Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
SYNAGOGUE, THE GREAT, the name given to the council of one hundred and twenty men who, according to Rabbinic tradition, under the presidency of Ezra, formed the Hebrew canon and established the synagogue-worship. They had successors in eminent scribes. The tradition, however, is questioned, and doubtless is not entirely correct. Still, it is probable there was such a body as the predecessor of the Sanhedrin.