Composition and Jurisdiction of the Courts

In the first chapter of T. Sanhedrin, the Mishnayoth describe the composition and jurisdiction of the highest Jewish Court, known as the Great Sanhedrin. The Great Sanhedrin has a permanent meeting place in the city of Jerusalem; the meeting site is known as the Chamber of Hewn Stone. As described in the Mishna, this court of seventy-one judges which sits in the Chamber of Hewn Stone in Jerusalem has a broad and varied jurisdictional base. Its jurisdiction may conveniently be divided into three general functional categories: judicial functions; nonjudicial functions; and administrative functions. These five cases—majority of a tribe accused of idolatry, city accused of idolatry, false prophets, rebellious elder, and the suspected adulteress—comprise the jurisdictional basis of the Great Sanhedrin in its judicial function regarding major transgressions by groups and individuals. Because of the importance of the position, all cases wherein the high priest faces capital punishment are judged by the Great Sanhedrin.