Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 88
statements in the New Testament which establish beyond doubt that Jesus was put upon the cross but was delivered by God Almighty from death upon the cross and the designs. of his enemies were thus frustrated. . As is indicated by the title of my address, I shall support my thesis with statements comprised in the New Testament and in the commentaries thereon. It is necessary, however, to state in this context, that we do not consider the books of the New Testament as infallible and binding upon us. They were compiled a long time after the event of the crucifixion and do not possess the status of revealed books. . Even the authorship of some of them is in dispute. The words of Jesus himself have not been reproduced in them in their integrity. The method adopted by the ecclesiastical authorities for their selection also shows that these books were not considered as revealed. Besides, their statements sometimes contradict each other. By the time they were compiled the notion that Jesus had died on the cross had gained acceptance. . Nevertheless any statements comprised in them which militate against the death of Jesus on the cross would furnish strong evidence that he did not die on the cross. . I would preface my address with a brief account of the last few days of the life of Jesus, preceding the event of the crucifixion, from the Gospels so as to furnish my audience with some idea of the situation which confronted Jesus at the time. . The hostility of the Jews towards him was at its height in those days and they were seeking means of putting an end to his life as they did not consider him a true prophet. They were also incensed against him as he was constantly preaching against and rebuking them on account of the absurd practices and ceremonials to which they had become accustomed and castigated them for their hypocrisy which had become their second nature. Thus they were on the lookout for means which might bring about his ruin. . For instance:. As he went away from there, the scribes and the. Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say. (Luke 11:53, 54). At the time when Jesus taught in the temple at Jeru91