The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2127 page)

(Heb. loan from Gk.,
sunhedrion
). When or if it existed, the supreme political, religious and judicial body in
Erez Israel
during the Roman period. There is much scholarly discussion therefore as to the composition and function of the Sanhedrin, especially whether there were two or more ‘sanhedrins’, or councils, from which the impression of a single Sanhedrin was formed—in other words, the assimilation of councils into Sanhedrin would mean that
the
Sanhedrin as such never existed in the period of the second
Temple
.

 
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(Chin., ‘three stars’). Three Chinese figures (variously identified in each case) who became gods because of their virtues:

(i) Fuhsing, Lucky Star, portrayed usually with a child, or as a bat;
(ii) Lü-hsing, Highly Honoured Star, often portrayed as a stag;
(iii) Shou-hsing, Star of Long Life, usually holding the staff or support of life in one hand, and the peach of immortality in the other. All are important in folk religion.

 
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(Chin., ‘the three ones’). Threefold action of the one
Tao
, derived from
Lao-tzu
42. The creative three may be personified as the guardians of the inner fields of human life and energy; or they may be the Supreme One (
T’ai-i
), the Earthly One (Ti-i), and the Heavenly One (T’ien-i); or they may be mind (
shen
), vitality (
ch’i
), essence (
ching
).

 
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(P
li). The leader of a sect of sceptics (
Amar
vikkhepikas
), and one of the six heretical teachers whose doctrines are described in the
S
mañña-phala Sutta
(see
SAMA
AS
). As a way of indicating his total scepticism, he is said to have used the method of denying truth-claims in any logical form they could be presented.

 
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