Classic Legal Apologetics


Classic Legal Apologetics

"All Christianity asks of men on this subject, is that they would be consistent with themselves; that they would treat the evidence of other things; and that they would try and judge its actors and witnesses, as they deal with their fellow men, when testifying to human affairs and actions, in human tribunals. Let the witnesses be compared with themselves, with each other, and with surrounding facts and circumstances; and let their testimony be sifted, as if were given in a court of justice, on the side of the adverse party, the witness being subjected to a rigorous cross-examination."

So wrote Professor Simon Greenleaf of Harvard Law School, in The Testimony of the Evangelists: The Gospels Examined by the Rules of Evidence. New York: J. C. & Co., 1874.

Classic Apologetics presents works from the greatest legal minds in history, in applying the rules of legal evidence to the testimonies of those who wrote the books of the Bible.



Historical Overview

  • Rafael Domingo and Javier Martínez-Torrón, editors. Series: Law and Christianity. Great Christian Jurists in Spanish History . Cambridge, United Kingdom; New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2018. xiii, 395 pages; 24 cm.
    Contents: Introduction / Rafael Domingo and Javier Martinez-Torron -- Isidore of Seville / Philip Reynolds -- Raymond of Penyafort / Jose Miguel Viejo-Ximenez -- Alfonso X / Joseph F. O'Callaghan -- Francisco de Vitoria / Andreas Wagner -- Bartolome de Las Casas / Kenneth Pennington -- Martin de Azpilcueta / Wim Decok -- Domingo de Soto / Benjamin Hill -- Fernando Vazquez de Menchaca / Salvador Rus -- Diego de Covarrubias y Leiva / Richard Helmholz -- Luis de Molina / Kirk R. MacGregor -- Francisco Suarez / Henrik Lagerlung -- Tomas Sanchez / Rafael Domingo -- Juan Solorzano Pereira / Matthew C. Mirow -- Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos / Jan-Henrik Witthaus -- Francisco Martinez Marina / Aniceto Massferrer -- Juan Donoso Cortes / Jose Maria Beneyto -- Concepcion Arenal / Paloma Duran y Lalaguna -- Manuel Alonso Martinez / Carlos Petit -- Alvaro d'Ors / Rafael Domingo -- Pedro Lombardia / Alberto de la Hera and Javier Martinez-Torron.
    Abstract: The Great Christian jurists' series comprises a library of national volumes of detailed biographies of leading jurists, judges and practitioners, assessing the impact of their Christian faith on the professional output of the individuals studied. Spanish legal culture, developed during the Spanish Golden Age, has had a significant influence on the legal norms and institutions that emerged in Europe and in Latin America. This volume examines the lives of twenty key personalities in Spanish legal history, in particular how their Christian faith was a factor in molding the evolution of law. Each chapter discusses a jurist within his or her intellectual and political context. All chapters have been written by distinguished legal scholars from Spain and around the world. This diversity of international and methodological perspectives gives the volume its unique character.

  • Mark Hill and R. H. Helmholz, editors. Series: Law and Christianity. Great Christian Jurists in English History. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, First paperback edition, 2018, ©2017, xxii, 353 pages: illustrations; 22 cm.
    Contents: Foreword / Lord Mackay of Clashfern -- Introduction / R H Helmholz and Mark Hill QC -- Henry of Bratton (alias Bbracton) / Nicholas Vincent -- William Lyndwood / R H Helmholz -- Christopher St German : religion, conscience and law / Ian Williams -- Sir Edward Coke : faith, law and the search for stability in reformation England / David Chan Smith -- Richard Hooker : priest and jurist / Norman Doe -- The integrative Christian jurisprudence of John Selden / Harold Berman & John Witte -- Matthew Hale as theologian and natural law theorist / David S Sytsma -- Lord Mansfield : the reasonableness of religion / Norman S Poser -- William Blackstone's Anglicanism / Wilf Prest -- Lord Kenyon : preaching from the bench / James Oldham -- Stephen Lushington / Stephen M Waddams -- Roundell Palmer, Earl of Selborne / Charlotte Smith -- F W Maitland : faithful dissenter / Russell Sandberg -- A passion for justice : Lord Denning, Christianity and the law / Andrew Phang.
    Abstract: The Great Christian Jurists series comprises a library of national volumes of detailed biographies of leading jurists, judges and practitioners, assessing the impact of their Christian faith on the professional output of the individuals studied. Little has previously been written about the faith of the great judges who framed and developed the English common law over centuries, but this unique volume explores how their beliefs were reflected in their judicial functions. This comparative study, embracing ten centuries of English law, draws some remarkable conclusions as to how Christianity shaped the views of lawyers and judges. Adopting a long historical perspective, this volume also explores the lives of judges whose practice in or conception of law helped to shape the Church, its law or the articulation of its doctrine.

  • Olivier Descamps, Université Panthéon-Assas, Paris and Rafael Domingo, Emory University, Atlanta and University of Navarra, Spain, editors. Series: Law and Christianity. Great Christian Jurists in French History. Cambridge, United Kingdom; New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
    Introduction / Olivier Descamps and Rafael Domingo -- Ivo de Chartres (Uves de Chartres) / Christof Rolker -- Stephen of Tournai (Étienne de Tournai) / Ken Pennington -- Guillaume Durand / Orazio Condorelli -- Jacques de Revigny / Paul J. du Plessis -- Pierre de Belleperche / Yves Mausen -- Charles Dumoulin / Wim Decock -- John Calvin (Jean Calvin) / John Witte, Jr -- Jacques Cujas / Xavier Prevost -- Francois Hotman / Mathias Schmoeckel -- Hugues Doneau / Christian Hattenhauer -- Jean Bodin / Daniel Lee -- Jean Domat / David Gilles -- Henri François d'Aguesseau / Isabelle Brancourt -- Robert-Joseph Pothier / Olivier Descamps -- Jean-Etienne-Marie Portalis / Nicolas Laurent-Bonne -- Alexis de Tocqueville / Mary Ann Glendon -- Paul Viollet / Anne-Sophie Chambost -- Paul Fournier / Brigitte Basdevant-Gaudemet and Rafael Domingo -- Raymond Saleilles / Marco Sabbioneti -- Maurice Hauriou / Julien Barroche -- Léon Duguit / M.C. Mirow -- Georges Ripert / Frédéric Audren -- Jacques Maritain / William Sweet -- Robert Schuman / Rafael Domingo -- Gabriel le Bras / Kathleen Cushing -- Jean Carbonnier / Laetitia Guerlain -- Michel Villey / Luisa Brunori.
    Abstract: French legal culture, from the Middle Ages to the present day, has had an impressive influence on legal norms and institutions that have emerged in Europe and the Americas, as well as in Asian and African countries. This volume examines the lives of twenty-seven key legal thinkers in French history, with a focus on how their Christian faith and ideals were a factor in framing the evolution of French jurisprudence. Professors Olivier Descamps and Rafael Domingo bring together this diverse group of distinguished legal scholars and historians to provide a unique comparative study of law and religion that will be of value to scholars, lawyers, and students. The collaboration among French and non-French scholars, and the diversity of international and methodological perspectives, gives this volume its own unique character and value to add to this fascinating series.

  • Daniel L. Dreisbach and Mark David Hall, editors. Series: Law and Christianity. Great Christian Jurists in American History. Cambridge, United Kingdom; New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
    Introduction: Christianity and American law / Daniel L. Dreisbach -- Roger Williams and John Cotton / Glenn A. Moots -- John Winthrop and the covenantal ideal / Darren Staloff -- Friendly laws : William Penn's Christian jurisprudence / Andrew R. Murphy -- "The friendly jurisprudence and early feminism of john dickinson / Jane E. Calvert -- "Roger Sherman, Oliver Ellsworth, and the formation of America's Constitutional order / Mark David Hall -- John Jay : the first Chief Justice / Wendell Bird -- James Wilson / Donald L. Drakeman -- Was Justice Joseph Story a Christian Constitutionalist? / James Stoner -- Harvard's evangelist of evidence : Simon Greenleaf's Christian common sense / Daniel David Blinka -- John Marshall Harlan the elder, Christian jurist / Linda Przybyszewski -- Judicial conservatism and Protestant faith : the case of Justice David J. Brewer / Linda Przybyszewski -- John T. Noonan, Jr. : Catholic jurist and judge / Charles J. Reid, Jr -- The Integrative Christian jurisprudence of Harold J. Berman / John Witte -- Antonin Scalia : devout Christian, worldly judge / Thomas C. Berg -- The insights and transitions of Mary Ann Glendon / Paolo G. Carozza -- A reformed liberalism : Michael McConnell's contributions to Christian jurisprudence / Nathan S. Chapman -- The Jurisprudence of Robert P. George / Gerard V. Bradley.



    Adams, Jasper
    (1793-1841)

    Math professor and college president. Read more about Adams here.

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    Alderman, Thomas

    Lawyer. Member of the Oregon bar.

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    Andrews, Sherlock James
    (1801-1880)

    Jurist. Read more about Andrews here.

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    Aquinas, Thomas
    (1225?-1274)

    Influential early church writer. Read more about Aquinas here.

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    Ayliffe, John
    (1676-1732)

    English lawyer.

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    Bacon, Sir Francis / Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans
    (1561-1626)

    English philosopher, statesman and essayist. Learn more about Sir Bacon here.

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    Bandy, Alan S.

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    Baldwin, Henry
    (1780-1844)

    Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Read about Baldwin here.

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    Bartlett, Clarence
    (1895- )

    Circuit Judge.

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    Bauckham, Richard J. (John)
    (1946- )

    Biblical scholar. Until 2007, Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Read more about Bauckham here.

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    Bauer, Jeffrey E. (Ervin)
    (1963- )

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    Bennett, Edmund Hatch
    (1824-1898)

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    Berman, Harold
    (1918-2007)

    Legal scholar. Learn more about Berman here. Our thanks to Dr. Berman for his permission to offer the items below.

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    Blackstone, Sir William
    (1723-1780)

    English Jurist. Knighted in 1770. Read more about Blackstone here and here and here.

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    Blaiklock, E. M.
    (1903-1983)

    Classics scholar.

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    Boardman, Henry (Henry Augustus)
    (1808-1880)

    Clergyman. Learn more about Boardman here.

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    Booth, Edwin Gilliam
    (1810-1886)

    Attorney. Read about Booth here.

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    Bouvier, John
    (1787-1851)

    American jurist and legal lexicophrapher. Read about Bouvier here and biography at the Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas School of Law. "He is best known for his able legal writings. His Law Dictionary Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America and of the Several States of the American Union (1839, revised and brought up to date by Francis Rawle, under the title of Bouvier's Law Dictionary, 2 vols., 1897) has always been a standard."--1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

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    Bowen, Francis
    (1811-1890)

    Educator. Learn more about Bowen here.

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    De Bracton, Henry / Henry of Bratton (Henricus de Brattona or Bractona)
    (c. 1210-1268)

    English judge and writer of English law. Read about Bracton here and here.

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    Bradley, Joseph P.
    (1813-1892)

    Supreme Court Justice. Read more about Bradley here.

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    Brewer, David Josiah
    (1837-1910)

    Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1890 to 1910. Read about Brewer here and here and here. See also The Supreme Court Historical Society.

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    Broughton, William P.
    (Fl. 21st Century)

    Retired pastor in the United Church of Canada.

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    Bryan, William Jennings
    (1860-1925)

    American political leader. Read about Bryan here and here.

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    Burlamaqui, Jean Jacques
    (1694-1748)

    Swiss legal and political theorist. Columbia Encyclopedia: His chief works are Principes du droit naturel [principles of natural law] (1747) and Principes du droit politique [principles of political law] (1751). He attempted to demonstrate the reality of natural law by tracing its origin in God's rule and in human reason and moral instinct. He believed that both international and domestic law were based on natural law. Read about Burlamaqui here.

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    Callahan, Ethelbert
    (1829-?)

    Attorney and politician. Read more about Callahan here.

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    Carson, Hampton L. (Hampton Lawrence)
    (1852-1929)

    Attorney General of Pennsylvania. Read about Carson here.

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    Casteel, Herbert C.
    (Fl. 20th Century)

    Lawyer. Judge. Mayor of the City of Carthage, Missouri.

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    Chandler, Samuel
    (1693-1766)

    English divine. Read more about Chandler here.

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    Chandler, Walter M. (Walter Marion)
    (1867-1935)

    Congressional representative. Read more about Chandler here.

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    Chapman, John
    (1704-1784)

    English clergyman.

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    Citizens for Objective Public Education
    (Fl. 21st Century)

    "Citizens for Objective Public Education (COPE) is a not-for-profit Corporation formed exclusively for educational and religious purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. COPE?s mission is to promote objectivity in public school curricula that address religious questions and issues so that the educational effect of the teaching is religiously neutral." Read about COPE here.

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    Clarke, Gilbert
    (b. 1851)

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    Clifford, Ross
    (Born 1951)

    BTh, DipLaw, DipMin, MA, MTh, ThD. Australian Baptist theologian, political commentator, solicitor and author. Principal, Morling College, Australia. Read about Dr. Clifford here.

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    Coke, Sir Edward
    (1552-1634)

    English jurist. Read about Coke here.

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    Colson, Charles W. / Chuck
    (1931- )

    Modern apologist. Read more about Colson here.

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    Cooley, Thomas McIntyre
    (1824-1898)

    Jurist. 25th Justice and a Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Read about Cooley here and here.

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    Corwin, Edward S.
    (1878 -1963)

    Third McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and first chairman of the Department of Politics, was considered the lleading expositor of the intent and meaning of the Constitution. Read about Corwin here and here.

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    Crabb, George
    (1778-1851)

    Lawyer. Philologist. Read about Crabb here.

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    Dike, Samuel Warren
    (1839-1913)

    Read more about Dike here.

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    Dillon, John Bernadine
    (c, 1922)

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    Dillon, John Forrest
    (1831-1914)

    American jurist. Read about Dillon here.

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    Diplock, Lord Kenneth
    (1907-1985)

    English judge.

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    Dodd, Joseph
    (c. 1884)

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    Dunning, William Archibald
    (1857-1922)

    American historian who founded the Dunning School of Reconstruction historiography at Columbia University. Read about Dunning here.

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    Eidsmoe, John A.
    (1945- )

    Legal Counsel for the Foundation for Moral Law and teacher of Professional Responsibility for the Oak Brook College of Law. Ordained pastor with the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations; teacher of Apologetics and other subjects for the Free Lutheran Seminary. Colonel, Alabama State Defense Force. Read more about Eidsmoe here. Website here.

    "I am committed to the belief that the Bible is God's inspired and inerrant word, that the Bible is relevant to the issues of today, and that one of today's greatest needs is for the articulation of a comprehensive biblical view of current issues and a comprehensive biblical view of law. I am further committed to the belief that America's constitutional heritage is based on solid biblical principles and that an understanding of this constitutional heritage is essential to the preservation of American freedom. Christianity and the Constitution . . . [is] a detailed study of the religious beliefs of the founders of this nation and the role the United States of America plays in the plan of God. I urge writers in every field of academic discipline to think through their positions carefully, in the light of God's word, the Bible." --Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2007.

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    Fessenden, Samuel Clement
    (1784-1869)

    Prominent lawyer and anti-slavery leader. Read about Fessenden here, here, and here.

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    Forsyth, William
    (1812-1899)

    Lawyer and politician.

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    Fortenberry, Bill
    (fl. 21st Century)

    Author from Birmingham, Alabama.

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    Foster, Neil J.
    (fl. 21st century)

    Associate Professor, Newcastle Law School, New South Wales, Australia. Read about Foster here and here. Blog, Law and Religion Australia.

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    Fraser, Donald
    (1755?-1820)

    Apologist.

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    Gest, John Marshall
    (1859-1934)

    American judge. Read about Gest in Frank Marshall Eastman's Courts and Lawyers of Pennsylvania.

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    Gill, John
    (1697-1771)

    Bible expositor. Read more about Gill here.

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    Goddard, Edwin C.
    (1865-1942)

    Professor of law at the University of Michigan. Read about Goddard here.

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    Goodman, Christopher
    (1520?-1603)

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    Graves, Richard
    (1715-1804)

    Writer and translator.

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    Greenleaf, Simon
    (1783-1853)

    Royall Professor of Law, Harvard University, 1834. Doctor of Laws degree by Harvard in 1834, Doctor of Laws by Amherst in 1845, and again from the University of Alabama in 1852. H. W. Howard Knott, Dictionary of American Biography: "While engaged in tutorial work he prepared what was originally intended as a text-book on evidence, published in 1842 as A Treatise on the Law of Evidence. The profession at once hailed it as the ablest extant work on the subject, distinguished alike for its deep learning, clarity of style, and practical utility. He added a second volume in 1846, and a third in 1853. In its completed form it came to be regarded as the foremost American authority, and passed through numerous editions under successive editors." Learn more about Greenleaf here.
    The Law Magazine: or Quarterly Review of Jurisprudence. London: W. Benning and Co., Law Booksellers, 1845. Events of the Quarter, p. 350. "It is no mean honor to America that her schools of jurisprudence have produced two of the first writers and best esteemed legal authorities of this century--the great and good man, Judge Story, and his worthy and eminent associate, Professor Greenleaf. Upon the existing Law of Evidence more light has shone from the New World than from all the lawyers who adorn the courts of Europe."
    Disclaimer: Greenleaf is known to have been associated with Freemasonry and was author of A Brief Inquiry into the Origin and Principles of Free Masonry (1820).

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    The Simon Greenleaf Law Review
    (1981-1988)

    A publication of the Simon Greenleaf School of Law. Orange, California. Vol. 1 (academic year 1981-82)- v. 7 (academic year 1987-88).; 7 volumes; 21 cm. Succeeding Title: Simon Greenleaf review of law and religion, Anaheim, Calif.: Simon Greenleaf University, Vol. 8 (academic year 1988-1989); 1 volume; 21 cm.

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    Grieve, Val
    (1926-1998)

    Solicitor in Manchester, England. Read about Grieve here.

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    Grotius, Hugo
    (1583-1645)

    (TM):Hugo Grotius (10 April, 1583 - 28 August, 1645) was a Dutch jurist, statesman, and Christian apologist, described as the 'Father of International Law.'

    Grotius was born on Easter Day in 1583 in Delft, Holland, to a lawyer who was the town burgomaster, and who also served as curator of the University of Leyden. He began his education at the age of eleven at the University of Leyden, and graduated at fifteen, editing the encyclopaedic work of Martianus Capella that same year.

    He accompanied Olden Barneveldt, the eminent Dutch statesman, on his embassy to France, gaining the favor of Henry IV, making the acquaintance of many leading men of France and picking up the French language. This had lasted roughly a year, after which Grotius acquired the degree of doctor of law, and became a lawyer at The Hague beginning in 1599. In 1607 he became fiscal general, and in 1608 he married his wife Maria, who was described as intelligent and courageous. In 1613 he became council pensionary at Rotterdam, meanwhile producing literary works in a variety of fields, many of which were in Latin and gained him great notoriety.

    Grotius was a Remonstrant, and aligned himself with Arminian Protestantism in a control for the Dutch government. In 1618 the arrest of Arminian leaders was ordered during a military coup, and Grotius was imprisoned, and sentenced to life. Three years later he escaped with the help of his wife, and resettled in Paris until 1631, producing legal works, including the crowning achievement De Jure Belli ac Pacis. He returned to Holland in 1631, and was shipwrecked on a voyage traveling from Stockholm for Lübeck in 1645, and, exhausted, soon fell sick, and died at Rostock, Sweden.

    Mathias said of Grotius (and Clarke): ?GROTIUS and Dr. CLARKE present to us the faith, doctrine, and evidences in the form of propositions, with ample and learned illustrations, with force of reasoning, and with logical precision.? The Pursuits of Literature: A Satirical Poem in Four Dialogues, With Notes, Part the Third, 3rd ed. (London: T. Becket, 1797)

    Read more about Grotius here and here.

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    Hailsham, Lord [Quintin McGarel Hogg]
    (1907-2001)

    Lord Chancellor in the English Constitution. Read more about Lord Hailsham here.

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    Hale, Sir Matthew
    (1609-1676)

    English jurist. Read about Hale here.

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    Handley, Ken
    (Fl. 21st Century)

    Justice of New South Wales, Australia court of appeals. Retired in 2012. Read about Justice Handley here and here.

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    Hanft, Frank William
    (Fl. 20th Century)

    Minnesota attorney. Professor of law at the University of North Carolina.

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    Hayes, Fred

    Modern attorney.

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    Hayes, President Rutherford B.
    (1822-1893)

    Read more about President Hayes here, here and here.

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    Herron, Sir Leslie James, K.B.E., C.M.G., K.St.J.
    (1902-1973)

    12th Chief Justice of New South Wales, Australia. Read about Herron here and here. Disclaimer: Herron was a Freemason.

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    Hobbes, Thomas
    (1588-1679)

    Philosopher. Read more about Hobbes here and here and here.

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    Hodge, John
    (d. 1767)

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    Hoffman, David
    (1784-1854)

    Lawyer. Learn more about Hoffman here

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    Hoffman, Paul K.

    Modern apologist.

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    Holt, Francis Ludlow
    (1780-1844)

    King's counsel and bencher of the Inner Temple in 1831.

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    Holwell, William
    (1725/6-1798)

    Church of England clergyman and writer.

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    Holyoke, Edward
    (1689-1769)

    Clergyman. Read more about Holyoke here.

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    Hooker, Richard
    (1554-1600)

    Preacher. Read more about Hooker here.

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    Horne, Thomas Hartwell
    (1780-1862)

    Theologian. Read more about Horne here.

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    Hudson, Raymond M.
    (Fl. 20th Century)

    Washington D.C. attorney.

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    Ingram, Edward Joseph
    (1869-1947)

    Attorney.

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    Innes, A. Taylor (Alexander Taylor)
    (1833-1912)

    Attorney.

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    Johnson, Philip
    (Fl. 21st Century)

    Modern legal apologist. Founder and CEO of Global Apologetics & Mission and lectures in the World's Religions in Sydney, Australia.

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    Johnson, William Samuel
    (1727-1819)

    Connecticut jurist and statesman. Signer of the U.S. Constitution. His father was Samuel Johnson, the well-known Anglican clergyman, Berkeleian philosopher, and first president of King's College, New York. Read about Johnson here, here, here and here.

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    Jones, Sir William
    (1746-1794)

    British Orientalist and jurist. Read more about Jones here and here.

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  • Dissertations and miscellaneous pieces relating to the history and antiquities, the arts, sciences, and literature of Asia. Dublin, MDCCXCIII. [1793]. 659 pp. Dissertation I. On the Gods of Greece, Italy, and India; Written in 1784.
    "Who more accurately versed in the rabbinical doctrines, than Paul? Who possessed clearer ideas of all ancient astronomical systems, than Newton; or of scholastic metaphysics, than Locke? In whom could the Romish Church have had a more formidable opponent, than in Chillingworth, whose deep knowledge of its tenets rendered him so competent to dispute them? In a word, who more exactly knew the abominable rites and shocking idolatry of Canaan, than Moses himself? Yet the learning of those great men only incited them to seek other sources of truth, piety, and virtue, than those in which they had long been immersed. There is no shadow, then, of a foundation for an opinion, that Moses borrowed the first nine or ten chapters of Genesis from the literature of Egypt; still less can the adamantine pillars of our Christian faith be moved by the result of any debates on the comparative antiquity of the Hindus and Egyptians, or of any enquiries into the Indian theology."
  • Baron John Shore Teignmouth, 1751-1834. Memoirs of the life, writings, and correspondence of Sir William Jones. 6th edition. London, J. Hatchard, 1815. 636 pp. incl. front. (port.) facsim. 29 x 24 cm.
    The testimony of Sir William Jones to the verity and authenticity of the Old and New Testament is well known, from the care with which it has been circulated in England; but as it has a particular claim to be inserted in the memoirs of his life, I transcribe it from his own manuscript in his Bible:
    This opinion is repeated, with little variation of expression, in a discourse addressed to the society, in February 1791:

    Kelley, William Darrah
    (1814-1890)

    American congressman and abolitionist. Read more about Kelley here.

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    Kennedy, James Harrison
    (1849-1934)

    Jurist

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    Kent, James
    (1763-1847)

    Jurist and commentator on law. Read more about Kent here

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    Kingsbury, Harmon
    (d. 1868)

    Legal author.

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    Knapp, Samuel
    (1783-1838)

    Disclaimer: Knapp is known to have been associated with Freemasonry. Learn more about Knapp here.

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    Kumar, Steve

    International apologetics lecturer. Read more about Kumar here.

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    Lamb, Francis J.
    (20th century)

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    Lewis, Enoch
    (1776-1856)

    Mathematician. Read more about Lewis here.

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    Lightner, Clarence A.
    (1609-1676)

    Lawyer. Read about Lightner here and here.


    Limbaugh, David Scott
    (b. 1952)

    Conservative, syndicated political columnist and author. Read about Limbaugh at his website and his Christian faith here.

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    Linton, Irwin H. (Helffenstein)
    (b. 1879)

    Washington, DC attorney.

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    Lobingier, Charles Sumner
    (1866-1956)

    Legal author. Read about Lobingier in A National register of the society, Sons of the American Revolution.

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    Locke, John
    (1632-1704)

    English philosopher. Learn more about Locke here and from his entry in this list of scientists of Christian faith.

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    Lorimer, James
    (1818-1890)

    Philosopher. Read more about Lorimer here.

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    Lucas, Edward Deming
    (1879- )

    Lawyer.

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    Luckhoo, Lionel
    (1914-1997)

    Lawyer. Read more about Luckhoo here.

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    MacDonald, George
    (1869-1936)

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    Mackintosh, Sir James
    (1765-1832)

    Scottish jurist and historian. Read about Mackintosh here and here.

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    MacMaster, John
    (c. 1892)

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    Marshall, Edward P.
    (c. 1898)

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    Mathews, James McFarlane
    (1785-1870)

    New York clergyman. Educator. Founder of the University of New York. Read about Mathews here and in Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 4 by James Grant Wilson and John Fiske.

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    Mauck, John W.
    (Fl. 21st Century)

    Attorney. Learn about Mauck here and here.

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    McGrew, Timothy J.
    (Fl. 21st Century)

    Professor and Chairman (2005-2009), Department of Philosophy, Western Michigan University. Curator, Library of Historical Apologetics. Learn about Dr. McGrew here, here, and here.

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    McLean, John
    (1785-1861)

    American jurist, Congressman, U.S. Postmaster General, Just of Ohio Supreme Court, Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Read about McLean here and here.

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    McRuer, James C. (James Chalmers)
    (1890-)

    Chief Justice of the High Court of Ontario, Canada.

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    Medina, Michael J.

    Modern attorney. Learn more about Medina here.

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    Mendelsohn, Samuel
    (1850-1922)

    Rabbi.

    WORKS

    Miller, William Galbraith
    (1848-1904)

    Lecturer on public law.

    WORKS

    Moen, John T. (Thomas)
    (Died 1996)

    WORKS

    Montgomery, John Warwick
    (1931- )

    World-class Christian apologist, philosopher and legal expert. John Warwick Montgomery is Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought, Patrick Henry College (Virginia); and Emeritus Professor of Law and Humanities at the University of Luton (England). Professor Montgomery holds ten earned degrees, including the LL.B.; LL.M. from Cardiff University, Wales; the A.B. with distinction in Philosophy (Cornell University; Phi Beta Kappa); B.L.S. and M.A. (University of California at Berkeley); B.D. and S.T.M. (Wittenburg University, Springfield, Ohio); M. Phil. in Law (University of Essex, England); Ph.D. (University of Chicago), and the Doctorat d'Université from Strasbourg, France. He told Contemporary Authors, "My world-view was hammered out at university; there I became a Christian. . . . Like the late C. S. Lewis (one of my greatest heroes), I was literally dragged kicking and screaming into the Kingdom by the weight of evidence for Christian truth."
    Visit The John Warwick Montgomery website and read more about Montgomery here.

    WORKS
  • Speculation vs. Factuality: An Analysis of Modern Unbelief and a Suggested Corrective. Text, PDF file. Patrick Henry College. September 17, 2010. See video presentation here.


    Moore, Thomas Verner
    (1818-1871)

    WORKS

    Moore, A. Y.
    (c. 1868)

    Minister.

    WORKS

    Morgan, Charles Carroll
    (1832-1918)

    Lawyer.

    WORKS

    Morris, Martin F. (Ferdinand)
    (1834-1909)

    Lecturer in law.

    WORKS

    Morrison, Charles Robert
    (1819-1893)

    Lawyer and author. Read about Morrison in The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans.

    WORKS

    Mowatt, Sir Oliver
    (1820-1846)

    Canadian lawyer, politician, judge, premier of Ontario from 1872-1896 and in 1897, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. A Christian Politician by Dallas Miller and in the dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.

    WORKS

    Neilson, Joseph

    WORKS

    Owen, Wilber Allen
    (b. 1873)

    WORKS

    Paley, William
    (1743-1805)

    Christian apologist. Learn more about Paley here and here.

    WORKS

    Parker, Samuel Dunn
    (1780-1873)

    Boston attorney.

    WORKS

    Parsons, Theophilus
    (1749-1813)

    Chief Justice Supreme Court of Massachusetts. Read more about Parsons here, here and here.

    WORKS

    Parton, Craig

    Modern attorney and apologist.

    WORKS

    Peirce, Benjamin
    (1809-1880)

    Harvard mathematician. Read more about Peirce here.

    WORKS

    Pendarvis, George Henry
    (1854- )

    WORKS

    Penn, William
    (1644-1718)

    Founder of Pennsylvania. Read more about Governor Penn here and here and here.

    WORKS

    Phillips, Samuel March
    (1780-1862)

    WORKS

    Pollock, Frederick, Sir, 3rd Baronet
    (1845-1937)

    English legal scholar. Read about Pollock here.

    WORKS

    Powell, Frank John
    (1891-)

    English magistrate and barrister.

    WORKS

    Proctor, L. B.
    (b. 1826)

    Attorney. Learn about Proctor here.

    WORKS

    Pufendorf, Samuel, Freiherr von
    (1632-1694)

    German jurist. Read more about Pufendorf here.

    WORKS

    Reddie, James
    (1773-1852)

    Jurist.

    WORKS

    Rehnquist, Chief Justice William H.
    (1924-2005)

    Read more about Rehnquist here and here.

    WORKS

    Reid, Richard
    (19th century)

    WORKS

    Riland, John
    (1736?-1822)

    WORKS

    Roscoe, Henry
    (1800-1836)

    Legal writer and biographer.

    WORKS

    Russell, Howard Hyde
    (1800-1836)

    Attorney. Read about Russell here and here.

    WORKS

    Rutgers, Hendrik Johan, Sir
    (1917- )

    Solicitor in Sydney, Australia.

    WORKS

    Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion
    (1999- )

    Published by Rutgers School of Law, Camden, New Jersey. Home page here. "The Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion, founded in 1999, is a student-run organization whose primary purpose is to publish a journal of legal scholarship with a focus on religion."

    WORKS

    Ryan, Edward
    (d. 1819)

    Church of Ireland clergyman and author.

    WORKS

    Sagebeer, Joseph Evans
    (Born 1861)

    Philadelphia attorney.

    WORKS

    Salisbury, William
    (b. before 1520, d. c.1580)

    Translator and humanist scholar.

    WORKS

    Sands, Alexander H.(Hamilton)
    (1828-1887)

    Virginia Attorney. Editor of the Evening Bulletin in Richmond, Virginia.

    WORKS

    Schutt, Michael

    Modern law professor.

    WORKS

    Scurlock, David
    (Fl. 18th century)

    WORKS

    Shaw, Benjamin
    (1819-1877)

    Barrister-at-law.

    WORKS

    Sherlock, Thomas
    (1678-1761)

    (TM): Thomas Sherlock was an Anglican Bishop whose apologetic writings, in the tradition of John Locke's Reasonableness of Christianity, focus on the evidence for miracles and the use and intent of prophecy.
    Learn more about Sherlock here and here.

    WORKS

    Smith, Elias
    (1769-1846)

    Author. Editor, Christian Magazine, a quarterly, in 1805-1807, and in 1808 began the Herald of Religious Liberty. Read about Smith here. Disclaimer: Smith was a Unitarian.

    WORKS

    Spittlehouse, John
    (1612?-1657)

    WORKS

    Starkie, Thomas

    WORKS

    State of Maryland

    WORKS

    State of Ohio

    WORKS

    State of Vermont

    WORKS

    Stebbins, Andrew
    (Fl. 21st century)

    Ph.D in sociology from Murdoch University in Perth, Australia in 2009 and currently teaches at the Central Ohio Technical College in Newark, Ohio.

    WORKS

    Stephen, Sir Alfred
    (1802-1894)

    Chief Justice and legislator. Read about Stephen here.

    WORKS

    Story, Joseph
    (1779-1845)

    Supreme Court justice. Read more about Story here and here.

    WORKS

    Swift, Zephaniah
    (1759-1823)

    American jurist, author, and politician from Windham, Connecticut. Author of the first legal text in the United States, A System of the Laws of the State of Connecticut, (Windham: John Byrne, 1795). Read about Swift here and here.

    WORKS

    Teh, Henry Hock Guan
    (fl. 20th-21st Century)

    LLB, London; CLP; LLM, Staffordshire. Lawyer at Lee Swee Seng & Co., Singapore. Mr. Teh's credentials are posted here.

    WORKS

    Thayer, James Bradley
    (1831-1902)

    Lawyer. Royall professor of law at Harvard. Read about Thayer here.

    WORKS

    Thorpe, Francis Newton
    (1609-1676)

    WORKS

    Trites, Allison
    (fl. 2ist Century)

    Librarian and Professor of New Testament, Acadia Divinity College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

    WORKS

    Trueax, Thomas R.
    (fl. 20th Century)

    WORKS

    United States Supreme Court

    WORKS

    Vinogradoff, Paul
    (1854-1925)

    Russian historian. Read more about Vinogradoff here

    WORKS

    Vos, Geerhardus
    (1862-1949)

    Professor of theology at Princeton. Learn more about Vos here.

    WORKS

    Wallace, J. Warner
    (Fl. 21st Century)

    Los Angeles County Homicide Detective, author, former atheist. Read about Wallace here and at Stand to Reason.

    WORKS

    Warren, Charles
    (1868-1954)

    American lawyer and legal historian, is best known for his three-volume study, The Supreme Court in U.S. History, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923. Read about Warren here. The Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History.

    WORKS

    Webster, Daniel
    (1782-1858)

    American statesman. Read more about Webster here and here and here. Inscription by Mr. Webster for his monument:
    "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.
    Philosophical argument, especially that drawn from the vastness of the universe in comparison with the apparent insignificance of this Globe, has sometimes shaken my reason for the faith that is in me; but my heart has assured, and reassured me, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be a Divine Reality.
    The Sermon on the Mount cannot be a merely human production. This belief enters into the very depth of my conscience. The whole history of man proves it."

    WORKS

    Wellman, Francis Lewis
    (1854-1942)

    WORKS

    West, Gilbert
    (1703-1756)

    WORKS

    Wharton, Charles Henry
    (1748-1833)

    Clergyman. Read more about Wharton here.

    WORKS

    Wharton, Francis
    (1820-1889)

    Legal writer. Read more about Wharton here.

    WORKS

    Whately, Richard
    (1787-1863)

    English logician. Read more about Whately here. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911 edition: "While he was at St Alban Hall (1826) the work appeared which is perhaps most closely associated with his name - his treatise on Logic, originally contributed to the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana, in which he raised the study of the subject to a new level. It gave a great impetus to the study of logic throughout Great Britain."

    WORKS

    Whitworth, John Ford
    (1854- )

    WORKS

    Wigmore, John Henry
    (1863-1943)

    American authority on legal evidence. Read about Wigmore here.

    WORKS

    Wilcox, Phineas Bacon
    (b. 1798)

    Lawyer. Read about Wilcox here.

    WORKS

    Williams, Stephen Douglas

    Detroit, Michigan attorney.

    WORKS

    Williams, Thomas
    (b. 1779)

    Clergyman. Read more about Williams here.

    WORKS

    Wills, William
    (d. 1860)

    WORKS

    Wilson, James, M.A.
    (1742-1798)

    Statesman. Read more about Wilson here.

    WORKS

    Wines, E. C. (Enoch Cobb)
    (1806-1879)

    Read more about Wines here.

    WORKS

    Witcher, Walter Campbell
    (1887-1965)

    Gospel preacher. Read about Witcher here.

    WORKS

    Wolford, Thorp L.
    (Fl. 20th Century)

    Attorney.

    WORKS

    Young, Justice Peter W.

    Judge.

    WORKS

    Other useful works related to this:

  • The Founders' Constitution
  • The Political Textbook
  • Classic Christian works on slavery
  • Holy Trinity Church v. U.S. -- Introduction here; Full text here
  • Dallas County v. Commercial Union Assurance Co. 286 F.2d 388 (5th Cir. 1961).
  • General Principles of Constitutional Law by Thomas Cooley
  • Christian Law Library: Belcher Foundation
  • Christian History Library: Belcher Foundation
  • Historical Biographies: Belcher Foundation
  • Library of Congress. American Memory
  • Fourth of July Celebrations Database
  • State Constitutions.
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