Introduction
Section Eight of Biblical Holy Days
covers the Sacred Calendar. As with the other sections, our purpose is not to
convince others to observe the divine appointments of the Almighty. It is to
provide resource material and in-depth instruction for those who already
observe these sacred times. For hundreds, if not thousands, of years there has
been controversy surrounding the determination of God's Calendar. Therefore,
this portion of Biblical Holy Days is the most controversial
section. After much study, I have concluded that the calendar rules of the
Hebrew calendar follow God's will for His people. The arguments of various
"observable calendar" proponents do not hold water.
Here is a summary collection of Calendar
data:
Sacred
Calendar
The year and day are solar, while the month
is lunar. Therefore, God's calendar is both
solar and lunar. God's calendar is based on both observation
and calculation.
A year has either 12 or 13 months. Abib 16
and Pentecost must be in the spring. Nineteen solar years almost exactly equal
235 lunar months. The current 19-year time cycle adds a 13th month in years 3,
6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19. To prevent unauthorized Sabbath work, the Day of
Atonement can never fall on a Friday or a Sunday. Abib 21 is the only Holy Day
that can fall on a Friday. Extensive food preparation is not permitted on other
Holy Days.
The sun and moon are not in harmonious
orbits. The earth revolves around the sun in about 365.24 days, while the moon
revolves around the earth in about 29.53 days. Periodic calendar adjustments
are necessary, such as the one in the second century A.D., to prevent the Holy
Days from falling out of their proper seasons. In the fourth century A.D.,
Hillel II made public heretofore secret sacred calendar rules used by the
Jewish Sanhedrin to confirm observation. These rules were given to Moses.
Genesis 1:14, Psalm 104:19, Leviticus
23:4 and Exodus 12:2, 13:4are
important scriptures relative to the calendar.
Should a Bible believer know and use God's
Calendar? How can one be sure of keeping God's Holy Days at the proper time? To
whom did God reveal the knowledge of His Calendar? Can certain Holy Days fall
only on certain days of the week? What are the rules governing God's Calendar?
Why
the Calendar is Important
What day is today? The typical answer one would give is the current
date on the Roman Calendar. How does God look at time? Does He have a Calendar
which governs how His true servants should love and worship Him? If God does
have such a calendar, does it not seem obvious that those who love Him would
know how it works, and use it?
During the time of King David of Israel,
certain of the children of Issachar "had understanding of the
times, to know what Israel ought to do," I Chronicles 12:32. They
had knowledge of astronomy and the calendar of God so as to know the times of
the Sabbaths, Holy Days and New Moons that Israel was commanded to keep holy
and observe. Are we supposed to know what we ought to do regarding God's sacred
times? Ephesians 5:17. Will God help us to understand if we
ask Him? James 1:5-7, Luke 11:5-13.
Of what value is it to know and use God's
Sacred Calendar? It is as valuable as eternal life. In speaking of Passover,
Jesus said that "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His
blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood
hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day," John
6:53, 54. Passover as the annual memorial of the death of our Savior
is commanded to be observed by New Testament Christians, I Corinthians
11:23-26. So are the other Holy Days of God. When shall they
be observed? Much confusion exists. The true Christian should know when
to observe God's sacred times, I John 2:3-6.
Does
God Number the Months?
Job 3:6, "the number of the months."
How many months are there to a common year? Daniel
4:29, Jeremiah 52:31. In prophetic terms, are there
twelve months to a year of time, with thirty days in each month? Revelation
11:3compared with 13:5, and Daniel 7:25.
Then originally, there may have been a 360 day year (12 months times 30 days
each).
NOTE: God's Sacred Calendar as it presently
exists, does not and cannot have twelve months of thirty days each.
The revolution of the moon around the earth and the earth around the sun do not
quite correspond to twelve thirty-day months, as we shall see.
What were some historical events that may
well have altered the length of the months and the year? See Joshua
10:12-14, II Kings 20:8-11 and Isaiah 38:4-8. Note:
another factor is that the earth's rotation has slowed down over the centuries.
Will the earth's orbit be re-ordered by
Jesus Christ? Compare Acts 3:19-21 and Isaiah 24:18-23.
Should we look forward to this event? See Hebrews 11:8-10, and
II Peter 3:10-14.
What
are the Names of the Months?
Generally are the months of God's Calendar
denoted by numbers instead of names? Leviticus 23:5, 24, 27,
and 34. The Hebrew names of all the months are not given in
the Bible.
Those that are given are Abib, the
first month, Exodus 12:2, 13:4, and Deuteronomy
16:1, a time in the spring when barley and flax have headed out, but
before wheat has grown up, Exodus 9:31, 32. Zif, the
second month, a time for construction to begin, I Kings 6:37. Ethanim,
the seventh month, time of the Feast of Tabernacles, I Kings 8:2, 65,
66, and Bul, the eighth month, a time for construction work
to cease before winter rains, I Kings 6:38.
The names Jews of today give the months of
the year are derived from Babylonian names as a result of their captivity in
Babylon. Some of these names are mentioned in captivity or post-captivity
books, such as Nehemiah, Ezra, Esther and Daniel. For example, we are told that
Nisan is another name for the first month and Adar is the
twelfth month, Esther 3:7. Here is a complete list (English
spellings may vary according to the source):
|
Months of Sacred Calendar |
|
|
Months |
Days |
|
1. Abib or Nisan* |
30 |
|
2. Zif or Iyyar |
29 |
|
3. Sivan* |
30 |
|
4. Tammuz |
29 |
|
5. Ab |
30 |
|
6. Elul |
29 |
|
7. Ethanim or Tishri* |
30 |
|
8. Bul or Cheshvan |
29 or 30 |
|
9. Kislev |
30 or 29 |
|
10. Tebet |
29 |
|
11. Shebat |
30 |
|
12. Adar |
29 (has 30 days in leap year) |
|
13. II Adar or Veadar |
29 (intercalary or leap year month) |
|
* Denotes a month having Holy Days |
|
Must
God's Months Fall in Their
Proper Seasons?
Do the Feast Days fall in particular
seasons? Leviticus 23:4. What determines these seasons? Genesis
1:14, Psalms 104:19. NOTE: God tells us in the Bible to keep
His Holy Days in their proper seasons from year to year. Yet the Bible does not
tell us how to figure the calendar upon which these Holy Days are
derived. We must go to another source -- the Jews, Romans 3:1, 2, and
Matthew 23:1-3. They have been entrusted with the preservation
of God's Calendar. God could not order us to keep His Holy Days without also
preserving His Calendar which tells us when to keep them.
Some claim that Romans 3:1-2 is a
mistranslation. It says (KJV), “What advantage then hath the Jew? Or what
profit is there of circumcision? Much
every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed [Strong’s
#4100, pistuo] the oracles of God.”
This word is usually translated “believed.” God believed that His people would carefully preserve His Word. Thus, the Jews were believed in by God to
faithfully preserve His Truth, even if some of them would prove to be unfaithful
to His Word that they preserved, verse 3.
The first of Nisan or Abib is always the
first new moon near the beginning of Spring (near March 21). So Nisan falls in
Spring. Likewise the month of Tammuz falls in summer, Tishri in the autumn, and
Tebet in the winter. The purpose of the calendar laws is to ensure Holy Days
fall in their proper seasons.
Can
We Determine the Calendar For
Ourselves?
Various theological reference books state
that the Hebrew Calendar evolved. If this is true, then so did the
Bible! The Jews, it is believed, first determined the beginning of the months
solely by observation of the new moons. The year was determined by observing
the clouds which ended the rainy season and allowed the spring harvest to
begin.
Is this true? Is observation alone the basis
of God's Calendar? If it were, then what if the day were cloudy and no one
could see the new moon? How could the first of the month be determined if some
could see the new moon and others could not?
Observation alone cannot be the basis for
God's Calendar, because God's Holy Days are divine appointments (moed),
times which God, and not man, has predetermined, Exodus 23:15,
Psalms 81:3-5. God, not man, determines the seasons, Daniel
2:21. Even if the Jews themselves reject the true meaning of the
Sabbath and Holy Days, still God has forced them to preserve the
"oracles," the Scriptures and the Calendar which tell us when
to keep the Sabbath and Holy Days, Romans 3:1-4.
Mankind is forbidden to observe the new
moons for himself and to determine when to keep God's appointed times. Because
at times some have done this very thing, God has said, "Your new
moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth . . . ," Isaiah
1:14, and Hosea 2:11.
Specific Bible laws forbid us to determine
for ourselves when the year and the months begin. We are told not to
"observe times [from the Hebrew anan, cloud or soothsayer; see Englishman's
Hebrew Concordance, page 966, and Strong's #6049]" Deuteronomy
18:10, 14, Leviticus 19:26. An observer of times
"watched the clouds" to foretell the future. Those who adapt this
practice to determine when the winter rainy season is over and when the spring
harvest season begins, set themselves up in the place of God, who alone can
determine when the year begins in the spring.
In Galatians 4:10, Paul
forbids the observance of "days, and months, and times, and years"
which the Gentile converts to Christianity had been accustomed to celebrating.
Here is a New Testament command not to follow the months of the pagan Roman
calendar then in use, but instead to follow the months of God's calendar. The
Western calendar in use today is the same as the Julian calendar, with a minor
adjustment by Pope Gregory. Because professing Christians rejected God's
calendar, the Roman calendar is still in use today.
God's calendar is determined primarily by calculation,
the laws of which have been handed down from at least the time of Moses to the
present day. (See Sanctification of the New Moon by Moses Maimonides.)
God revealed the truth of His Holy Days and has also revealed the calendar that
tells when to keep them, Deuteronomy 29:29.
Will
Some Attempt to Change Times?
See Daniel 7:25. NOTE:
This is why it behooves every true follower of God to study God's calendar so
as not to be fooled by deceivers who strive to institute a "World
Calendar" to upset the weekly cycle. Great religious confusion is at our
doors. Will we be ready, II Timothy 2:15?
Will
God's People Have Understanding of the Times?
Did certain men of Issachar understand the
times governing what Israel was to do? I Chronicles 12:32. NOTE:
They had knowledge of astronomy so as to maintain God's calendar so Israel
could keep the Holy Days according to the proper harvest season. See also Esther
1:13.
Are we to seek to know the wisdom of God?
See Proverbs 1:1-6. Can the one that lacks wisdom obtain it?
See James 1:5-7, and John 16:13.
Why
is the Ordering of Calendar
Difficult?
The Bible year is solar, while the
Bible month is lunar. God's calendar is determined both by sun
and moon. The Roman calendar which the world uses today is entirely a
solar calendar. The ancient Romans forgot about God's ordering of the new
moons, Romans 1:18-20. Will we?
A year is that period of time in which the
earth performs one revolution in its orbit around the sun. Such a
"tropical year" consists of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46.069
seconds, or slightly less than 365-1/4 days.
A lunar month (also called "synodic
month") is the period of time it takes the moon to revolve around the
earth. God begins His months with the new moon, the first faint crescent
visible from Jerusalem, of the moon after its conjunction with the sun. The conjunction
of the moon with the sun, known in Hebrew as the molad, is the point
in time at which the moon is directly between the earth and the sun and is thus
invisible. Shortly thereafter, it becomes visible as a "new" moon.
For religious purposes, the Hebrew calendar rules give the average time between
one new moon and another as 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3-1/3 seconds,
or a little more than 29-1/2 days. (The present astronomically correct value is
29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.841 seconds. The moon has accelerated
slightly in the centuries since the Hebrew calendar was instituted. The
cumulative effect of this is so small it will remain negligible for hundreds of
millennia.)
Twelve lunar months do not exactly
equal one solar year. It is true that twelve new moons do not complete one
solar year, actually they equal approximately 354 days (12 x 29-1/2), whereas a
solar year has slightly more than 365 days. Thus a lunar year of twelve new
moons is about eleven days (365 minus 354) LESS than a solar year. If a Bible
year always had twelve new moons, Passover would come about eleven days earlier
each year. In a few years, Passover would occur in the middle of winter, then
in the fall, and still later in the summer! Passover would wander instead of
remaining in its proper season. God's Holy Days must be observed in
their proper agricultural seasons, Leviticus 23:4.
Because of these facts, there must be an intercalary,
or added, month, every so often in order to keep the Holy Days in their proper seasons.
Because the solar year does not equal a whole number of lunar months, the
ordering of the calendar is difficult.
Why
does God Have a Nineteen-Year Time Cycle?
As has been shown, the solar year exceeds
the lunar year of twelve new moons by about eleven days. In nineteen years, the
solar cycle exceeds the lunar cycle by about 209 days (11 x 19), which is
approximately seven lunar months (7 x 29-1/2 = 206.5). Thus in a cycle of
nineteen years, if seven months are added (intercalated), the Holy Days will
remain in their proper seasons. To put it another way, if seven months were not
added every nineteen years, Passover would occur about 209 days earlier than it
should! Thus, every two or three years in a nineteen-year time cycle, there
must be an added thirteenth month, making that year a leap year. At the end of
every nineteen years, the earth, moon and sun come almost into exact
conjunction. Once every nineteen years there will be a new moon on the spring
equinox.
A nineteen-year cycle of God's calendar has
twelve common years of twelve moons (months) and seven leap
years of thirteen months, for a grand total of 235 months (12 x 12 plus 7 x 13
equals 235), which almost exactly equals nineteen solar years.
19 solar years = 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes,
46.069 seconds x 19 = 6,939 days, 14 hours, 26 minutes, 35.311 seconds
235 lunar months = 29 days, 12 hours, 44
minutes, 3-1/3 seconds x 235 = 6,939 days, 16 hours, 33 minutes, 3.333 seconds
This results in a difference of: 2 hours, 6
minutes, 28.022 seconds over 19 years. Thus, there is nearly the same amount of
time in nineteen solar years as in 235 moons (months).
Yet this slight difference means that each
Hebrew calendar year exceeds the tropical year by 6 minutes, 39.370 seconds.
Though this difference is very small, it amounts to one day's variation in
216.34 years, or 4.6 days in a thousand years. Thus, Passover -- and as a
result, Pentecost -- are continually forced later in the season. Without a
calendar adjustment, such as the one in 140-163 A.D., Pentecost would
eventually occur in the summer, which is not permitted according to the
calendar law.
For the proof, and how this 6-1/2 minute
difference proves a Monday Pentecost, see "A New Look at Pentecost in
Light of the Calendar Adjustment in the Second Century" by Herman L. Hoeh.
The nineteen-year cycle is God's way of
accounting for the eleven-day difference between the 365-day solar year and the
354-day lunar year of twelve moons. In every nineteen-year cycle of today, a
thirteenth month, called Adar II or Veadar, is added in the years 3, 6, 8, 11,
14, 17, and 19 -- or seven times in nineteen years.
God's nineteen-year time cycle, written in
the heavens, is based upon seven, God's complete number signifying the
Sabbath, added to twelve, the number of tribes of Israel and Jesus'
original apostles (7 plus 12 equals 19).
How
Does God Keep Time?
A year in God's calendar can be
either common (12 moons) or leap (13 moons).
A month is approximately (within a
day or two) the time from one new moon to the next. It may have either 29 or 30
days. Usually, the months in a year alternate between 30 and 29 days. Months
having 30 days are termed full (Hebrew male), while those
having 29 days are defective (Hebrew haser).
A week has seven days, and is concluded
by the Sabbath. A day has 24 hours, usually about twelve hours of
daylight and twelve hours of darkness, John 11:9. For
religious
purposes, such as observation of a Sabbath,
the day begins at sunset, Genesis 1:5, Exodus 12:18.
In the reckonings of the molad (conjunction of the moon with the sun),
the day is figured as beginning at 6:00 P.M. at Jerusalem.
According to the Hebrew calendar, an hour
is not divided into sixty minutes or 3600 seconds, but 1080 halakins
or "parts," of 3-1/3 seconds. Thus, the average month expressed in
Hebrew parlance is 29 days, 12 hours and 793 parts (which is the same as saying
29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3-1/3 seconds).
The number of days in a Hebrew calendar year
varies. Multiplying 29 days, 12 hours and 793 parts by twelve moons in a common
or thirteen moons in a leap year would yield fractional values. Since a month
can only have 29 or 30 complete 24 hour days, the number of
days in a year must vary.
The eighth and ninth months, Heshvan and
Kislev, vary with either 29 or 30 days. A common, twelve-month year may have
either 353, 354 or 355 days. A leap, thirteen-month year, may have 383, 384 or
385 days. This makes six types of years.
Different terms are given for these six
basic types of years, as follows:
Perfect
Regular Defective
Common
Year 355 days 354 days 353 days
Leap
Year 385 days 384 days 383 days
Heshvan
30 days Heshvan 29 days Heshvan 29 days
Kislev
30 days Kislev 30 days Kislev 29 days
The Hebrew names for perfect, regular and
defective are shelema, sedura, and hasera. Actually, there
are 14 types of years, 7 common and 7 leap, as will be explained later.
What
Are the Rules Governing the
Calendar?
(1) The reason for the existence of intercalation,
or adding a thirteenth month, is to prevent Nisan 16 from occurring before the
vernal or spring equinox (on or about March 21). The spring equinox is the time
when the sun rises due east and sets due west, and everywhere in the world
there is equal daylight and equal darkness (12 hours each). Spring must
have arrived on or before Nisan 16. This is the number one cardinal rule of
God's calendar.
Why is this so? Why can Passover, Nisan 14, be
no earlier than two days before the spring equinox? Because when Passover falls
on Friday and the wavesheaf was cut the following Sunday, Nisan 16, that Sunday
must occur in spring. Otherwise, the harvest would begin in winter. The Feast
of Unleavened Bread would not be a spring Feast. Nisan is predominately a
spring month. Having thirty days, at least half of them -- Nisan 16-30 -- must
be in the spring. The spring Holy Days cannot fall in the winter!
From the time of Moses through the time of
Christ, Passover itself apparently never fell before the spring equinox. That
is why Josephus was correct in stating that Passover always fell "in
Aries" (which begins with March 21). See Antiquities of the Jews,
III, x, 5. Because of the 6-1/2 minute difference between a sacred calendar
year and the true astronomical value (refer to Section H), Passover occurs one
day later every 216 years. As a result, Pentecost is pushed later and later
into the year.
A corollary to rule #1 is that Pentecost
must occur in the spring. Because of the 6-1/2 minute difference, from the time
of Moses through the first century of the Christian era, Pentecost was being
pushed closer and closer toward the beginning of summer. As has been shown
("A New Look at Pentecost in Light of the Calendar Adjustment in the
Second Century," by Herman L. Hoeh), an adjustment to the intercalary
cycle of leap years became necessary in 161 A.D. in order to prevent Pentecost
from falling on the beginning of summer.
In Jesus' day the leap years in a nineteen-year
time cycle were 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 18. Today the leap years are 3, 6, 8,
11, 14, 17, and 19. Today we are observing Passover and the Holy Days earlier
than when Jesus observed them in the first century. We are observing them correctly.
Some five hundred years from now, there will of necessity be another calendar
adjustment in order to prevent Pentecost from falling in summer. God's Holy
Days must continue to be observed "in their season."
(2) In ordering the calendar, the molad (conjunction
of the moon and the sun) of Tishri is of paramount importance. Though Nisan is
the beginning of the religious year, Tishri is the beginning of the civil year.
Tishri 1 (Day of Trumpets) rarely falls on the molad of Tishri because
there are four obstacles, delays, or considerations (Hebrew dehiyyot)
which may cause Tishri 1 to be postponed one or two days.
(a) Consideration #1 is that the Day of
Atonement may never fall on Friday or Sunday, nor may Tishri 21 (seventh or
last day of the Feast of Tabernacles) fall on a weekly Sabbath. The reasons for
this rule are profound. God is a God of mercy, compassion and purpose. He made
the weekly Sabbath as well as the yearly Sabbaths for man, Mark 2:27-28,
for man's good. His laws do not put unnecessary burdens upon His people, Matthew
11:30. On the contrary, God's Holy Days are days of joy and gladness, Numbers
10:10. In order to keep them so, there are necessary rules in
God's calendar.
If the Day of Atonement were to fall on a
Friday, there would be no possibility of preparing food for the weekly Sabbath.
One would have to fast for two days instead of one. Likewise, if Atonement fell
on Sunday, the cleaning-up and chores of the Sabbath would have to be postponed
until Monday, or one would do too much work on the Sabbath in preparation for
Atonement.
Also, if Tishri 21 fell on the weekly
Sabbath, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day would
both fall on Sunday. Preparation for these High Days would have to be on the
weekly Sabbath, which is not permitted.
As a result of these prohibited days for
Atonement and Tishri 21, Tishri 1 may never fall on a Sunday, Wednesday, or
Friday. God's laws make sense! They are for our own good.
(b) Consideration #2 is entirely for an
astronomical reason. It states that if the molad is at noon or later,
Tishri 1 is delayed one day, or two days, if this would fall on a prohibited
day as in Consideration #1.
As mentioned previously, in the reckonings
of the molad, the 24-hour day is figured as beginning at 6:00 P.M. at
Jerusalem. Therefore, noon is the middle of the twelve-hour period of daylight
(where it is around Tishri 1). Therefore, observation, as well as calculation,
is important in God's calendar. If one cannot see the new moon
(assuming a clear sky), it does not yet exist! Experience has proven that if
the molad takes place before noon, then the new moon can be seen by an
acute observer the same day near sunset, and that same day was the first of
Tishri. If the molad occurs after midday, the new moon cannot be seen
until the next day, and Tishri 1 has to be postponed.
(c) Consideration #3 is as follows: If the molad
in a common year falls on Tuesday at 204 parts past 3:00 A.M. (i.e., 3:11 A.M.
and 20 seconds), Tishri 1 is put off two days. Consideration #1 forbids it from
being postponed to Wednesday, so it is deferred to Thursday.
(d) Consideration #4 is very infrequent. It
states that when the molad of Tishri immediately following a leap year
occurs on Monday at 15 hours, 589 parts (9:32 A.M. and 43-1/3 seconds), Tishri
1 is delayed from Monday to Tuesday.
The complex reasons and proofs for
Considerations 3 and 4 are given in the Encyclopedia Judaica article
"Calendar," page 44.
Thus, for any particular month, the
first day of the month in God's calendar may coincide with the new moon, or it
may be one or two days later. This fact has confused some. An understanding of
the above calendar rules, remembering that calculation has precedence over
observation and that the Holy Days must be kept in their proper season, should
help us to understand.
(3) These rules produce another calendar
law: Passover (Nisan 14) can only fall on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or
Sabbath. This is important and is well worth memorizing.
ALL the Holy Days are tied together. There
is a constant, fixed number of days between Passover and the Day of Trumpets
(to be exact, 163 intervening days). There are no variable months or
intercalary months between the first and seventh months. Therefore, since the
Day of Trumpets cannot
fall on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday,
Passover and all the other Holy Days (except Pentecost) cannot occur on three
unique days of the week. To put it another way, each Holy Day other than
Pentecost can occur on only four days of the week. Pentecost itself, always
falling on a Monday, is limited to only four distinct days of the third month,
Sivan 7, 9, 11 and 13.
Sunday is very rarely a
Holy Day. Only when Passover is on a weekly Sabbath does the First Day of
Unleavened Bread fall on a Sunday. This happens on the average of only once in
every ten years. NONE of the other Holy Days can EVER occur
on Sunday.
It was not chance, it was not evolution,
that resulted in the eighth and ninth month being variable in length, or an
intercalary month following the twelfth month. It was the divine hand of the
Creator of the Sun, Moon and the whole universe!
(4) Again, a calendar rule that has already
been reviewed is the fact that the years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17 and 19 of every
nineteen-year time cycle are leap years with a thirteenth month. Although the
Bible does not mention a thirteenth month, rules of astronomy and Leviticus
23:4 demand intercalary months. (See our article on "Calendar
Controversy" for a discussion of how Ezekiel proves a
thirteenth month.)
(5) In conclusion, these rules produce
fourteen different kinds of years, according to the "character"
(Hebrew keviah from kava, "to fix") of the year.
There are three elements which determine the "character" of the year:
(1) The day of the week on which Passover (Nisan 14) occurs, (2) the day of the
week on which the Day of Trumpets (Tishri 1) occurs, and (3) whether the year
is "perfect," "regular," or "defective."
The following is a listing of these fourteen
basic kinds of years, as adapted from the JewishEncyclopedia, article
"Calendar." Succeeding pages give a sacred calendar, and supporting
charts.
TABLE
1
TYPES
OF SACRED YEARS
Type of Year (B) Code (A)
Corresponding Roman Years
1 2-5-R 1984, 1987, 1990, 1997
2 2-5-P 1993
3 4-7-D 1976
4 4-7-P 1979, 1982, 1986, 1989
5 6-2-D 1992
6 6-2-P 1978, 1995, 1998
7 7-3-R 1981
8 2-5-D* 1980
9 2-5-P* 1983
10 4-7-D* 1996
11 4-7-P* 1975, 1999
12 6-2-D* 1985, 1988
13 6-2-P* 1991
14 7-3-R* 1977, 1994
(A) Explanation of Codes: first digit gives
the day of the week of Passover (Nisan 14), second digit gives the day of week
of Trumpets, third digit whether the year is defective (D), 8th and 9th month
both having 29 days; regular (R), 8th month has 29, 9th month has 30 days; or
perfect (P), 30 days in both. No asterisk indicates a common year of twelve
months; an asterisk indicates a leap year of thirteen months.
(B) "Roman year" represents the
year A.D. having Holy Days. NOTE: "1977" was the last year of a
19-year time cycle, and 1978 was the beginning of a new cycle, ending in 1996.
TABLE
2
TYPES
OF SACRED MONTHS
Type of Month Number of Days Day of
Week New Moon Falls
1 30 1
2 30 2
3 30 3
4 30 4
5 30 5
6 30 6
7 30 7
8 29 1
9 29 2
10 29 3
11 29 4
12 29 5
13 29 6
14 29 7
Pocket
Calendar for Holy Days and New Moons
Pocket
Holy Day Calendar* Observed previous evening, after sunset.
New Yr Passover* Feast of UB Pentecost
Trumpets Atonement Tabernacles LGD
1996 Mar 21 Apr 3 Apr 4-10 May 27 Sep 14
Sep 23 Sep 28-Oct 4 Oct 5
1997 Apr 8 Apr 21 Apr 22-28 Jun 16 Oct 2
Oct 11 Oct 16-22 Oct 23
1998 Mar 28 Apr 10 Apr 11-17 Jun 1 Sep 21
Sep 30 Oct 5-11 Oct 12
1999 Mar 18 Mar 31 Apr 1-7 May 24 Sep 11
Sep 20 Sep 25-Oct 1 Oct 2
2000 Apr 6 Apr 19 Apr 20-26 Jun 12 Sep 30
Oct 9 Oct 14-20 Oct 21
2001 Mar 25 Apr 7 Apr 8-14 Jun 4 Sep 18
Sep 27 Oct 2-8 Oct 9
2002 Mar 14 Mar 27 Mar 28-Ap 3 May 20 Sep
7 Sep 16 Sep 21-27 Sep 28
2003 Apr 3 Apr 16 Apr 17-23 Jun 9 Sep 27
Oct 6 Oct 11-17 Oct 18
2004 Mar 23 Apr 5 Apr 6-12 May 31 Sep 16
Sep 25 Sep 30-Oct 6 Oct 7
2005 Apr 10 Apr 23 Apr 24-30 Jun 20 Oct 4
Oct 13 Oct 18-24 Oct 25
Pocket
New Moon* Calendar
* Observed previous evening, after
sunset.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1996 Mar 21 Apr 20 May 19 Jun 18 Jul 17
Aug 16 Sep 14 Oct 14 Nov 12 Dec 11 Jan 9 Feb 8 Mar 10
1997 Apr 8 May 8 Jun 6 Jul 6 Aug 4 Sep 3
Oct 2 Nov 1 Nov 30 Dec 30 Jan 28 Feb 27
1998 Mar 28 Apr 27 May 26 Jun 25 Jul 24
Aug 23 Sep 21 Oct 21 Nov 20 Dec 20 Jan 18 Feb 17
1999 Mar 18 Apr 17 May 16 Jun 15 Jul 14
Aug 13 Sep 11 Oct 11 Nov 10 Dec 10 Jan 8 Feb 7 Mar 8
2000 Apr 6 May 6 Jun 4 Jul 4 Aug 2 Sep 1
Sep 30 Oct 30 Nov 28 Dec 27 Jan 25 Feb 24
2001 Mar 25 Apr 24 May 23 Jun 22 Jul 21
Aug 20 Sep 18 Oct 18 Nov 16 Dec 16 Jan 14 Feb 13
2002 Mar 14 Apr 13 May 12 Jun 11 Jul 10
Aug 9 Sep 7 Oct 7 Nov 6 Dec 6 Jan 4 Feb 3 Mar 5
2003 Apr 3 May 3 Jun 1 Jul 1 Jul 30 Aug
29 Sep 27 Oct 27 Nov 26 Dec 26 Jan 24 Feb 23
2004 Mar 23 Apr 22 May 21 Jun 20 Jul 19
Aug 18 Sep 16 Oct 16 Nov 14 Dec 13 Jan 11 Feb 10 Mar 12
2005 Apr 10 May 10 Jun 8 Jul 8 Aug 6 Sep
5 Oct 4 Nov 3 Dec 2 Jan 1 Jan 30 Mar 1
Calendar
of Biblical Events
Americans remember July 4th as Independence
Day. Other dates of the Roman calendar are noted as the anniversaries of
various historical events. What about God's calendar for God's people? Are
there dates which are noteworthy as the anniversaries of historical and
Biblical events? Dates which even Jesus Christ took note of? Indeed there are!
Notice John 10:22. Jesus was in the Temple
during winter at the Feast of Dedication (also known as Hanukkah, or Festival
of Lights). Beginning on Kislev 25 (9th month), this is a eight-day celebration
instituted by the Jews to commemorate the purging of the temple and the
rebuilding of the altar after Judas Maccabaeus had driven out the Syrians in
164 B.C. It is also the anniversary of the pollution of the temple by Antiochus
Epiphanes in 167 B.C. (fulfilling at least in type the prophecy of Daniel
11:31). Like the American and Canadian Thanksgiving Day, it is a national
holiday of giving to God of thanks for His blessings and deliverance in time of
trial.
Another commemorative day shown in the Bible
is Purim, the Feast of Lots. This annual festival of the Jews on the
14th and 15th days of the last month (Adar or Adar II) was instituted to
commemorate the preservation of the Jews in Persia from the massacre with which
they were threatened through the machinations of Haman (Esther 9). Notice
Esther 9:27-28. The Jews -- not God -- ordained this annual festival to be kept
throughout every generation.
It's not wrong to take note of these
historical occasions, since they were definitely anniversaries of God's
intervention on behalf of His chosen people. Certainly since the Christian
should desire to be spared from destruction, Luke 21:36, Purim should mean
much more to the Christian than July 4, Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day and
Labor Day combined.
The Eternal God has a habit of
repeating similar actions on the anniversary of the same day. The "night
to be much observed," at the beginning of Nisan 15, Exodus 12:42, occurred
on the selfsame day, 430 years after God made His covenant with
Abraham (compare Genesis 15:5-18 with Exodus 12:40-42 and Genesis 17:19-21).
Other events are noted in the Bible according
to the day on the calendar in which the event occurred. The following is a
listing of Biblical events according to their dates on God's calendar.
First
Month
1 New Moon, New Year.
1 Hezekiah opens doors of Temple and begins
to repair it, II Chronicles 29:3, 17. Finished the work on the 16th.
1 Prophecy given to Ezekiel that
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, would be given the land of Egypt, Ezekiel
29:17-20. Reaffirmed at a different time of the 7th day, Ezekiel 30:20-26.
1 God ordains a bullock to be sacrificed and
the Temple to be cleansed, Ezekiel 45:18-19. Also to be done on the first day
of the seventh month, verse 20.
1 Ezra decides to leave Babylon for
Jerusalem with the intent of seeking God's law, doing it, and teaching God's
statutes and judgments to Israel, Ezra 7:6-10. Departs on 12th day, Ezra 8:31.
1 Waters dried up from the Flood almost a
year after rains began, Genesis 8:13.
10 Passover lamb kept up until the 14th day,
Exodus 12:3-6.
13 Haman's death sentence against the Jews
was posted in the kingdom of Persia, Esther 3:12-13.
14 Passover observed beginning of 14th
(evening), Exodus 12, Leviticus 23:5.
15 Feast of Unleavened Bread, first day Holy
day, Leviticus 23:6-8.
21 Last Holy Day of Feast of Unleavened
Bread
24 Daniel had been fasting for three weeks,
is given understanding by an angel, Daniel 10:2-4.
X Israel came into desert of Zin, abode in
Kadesh; Miriam died there, Numbers 20:1.
X Nehemiah asks Artaxerxes to allow him to
rebuild Jerusalem, Nehemiah 2:1.
Second
Month
1 Eternal spoke to Moses in wilderness of
Sinai on second year after they were come out of Egypt, Numbers 1:1. All Israel
from twenty years old assembled together, verse 18.
2 Solomon begins to build the Temple in the
fourth year of his reign, II Chronicles 3:2.
14 Second Passover, Numbers 9:9-14; II
Chronicles 30:1-5, 15.
15 Feast of Unleavened Bread kept in second
month by Hezekiah, II Chronicles 30:13, 21-23.
21 Last day of Feast of Unleavened Bread of
Hezekiah in the Second Month.
17 Fountains of deep broken up, 40 days of
rain begin the Noachian Flood, Genesis 7:11.
20 Cloud taken up, Israel begins journeying
from Sinai in the second year of the Exodus, Numbers 10:11.
27 God told Noah to go forth out of the ark,
Genesis 8:14.
X Construction of Solomon's temple began, I
Kings 6:1, 37.
X Foundations of the temple laid by
Zerubbabel, Joshua and others returned from captivity, Ezra 3:8-13.
Third
Month
1 Again, God gives Ezekiel a prophecy as to
Egypt's fall, but that their conquerors the Assyrians will fall likewise,
Ezekiel 31:1-18.
23 Haman, enemy of the Jews, hanged. King of
Persia's letter went out allowing Jews to defend themselves against their
enemies on Adar 13. Mordecai advanced, Esther 8:1-17.
X Pentecost, a Holy Day, always falls on
second day of the week, can be on 7th, 9th, 11th, or 13th of third month.
X Asa and other faithful of Israel enter
into a covenant with God, II Chronicles 15:10, 12.
Fourth
Month
5 God begins to work through Ezekiel, gives
him visions and prophecies, Ezekiel 1:1-2.
9 Besieged by King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon, there was sore famine in Jerusalem, and the city was broken up about
586 B.C., Jeremiah 39:2; 52:6-7; II Kings 25:3. Jews remembered this horrifying
event by commemorating it with a fast, Zechariah 8:19.
Fifth
Month
1 Ezra arrives in Jerusalem from Babylon,
Ezra 7:6-10.
1 Aaron died on Mount Hor in the fortieth
year of Israel's wandering, Numbers 33:38. Israel mourned for thirty days,
Numbers 20:28-29.
7 Babylonian army burns the Jerusalem
temple, King's palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem, takes most of the rest
of Judah captive, Jeremiah 1:3; 52:12-16; and II Kings 25:8-12. Jews
commemorated this sad event with a fast, Zechariah 8:19 on tenth day. God was
wrathful with their corrupted manner of fasting, Zechariah 7:1-13.
10 Certain elders of Israel come to inquire
of the Eternal before Ezekiel. He is given a message from God that the reason
they are in captivity is that they have polluted God's Sabbaths, Ezekiel
20:1-49.
Sixth
Month
1 God begins to work through Haggai the
prophet, Haggai 1:1.
5 Ezekiel is given a vision from God, sees
several abominations being committed by God's people, Ezekiel 8.
24 The Eternal stirs up the spirit of
Zerubbabel, Joshua and the remnant of the people to do the work of the building
of God's House, Haggai 1:14-15.
25 Rebuilt wall of Jerusalem finished,
Nehemiah 6:15-16.
Seventh
Month
1 Day of Trumpets, a New Moon and a Holy
Day.
9 At the end of this day, Atonement fast
begins, Leviticus 23:32.
10 Day of Atonement, a fast, and a High Holy
Day.
10 (Implied) Ezekiel given a vision of the
rebuilt Millennial Temple at Jerusalem, Ezekiel 40:1and following --
implication is that "the beginning of the year" means the civil year.
17 Noah's ark rested on mountains of Ararat,
Genesis 8:4.
15 (through 21) Feast of Tabernacles, first
day is a Holy Day.
21 Prophecy of Haggai, Haggai 2:1-9.
22 Last Great Day, a Holy Day.
23 Completion of dedication of Solomon's
Temple, II Chronicles 7:9-10.
24 After reinstitution of Feast of
Tabernacles at the return from Babylonian captivity, a fast observed, God's Law
read, special services held, Nehemiah 9:1-3.
X Ishmael of the royal seed kills Gedaliah,
the ruler of Judah appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar, and flees to Egypt in fear
of the Chaldeans, II Kings 25:25, Jeremiah 41:1-3.
Eighth
Month
15 King Jeroboam of Northern Israel
institutes counterfeit "Feast of Tabernacles," I Kings 12:32,33.
X God began to work through the prophet
Zechariah, Zechariah 1:1.
X Solomon's temple done, I Kings 6:38.
Ninth
Month
4 Word of Eternal came to Zechariah, told
him that the fasts of the fifth and seventh months were not done to God, as the
people would not heed God's prophets, Zechariah 7:1-13.
20 Jews and Benjamites from captivity,
gathered together at Jerusalem and told by Ezra to separate from strange wives
who were of a different race and religion, Ezra 10:9-11.
24 Word of Eternal came twice to Haggai that
God's people were unclean and that God would shake the heavens and the earth,
Haggai 2:10-23.
25 Beginning of eight day Feast of
Dedication, or Hannukah, John 10:22.
X A fast was proclaimed in Judah as a result
of reading Jeremiah's prophecy, but King Jehoiakim burns the scroll, Jeremiah
36:9, 22. The ninth month is in winter.
X Nehemiah, the Persian King's Jewish
cupbearer, learns of the lamentable state of Jerusalem and his fellow Jews,
Nehemiah 1:1-3, 11. Chisleu is an alternate spelling of Kislev,
the ninth month.
Tenth
Month
1 Waters from Flood had receded until tops
of mountains were seen, Genesis 8:5.
1 Ezra and elders met to put away strange
wives, Ezra 10:16-17.
5 Ezekiel was struck dumb by God until an
escapee from Jerusalem informed him the city was smitten. God gave him a
message as to why this event happened: they heard God's words, but did them not,
Ezekiel 33:21-33.
10 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began
siege of Jerusalem, about 588 B.C., Jeremiah 39:1, 52:4, II Kings 25:1.
Remembered by Jews in a annual fast, Zechariah 8:19. Ezekiel given a message
from God about the sins which caused this event, Ezekiel 24:1-27.
12 God's prophecy concerning Egypt was given
to Ezekiel, 29:1-16.
Eleventh
Month
1 In the 40th year, Moses spoke to the
children of Israel the words of the Eternal, Deuteronomy 1:3.
24 God spoke to Zechariah in a vision,
Zechariah 1:7.
Twelfth
Month
1 (15) God told Ezekiel to lament for the
fall of Egypt, Ezekiel 32:1, 17.
3 Rebuilt Temple finished, Ezra 6:15.
13 Publishing of Haman's death sentence upon
all the Jews in captivity, Esther 3:10-13.
14 (& 15) Purim, celebration of
Jews' deliverance from Haman's death decree, Esther 9:1-32.
25 (27) Evil-merodack, King of Babylon,
released former King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison and gave him a daily
allowance for the rest of his life, II Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34.
No recorded events in thirteenth month.
Additional Articles on God's Calendar :
Calendar
Controversy
Review:
The Calendar God Gave to Moses
Holy Day
Calendar
Written
by: Richard C. Nickels
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