Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Sanhedrin 16 – Judging the Tribe, the Prince, the High Priest

A tribe is judged by the Great Sanhedrin of seventy. An entire tribe could be judged when all its members serve idols and stand to be stoned, when it has a territorial dispute with another tribe, or when a prince has committed a capital offense.

The High Priest is judged by the Great Sanhedrin, according to "and every great matter you will bring to me."  What about an ox of the High Priest? Is it judged by the Great or Minor Sanhedrin? - remains unresolved.

The boundaries of the city of Jerusalem or the Courtyard in the Temple can only be extended with the help of the Great Sanhedrin, and a subverted town – one, most of whose inhabitants served idols – can be so designated only by the Great Sanhedrin.

Art: Jerusalem in her Grandeur by Henry Courtney Selous

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