George R (Bob) Dekle, Sr.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: MALICIOUS PROSECUTION?
§ 1.1: Jesus and the Temple
§ 1.2: Judas and the Taxing
§ 1.3: The Twelve Witnesses
§ 1.4: Conflict and Confusion in the Canonical Gospels
§ 1.5: Prosecuting the Prosecutors
§ 1.6: Who Killed Jesus?
§ 1.7: Why Was Jesus Crucified?
§ 1.8: Does Anyone Deserve Censure?

CHAPTER TWO: PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
§ 2.1: What is Truth?
§ 2.2: What’s in a Name?
§ 2.3: Evaluating the Evidence
§ 2.4: The Seven Pillars of Scholarly Wisdom
§ 2.5: The Jesus Seminar’s Rules of Evidence
§ 2.6: Sanders’ and Davies’ Criteria for Evaluation
§ 2.7: John P. Meier’s Criteria for Evaluation
§ 2.8: Simon Greenleaf’s Rules of Evidence
§ 2.9: Evaluating Historical Evidence
§ 2.10: A Three Step Procedure for Evidentiary Analysis

CHAPTER THREE: ANCIENT CRIMINAL LAW
§ 3.1: Biblical and Talmudic Criminal Law and Procedure
§ 3.2: Courts and Procedure from the Earliest Courts to the Second Temple Sanhedrin
§ 3.3: The Talmudic Sanhedrin
§ 3.4: Capital Punishment under the Mishna
§ 3.5: Roman Criminal Law
§ 3.6: The Course of a Roman Criminal Trial
§ 3.7: Trials in the Provinces
§ 3.8: Egyptian Provincial Procedure
§ 3.9: Judean Provincial Procedure
§ 3.10: Ius Gladii

CHAPTER FOUR: ANCIENT JUDEAN PROSECUTIONS
§ 4.1: The Hoplology of Criminal Prosecution
§ 4.2: Naboth
§ 4.3: Jeremiah
§ 4.4: Susanna
§ 4.5: The Eighty Witches of Ashkelon
§ 4.6: The Eight Hundred Pharisees
§ 4.7: Herod the Great
§ 4.8: Herod’s Prosecutions
§ 4.9: Herod’s Prosecution of Hyrcanus
§ 4.10: Herod’s Prosecution of Mariamne
§ 4.11: Herod’s Prosecution of Alexander and Aristobulus
§ 4.12: Herod’s Prosecution of Tero
§ 4.13: Herod’s Prosecution of Pheroras’ Wife
§ 4.14: Herod’s Prosecution of Antipater
§ 4.15: Peter and John
§ 4.16: Peter and the Apostles
§ 4.17: Stephen
§ 4.18: The Priest’s Daughter
§ 4.19: Peter and James
§ 4.20: James the Just
§ 4.21: Jesus ben Ananus
§ 4.22: Zechariah
§ 4.23: Sanhedrin or Synedrion?

CHAPTER FIVE: GRECO-ROMAN PROSECUTIONS
§ 5.1: Socrates
§ 5.2: Alcibiades
§ 5.3: Verres
§ 5.4: The Catiline Conspirators
§ 5.5: Tiberius and Treason
§ 5.6: Paul at Iconium and Lystra
§ 5.7: Paul in Philippi
§ 5.8: Paul at Thessalonica
§ 5.9: Paul in Corinth
§ 5.10: Paul at Ephesus
§ 5.11: Paul in Jerusalem
§ 5.12: Paul before Felix
§ 5.13: Paul before Festus
§ 5.14: Paul before Herod Agrippa II
§ 5.15: Paul before Caesar
§ 5.16: The Bithynian Deaconesses
§ 5.17: Appolonius of Tyana
§ 5.18: Evaluating the Evidence

CHAPTER SIX: EXAMINING THE MINOR WITNESSES
§ 6.1: The Eight Minor Witnesses
§ 6.2: Tacitus
§ 6.3: Mara bar Serapion
§ 6.4: The Testimonium Flavianum
§ 6.5: The Talmud
§ 6.6: The Gospel of Peter
§ 6.7: The Witness of the New Testament Epistles
§ 6.8: The Speeches in Acts
§ 6.9: The Road to Emmaus
§ 6.10: Summary and Conclusions

CHAPTER SEVEN: MARK’S PASSION WEEK
§ 7.1: Where Do We Begin?
§ 7.2: The Triumphal Entry
§ 7.3: Spring Cleaning in the Court of the Gentiles
§ 7.4: The Plot to Destroy Jesus
§ 7.5: “By What Authority?”
§ 7.6: The Wicked Tenants
§ 7.7: Render to Caesar
§ 7.8: The Question about the Resurrection
§ 7.9: Christ as the Son of David
§ 7.10: Destroying the Temple

CHAPTER EIGHT: MARK’S SANHEDRIN TRIAL
§ 8.1: The Plan to Arrest Jesus
§ 8.2: The Anointing at Bethany
§ 8.3: The Confidential Informant
§ 8.4: Clandestine Preparations
§ 8.5: The Betrayal Foretold
§ 8.6: The Arrest Team
§ 8.7: The Arrest
§ 8.8: The Aftermath of the Arrest
§ 8.9: In the House of the High Priest
§ 8.10: The Witness to the Trial
§ 8.11: The Search for Witnesses
§ 8.12: The Interrogation by the High Priest
§ 8.13: The Abuse of Jesus
§ 8.14: The Morning Trial
§ 8.15: Irregularities in the Sanhedrin Proceedings?

CHAPTER NINE: MARK’S ROMAN TRIAL
§ 9.1: On the Personality of Pilate
§ 9.2: On the Legality of the Trial
§ 9.3: The Arraignment
§ 9.4: The Paschal Pardon
§ 9.5: The Scourging and Mockery
§ 9.6: The Crucifixion

CHAPTER TEN: MATTHEW’S ACCOUNT OF THE TRIAL
§ 10.1: Identifying the Evangelist
§ 10.2: The Diatribe against the Scribes and Pharisees
§ 10.3: The Arrest
§ 10.4: The Trial before the Sanhedrin
§ 10.5: The Trial before Pilate
§ 10.6: Summary and Conclusions

CHAPTER ELEVEN: LUKE’S ACCOUNT OF THE TRIAL
§ 11.1: The Least Synoptic of the Synoptic Gospels
§ 11.2: The Jewish Proceedings
§ 11.3: Before Pilate I
§ 11.4: Actus Reus, Mens Rea
§ 11.5: Before Herod
§ 11.6: Before Pilate II
§ 11.7: Summary and Conclusions

CHAPTER TWELVE: JOHN’S ACCOUNT OF THE TRIAL
§ 12.1: Introductory
§ 12.2: The Sanhedrin’s Plot
§ 12.3: The Triumphal Entry
§ 12.4: The Arrest
§ 12.5: In the House of the High Priest
§ 12.6: The Roman Trial
§ 12.7: Before Pilate
§ 12.8: Summary and Conclusions

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: FACTUAL THEORIES
§ 13.1: Expert Opinions
§ 13.2: Tatian
§ 13.3: Alfred Edersheim
§ 13.4: Richard W. Husband
§ 13.5: Solomon Zeitlin
§ 13.6: Paul Winter
§ 13.7: Raymond E. Brown
§ 13.8: N.T. Wright
§ 13.9: Gerd Theissen and Annette Merz
§ 13.10: Geza Vermes
§ 13.11: Craig A. Evans
§ 13.12: Revisiting the Factual Theory

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: A CRITIQUE OF THE PROSECUTION
§ 14.1: Revisiting the Legal Theory
§ 14.2: Confronting the Situation and Devising a Response
§ 14.3: The Charging Decision
§ 14.4: Prosecuting the Prosecutors
§ 14.5: Judging the Judge
§ 14.6: Finalizing the Legal Theory and Case Theory