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Passion Sunday
Thoughts for the Week - Fr. R. Taouk
18th March 2018
Passion Sunday
The Sanhedrin - The Men Who Put Jesus To Death
by Fr. A Lemann & Fr. J Lemann
The Sanhedrin, or Grand Council, was the high court of
justice and the supreme tribunal of the Jews. It was
established at Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, and
it is said that the famous council of 70 elders instituted
by Moses in the wilderness (Deut. 17:8) served as a model
for this assembly. It was composed of 71 members, including
the Presidents. This is the number given by Josephus and all
Jewish historians. At the time of Christ these 71 members
were divided into three chambers, as follows: The Chamber of
the Priests; The Chamber of the Scribes, or Doctors; The
Chamber of the Elders. Each chamber was ordinarily composed
of 23 members, which together with the Presidents gave the
number of 71.
The Chamber of Priests, as the name indicates, was composed
exclusively of those who held the rank of Priest. The
Chamber of Scribes included the Levites and such of the
laymen as were particularly versed in the knowledge of the
law. The Chamber of Ancients was formed of the most
venerable men of the nation. Such was the constitution of
the assembly represented by the three principal estates of
the Hebrew nation, as recorded by all the Hebrew and
Christian contemporary writers. The New Testament declares
that the Priests, the Scribes, and the Ancients assembled to
judge Christ (Mark 14:53). Although constitutionally the 71
were to be divided in equal numbers in each of the three
chambers viz.: Twenty-three in the Chamber of the Priests,
twenty-three in the Chamber of the Scribes, twenty-three in
the Chamber of the Elders.
It is, however, necessary to add that when the influence of
the high priesthood became preponderant (and such was the
case when Judea became a Roman province) the officiating
High Priest usually assumed the presidency of the Sanhedrin
also. Cases are on record even where the presidency was
taken possession of by violence. Need we, then, be surprised
at their mercenary spirit and lack of justice? The mode of
the election being corrupt, their administration became
corrupt also. Thus they did not scruple, on many occasions,
to decide the most important questions when only a half or
even a third of the members were present.
(In the trial against Christ) the dignity of this high
tribunal was abused by the immoral and unjust character of
the men composing it. We, as sons of Israel, have studied
the subject of Jewish legislation from its own sources,
inquiring minutely into the legality of the proceedings of
the Sanhedrin against Christ, and say, "Behold the guilty!
These are the men who have led the whole Jewish nation
astray".
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