Jesus on Trial

A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel

By: David Limbaugh

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

In Jesus on Trial, New York Times bestselling author David Limbaugh applies his lifetime of legal experience to a unique new undertaking: making a case for the gospels as hard evidence of the life and work of Jesus Christ. Limbaugh, a practicing attorney and former professor of law, approaches the canonical gospels with the same level of scrutiny he would apply to any legal document and asks all the necessary questions about the story of Jesus told through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. His analysis of the texts becomes profoundly personal as he reflects on his own spiritual and intellectual odyssey from determined skeptic to devout Christian. Ultimately, Limbaugh concludes that the words Christians have treasured for centuries stand up to his exhaustive enquiry - including his examination of historical and religious evidence beyond the gospels - and thereby affirms Christian faith, spirituality, and tradition.

Scripture quotations are from the following sources: The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV® Text Edition: 2011. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved; The Holy Bible New International Version®, NIV® © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide; The New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; The New King James Version®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; and the King James Version.

©2014 David Limbaugh (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What a disappointment

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I had no problem with the narration. It was fine. It's the content I found disappointing

What could David Limbaugh have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

His story needed to be more cohesive. Almost every three or four sentences there was a quote, either from the Bible or from some source Mr. Limbaugh found credible or interesting. After a while it was very hard to keep track of the point he was trying to make. The ad for this book claims Mr. Limbaugh, as an "attorney and former professor of law, approaches the canonical gospels with the same level of scrutiny he would apply to any legal document and asks all the necessary questions about the story of Jesus." The book does no such thing, or at least it did not seem to me that it does. Instead the book appeared to be a series of assertions by the author, followed by biblical passages that support these assertions.

Which scene was your favorite?

I did not like any particular passage from the book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment!

Any additional comments?

The ad for this book is misleading.

Lacks a foundation

The author starts with the major premise that the bible is the inerrant word of God. The bible tells us that in multiple places therefore we know it's true. He'll go on to tell the reader, we are born with sin and the only way to overcome that is through belief in Jesus. Paradoxes within scripture are only because of lack of faith. The more holy we become, the more we realize how unholy we were. Faith leads to justification and salvation. He quotes a lot of scripture to prove his points. Prophecy is perfect and the Old Testament prophesied Jesus. The ressurection is true and proves the divinity of Christ. He'll argue that God has a plan for all of us. The story of Joseph and his brothers illustrates how God has a perfect plan for us. Moses in the desert demonstrates God's wisdom and shows us why we should rest on the sabbath. Obedience is part of God's plan. Free will is a gift from God and that proves the truths in the bible. Christianity must be true because it's the only religion that uses grace from God to save us from our sin which we are all born with and we must be born again in order to be saved.

He uses Kierkaard to defend his point on the value of reason for our faith. He probably shouldn't because Kierkegaard would argue faith isn't necessary because it's correct, but faith is necessary because it keeps us balanced. The author does comment on my favorite book of the bible, Ecclesiasties, but he says "almost certainly it was written by Solomon".

There is not much to recommend in this book except for those who do believe in the authors major premise. He has no doubt in his certainties, but makes weak arguments in support of his major premise.

I have known lawyers who followed Mr. Limbaugh's path & found Christ too

This book takes you on the same path many who have tried to discredit the Bible.
I knew of a Jewish Lawyer who in anger was going to once and for all disprove the Bible, what happened was what happened to Mr. Limbaugh.
This Lawyer's eyes were opened by Isaiah 53.
This book is great for believers & non believers alike
I highly recommend it

Difficult to follow audibly

This is probably a book that should be visually read. while I understand it was necessary to quote chapters and verses, it distracted from the storyline for me.

jesus! I love you

Is an exhaustive study of the bible and jesus and really hits nail on head

Only half as persuasive as I wanted it to be

I was looking forward to a conclusive slam-dunk logical argument from a man who should know logical proofs best: a lawyer. While many of the author's arguments were new to me, and were persuasive; many others depended upon assumptions about the nature of God and his motivations, which of the author seems to accept as universally accepted proven fact. Despite those hollow arguments, the book is a worthwhile listen, although it did not hold my attention until about the ninth chapter. Perhaps a second listen later on will prove more enlightening. I am still hopeful.

Compelling case for divinity of Christ and Bible

Any additional comments?

The book makes a solid, in-depth case that both the New and Old Testaments are the inspired word of God. My only issue is that I would have preferred that the author provide more assurance that he wasn't cherry picking from the Bible with regard to certain topics, such as Old Testament prophecies as well as passages in the Bible that are consistent with modern science. Did he leave out passages from the Bible that would have weakened his arguments? He should have addressed that question. Apart from that, there was one glaring error: the author indicates that Jesus had biological brothers. Apparently there's no word for cousin in the original Aramaic, so English translations of the Bible use the word brother. Moreover in traditional societies people often refer to their cousins as brothers. The author should have at least addressed the brothers vs. cousins issue.

Do You Have Doubt's About Christ & Christianity?

If ever you had any doubt's about Christ & Christianity listen to this book!

Way too complicated in downloading.

What disappointed you about Jesus on Trial?

Way too complicated. Would not recommend purchase of audio books from Amazon. Have been trying to complete order, download product then listen but currently on hold listening to music playing in my ear. Customer Service rep has taken me back and forth from Amazon to Audible, to ITunes to no avail in completing download. Too complex and quite frankly ... Jack Legged technology!

What was most disappointing about David Limbaugh’s story?

have not read

Great reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Great narrative, plenty of reference. Eye opening. I enjoyed the way it was put together.

Informative. Encouraging and well read.

As a seeker for many years this is one of the most encouraging and informative books I have read, having acquired the hard copy.The evidence for the divinity of Jesus and the authority of scripture being the word of God is convincing, well presented and referenced. I shall be pleased to recommend the book to my friends and any requiring deeper evidence to bolster their faith.