Blog
Sanhedrin- the supreme Jewish Court of Law
- August 8, 2012
- Posted by: admin
- Category: Israel Political system politics Religious system
The Sanhedrin (Hebrew: סַנְהֶדְרִין sanhedrîn, Greek: Συνέδριον, synedrion, “sitting together,” hence “assembly” or “council”) was an assembly of twenty-three to seventy-one men appointed in every city in the Land of Israel.
In the Hebrew Bible, Moses and the Israelites were commanded by God to establish courts of judges who were given full authority over the people of Israel, who were commanded by God to obey every word the judges instructed and every.
The supreme court of Sanhedrin had it’s base in Jerusalem the capital city of Israel.
The role of Moses and Aaron (High priest) in the Court of Sanhedrin:
The court of Sanhedrin had maximum 72 elders, There was a chief overseer (Who brought down God’s prophetic revelation, and he also transmitted (taught, described, illustrated, prophesied and translated) God’s prophetic vision to the court, In this case; Moses played this role).
The role of the high priest:
The high priest who was Aaron played the role of serving, teaching and administrating the practical order of the religious rituals that Moses transmitted, using them as physical tools in the service of the temple.
As the daily, Weekly services and annual festivals of the temple were going on, also the physical and spiritual needs of Israel were met
Why did the Court of Sanhedrin have 72 members?
The court of Sanhedrin was supposed to represent the 72 expressions in God’s name, which also corresponds to the 72 expressions that Adam possessed in his abode as spiritual attributes and influence.
During the building of the tower of Babel, God decided to cast the influence of many languages in the midst of those who were building the Tower of Babel.
And from that point of time, the 72 expressions of Adam’s nature started to transform into 72 nations, languages, cultures and nations that scattered abroad into the whole earth.
The purpose of the Court of Sanhedrin:
The court of Sanhedrin was supposed to govern, influence, administrate, cultivate, judge, manage, and teach all the 72 languages that derived from Adam’s 72 expressions.
During the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, Moses was commanded by God to translate the Torah into 72 languages, so that the Torah will be a written document or witness, containing the moral instructions and teaching that God uses to morally structure Adam’s 72 expressions.
Function and procedures
The Sanhedrin as a body claimed powers that lesser Jewish courts did not have.
As such, they were the only ones who could try the king, extend the boundaries of the Temple and Jerusalem, and were the ones to whom all questions of law were finally put.
How many members were in the small Sanhedrin court and a bigger one:
In some cases, it was only necessary for a 23-member panel (functioning as a Lesser Sanhedrin) to convene.
In general, the full panel of 71 judges was only convened on matters of national significance (e.g., a declaration of war) or in the event that the 23-member panel could not reach a conclusive verdict.
By the end of the second temple period, the Sanhedrin reached its pinnacle of importance, legislating all aspects of Jewish religious and political life within the parameters laid down by Biblical and Rabbinic tradition.
Summary of Patriarchal powers
The following is a summary of the powers and responsibilities of the Patriarchate from the onset of the third century, based on rabbinic sources as portrayed by L.I. Levine:
- Representative to Imperial authorities;
- Focus of leadership in the Jewish community:
- Receiving daily visits from prominent families;
- Declaration of public fast days;
- Initiating or abrogating the ban (herem);
- Appointment of judges to Jewish courts in the Land of Israel;
- Regulation of the calendar;
- Issuing enactments and decrees with respect to the applicability or release from legal requirements, e.g.:
-
- Use of Sabbatical year produce and applicability of sabbatical year injunctions;
- Repurchase or redemption of formerly Jewish land from gentile owners;
- Status of Hellenistic cities of the Land of Israel re: purity, tithing, sabbatical year;
- Exemptions from tithing;
- Conditions in divorce documents;
- Use of oil produced by gentiles;
- Dispatching emissaries to diaspora communities;
- Taxation: both the power to tax and the authority to rule/intervene on the disposition of taxes raised for local purposes by local councils.
Up to the middle of the fourth century, the Patriarchate retained the prerogative of determining the Hebrew calendar and guarded the intricacies of the calculation process in an effort to subdue interference from the Babylonian community.
Due to Christian persecution, Hellel II was obliged to fix the calendar in permanent form in 359 CE. This institution symbolized the passing of authority from the Patriarchate to the Babylonia Academies.
Article written by Apostle Ngabo (explanation of the 72 nation, role of Moses & Aaron) for the council of Ngabo and part of the text was taken from Wikipedia.org