Neuter of a presumed derivative of a compound of sun and the base of hedraios; a joint session, i.e. (specially), the Jewish Sanhedrin; by analogy, a subordinate tribunal -- council.

see GREEK sun

see GREEK hedraios

1. any session or assembly of persons deliberating or adjudicating (Proverbs 22:10; Psalm 25:4 (); Jeremiah 15:17; 2 Macc. 14:5; 4 Macc. 17:17): συνήγαγον συνέδριον (A. V. "gathered a council]"], John 11:47.

2. specifically,

a. the Sanhedrin, the great council at Jerusalem (Talmud, סַנְהֵדְרִין), consisting of seventy-one members, viz. scribes (see γραμματεύς, 2), elders, prominent members of the high priestly families (hence, called ἀρχιερεῖς; see ἀρχειρευς, 2), and the high priest, the president of the body. The fullest periphrasis for Sanhedrin is found in Matthew 26:3 R G; Mark 14:43, 53 (viz. οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καί οἱ γραμματεῖς καί οἱ πρεσβύτεροι). The more important causes were brought before this tribunal, inasmuch as the Roman rulers of Judaea had left to it the power of trying such cases, and also of pronouncing sentence of death, with the limitation that a capital sentence pronounced by the Sanhedrin was not valid unless it were confirmed by the Roman procurator (cf. John 18:31; Josephus, Antiquities 20, 9, 1). The Jews trace the origin of the Sanhedrin to Numbers 11:16f. The Sanhedrin (A. V. council) is mentioned in Matthew 5:22; Matthew 26:59; Mark 14:55; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66;. Acts 4:15; Acts 5:21, 27, 34, 41; Acts 6:12, 15; Acts 22:30; Acts 23:1, 6, 15, 20, 28; Acts 24:20; used ((as in classical Greek)) of the place of meeting in Acts 4:15.

b. the smaller tribunal or council (so A. V.) which every Jewish town had for the decision of the less important cases (see κρίσις, 4): Matthew 10:17; Mark 13:9. Cf. Winers RWB under the word Synedrium; Leyrer in Herzog edition 1 under the word Synedrium (Strack in edition 2); Schürer, Neutest. Zeitgesch. 2te Aufl. § 23, II., III. (and in Riehm, p. 1595ff); Holtzmann in Schenkel see, p. 446ff; (BB. DD., under the word (especially Ginsburg in Alex.'s Kitto); Hamburger, Real-Encycl. ii, pp. 1147 -1155; Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, ii. 553ff; Farrar, Life of Christ, Excurs. xiii.).