Who Were the Sanhedrin?

Just who were the Sanhedrin? The Sanhedrin was the Supreme Court of Israel.

The Beginning

The term Sanhedrin is from a Greek word that means “assembly” or “council”.  It was Moses’ Father-in-law Jethro that told Moses he needed help in judging the people when he came to visit Moses after the Children of Israel were freed from Egypt by God.

Jethro’s Visit to Moses – Exodus 18 (NLT)

“Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He heard especially about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt… ¹³ The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.” – Ex 18:1; 13

“This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. ¹⁸ “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. ¹⁹ Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you.” – Ex 18:17-19

“Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. ²⁵ He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. ²⁶ These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.” – Ex 18:24-26

So was the beginning of the Sanhedrin. Of course, they were not officially called the Sanhedrin until later on.

The Sanhedrin was officially founded when God in Num 11:16-17 told Moses to choose 70 men from among the elders of Israel to help him judge the children of Israel.

Moreover, we see that before the Children of Israel entered the promised land in Deut 16:18 God states:

“You shall appoint for yourselves judges and officers in all your towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.”

Jerusalem’s Sanhedrin

The Sanhedrin ha-Gadol (“the Great Council”) was the ruling body of the nation of Israel located in Jerusalem. Consisting of 71 members, it served as both the supreme court and legislative body in all matters of Torah law. The Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the final court of appeals for matters regarding Jewish law and religion

The Great Council started growing greatly in its power and influence during the Babylonian captivity. In approximately 7 AD the Romans abolished the power of the Sanhedrin to carry out the death penalty.

The Function of the Sanhedrin

Since the membership of the Sanhedrin is fixed by the Torah, its number cannot be changed. Any laws and decrees issued by the Sanhedrin were binding on the entire Jewish nation. Lower courts consisting of 23 judges could try capital cases, however, only the Sanhedrin had authority over:

• Crowning a king
• Cases involving the king
• Capital crimes committed by the high priest
• Crimes committed by an entire tribe or city
• Authorizing “voluntary” wars such as wars for the sake of expanding the country’s borders
• Expanding holy sites, such as Jerusalem and the courtyard of the Holy Temple.
• Appointing lesser courts of 23 judges.

The 23 Member Court

There were Sanhedrin groups that consisted of 23 judges, known as the lesser Sanhedrins. This was the minimum amount of judges required to try capital cases. Moreover, every sizeable city, as well as every tribe, had its own lesser Sanhedrin.

In every town and village, there was to be a court.

• Towns with at least 120 men as heads of families, had a local court called a Sanhedrin
• Smaller towns with less than 120 men as heads of families, had seven judges
• Very small towns had three judges

With the Passing of Moses

Once Moses passed away, the judge with the greatest knowledge was appointed in his stead. His official title was “Head of the Sitting” (Rosh HaYeshiva). Later, however, he was referred to as the “President” (Nasi).

To the right of the at the “President” (Nasi) was his assistant known as the “Master of the Court” (Av Beit Din). Both he and the Nasi were voting members of the Sanhedrin.

The remaining 69 would sit before them, in a semicircle, so that all its members would be able to see each other. They would also have an equal view of all witnesses testifying.

Any judgment issued by the Sanhedrin in the absence of the Nasi was invalid.

Additionally, the Sanhedrin was required to hear all testimony directly. Therefore, it was preferable that its members be familiar with every language spoken by Jews around the world.

When a foreign language was used in testimony, the Sanhedrin had to have at least two members who spoke that language to examine the witnesses and a third member who at least understood the language.

Unlike our supreme court, the Sanhedrin was not an “appeals court”. However, if a lower court was unsure of how to rule, it could refer the case to the higher court.

How did One Qualify for the Supreme Court?

Every judge was required to have the following seven attributes:

• wisdom
• humility
• the awe of heaven
• a loathing for money (even his own)
• a love for truth
• the love of the people at large
• a good reputation

In addition, because he would need to know how to judge cases concerning various fields one had to have:

• Achieved distinction in Torah knowledge
• Possess some knowledge of intellectual disciplines such as:
  • medicine
  • mathematics
  • calendar
  • astronomy
  • astrology
  • even teachings of idolatry

Age and Lineage Qualifications

Similarly, the members of the Sanhedrin must command respect as mature individuals. Therefore, it is preferable that each member be at least 40 years old. He should not be childless when appointed since someone with a family is more likely to be sympathetic and merciful. Moreover, it is preferable that the head of the Sanhedrin be at least 50 years old. Under no condition should a person under 18 be appointed to the Sanhedrin.

It is preferable that the members of the Sanhedrin contain Kohen-priests and Levites as members. Moreover, Israelites of fine pedigree can also be selected. However, all members of the Sanhedrin be of Jewish parentage.

The End of the Council

Toward the end of the Second Temple era, it convened in other locations in the land and continued to function in an ever-decreasing capacity until approximately the 5th century. The last binding decision of the Sanhedrin was in 358 when the Hebrew calendar was adopted. The Sanhedrin was dissolved after continued persecution by the Roman Empire.

In the New Testament, the Sanhedrin is best known for its part in the series of illegal trials that resulted in the crucifixion of Jesus. The Sanhedrin began with an informal examination of Jesus before Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas the current High Priest. (see John 18:12-14; John 18:9-23). This was followed by a formal session before Caiaphas the actual High Priest and the entire Sanhedrin ( see Matthew 26:57-68). There the decision was made to turn Jesus over the Roman authorities to be tried and crucified.

The Messiah

I find it very interesting that while researching information for this post that according to Aish.com: The Messiah can only be recognized by a duly ordained Sanhedrin. How do they reach that conclusion? As we saw earlier in this post only the Sanhedrin can crown a king. Therefore, since the Messiah will be a king of Israel, he can only be recognized by a duly ordained Sanhedrin. WOW! I say wow because as we see next the Sanhedrin has been Re-established.

The Council Lives Once More

On October 13, 2004, the Sanhedrin Council of the Jewish nation was reconstituted for the first time in 1,600 years. The ceremony took place in the Israeli town of Tiberias, located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. This was the site of the council’s last meeting in the year 425 AD.

Rabbi Josef Elyashir is considered to be a spiritual heir of Moses, and thus he was the one who performed the special ordination of the 70 rabbis selected to serve on the new Sanhedrin. He is also the prime candidate to serve as the high priest should the temple be rebuilt and animal sacrifices are re-instituted. The founding rabbis consider the new Sanhedrin to be “a work-in-progress.”

For further information, you can READ MORE at:

• The Jewish Court System by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
• Rebirth of the Sanhedrin What is its prophetic significance? By Dr. David R. Reagan
• The Jewish Court System By Yehuda Shurpin

I hope you have enjoyed learning a bit more about the Sanhedrin.