Editing Sanhedrin (section)

=== Function and procedures ===
The Sanhedrin as a body claimed powers that lesser Jewish courts did not have. As such, they were the only ones who could try the king, extend the boundaries of the Temple and Jerusalem, and were the ones to whom all questions of law were finally put. Moreover, the lesser Sanhedrin of 23 judges was the only juridical body in Israel having the statutory and constitutional authority and power to render a verdict of [[capital punishment]] to would-be offenders,<ref>{{Citation |title=The Mishnah |editor-last=Danby|editor-first=H. |editor-link=Herbert Danby |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |place=Oxford |year=1977|page=[https://archive.org/details/DanbyMishnah/page/383/mode/1up 383] (''Sanhedrin'' 1:4) |isbn=0-19-815402-X |title-link=Mishnah }}</ref> and the greater Sanhedrin of 71 judges was solely authorized to send forth the people to a [[voluntary war|battle waged of free choice]].<ref>{{Citation |title=The Mishnah |editor-last=Danby|editor-first=H. |editor-link=Herbert Danby |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |place=Oxford |year=1977|page=[https://archive.org/details/DanbyMishnah/page/383/mode/1up 383] (''Sanhedrin'' 1:5) |isbn=0-19-815402-X |title-link=Mishnah }}</ref> 

Before 191 BCE the [[Kohen Gadol|High Priest]] acted as the ''ex officio'' head of the Sanhedrin,<ref name="ArtScroll">Goldwurm, Hersh and Holder, Meir, ''History of the Jewish People'', I "The Second Temple Era" ([[ArtScroll|Mesorah Publications]]: 1982) {{ISBN|0-89906-454-X}}.</ref>  but in 191 BCE, when the Sanhedrin lost confidence in the High Priest, the office of [[Nasi (Hebrew title)|Nasi]] was created. After the time of [[Hillel the Elder]] (late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE), the Nasi was almost invariably a descendant of Hillel. The second highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin was called the [[Av Beit Din]], or 'Head of the Court' (literally, {{lang|he-latn|Av Beit Din}} means 'father of the house of judgment'), who presided over the Sanhedrin when it sat as a criminal court.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/economic/friedman/sanhedrin.htm |title=Sanhedrin |publisher=CUNY |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519083636/http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/economic/friedman/sanhedrin.htm |archive-date=2006-05-19 }}</ref> 

During the Second Temple period, the Sanhedrin met in a building known as the [[Hall of Hewn Stones]] ({{lang|he-latn|Lishkat ha-Gazit}}), which has been placed by the Talmud and many scholars as built into the northern wall of the [[Temple Mount]], half inside the sanctuary and half outside, with doors providing access variously to the Temple and to the outside. The name presumably arises to distinguish it from the buildings in the Temple complex used for ritual purposes, which could not be constructed of stones hewn by any [[iron]] implement.

In some cases, it was necessary only for a 23-member panel (functioning as a Lesser Sanhedrin) to convene. In general, the full panel of 71 judges was convened only on matters of national significance (''e.g.'', a declaration of war) or when the 23-member panel failed to reach a conclusive verdict.<ref>Babylonian Talmud: Sanhedrin [http://images.e-daf.com/DafImg.asp?ID=3613&size=1 2a].</ref>

By the end of the Second Temple period, the Sanhedrin reached its pinnacle of importance, legislating all aspects of Jewish religious and political life within parameters laid down by Biblical and Rabbinic tradition.