Surprisingly, John’s narrative doesn’t offer any details about Jesus’ interrogation before the high priest in the Sanhedrin. Instead, John mentions only Jesus’ interrogation by Annas, before the actual trial before the Sanhedrin. The Great Sanhedrin was the high court of the Jews and was located within the Temple compound, being part of the north wall. The building was half in and half outside the compound, and it was referred to as the Hall of Hewn Stones.[1] It was here that court cases were heard, when the lower courts (also called sanhedrins) couldn’t make a satisfactory decision. The lower courts were composed of twenty-three Jewish men of rank, but the Great Sanhedrin was composed of three courts of twenty-three for a total of sixty-nine members, plus the high priest who presided over the whole court, seventy in all. They acted as the Jews’ supreme court.
Jesus was taken into one of the rooms of the Hall of Hewn Stones, before he was taken to its main hall, where the court proceedings took place. Interestingly, the earthquake that would occur later in the day at Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:50-51, 54) broke up the Hall of Hewn Stones, where the court met, and consequently was never used again for that purpose. It’s judgment of Jesus was its Last Judgment in the House of God! Afterward, it met elsewhere in the city.
John tells us that the deputies of the high priest and Pharisees and their officers (John 18:3) arrested Jesus in the garden and bound his hands, before escorting him back to the Temple compound, taking him first to Annas,[2] the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the officiating high priest (John 18:12-13; cp. Luke 3:2). Keep in mind at this point that it was Caiaphas who had mentioned earlier to the other Jewish authorities that killing Jesus would be a convenient method for solving their problems (John 18:14; cp. 11:47-50). So, there was little doubt as to what Jesus’ fate would be once he was in their hands.
The high priest who interrogated Jesus in John’s narrative was Annas. He asked Jesus about his disciples and his doctrine (John 18:19). In other words, he was fishing. He had no evidence of a crime, and he was hoping for Jesus to supply him with something that would lend some legitimacy to the Jewish authorities’ arrest of him. However, Jesus responded by saying he taught publicly in the synagogues and the Temple where all Jews come and could witness to what he said and did, including some of the members of the court. He taught nothing in secret, and he challenged Annas to ask anyone who heard him speak, if he wished to know his doctrine that he taught his disciples (John18:20-21).
Consequently, when one of the officers of the court who stood by heard what Jesus said, he struck him in the face with the palm of his hand, saying his reply was disrespectful of the high priest (John 18:22), but Jesus replied, telling the man to bear witness of the offense, but if he (Jesus) replied correctly, what right had he to strike him (John 18:23)? Since nothing is recorded that would show the man offered a reply, Jesus was struck illegally by an officer of the court, which was further evidence of how the proceedings would transpire throughout the night.
Annas then sent Jesus to Caiaphas (John 18:24) to be tried by the Sanhedrin, a twenty-three-member night court. The Great Sanhedrin wouldn’t convene until the morning (cp. Luke 22:66-71). Nevertheless, the whole affair was illegal on their part. Not only was there no supportable evidence for Jesus’ arrest, but the trial during the night was illegal, according to Jewish law, because it was to try Jesus for a capital offence.
“Civil suits are tried by day, and concluded at night. But Capital charges must be tried by day and concluded by day. Civil suits can be concluded on the same day, whether for acquittal or condemnation; capital charges may be concluded on the same day with a favorable verdict, but only on the morrow with an unfavorable verdict. Therefore, trials are not held on the eve of a Sabbath or Festival.” [Babylonian Talmud; Sanhedrin 32a]
All capital offences must be tried during the day. Moreover, the judgment for a capital offence couldn’t be carried out on the same day the verdict was given. The execution had to be done the next day, but never on a Sabbath or an annual Feast Day. Thus, it was illegal for the Jewish authorities to try anyone for a capital offence on the day before the Sabbath or any Holy Day.
__________________________________________________________
[1] The Hall of Hewn Stones was also what is called the palace (G833) of the high priest (cp. Matthew 26:3; Mark 14:54; John 18:15). The same Greek word is used to refer to the hall or courtyard where the fire was made where Peter warmed himself (Luke 22:55). In the Apocalypse the same Greek word is used to indicate the outer court of the Temple, where the Altar of Sacrifice stood. The high priest’s palace was built into the wall of the Temple (cp. Nehemiah 3:20-21), and had rooms which were used for various purposes (Nehemiah 13:4-8).
[2] Annas was the first high priest chosen by Rome (appointed by Quirinius of Luke 2:2, governor of Syria), once they banished Archelaus cir. 6 AD. Annas officiated that office until he was replaced by the Roman procurator, Annius Rufus, in 15 AD. Nevertheless, according to Jewish law, once appointed to the office of high priest, one was high priest for life, even if someone else officiated.
Smoodock's Blog 