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Sanhedrin
The
high priest and the
chief priests formed an elite religious nobility within
Jerusalem. Their members were selected from a small number of wealthy families who
traced their descent back to Zadok, the high priest during Solomon's reign. But in
the time of
Jesus, the dominant priestly families constituted an illegitimate aristocracy whose
members were not of pure Zadokite blood. The powerful clans of Boethus, Annas,
Phiabi and Kamith, all members of the illegitimate priesthood, supplied all
the high priests in the temple. The house of Annas was especially powerful. Annas
had been high priest from 6-15 AD, and five of his sons, his son-in-law
Caiaphas and his grandson Jonathan also held that important post.
These men controlled not only the temple, but a large number of seats on the
Sanhedrin, the supreme judicial body of the Jewish nation. Its 71 members were
divided into three groups, the chief priests, the elders and the
scribes. The high priest served as its presiding officer. Although in theory the
Sanhedrin had executive and legislative functions as well as judicial authority,
its powers had been restricted by the Roman rulers. In Jesus' day, the Sanhedrin
did not have the authority to carry out the death sentence.
There was also an influential lay nobility within Jerusalem, represented by
the elders who sat on the Sanhedrin. They were the descendants of ancient ruling
families whose powers had originated in the days following the Conquest.
After the return from exile in Babylon they had functioned as representatives
of the people in dealing with the Persian, Egyptian and Syrian rulers. Many
elders were wealthy merchants and landowners.
These two powerful ruling elites, the priestly and lay aristocracy of Judaism,
made up the party known in Jesus' time as the
Sadducees. They constituted a tightly closed circle of influential families who wielded
great political power by virtue of their control of the Sanhedrin and their
favored status in the eyes of the Roman rulers. They had found that they could
best maintain their position by following a policy of cooperation with Rome.
Their political and religious outlook was conservative, aimed at preserving both
the temple and their own authority.