Luke 22:66-71
Jesus before the Council
When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” All of them asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!”
About the Picture
This large, atmospheric painting most likely depicts a moment from Christ’s trial before the Sanhedrin (a Jewish judicial body). The composition is symmetrically balanced around the lit candle on the central table: the shimmering flame illuminates the faces of Christ and the man sat facing him, probably the priest Caiaphas.
Gerrit van Honthorst | Christ before the High Priest | NG3679 | National Gallery, London
Interactive Map
Herod’s Temple was a renovation of the original Second Temple including turning the entire Temple Mount into a flat platform. The Sanhedrin met in the eastern end of the Royal Stoa, or Royal Porch.
