Some claim that the New Testament portrays the Sanhedrin as a corrupt group of [[Pharisees]], although it was predominantly made up of [[Sadducees]] at the time. This does agree with the New Testament where the Sanhedrin's leadership - [[Annas]] and [[Caiaphas]] were Sadducees. The Gospels also consistently make a distinction between the Pharisees and "the elders," "the teachers of the law," and "the rulers of the people"
The opposition continues by saying that in order for the Christian leaders of the time to present Christianity as the legitimate heir to the [[Tanakh|Hebrew Scriptures]], they had to devalue [[Rabbinic Judaism]]. In addition to the New Testament, other [[Christian]] writings relate that the Apostles [[Saint Peter|Peter]], [[John the Apostle|John]], [[Saint Stephen|Stephen]], and [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] were all brought before the Sanhedrin for the blasphemous crime (from the Jewish perspective) of spreading their Gospel. However, the Gospels exist, and do give an account of events that happened well before the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, although most scholars consider them to have been penned after the Temple was destroyed (however, see [[Gospel of Mark]] and [[Gospel of Matthew]] for views on earlier historical dating). Those scholars may believe them to have been based on earlier sources, rather than giving a first-person account; though the Gospels are not entirely dismissed, they are presumed to be biased rather than factual. However, Streeter and others of the Tuebingen school hold that Christian NT writings which discuss the Sanhedrin actually may date much earlier than previously thought, so supporters claim that the NT accounts quite possibly are more accurate that thought heretofore.
