The “Council of Jamnia” is a common and somewhat misleading designation of a particular session of the Rabbinic academy (or court) at Yabneh at which it was asserted that Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs “defile the hands,” i.e., are holy scripture. The session in question was held about 90 A.D., although even this date is far from certain. The academy was founded by Yohanan ben Zakkai, a disciple of Hillel. It was presided over by Gamaliel 2, a descendant of Hillel, during much of the era between the two Jewish Revolts against Rome. The academy, in effect, resurrected the institution of the Sanhedrin, which exercised religious authority over the Jewish community before the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.