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HEBREW CALENDAR RESEARCH

Worldwide Church of God Articles

Title

Year

Comment

How to Figure Passover, Good News Letter 1940 Formed the basis for the Hebrew Calendar understanding of the Churches of God
Kenneth C Herrmann research Various  
The Hebrew Calendar. A Mathematial Introduction 1974 By John Kossey. Editor Herman L Hoeh
Other articles Various
Ernest Martin letter to Herman L Hoeh re the calendar 1961  

NB: Herbert W Armstrong laid the foundation for the modern understanding of the calculated Hebrew Calendar in his artice in the 1940 Good News Letter. In the 1950s, Kenneth C Herrman developed this further in an article published in the March 1953 edition of the Good News magazine. Four years later, in the February 1957 Good News magazine, this article was republished but contained some minor amendments. Research has continued since and forms the basis for ongoing calendar research within the Churches of God. Mr Armstrong wrote the following conclusions in his 1940 article:

“Briefly, after very exhaustive study, and counsel with brethren who also have made thorough study of the question for years, the facts are these: ... Research reveals two basic points on this question (intercalary months), 1st, God did not record it in the Bible, which gives us absolutely nothing more to go on than I have stated above. 2nd, history is vague on the subject, shedding little light that can be accepted and trusted. Yet we know God gave his people a fixed rule for calculating time periods, and for figuring when to hold the Festivals of Jehovah ... In conclusion, unless God has preserved His sacred calendar through the Jews, then we do not know how to figure Passover or any of the Holy Days this year. For there is no authority for any other way. There is no Bible authority whatsoever for figuring the 1st day of the 1st month from the new moon nearest the spring equinox! ... God did not commit His oracles, or the preservation of His times to profane history, or to the Roman Catholics, but to the Israelites. And they have been preserved by the Jews.”

 

Carl Franklin Articles
Title Year

Comment

Historical Evidence of the 19-year Intercalation Year 2002 38 pages
Christian Biblical Church of God Holy Day Calendar Generator 2003 The Holy Day Calendar Program is a JAVA programming language-based project undertaken by BibleStudy.org/Alan Ruth, under the direction of Carl Franklin, for the Christian Biblical Church of God. This program is © 2003, Christian Biblical Church of God.
Which is the True Calendar of God? 2016 36 pages
The Calendar of Christ and the Apostles (pt. 1) 2004 177 pages
The Calendar of Christ and the Apostles (pt. 2, section 1) 2004 158 pages
The Calendar of Christ and the Apostles (pt. 2, section 2) 2004 100 pages
The Full Moon of Tishri 15, 2004 2004 10 pages
Feast of Trumpets 2000AD 2004 56 pages
Why the Crucifixion of Christ could not have occurred in 31AD 2005 13 pages
Ambassador College and Recent Calendar History 2005 7 pages
Calendar Letter 2002 26 pages
Theological Research Report (vol 1, Issue 1) 2008 21 pages
Theological Research Report (vol 1, Issue 2) 2008 25 pages
Theological Research Reports (various)    
The International Dateline 2004 12 pages
Understanding Postponements   4 pages
The Heavenly Signs of Amos and Isaiah 1997 12 pages
Annotated Source Material Relevant to the Hebrew Calendar 1997 4 pages

 

Other Authors
Title Year

Comment

Raymond F McNair articles Various Several articles written for the lay person
Richard C Nickels articles Various Very well developed articles
United Church of God papers Various Doctrinal papers, statements and articles
United Church of God sermons link Various Audio sermons on the topic
Collection of sermons on the calendar issue Various More audio sermons
Miscellaneous articles Various Variety of supportive articles
Don Roth's Research Various Unique research
Articles by various Church of God groups Various Articles from various Church of God groups and others
Darkness at the Crucifxion by Anthony Alfieri 2005

“The darkness at the crucifixion

SYDNEY, Australia--Friends of the Sabbath Australia is offering a book by the late Anthony Alfieri, The Darkness at the Crucifixion, announced Craig White. "A kind member has scanned the entire book for you to enjoy," Mr. White said. He said the book is "a must-read."” (The Journal, Sept 2011)

 

Hebrew Calendar Converters
Title Year

Comment

Hebrew Date Converter Various Hebcal site
Hebrew & Jewish Calendar Converter Various Chabad site
Hebrew Date Converter Various Torahcalc site

 

From the Encyclopaedia Judaica:

 

CALENDAR (Heb. לוּחַ, lu’aḥ). The present Jewish calendar is lunisolar, the months being reckoned according to the moon and the years according to the sun. A month is the period of time between one conjunction of the moon with the sun and the next. The conjunction of the moon with the sun is the point in time at which the moon is directly between the earth and the sun (but not on the same plane) and is thus invisible. This is known as the מוֹלָד, molad (“birth,” from the root ילד). The mean synodic month (or lunation) is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3⅓ seconds (793 parts (ḥalakim); in the Jewish system the hour is divided into 1,080 parts each of which is 3⅓ seconds). The solar year is 365 days, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, which means that a solar year exceeds a lunar one (12 months) by about 11 days. The cycles of 12 lunar months must therefore be adjusted to the solar year, because although the Jewish festivals are fixed according to dates in months, they must also be in specific (agricultural) seasons of the year which depend on the tropical solar year. Without any adjustment the festivals would “wander” through the seasons and the “spring” festival (Passover), for example, would be celebrated eventually in winter, and later in summer. The required adjustment is realized by the addition of an extra month (Adar II) in each of seven out of the 19 years that constitute the small (or lunar) cycle of the moon (maḥazor katan or maḥazor ha-levanah). …

 

The year begins on Tishri 1, which is rarely the day of the molad, as there are four obstacles or considerations, called deḥiyyot, in fixing the first day of the month (rosh ḥodesh). Each deḥiyyah defers Rosh Ha-Shanah by a day, and combined deḥiyyot may cause a postponement of two days: (1) mainly in order to prevent the Day of Atonement (Tishri 10) from falling on Friday or Sunday, and Hoshana Rabba (the seventh day of Sukkot; Tishri 21) from falling on Saturday, but in part also serving an astronomical purpose (see below). Rosh Ha-Shanah never falls on Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday (according to the mnemonic לא אד”ו ראש known as the postponement addu – probably first vocalized iddo; cf. Ezra 8:17). (2) Entirely for an astronomical reason, if the molad is at noon or later (מוֹלָד זָקֵן or מוֹלָד יח) Rosh Ha-Shanah is delayed by one day or, if this would cause it to fall as above, two days. These two deḥiyyot, owing to the mentioned limits on the number of days in the year, entail another two. (3) The third deḥiyyah is as follows: If the molad in an “ordinary” (not leap) year falls at ג”טר”ד, that is the third day (Tuesday), at 9 hours, 204 ḥalakim, that is, 3:11 A.M. and 20 secs. – Rosh Ha-Shanah is put off two days. A postponement to Wednesday is not permitted (as in (1)), so that it is deferred to Thursday. The object is as follows: If the molad of Tishri occurs at that hour, the outcome would be a year which is one day too long…. (4) This deḥiyyah is very infrequent. It is known as בט”ו תקפ”ט אחר עבור שנה, that is when the molad of Tishri, following immediately after a leap year, occurs on the second day (Monday) at 15 hours, 589 ḥalakim, which means Monday, 9:32 A.M. and 43⅓ secs. …

 

While it is not unreasonable to attribute to Hillel II the fixing of the regular order of intercalations, his full share in the present fixed calendar is doubtful. … Intercalation is claimed to be evident from the figures in Ezekiel 1:1, 3:15, 4:4–6 and 8:1, with similar indications in I Kings 12:32–3 and II Chronicles 30:2–3; … The New Moon (Num. 28:11, and parallels) was determined by the phasis in the preceding evening, hence the plausibility of an early biblical record (I Sam 20:18) of its prediction for “tomorrow.”

 

(Calendar. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 4. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007, pp. 354-359. Copyright, Keter Publishing House Ltd)