This is the name of the council, consisting of 120 members, said to have been
organized by Nehemiah, about 410 B.C., under the presidency of Ezra, for the
purpose of reconstructing the religious life of the returned captives. It is
thought to have been a continuing body, governing the returned Jews till about 275
B.C. It is said to have had an important part in gathering, grouping, and
restoring the Canonical books of the Old Testament.