and feasted in his presence, Ex. xxiv. When at last Moses complained that he was unable to bear so heavy a burden, he was directed to institute a council of seventy men. These had already been officers over the people, but men now set apart, with a new inspiration of God; and this is believed to be the first solemn and divine institution of the Sanhedrin. The unanimous tradition of the Jews, is, that every great. council consisted of seventy men, over whom was placed a President, as the representative of Moses, thus making the whole number seventy-one. There was no preference given to any tribe, yet the members of the Sanhedrin were generally priests. The tribe of Levi was less occupied with agriculture, more at leisure to become familiar with the law, and, from the annual tithes, more able to labour without emolument in this court, than other tribes; while they were also frequently called to Jerusalem, where this assembly met. Yet the Levites and Priests, as such, had no precedence of their brethren, and even the High Priest was not a member of this Council, by virtue of his pontificate, but only when qualified, and duly called. So that if Priests and Levites were not found with the necessary attainments, "it was good and lawful, even for the whole Senate to consist of Israelites of three tribes."* "The King of Israel was not a member of the Sanhedrin, because it is unlawful to dissent from him, or to contradict his word. The High Priest, however, may be a member, if his wisdom correspond with his dignity. The Kings of the house of David, though not admitted to the Councils, sat and judged the people by themselves. From the Talmud it appears that Proselytes might attain to this honour. The qualifications requisite in Judges are laid down both negatively and positively, by the Rabbins. 1. A man decrepit + Sanh. c. ii. B 4. * Maim. Sanb. c. i. from age was excluded. 2. An unfortunate order of men whom the ancients supposed to be peculiarly cruel: thus Claudian; -Eunuchus nulla pietate moventur, 3. A childless man. 4. A mere youth. 5. A man without useful employment. 6. A man remarkably deformed. The following were the positive qualifications. 1. Height of stature. 2. Eminent wisdom. 3. A pleasing form. 4. Maturity of years, verging towards old age. 5. Skill in magic. 6. Acquaintance with the seventy languages, so that he should not need an interpreter.-This skill in magic is well satirized by Cunaeus, and the knowlegde of the seventy languages is not only incredible, but, silly, absurd, and altogether laughable. It is known, however, that the Jews supposed this to be the exact number of human languages. The manner in which members were introduced into this court, is thus described. Certain members, persons belonging to the Sanhedrin, were sent through the whole land of Israel, to discover such men as were wise, exemplary, merciful, sagacious, and of good report. A man of this character was made Judge in his own town. Thence he was called to the court of Twenty-three, at the entrance to the Mount of the temple; and afterwards to that which was held at the gate of the court, and was finally promoted to the Sanhedrin. The appeal was sometimes made to public suffrage, and even to the lot. The initiation, or ordination of persons thus elected, was celebrated by the imposition of hands; which is to be distinsuished from that by which they were constituted elders. In later ages, this was exchanged for the singing of a solemn hymn. The principal office of the Sanhedrin, was the President, who is called The Chief in every place, or simply The Chief, or the Head, or The Admirable. At his right hand sat the Vice-President, or Father of the House of Mercy. To these some add a third, called Hakim, or Wise Man, whose place was on the left of the President. The authority of this council was by far the greatest, whether we consider the subjects investigated, the persons brought to trial, or the weight and efficacy of the sentence pronounced. It took cognizance of every description of case, private and public, ecclesiastical and political. It was the duty of its members to travel through Judea, to appoint magistrates in the towns, and to deliberate on matters pertaining to war and peace. The Talmudists ascribe to them the power of making kings, and the ragulation of the whole subject of religion. Persons of every rank were amenable to their jurisdiction, not excepting, if we may believe the Rabbins, either Prophet, High Priest, or King. Concerning false prophets, we find this provision of the Jewish law. "A false prophet shall not be condemned to death in the council of his own city, or in the council of Jabneh, but shall be brought to the Great Council, which is at Jerusalem, and be kept until some feast, and shall be executed during the feast." This throws light upon the words of our Lord, Luke xiii. 33. A High Priest also could be capitally convicted only by the Sanhedrin, by whom he was likewise sometimes sentenced to stripes. Corporal chastisement seems to have been viewed by the Jews, as not more disgraceful than fines among us: the Talmuds inform us that kings themselves were thus punished, by order of the Great Council.* The sentence pronounced by the Sanhedrin could not be reversed, even by the king. In order to insure justice, a crier always went before the convict to the place of execution, declaring his name, his crime, and the witnesses against him, and giving notice that any one now had an opportunity to appear in his defence. In case of additional testimony a criminal might enjoy the benefit of a new trial several times, and was favoured with the counsel of two of the disciples of the court. The punishment of beating, in cases of contumacy, was far more severe than the legal infliction of stripes, which could never exceed forty. The beating of the contumacious person was a species of examination by torture, in which staves were used, and which might be continued even to death. An obstinate disobedience to a decree of the Sanhedrin in important cases, was a capital offence, and their judgment was authorized, as the Jews suppose, by Deut. xvii. 12. A member of the council itself might be punished with death, if he obstinately opposes their decisions. The place in which this court was held was different at various periods. In the time of Moses, it was at "the door of the tabernacle.' Num. xi. 24. After the entrance into Canaan, it followed the tabernacle to Shiloh, Mizpah, Gil- ́ gal, Nob, Gibeon, the house of Obed Edom, and finally to Jerusalem. A short time before the destruction of the temple by the Chaldeans, the chamber of the Sanhedrin was near to the eastern gate of the temple, above the chamber of the door-keepers. Lightfoot infers this from Jer. xxxv. 4, and Chron. ix. 17, 18. We are told, however, by Maimonides that there was an apartment of hewn stone for this purpose, in the court of Israel, at the southern part of the temple.t There is little certainty as to this point, but we know that there was in the second temple an apartment called the chamber of hewn stone, which took its name from a pavement of costly stones. During the forty years which preceeded the destuction of the temple, the Sanhedrin is said to have changed its place of session ten times. The reason *Descript. Templ. c. ix. + Selden. Lib. ii. c. 15. 4. given for this, is, that while they were in the paved chamber they considered themselves bound to decide upon every case presented, and their judgments were obligatory upon the whole nation. But when they were subjected to the Roman yoke, their power was diminished, they could no longer enforce obedience, and they thought it politic to remove to a less sacred place. It is the opinion of Selden that the Gabbatha or Lithostraton where Pilate held his tribunal was this hall of the Sanhedrin. John xix. 13. This opinion, though adopted by Lightfoot, seems to be without foundation, especially as we learn from Josephus that the court of Pilate was held in the great Stadium. The Sanhedrin, like the Court of Twenty-three, sat in semicircular order. In the middle sat the President, at the right hand the Father of the House of Judgment; at his left the Hakim. The remaining judges sat in the order of their rank. At the ends of the semicircle were placed two Scribes, to whom Rabbi Jehudah adds a third. The culprits was introduced through a door which was not upon holy ground. At his right hand was the Master of Controversy, either to accuse or defend him, Ps. cix. 31, Zech. iii. 1. The sentence was pronounced by the oldest Judge, the parties being introduced. No member was ever permitted to say, after sentence had been pronounced, that he had dissented from it. The Sanhedrin sat every day; on the Sabbath, however, in the Synagogue of the Mountain, that it might not be supposed to meet for judicial purposes. They continued in session from the morning until the evening sacrifice. It was not thought necessary that all the members should be present, except in important cases. Twenty-three were sufficient to transact ordinary business. The history of the Sanhedrin is involved in obscurity. As has already been observed, its origin is fixed by the Jews at the time of the journey in the wilderness. After the death |