According to traditional Jewish historiography,
the Great Assembly (Anshe Knesset HaGedolah)
was an assembly of 120 rabbis that ruled in the period
after the time of the prophets up to the time of the
development of rabbinic Judaism in 70 CE. They bridge
a period of about two centuries. The tradition teaches
that they redacted the books of Ezekiel, the twelve
minor prophets (The Trei Asar), and the books
of Daniel and Esther. They also
composed the Shemonah
Esreh, the standing prayer (Amidah) of
18, later 19, prayers that are still recited by Jews
today. They canonized the Tanakh.
Most important, they enacted a democratization of Jewish
education, making the Torah the possession of all, instead of just the priestly
class.
Historically, the Great Assembly described
in Nehemiah 810 was a public assembly of Jews who returned to Israel after the exile in Babylonia.
In this gathering the leaders and people of Israel rededicated
themselves to the Torah as their inheritance and code
of law.