Sanhedrim
or SANHEDRIN, the supreme national tribunal of the Jews, established at the time of the Maccabees, probably under John Hyrcanus. It consisted of 71 members, and was presided over by the Nasi ("prince"), at whose side stood the Ab-Beth-Din ("father of the tribunal"). Its members belonged to the different classes of society: there were priests (Greek, archiereis), elders, that is, heads of families, men of age, and experience (Gr. presbyteroi); scribes, or doctors of the law (Gr. grammateis); and others exalted by eminent learning-the sole condition for admission into this assembly. The presidentinto this assembly. The presidentship was conferred on the high-priest in preference, if he happened to possess the requisite qualities of eminence; otherwise, "he who excels all others in wisdom" was dom" was appointed, irrespective of his station. The limits of its jurisdiction are not known with certainty; but there is no doubt that the supreme decision over life and death were exclusively in its hands. was By degrees the whole internal administration of the commonwealth vested in this body, and it became necessary to establish minor courts, similarly composed, all over the country, and Jerusalem itself. Thus we hear of two inferior tribunals at Jerusalem, each of SANITARY LAWS SANITARY SCIENCE them consisting of 23 men, and others tection of public health has been made consisting of three men only. These the object of special legislation, since courts of 23 men (Lesser Synedrion), however, as well as those of the three men, probably represent only smaller or larger committees chosen from the general body. Excluded from the office of judge were: those born in adultery; men born of non-Israelite parents; gamblers; usurers; those who sold fruit grown in the Sabbatical year; and, in individual cases, near relatives. All these were also not admitted as witnesses. Two scribes were always present, one registering the condemnatory, the other the exculpatory votes. The mode of procedure was exceedingly complicated; and such was the caution of the court, especially in matters of life and death, that capital punishment was pronounced in the rarest instances only. The Nasi had the sudirection of the court and convoked it when necessary. He sat at the head, and to his right hand was the seat of the Ab-Beth-Din.
The court met on extraordinary occasions in the house of the high priest; its general place of assembly, however, was a certain hall (Lishcat Hagaziz), probably situated at the S. W. corner of one of the courts of the temple. With the exception of Sabbath and feast days it met daily. The political troubles forced the the Sanhedrin (70 B. c.) to change its meeting-place, which was first transferred ferred to certain bazaars (Hannyoth) at the foot of the temple mount. After the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem it finally established itself, after many further emigrations, in Babylon. one.
The question as to the origin and development of the Sanhedrin is a difficult It is said it was intended to be a faithful reproduction of the Mosaic assembly of the 70 (Moses himself making 71), supposed to have been re-established by Ezra after the Exile.