SANHEDRIM (sIn'h6'-drim), more properly SANHEDRIN (Heb. san-he-dreen' ; Gr. avve3pLoP, supreme council), the su preme judicial council of the Jews, especially for religious affairs.
(1) Composition. This council consisted of seventy members. Some give the number at seventy-two, but for this there appears no suffi cient authority. To this number the high-priest was added, 'provided he was a man endowed with wisdom' (Maimonid. Sashed. chap. 2). Re garding the class of the Jewish people from which these were chosen, there is some uncer tainty. Maimonides (Sanhed. chap. 2) tells us that this council was composed 'of Priests, Levites and Israelites, whose rank entitled them to be associated with priests.' Dr. Jost, the learned historian of his nation, simply says: 'The mem bers of the council were chosen from among the people ;' and more particularly in another place he remarks : 'These judges consisted of the most eminent priests, and of the scribes of the people, who were chosen for life, but each of whom had to look to his own industry for his support' (Geschichte der Israelites scit der Zeit der Mak kabfier, th. i, s. 49; iii, 86). The statement in this latter passage corresponds with the terms used in Matt. ii :4, where the council convened by Herod, in consequence of what the wise men of the East had told him, is described as com posed of 'all the chief priests and scribes of the people ;' the former of whom Lightfoot (Hor. He!). et Taint. in loc.) explains as the clerical, the latter as the laical. members of the Sanhedrim. In other passages of the New Testament we meet with the threefold enumeration, Priests, Elders and Scribes (Matt. XVi :2I ; XtiVi :3, 57, etc.) and this is the description which most frequently oc curs. By the first are to be understood, not such as had sustained the office of high-priest, but the chief men among the priests; probably the presi dents of the twenty-four classes into which the priesthood was divided (1 Chron. xxiv :1-6; comp.
the use of the phrase 2 Chron. xxxvi :14).
By the second, we arc probably to understand the select men of the people—the Aldermen—per sons whose rank or standing led to their being raised to this distinction. And by the last are designated those, whether of the Levitical fam ily or not, who gave themselves to the pursuit of learning, especially to the interpretation of Scripture, and of the traditions of the fathers.
(2) Officers. In the council the office of presi dent belonged to the high-priest, if he was a mem ber of it ; when he was not, it is uncertain whether a subsIitute was provided, or his place occupied by the person next in rank. He bore the title of chief or president; and it was his prerogative to summon the council together, as well as to pre side over its deliberations. When he entered the assembly, all the members rose and remained standing until he requested them to sit. Next in rank to him was the vice-president, who bore the title of Father of the House of Judgment; whose duty it was to supply the place of the president in case he should be prevented by any accidental cause from discharging his duties himself. When the president was present, this officer sat at his right hand. The third grade of rank was that of the sage, whose business was to give counsel to the assem bly, and who was generally selected to his office on account of his sagacity and knowl edge of the law. His place was on the left hand of the president. The assembly. when convened, sat in the form of a semicircle, or half-moon, the president occupying the center. At each extremity stood a scribe, whose duty it was to record the sentence pronounced by the council.
The meetings of this council were usually held in the morning. Their place of meet ing was a hall, close by the great gate of the Temple, and leading from the outer court of the women to the holy place. In cases of ur gency the Sanhedrim might be convened in the house of the high-priest (Matt. xxvi :3).