The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-26
WIN chri.t wa. crucIned.

According 20 the teachings Of the Scrip
lures. Christ suffered death upon the cross
in order that all who repented OF their
1 sins and beiieved IN him might have eve--
lasting life His death completed the plan
Of salvation upon which the Christian
religion is based. In so fer as the rellgi-
Gus aspect Of The case is concerned. =
makes little or no difference what form
the legal proceedings took. OF for what
technical ofense Christ was sentenced
10 death. IL is, nevertheless. interesting
10 get a view OF the proceedings from a
legal standpoint, such as Is given in a
book recently published in Germany. en-
titled Jesus Of Nazareth" written by
Rabbi Hamburger. who holds under the
Prussian government a church Office
somewhat similar TO that OF a bishop. The
rabbits opinions. are learned through
review Of his book in the Literary d.
gest.
The gospel Of 81. Matthew says the
ground OF blasphemy. and gives some ac-
count Of the trial. which was held in
public. The gospel Of St. John saws that
Caiaphas demanded the death Of Christ,
not because he deserved death, but be-
cause a prophecy had TO be fulfilled. Rao-
bi Hamburger quotes from the gospels to
show that Christ had an open trial. and
then quotes from the Talmudic code 10
show that, that being true, Christ could
not have been tried and condemned to
death FOR alleged blasphemy. Such trials
were always held in secret, and never
openly. charge Of blasphemy could only
be preferred before a full conclave Of the
Sanhedrim. which numbered seventy-two
members. and formed the highest court
in all secular and religious disputes. The
case could only be heard in the temple.
and in the day time; conviction and sem
tence could not be had until the follow
ing day, and the verdict could
not be published until three days
more had passed. to allow time for the
defense. But If the sin of blasphemy had
been committed, no sentence could be
pronounced unless it had been deposed
by witnesses under oath that the accused
had persisted in his blasphemy after hav-
ing been warned three times. In the case
of such convictions, the sentence had to
be executed by the witnesses. Nobody
could be sentenced upon his own ssser-
tons, as the. Jewish law made provision
for suicidal intentions. Moreover. Christ
recognized the Jewish faith as his own
by acknowledging God. and claiming him
as his God.
The accounts in the gospels Of the trial
therefore clash with the Jewish laws in
SUCH essential particulars that Rabbi
Hamburger says there must have been
mlsapprehension as TO the nature of the
charge. and the cause of the iniicting of
the death penalty The sentence of death
was not passed upon Christ for religious
teachings, but for political purposes, he
says, and the driving of the money chang
ers out of the temple was the cause of
the proceedings. Both before and after
the death of Christ, the country was filed
with political agitators, who sought to
lead the people into open rebellion against
the Roman authority, and thousands of
such agitators were put to death on the
cross. In the Acts it is told that two
"messiahs,' Judas and Theudus, were cru
CITED shortly before Christ was, and it
was the opinion of Caiaphas that Christ
was a political agitator merely. like the
others. That the masses in Jerusalem re-
ceived him joyfully was sufficient to
arouse the Romans, who were wont to
cruelty Jews by hundreds and thousands
If they removed the votive tablets and
statues Of the emperors.