Sanhedrin

The highest Jewish religious authority of the time

Claimed to have originated with the 70 elders appointment by Moses in the Torah (Numbers 11:16-30) (not much evidence backing this up)

The Sanhedrin appears sometime between the Old and New Testaments (likely formed after the Maccabean revolt)

Had a large influence and made up of Sadducees and Pharisees

There is dispute as to the composition of the Sanhedrin, that is, the ratio of Pharisees to Sadducees