“What was the Sanhedrin?”……The term Sanhedrin is from a Greek word that means "assembly" or "council" and dates from the Hellenistic period, but the concept is one that goes back to the Bible. In the Torah, God commands Moses

Numbers 11:16

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle(Hebrew the Tent of Meeting.)to stand there with you.

Also Deuteronomy16:18

"Appoint judges and officials for yourselves from each of your tribes in all the towns the Lord your God is giving you. They must judge the people fairly."

The land was divided up among the tribes, and in those areas where tribes had their presence, there were towns and villages, and in every town and every village there was to be a court. If there were 120 men as heads of families, they had a local court there called a Sanhedrin.

In smaller towns where there were not 120 men as heads of families, there were either three judges, if the town was very small, or seven judges who sat as a court, both judge and jury, in all legal matters. ……The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel, made up of 70 men and the high priest. In the SecondTemple period, the Great Sanhedrin met in the Temple in Jerusalem. The court convened every day except festivals and on the Sabbath.

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 or extend the boundaries of the Temple and Jerusalem, and were the ones to whom all questions of law were finally put.

The last binding decision of the Sanhedrin was in 358, when the Hebrew calendar was adopted. The Sanhedrin was dissolved after continued persecution by the Roman Empire. Over the centuries, there have been attempts to revive the institution, such as the Grand Sanhedrin convened by Napoleon Bonaparte.……In the New Testament, the Sanhedrin is best known for their part in the series of mock trials that resulted in the crucifixion of Jesus. The Sanhedrin began with an informal examination of Jesus before Annas, the acting high priest

John 18:12-14, 19-23…So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up.First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. (Greek that year) Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, "It's better that one man should die for the people."├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬ Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20 Jesus replied, "Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people (Greek Jewish people) gather. I have not spoken in secret. Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said." Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. "Is that the way to answer the high priest?" he demanded. Jesus replied, "If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I'm speaking the truth, why are you beating me?"

Aformal session before the entire Sanhedrinfollowed …Matthew 26:57-68…Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered.Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest's courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end. Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council(Greek the Sanhedrin)were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone's testimony. Finally, two men came forward61 who declared, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"… Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Well, aren't you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?" But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I demand in the name of the living God-tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."… Jesus replied, "You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God's right hand(Greek seated at the right hand of the power. See Ps 110:1). and coming on the clouds of heaven."

( See Dan 7:13.)

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, "Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy.What is your verdict?"…"Guilty!" they shouted. "He deserves to die!" Then they began to spit in Jesus' face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, jeering, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?"

There the decision was made to turn Jesus over to the Roman authorities to be tried and crucified.