Sanhedrin (Talmud)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the council of seventy-one Jewish sages in Judea during the Roman period, see Sanhedrin.

Sanhedrin (סנהדרין) is one of ten tractates of the Nezikin (a section of the Talmud that deals with damages, ie. civil and criminal proceedings). The Gemara of the tractate is noteworthy as precursors to the development of common law principles^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Summary of Sanhedrin

Within the Nezikin, the Sanhedrin focuses on criminal law and punishments. The tractate includes eleven chapters, addressing the following topics:

The different levels of courts and which cases each level presides over
Laws of the high priest and Jewish king and their involvement in court proceedings
Civil suits: acceptable witnesses and judges and the general proceedings
The difference between criminal and civil cases, general proceedings in criminal cases
Court procedures, including examination of witnesses and the voting of the judges
Procedures for execution after condemnation, especially stoning
The 4 types of capital punishments, details of crimes which merit stoning
The rebellious son, and other crimes for which the offender is killed before committing the actual prohibition, and the commandmants for which we are to die before violating.
Details of crimes meriting capital punishment by burning or slaying; auxiliary punishments
Details of crimes meriting capital punishment by choking
The World to Come. This chapter is known individually by Helek, one of its opening words.