What law/laws was he charged with breaking, and sentenced to crucifiction for?
Overturning the moneychangers tables. In modern law he would probably be charged with Vandalism and Causing a Breach of the Peace.
John 18:29-31 (New International Version)
When Jesus was taken to Pilate, the Jews say what crime they thought he had committed. They only said that he was a criminal. Pilate was having none of it, so he told them to judge him by their own law. They protested that they didn’t have the authority to execute anyone.
Move on to verse 38:
Pilate didn’t want to have Jesus crucified, but Jesus was in Pilate’s custody, and custom dictated that he had to release a prisoner in honor of the local Passover holiday. Since all he had were Jesus and Barabbas, and the people demanded Barabbas, Jesus was crucified.
There’s slightly more to it than that, and the other three gospels flesh out the story. Read Matthew 26 through 27; Mark 14:43 through the end of chapter 15; and Luke 22 and 23 for a more complete picture. If you don’t have a Bible, go to www.biblegateway.com and read on-line. There are several versions to choose from: I recommend the New International Version of The Message.
[QUOTE=HeyHomieWhen Jesus was taken to Pilate, the Jews say what crime they thought he had committed. They only said that he was a criminal. [/QUOTE]
Make that: “…the Jews did not say what crime…” :smack:
Make that: “OR The Message.” :smack: :smack: :smack:
Thanks for the link, HeyHomie. I have got a couple more questions, though.
This makes it seem like they (the high priests, anyway, not Pilate) were wanting to charge him for blasphemy, but i’m not sure if they’re talking legally or not.
And this seems like they convicted him because of his silence; that they assumed his guilt on the (various false charges) because he didn’t deny them.
And this makes it look as though the main crime he was charged with was incitement to rebellion.
(Apologies if I got my quoting confused, it’s been a good while since I learned how it works).
Disturbing the peace.
And creating a public nuisance.
I think it likely that the only laws Jesus broke were ones put in place by the occupying Romans to deal with agitators, etc. We know from Josephus that Pilate was an extremely harsh procurator who would have had no qualms about crucifying people whom he considered troublemakers. The gospel writers found it expedient to cast the blame for his death on the Jews, a calumny which has resounded throughout history with the most dreadful consequences.
Maybe Christians could ditch the anti-Semitic gospels and replace them with some non-anti-Semitic ones. They must have a lot of gospels in the attic that they aren’t using.
Consider Matthew, who was writing the gospel for the Jews. I think that Jesus was actually quite a minor political concern. He avoided the big cities. He didn’t advocate armed confrontations, unlike the Jewish revolutionaries of the time. He delibrately ‘chased’ off many of his followers, after saying that they would eat his flesh and drink his blood.
The law which Jesus broke, I think, is mentioned in the Gospel of John, where he claimed to the Son of God. Then the religious people begin to look for ways that they might kill him.
Simply stated, NONE
That’s a new can of worms. Anything and everything the Pharisees and others could come up with.
Or, perhaps, you might take this to GD or the Pit. None of the Gospels are anti-Semitic in the modern use of the term; the closest is the one that uses “the Jews” synecdotally for “the High Priest and his cronies, and the more venal of the Pharisees, who together opposed him.” I’m not fond of one-line zingers in GQ, and I hadn’t thought to see you perpetrating them, Johanna.
You obviously didn’t realize what Forum you’re in. Don’t do it again.
samclem
Religious offenses of concern to the Jewish authorities:
Blasphemy (in claiming, at most, Deity & applying the Name to himself; or
at least, being God’s Right-Hand Man & Viceroy.)
Challenging Priesthood/Temple system (rhetorically- “Destroy this Temple…”,
“Alas for you… your house will be left desolate”- Matthew 23, & in his act of
Cleansing the Temple Market)
Challenging the Fence around the Torah, especially RE the Sabbath
Claiming authority to forgive Sins
Political offenses of concern to Roman authorities:
Pretender to the David Throne, potential challenger to Rome
Challenging Priestly Authority (as the High Priest was a Roman appointee)
Other Jewish authority concerns-
Jesus’s Messianic/Kingly movement bringing on harsh Roman reaction;
Jesus’s Messianic/Kingly movement coupled with his Sermon on the Mount-
“go along to get along” policy getting Rome’s interest as a potentially more-
reliable, more-popular ally.
My understanding is that we are instructed not to break man’s law, with the exception if it conflicts with God’s law. So Jesus, having never sined, never broke any law of man.
So I submit that he broke some laws of physics, The water into wine, walking on water, talking with Satan were up there. Then just to shove it in our faces He had the nerve to actually rise from the dead 
My guess would be sedition. You know, encouraging people to think of him as the King of a conquered country which already had a Rome-appointed ruler, encouraging insurrection, plotting to establish a Jewish kingdom. I’ll bet that Palm Sunday business looked a lot like the start of a revolution, with the new king riding into the capital city to screaming crowds. Rome didn’t put up with that sort of thing; that’s how they got to be King of the World.
I thought he never actually claimed to be the Son of God. It was only his followers and whatnot, that made the Son of God claim. Or maybe I’m wrong.
I believe his crime was just be a rabble-rouser and whatnot, and making it difficult for the Romans and the high priests to do their thing. That’s good enough to be executed, I guess.
Unless, of course, there were laws that conflicted with God’s law. In which case he would have broken them.
Honestly, some people are just showoffs, aren’t they? 
[Nitpick]There were at least two other people (a couple of thieves, IIRC) who were crucified with Jesus, so I doubt that Jesus and Barabbas were Pilate’s only two choices.[/Nitpick]
And littering?