Encyclopedia entry
Council
Spoken of counsellors who sat in public trials with the governor of a province (Acts 25:12).
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The Jewish councils were the Sanhedrim, or supreme council of the nation, which had subordinate to it smaller tribunals (the “judgment,” perhaps, in Matt. 5:21, 22) in the cities of Palestine (Matt. 10:17; Mark 13:9). In the time of Christ the functions of the Sanhedrim were limited (John 16:2; 2 Cor. 11:24). In Ps. 68:27 the word “council” means simply a company of persons. (R.V. marg., “company.”)
In ecclesiastical history the word is used to denote an assembly of pastors or bishops for the discussion and regulation of church affairs. The first of these councils was that of the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, of which we have a detailed account in Acts 15.
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
The great council of the Sanhedrin, which sat at Jerusalem. [Sanhedrin] The lesser courts, (Matthew 10:17; Mark 13:9) of which there were two at Jerusalem and one in each town of Palestine. The constitution of these courts is a doubtful point. The existence of local courts, however constituted, is clearly implied in the passages quoted from the New Testament; and perhaps the “judgment,” (Matthew 5:21) applies to them. A kind of jury or privy council, (Acts 25:12) consisting of a certain number of assessors, who assisted Roman governors in the administration of justice and in other public matters.
In the Bible
36
Verses where Council is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- Acts 4:15
So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.
- Acts 5:21
At daybreak the apostles entered the temple courts as they had been told and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin —the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.
- Acts 5:27
They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them.
- Acts 5:33
When the Council members heard this, they were enraged, and they resolved to put the apostles to death.
- Acts 5:34
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a short time.
- Acts 5:41
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
+30 more verses naming Council.
Scripture on Council
28
Entries that reference Council
7
Council references
12
Voices on Council
24
Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.
Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.