The Gospel According to St Mark, p.350.
Matt. 27:18; cf. Mark 15:10.
Matt. 2:13 and 27:20, av.
C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy, p.163.
Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16.
John 6:64, 71; 13:11.
John 17:12. Cf. Acts 1:15–17, 25.
John 13:2, 27. Cf. Luke 22:3.
The founder of the zealot party was Judas’ namesake, namely ‘Judas the Galilean’, who in AD 6 led an armed revolt against Rome (mentioned in Acts 5:37). The rebellion was crushed and Judas was killed, but his sons continued the struggle. Masada was the final stronghold of zealot resistance to Rome; it fell in AD 74. William Barclay is one of those who considered it ‘more than likely’ that Judas was a zealot, and that the kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane was ‘no intended treachery’, but rather a signal meant to provoke Jesus to abandon his wavering and launch his long-awaited campaign (Crucified and Crowned, pp.36–38).
See Josephus’ Antiquities xx. 163–165, 186–188 and Jewish War ii.254–257.
Matt. 26:6–16; Mark 14:3–11; John 12:3–8 and 13:29.
Luke 12:15, RSV; 1 Tim. 6:10.
1 Tim. 3:3, 8; Titus 1:7. Cf. Acts 8:18–23 and 20:33–34.
Matt. 17:22; 26:2.
Matt. 26:14–16 (Judas); 27:18 (the priests); 27:26 (Pilate).
Luke 23:34; Acts 3:17; 1 Cor. 2:8.
Matt. 27:25. Cf. Acts 5:28.
Peter Green, Watchers by the Cross, p.17.
Gal. 2:20. Cf. Eph. 5:2, 25 and also Luke 23:46.
Rom. 8:32; cf. 4:25.
I am grateful to David Kingdon for drawing my attention to this quotation, which John Murray includes in his Romans, Vol. 1, p.324, having taken it from Winslow’s No Condemnation in Christ Jesus (1857).
Acts 2:23; cf. 4:28. Later, in his first letter, Peter was to describe Jesus the Lamb as having been ‘chosen before the creation of the world’ (1 Pet. 1:19–20).
