Sanhedrim

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Sanhedrin \San"he*drin\, Sanhedrim \San"he*drim\, n. [Heb.
     sanhedr[imac]n, fr. Gr. ?; ? with + ? a seat, fr. ? to sit.
     See {Sit}.] (Jewish Antiq.)
     the great council of the Jews, which consisted of seventy
     members, to whom the high priest was added. It had
     jurisdiction of religious matters.


     [1913 Webster]

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Sanhedrim
     more correctly Sanhedrin (Gr. synedrion), meaning "a sitting
     together," or a "council." This word (rendered "council," A.V.)
     is frequently used in the New Testament (Matt. 5:22; 26:59; Mark
     15:1, etc.) to denote the supreme judicial and administrative
     council of the Jews, which, it is said, was first instituted by
     Moses, and was composed of seventy men (Num. 11:16, 17). But
     that seems to have been only a temporary arrangement which Moses
     made. This council is with greater probability supposed to have
     originated among the Jews when they were under the domination of
     the Syrian kings in the time of the Maccabees. The name is first
     employed by the Jewish historian Josephus. This "council" is
     referred to simply as the "chief priests and elders of the
     people" (Matt. 26:3, 47, 57, 59; 27:1, 3, 12, 20, etc.), before
     whom Christ was tried on the charge of claiming to be the
     Messiah. Peter and John were also brought before it for
     promulgating heresy (Acts. 4:1-23; 5:17-41); as was also Stephen
     on a charge of blasphemy (6:12-15), and Paul for violating a
     temple by-law (22:30; 23:1-10).
     
       The Sanhedrin is said to have consisted of seventy-one
     members, the high priest being president. They were of three
     classes (1) the chief priests, or heads of the twenty-four
     priestly courses (1 Chr. 24), (2) the scribes, and (3) the
     elders. As the highest court of judicature, "in all causes and
     over all persons, ecclesiastical and civil, supreme," its
     decrees were binding, not only on the Jews in Palestine, but on
     all Jews wherever scattered abroad. Its jurisdiction was greatly
     curtailed by Herod, and afterwards by the Romans. Its usual
     place of meeting was within the precincts of the temple, in the
     hall "Gazith," but it sometimes met also in the house of the
     high priest (Matt. 26:3), who was assisted by two
     vice-presidents.