Resurrection on Trial (with Peter D. Martino, esq.): A Law Professor Weighs the Evidence with Peter D. Martino
October 8, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readResurrection on Trial
Peter D. Martino, a trial lawyer and law professor, has spent his career analyzing evidence and making decisions under formal rules. When he turned his professional lens onto what he calls "the boldest claim that's ever been made in the history of the world"—the resurrection of Jesus—he found that most apologetics books stop short. They lay out evidence on both sides and then hesitate. In a courtroom, that is not an option. Courts come to conclusions. His book Resurrection on Trial is structured as an appellate opinion from the Supreme Court, weighing evidence for and against the resurrection using a historian's standard of proof: explanatory adequacy. Which theory of events best explains the facts and leaves the fewest unresolved questions?
The Standard and the Evidence
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What you'll learn
- 1 (04:05) **Why a Legal Approach to the Resurrection?** - Peter Martino explains his motivation for using a legal framework to analyze the "boldest claim in history."
- 2 (07:12) **The Submarine Officer's Lesson: "Don't Expect What You Don't Inspect"** - Peter connects his Navy service to his method of inquiry and evangelization.
- 3 (15:18) **The Standard of Proof and an Open Mind** - Peter establishes the neutral, evidentiary starting point for his book.
- 4 (18:38) **Evidence #1: The Immediate Proclamation** - The earliest Christian creed was formulated within months of the crucifixion, defeating the idea of a slowly developing legend.
- 5 (22:02) **Evidence #2: The Gospels as Admissible Evidence** - Peter argues that the Gospels should be admitted as competent historical documents in any court of law.
- 6 (31:48) **Evidence #3: The Empty Tomb** - The fact that the tomb was empty is conceded by the historical dispute itself.
- 7 (33:35) **Evidence #4: Women as First Witnesses** - The Gospels' unanimous testimony that women were the first to see the risen Jesus is a mark of historical credibility, not invention.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Peter Dominic Martino is a trial lawyer, law professor, former CEO, and former nuclear submarine officer. He serves as Assistant Professor at St. Thomas University College of Law and is a co-founder of Honos Law PLLC. He studied in Annapolis and later Georgetown Law, served in the Navy, and in the Department of Homeland Security, and practices law in New York City. His new book from Sophia Press is Resurrection on Trial: A Judicial Inquiry into the Christian Claim of the Resurrection of Jesus (Sophia Institute Press, 2026), and he walks me through the evidence for our foundational belief—as he says, “the boldest claim that’s ever been made in the history of the world,”—on Almost Good Catholics.
- Here is Peter’s book from Sophia Press, and also from Amazon.
- Here is Peter’s faculty website at St. Thomas University College Law School.
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