The trials of Jesus are ordinarily divided into six stages, with each stage being regarded as a separate trial. The first three were Jewish (or religious) in nature, and the last three were Roman (or civil) judgments. The first three—the trials before Annas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin—are the most bewildering of all the trials in history.
The Gospel of John is the only Gospel that tells us of Jesus’ being brought before Annas. John inserted a fact that must be observed in the story of the passion: the role that Annas, the leading religious leader, had in the examination and killing of Jesus.