The Great Sanhedrin: Jews In The Ancient World

The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme council and tribunal of the Jews in the ancient world. This body was headed by a high priest and had religious, civil and criminal jurisdiction. The name is derived from the Greek word synedrion which means “sitting in council.”1 Each of the larger towns in Judea had their own sanhedrin, which served as the local government.2 They were subject to mandates promulgated by the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem as the ultimate authority for Jewish religious life.
According to Jewish tradition, Moses organized the first Sanhedrin at the command of the Lord.3 It was reorganized by Ezra when the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. No historical evidence has yet been found to confirm that the Sanhedrin existed
The Sadducees supported the Hasmonean ruler. The Pharisees opposed him because he spoke of himself as a king even though he was not descended from King David. And even worse, he embraced Greek culture and rejected traditional Judaism.5 The Sadducees favored the Hellenization of
1 Merriam-Webster. “Sanhedrin.” Accessed August 1, 1017. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sanhedrin
2 Charles F. Pfeiffer, Between the Testaments (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980), 60.
3 Numbers
By the time of Jesus, the Sadducees formally led the Sanhedrin but it was the Pharisees who really ruled.16 The Greek word synedrion (Strong’s G4892) appears 22 times in the New Testament. In the King James Version, it is translated as “council” and indicates the Sanhedrin in most cases.17 Jesus and His apostles appeared before the Sanhedrin and interacted with its members. Although some members became followers of Jesus (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea), this ruling body was hostile to Jesus and the early church.
After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Sanhedrin met to decide how to deal with Him.18 They sought for false witnesses to testify against Jesus so they could put Him to death.19 They feared that if the people believed Jesus, they would lose their positions of power and authority.20 After His arrest, Jesus appeared before the Sanhedrin in one of His trials.21 They did not have the authority to execute Him so they brought Him before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.22 Pilate could find no fault in Jesus and sought to release Him,
13 Russell,