What happens when the central claim of Christianity is examined not as theology but as a formal legal case?
In Resurrection on Trial, Peter Dominic Martino, Esq., approaches the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ with the trained mind of a trial attorney -- weighing evidence, testing claims, examining witnesses, and addressing objections with precision and clarity.
Presented in the form of a Supreme Court opinion, this unique work brings order and rigor to one of the most debated events in history. Drawing from Scripture, early historical sources, philosophy, psychology, science, and the insights of both skeptics and believers, Martino carefully assembles the record, weighs competing explanations, and renders a reasoned judgment.
This is not a devotional reflection. It is a disciplined, methodologically rigorous inquiry. With a lawyer's eye for detail and a judge's demand for coherence, Martino examines questions such as:
- The historical reality of Jesus' life and Crucifixion
- The reliability of first- and second-century sources
- Alternative explanations for the Resurrection accounts
- The credibility of eyewitness testimony, post-Resurrection appearances, and the transformation of the earliest disciples
- The development and consistency of early Christian belief
- The relationship between the Resurrection and scientific reasoning
Each argument is considered. Each objection is addressed. Each conclusion is grounded in evidence.
For believers, this book offers something invaluable: a deeper confidence in the Faith they profess and an enhanced ability to defend it. For skeptics and seekers, it offers serious engagement with the strongest arguments on both sides, evaluated through a structured and disciplined lens. It makes clear that the Resurrection is not only a mystery to be believed but a historical claim that invites examination and demands explanation. For truth does not fear scrutiny; it welcomes it.
Martino, Peter D.