The Seventy Elders, The Great Assembly and The Sanhedrim

Over the holidays I spent some time reading about post-captivity Jerusalem, as found in Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. I also ended up reading about the Great Assembly and the Sanhedrim.

Exodus 24
1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abi'hu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

Here in Exodus we see Hebrew governance, for the first time, in the form of a group of elders.

Nehemiah 9
38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.

Here in Nehemiah we see Hebrew governance continue to develop as the Great Assembly comes into being.

Matthew 26
67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

And after Moses' seventy elders, after Nehemiah's sealed Great Assembly, we have the fully developed "council" or Sanhedrim in Matthew 26, trying Jesus.  And finally:

Matthew 27
1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

Chilling....