Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1874 edition. Excerpt: ...or by messengers, stirred up a large number of witnesses to testify against Jesus. They must certainly have spoken to many before they succeeded in finding so considerable a number of witnesses. The judges themselves alarming the citizens at midnight, they could not expect secrecy. It rather ap Eears that Mark did not think of any secrecy. He must ave felt the weight of the question, If the trial was strictly secret among those conspirators, how could Mark or any body besides the conspirators know what was done and what was spoken? He reports not only alleged facts but also the very words spoken on that occasion. Therefore it was necessary to bring in some honest outsiders, in the capacity of witnesses, to render plausible the origin of the report; and bringing in honest outsiders, the idea of secrecy is dispelled. As unlikely as it appears that a body of conspirators should alarm the community at midnight, going about in search of witnesses, still in the case of Mark it proves that he had no idea of a sham trial. In his ignorance of Jewish law, he imagined the trial which lie described was lawful among Jews. He proves this, in the first place, by the very statement that witnesses were sought and produced. A court convoked and acting in rebellion to law and custom can be considered only a band of rebels. What use have such men of witnesses? Being lawless from the beginning, no legal restraint makes the presence of witnesses necessary. In the second place, Mark tells us, not only was the testimony of some witnesses considered insufficient to condemn Jesus (verse 56), and rejected on that ground, but also the testimony of false witnesses was rejected, so that Jesus was not condemned on the testimony of any witness, all being rejected as...