At the time of Christ, the Sanhedrin (KJV) was the great council of the leading Jews, the Pharisees and Sadducees. It had seventy-one members, presided over by the high priest elected at the time. The Romans recognised the rulings of the Sanhedrin in matters of Jewish religious law, but it had no authority to carry out the death penalty. Jesus was taken before the Sanhedrin, who sentenced him to death and handed him over to the Romans (see John 11:45-53; Matthew 26:57-62).

After Pentecost the apostles Peter and John were arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin, who were now more cautious and released them with a warning not to teach in the name of Jesus (in Acts 4:1-22). The apostle Paul also appeared before the Sanhedrin (in Acts 22:30-23:10).