- Also spelled:
- sanhedrim
- Key People:
- Gamaliel I
- Judah ha-Nasi
- Gamaliel II
- Gamaliel III
- Related Topics:
- Great Sanhedrin
sanhedrin
-
What was the Sanhedrin in Judaism?
The Sanhedrin was an official Jewish council in Palestine under Roman rule, from the Greek word for council (synedrion), with political, religious, and judicial functions. The term refers to various bodies, especially the supreme Jewish legislative and judicial court in Jerusalem, called the Great Sanhedrin, and to local or provincial sanhedrins with lesser authority.
According to the Talmud, the Great Sanhedrin had 71 sages that met in the Temple in Jerusalem. It could appoint the king and high priest, declare war, and supervise rituals. It also oversaw smaller, local sanhedrins and acted as the court of last resort. The Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem ceased to exist after the revolt against Rome AD 66–70.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where did the Sanhedrin meet?
The Great Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish legislative and judicial court, convened in Jerusalem under Roman rule. According to the Talmudic sources, the Great Sanhedrin, a court of 71 sages, met on fixed occasions in the Lishkat La-Gazit (Chamber of the Hewn Stones) in the Jerusalem Temple. After the disastrous rebellion against Rome in 66–70 CE, the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem ceased to exist. Later, a sanhedrin was assembled at Jabneh and in other localities in Palestine.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who were members of the Sanhedrin?
The Sanhedrin was an official Jewish council in Palestine during Roman rule with political, religious, and judicial functions. The Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the supreme legislative and judicial court.
The Talmudic sources state that the Great Sanhedrin was a court of 71 sages that met in the Jerusalem Temple. The members of the Sanhedrin had to be ordained, pious, mature, of sound mind and body, of wide knowledge, and of pure Jewish descent. People who were too old or childless were considered ineligible because it was thought that they might not be merciful.
The composition of the Sanhedrin is in dispute, particularly regarding the participation of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What were the main responsibilities of the Sanhedrin?
The Sanhedrin was the supreme Jewish legislative and judicial court under Roman rule. It is thought to have been composed of 71 sages and met in the Jerusalem Temple.
Its responsibilities included:
* Acting as the highest legal and religious authority with jurisdiction over national and public matters
* Appointing the king and high priest
* Declaring war and expanding Jerusalem and the Temple
* Trying a high priest, false prophet, rebellious elder or errant tribe
* Supervising rituals, including Yom Kippur liturgy
* Supervising smaller, local sanhedrins and acting as the court of last resort3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the Sanhedrin make decisions or rulings?
The Sanhedrin was the supreme Jewish legislative and judicial court in Jerusalem under Roman rule. There is scholarly debate regarding the Sanhedrin's decision-making processes, exact nature, composition, and function.
According to Talmudic sources, the Great Sanhedrin had 71 sages that met on fixed occasions in the Jerusalem Temple. It served as a religious legislative body from which law went out to all of Israel. The Sanhedrin could appoint the king and high priest, declare war, and expand Jerusalem and the Temple. It could try a high priest, false prophet, rebellious elder, or errant tribe. It also supervised rituals and smaller, local sanhedrins, acting as the court of last resort.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What happened to the Sanhedrin after the destruction of the Second Temple?
Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem ceased to exist. However, a group of leading scholars assembled at Jabneh, and later in other areas of Palestine, which some scholars believe was a continuation of the Jerusalem council-court. This Sanhedrin functioned as the supreme religious, legislative, and educational body for Palestinian Jews. It also held political significance, as its head, the nasi, was recognized by the Romans as the political leader of the Jews. This Sanhedrin ended with the end of the patriarchate in 425 CE.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
sanhedrin, any of several official Jewish councils in Palestine under Roman rule, to which various political, religious, and judicial functions have been attributed. Taken from the Greek word for council (synedrion), the term was apparently applied to various bodies but became especially the designation for the supreme Jewish legislative and judicial court—the Great Sanhedrin, or simply the Sanhedrin, in Jerusalem. There were also local or provincial sanhedrins of lesser jurisdiction and authority. A council of elders, or senate, called the gerousia, which existed under Persian and Syrian rule (333–165 bc), is considered by some scholars the forerunner of the Great Sanhedrin.
Although eminent sources—the Hellenistic-Jewish historian Josephus, the New Testament, and the Talmud—have mentioned the Sanhedrin, their accounts are fragmentary, apparently contradictory, and often obscure. Hence, its exact nature, composition, and function remain a subject of scholarly investigation and controversy. In the writings of Josephus and the Gospels, for example, the Sanhedrin is presented as a political and judicial council headed by the high priest (in his role as civil ruler); in the Talmud it is described as primarily a religious legislative body headed by sages, though with certain political and judicial functions. Some scholars have accepted the first view as authentic, others the second, while a third school holds that there were two Sanhedrins, one a purely political council, the other a religious court and legislature. Moreover, some scholars attest that the Sanhedrin was a single body, combining political, religious, and judicial functions in a community where these aspects were inseparable.
According to the Talmudic sources, including the tractate Sanhedrin, the Great Sanhedrin was a court of 71 sages that met on fixed occasions in the Lishkat La-Gazit (“Chamber of the Hewn Stones”) in the Jerusalem Temple and that was presided over by two officials (zugot, or “pair”), the nasi and the av bet din. It was a religious legislative body “whence the law [Halakha] goes out to all Israel.” Politically, it could appoint the king and the high priest, declare war, and expand the territory of Jerusalem and the Temple. Judicially, it could try a high priest, a false prophet, a rebellious elder, or an errant tribe. Religiously, it supervised certain rituals, including the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) liturgy. The Great Sanhedrin also supervised the smaller, local sanhedrins and was the court of last resort. Again, however, there is a scholarly dispute as to whether the aforementioned specifications are merely an ideal or an actual description. Also, according to one interpretation, the Talmudic sources seem to ascribe to the past a state of affairs that existed only after the fall of the Temple (ad 70).
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
The composition of the Sanhedrin is also in much dispute, the controversy involving the participation of the two major parties of the day, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Some say the Sanhedrin was made up of Sadducees; some, of Pharisees; others, of an alternation or mixture of the two groups. In the trials of Jesus, the Gospels of Mark and Luke speak of the assembly of the chief priests, elders, and scribes under the high priest, referring to “the whole council [synedrion]” or “their council,” and the Gospel According to John speaks of the chief priests and Pharisees convening the council. The Gospel accounts have been subjected to critical scrutiny and questioning because of the extreme theological and historical significance of the issue, but none of the theories evolved has won scholarly consensus. It is still uncertain, for example, whether the Sanhedrin had the power to hand down a death sentence in a case such as that of Jesus. The Book of Acts gives an account of the trials of Peter and John before “the council and all the senate” (apparently one and the same), pointing to a split between the Pharisaic and Sadducean members of the Sanhedrin.
The Great Sanhedrin ceased to exist at Jerusalem after the disastrous rebellion against Rome in ad 66–70. However, a sanhedrin was assembled at Jabneh, and later in other localities in Palestine, that is considered by some scholars to be the continuation of the Jerusalem council-court (see yeshiva). Composed of leading scholars, it functioned as the supreme religious, legislative, and educational body of Palestinian Jews; it also had a political aspect, since its head, the nasi, was recognized by the Romans as the political leader of the Jews (patriarch, or ethnarch). This sanhedrin ceased with the end of the patriarchate in ad 425, although there have been abortive or short-lived attempts to reinstitute the sanhedrin in modern times.