SINAGOGA, GRANDE. — In the Mishnah ('Abhôth, I, 1) it is stated that representatives of the genuine Jewish tradition were Moses, the elders chosen by him, the prophets, the “men of the Great Synagogue” ('anîš kênêseth hag-gêdhôlah), and then Simeon the Just and his successors. From the text it would appear that the Great Synagogue was the connecting link between ancient prophecy and the first pairs of the famous sages (Joshua ben Jezer, Joshua ben Johanan, etc.).
In the same text three maxims of the men of the Great Synagogue are reported: 1) be cautious in judgment; 2) make many disciples; 3) place a hedge around the Law. This is the program of the most genuine Pharisaism. Later, legislative activity was also attributed to them, until in Bâbâ' Bâthrâ' 15a they were indicated as authors of the following books: Ezekiel, the twelve minor prophets, Daniel, Esther. To make the connection more evident, the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were also considered members of the Great Synagogue.
Although even in fairly recent times (S. Krauss, H. Englander) the Great Synagogue has been presented as the supreme national-religious body during the Persian domination, it is now commonly held that this is a pure legend, perhaps arising under the influence of Neh. 8-10. According to Bickerman, the expression 'anîš kênêseth hag-gêdhôlah would be equivalent to bênê hag-gôlah (“sons of the exile,” “exiles”). Those who returned from Mesopotamia realized “the great assembly.” This generation formed the connecting link between the last prophets and Simeon the Just and Antigonus of Socho, since according to a rabbinic chronology only 52 years elapsed between Cyrus and Alexander the Great.