Men of the Great Assembly (Anshei Knesset HaGdolah) is the name of the council of elders (leaders of the people) established during the construction of the Second Temple. It was headed by the then spiritual leader of the Jews, Ezra "ha-sofer" (the scribe). Members of the Great Assembly included Daniel, Mordechai, Nehemiah, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and others. There were 120 of them in total. One of the last members of the Great Assembly was Simeon the Righteous, who lived in the late fourth and early third centuries BCE.
This Assembly was a unique reflection of the spiritual life of the people; it exercised control over the entire religious, social, and economic life of the Jews. The Great Assembly served as a link between the prophets who completed the Holy Scriptures and the Talmudic scholars.