Logo

 

Banner Image:   Baptist-Times-banner-2000x370-
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet

The Trial of Jesus: victim of bigotry and cowardice

An analysis of the trial of Jesus, written by an Italian lawyer and professor of criminal law

TrialofJesusThe Trial of Jesus: Victim of bigotry and cowardice
By Elio Palombi
Beaconsfield Publishers
ISBN 978-0-906584-68-2
Reviewed by Pieter J. Lalleman

This short book is an analysis of the trial of Jesus, written by an Italian lawyer and professor of criminal law. Palombi takes the Gospel stories seriously and does not doubt their factual accuracy. His aim is to show that not all Jews were guilty of the death of Jesus but only the members of the Sanhedrin, as well as the Roman governor Pilate. This aim he achieves in a satisfactory way.

Palombi’s sentences are not simple and often a bit woolly; at least in the translation from Italian, they lack the exactness one would expect from a lawyer. Another disappointment is the fact that he does not quote the relevant Jewish and Roman laws but only alludes to them. He also does not shed new light on the privilege of Pilate to set a prisoner free, which is not attested in extra-biblical sources and therefore denied by critical scholars.

Furthermore, I miss references to the political situation in Rome at the time, which according to some made Pilate more vulnerable than he had been previously.

All Palombi’s sources are in Italian; the translator has added a list of sources in English, some of which go against the spirit of the book because they are Bible-critical.

I would suggest that on the same subject David Limbaugh, Jesus on Trial (2014) is a better choice. When it comes to the involvement of the Jewish people, Gerard Sloyan, Jesus on Trial (second edition 2006) can be used with care.

 

Dr Pieter Lalleman teaches Bible at Spurgeon's College

Baptist Times, 14/01/2016
    Post     Tweet
Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, by Cole Arthur Riley
'Cole Arthur Riley’s writing offers up a voice from the margins which speaks into our wrestling with embodiment, with the wonder of being human, and the aches of trauma - a gift to anybody, and especially any worship leader'
Blessed be God: a book of blessings and resources to write your own, by Ruth Burgess
'This book will be an excellent resource for those leading services, but also for all who wish to bless others or indeed themselves and those closest to them'
Reimagining the Landscape of Faith, by Mary and Charles Hipplsey
'An excellent practical tool for ways of developing faith when life is going normally, and also handling faith when the moral and spiritual battles of life threaten to overwhelm us and sink the ship'
Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson
'Brings her unique experiences as a novelist to bear on the nature of the text, while sharing her insights as a female writer on the importance of women'
Giving the Church, by Michael Moynagh
Giving the Church is a comprehensive critique of how the church at large presents itself to contemporary society
A Handful of Pennies, by Afaf Musallam
This Palestinian Christian Arab woman’s long journey searching for identity and peace works on several levels
    Posted: 21/03/2025
    Posted: 04/10/2024
     
    Text Size:  
    Small (Default)
    Medium
    Large
    Contrast:  
    Normal
    High Contrast