The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of the land. 1 It originated from the priestly aristocracy (see Nehemiah 2:16; Nehemiah 5:7) and in the time of Jesus there were seventy-one members, with the high priest as the head and the chief priests (priestly nobility) as the most influential group. Members were also drawn from the teachers of the law (many of whom were Pharisees) and the elders (lay aristocracy). They were given some freedom by the Romans to deal with the affairs of Judea, though it appears as if the right to kill was withheld from them (see John 18:31). 2
22 Mais moi, je vous dis que quiconque se met en colère contre son frère est passible de jugement; que celui qui dira à son frère: Raca! mérite d'être puni par le sanhédrin; et que celui qui lui dira: Insensé! mérite d'être puni par le feu de la géhenne.