What was the sanhedrin court

A Sanhedrin containing any such member is not validly constituted. Therefore, if a member becomes very old or sexually maimed, he must be replaced. It is preferable that the members of the Sanhedrin be chosen from people of unbroken descent, as in the case of all positions of authority.

It is required, however, that all members of the Sanhedrin be of Jewish parentage Every member of the Sanhedrin must be of unblemished family, as was the first Sanhedrin under Moses. Therefore a bastard mamzer , i. It is preferable that the Sanhedrin contain Kohen-priests and Levites as members. It is thus written, "You shall come to the Kohen-priest and Levites, and to the judge who shall be in those days" Deut.

Nonetheless, a Sanhedrin is valid even without Kohen-priests and Levites. Every member of the Sanhedrin must be ordained, following a tradition from Moses. It is thus written, "Moses did as God commanded him.

He took Joshua Moses also laid his hands on the other elders, ordaining them as members of the Sanhedrin. These, in turn, ordained others, generation after generation, in an unbroken line of ordination from Moses.

Although Moses ordained the first Sanhedrin with the actual laying of hands, this was a special case, and was only done that one time. All subsequent ordinations were performed orally, granting the subject the title of "Rabbi" and declaring that he is "ordained with the right to judge cases involving fines. Ordination must be conferred by a court of three, containing at least one ordained member. It can be done either in person, or by messenger or letter.

A single court can ordain many individuals at once. Therefore, as long as a single ordained person is alive, the tradition of ordination can remain unbroken. The ordained person can form a court with two unordained men, and ordain as many others as needed. The unordained members of the court, however, could then never be ordained themselves, since that would give them an interest in the case. Some authorities maintain that ordination must be performed by day.

In this respect, it is no different than any other judgment. Ordination can only be conferred in the Land of Israel. The entire area included in the First Commonwealth is valid for such ordination. Both the ordaining court and the persons being ordained must be within its borders. If a Sanhedrin was ordained in the Holy Land, however, it can then function in other lands as well. To qualify for ordination, a man must have all the qualifications necessary for membership in the Sanhedrin.

However, if he later becomes disqualified from membership in the Sanhedrin because of age or physical disability, his ordination is still valid. To qualify for ordination, one must be expert in all areas of Torah law.

However, now that the Oral Torah has been committed to writing, it is sufficient that one be familiar enough with all the written authorities to render judgment in all cases. The greatest Torah scholars of each generation are automatically qualified for ordination. It is thus written, "You shall go to the This indicates that each generation has its own standard. It is forbidden to appoint a man to the Sanhedrin or any other court if he does not have the necessary qualifications, even if he has other good qualities.

To do so is to violate the commandment, "You shall not respect persons in judgment" Deut. This was a chamber built into the north wall of the Temple, half inside the sanctuary and half outside, with doors providing access both to the Temple and to the outside.

The place where the Sanhedrin convened was actually outside the sanctuary area. The Sanhedrin would sit while in judgment, and it is forbidden to sit within the sanctuary area. On the other hand, part of this chamber had to be inside the sanctuary area, since the Sanhedrin judged many things involving priests and the Temple service, and this had to be done within the Temple grounds. Moreover, questions would often arise during the divine service, when it is forbidden for a Kohen-priest to leave the sanctuary area.

There was also a requirement that there be direct access from the Great Altar mizbeach to the Sanhedrin. It was only in this chamber that the Sanhedrin could perform all its functions, including the trial of capital offenses. However, in the year 28 CE , when the Sanhedrin relinquished its power to try capital offenses, it moved to another room on the Temple Mount, and then into the city itself.

During the ensuing century, the location of the Sanhedrin alternated between Yavneh and Usha. It remained functioning in Tiberias until shortly before the completion of the Talmud. During the persecutions of Constantinius ; CE , the Sanhedrin had to go into hiding, and it was eventually disbanded. There is a tradition that it will be in Tiberias that the Sanhedrin will be restored.

The traditional ordination semicha was thus abolished in the year CE. The Sanhedrin and other duly constituted courts cannot be established until this ordination is reinstituted. What is called "ordination" today is not true ordination, but rather, a certification that the individual is expert in certain areas of Torah law. Moreover, it implies that he has the permission of his teachers to render public decisions; without such permission it is forbidden.

Therefore, no rabbinical court today can judge cases on its own authority. The only authority that such courts have is as agents of the earlier ordained courts. In this capacity, they can only judge commonly occurring cases involving actual loss on the part of the litigants. The sanhedrin was [arranged] in the shape of a half of a round threshing floor [that is, as an amphitheater], so that the judges could see one another. Sanhedrin 4. And three rows of disciples of sage sit before them.

Each and every one knows his place. That is, the Sanhedrin Council of seventy-one judges sitting in a half-circle with clerks and sages before them. Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. What is it that these men are testifying against You? The gospel records are consistent. They report that the Council tried to force Christ to lie.

We assume that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea did not or were not in attendance. One wonders if the great rabbi Gamaliel attended this mockery of a trial. They violated numerous laws, both Roman and Jewish. But what else is new. The same thing often occurs in our nations today.

The ruling elite ignore and twist laws to accomplish their purposes. He would return as Conqueror and King. He came to die for our sins. That is why He allowed Himself to be standing before them and interrogated by this large group of men.

Our God, in human flesh, died so that we could have our sins forgiven. If you are not a Christian, we urge you to start searching for God and discover how to have eternal life.

Zondervan Publishing. This is the full-quote from page An attempt has been made to do just this, however, by alleging that there were two major Sanhedrins in Jerusalem: 1 a political Sanhedrin composed of a priestly aristocracy headed by the high priest, concerned with civil affairs and the administration of criminal justice of which we read in the NT and Josephus and 2 a religious Sanhedrin composed of a laity of Pharisees headed by a rabbi, concerned with matters of religious life and the interpretation of Torah of which we read in the rabbinic materials.

While this ingenious and attractive theory has been accepted by a number of Jewish scholars e. Such-a-one and such-a-one are witnesses against him. If any man knoweth anything in favor of his acquittal, come let him plead it. When he was about ten cubits from the place of stoning they used to say to him, "Make your confession," for such is the way of them that have been condemned to death to make confession, for every one that makes his confession has a share in the world to come.

For so we have found it with Achan. Joshua said to him, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make confession unto him, and tell me now what you have done; hide it not from me. Whence do we learn that his confession made atonement for him?

It is written, And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day--this day you shall be troubled, but in the world to come you shall not be troubled. If he knows not how to make his confession they say to him, "Say, May my death be an atonement for all my sins.

Judah says: If he knew that he was condemned because of false testimony he should say, "Let my death be an atonement for all my sins excepting this sin. When he was four cubits from the place of stoning, they stripped off his clothes. A man is kept covered in front and a woman both in front and behind.

But the Sages say: a man is stoned naked but a woman is not stoned naked. The place of stoning was twice the height of a man. One of the witnesses knocked him down on his loins; if he turned over on his heart the witness turned him over again on his loins. If he straightaway died that sufficed; but if not, the second took the stone and dropped it on his heart.

If he straightaway died, that sufficed; but if not, he was stoned by all Israel, for it is written, The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death and afterward all the hand of all the people. All that have been stoned must be hanged. But the Sages say: None is hanged save the blasphemer and the idolater. A man is hanged with his face to the people and a woman with her face to the gallows. But the Sages say: A man is hanged but a woman is not hanged.

Eliezer said to them: Did not Simeon ben Shetah hang women in Ashkelon? They answered: He hanged eighty women, whereas two ought not to be judged in one day.

How did they hang a man? They put a beam into the ground and a piece of wood jutted from it. The two hand were brought together and it was hanged. Jose days: The beam was made to lean against a wall and one hanged the corpse thereon as butchers do.

And they let it down at once: if it remained there overnight a negative command is thereby transgressed, for it is is written, His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shall surely bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is a curse against God; as if to say, Why was this one hanged?