This Is Appendix 179 From The Companion Bible.
I. Parallel
Datings of the Times of Our Lord.
II.
Dates of "The Begetting" and The Nativity.
III. "The
Course of Abia".
A.M. =
Anno Mundi; that is to say, in the year of the world.
B.C. =
Before Christ. Reckoned as from 4004 A.M.
A.C. =
Anno Christi; that is to say, in the year of Christ.
Reckoned from the Nativity, in 4000 A.M. and 749-750 A.U.C.
A.U.C. =
Anno Urbis Conditoe; that is to say; the year in which the
City (Rome) was founded.
I. PARALLEL DATINGS OF THE TIMES OF OUR LORD.
A.M.
|
B.C. -
A.D. |
A.C.
|
A.U.C.
|
YEARS OF THE
REIGN OF AUGUSTUS
(OCTAVIUS). |
YEARS OF THE
REIGN OF TIBERIUS. |
3960
|
44 |
|
9 |
|
|
1 |
43 |
|
710
|
|
|
2 |
42 |
|
11 |
|
|
3 |
41 |
|
12 |
|
|
4 |
40 |
|
13 |
|
|
5 |
39 |
|
14 Herod
declared king by the Romans, according to Josephus
(Ant.xvii. 8 § 1), who states that his death took
place thiryt-seven years later, and as he always reckoned his years
from Nisan to Nisan (including initial and terminal fractions of
Nisan as complete years), the death of Herod would be in 749-750
A.U.C., or 4-3
B.C. |
|
|
6 |
38 |
|
15 |
|
|
7 |
37 |
|
16 |
|
|
8 |
36 |
|
17 |
|
|
9 |
35 |
|
18 |
|
|
3970
|
34 |
|
19 |
|
|
1 |
33 |
|
720
|
|
|
2 |
32 |
|
21 |
|
|
3 |
Battle of
Actium 31 |
|
722
|
1st year of
Octavius. |
|
4 |
30 Decree of
Senate of Rome. |
|
23 |
2 |
|
5 |
29 |
|
24 |
3 |
|
6 |
28 |
|
25 |
4 |
|
7 |
27 |
|
26 |
5 AUGUSTUS (Octavius)
IMPERATOR |
|
8 |
26 |
|
27 |
6 |
|
9 |
25 |
|
28 |
7 |
|
3980
|
24 |
|
29 |
8 |
|
1 |
23 |
|
730
|
9 |
|
2 |
22 |
|
31 |
10 |
|
3 |
21 |
|
32 |
11 |
|
4 |
20 |
|
33 |
12 |
|
5 |
19 |
|
34 |
13 |
|
6 |
18 |
|
35 |
14 |
|
7 |
17 |
|
36 |
15 |
|
8 |
16 |
|
37 |
16 |
|
9 |
15 |
|
38 |
17 |
|
3990
|
14 |
|
39 |
18 |
|
1 |
13 |
|
740
|
19 |
|
2 |
12 |
|
41 |
20 |
|
3 |
11 |
|
42 |
21 |
|
4 |
10 |
|
43 |
22 |
|
5 |
9 |
|
44 |
23 |
|
6 |
8 |
|
45 |
24 |
|
7 |
7 |
|
46 |
25 |
|
8 |
6 |
|
47 |
26 |
|
9 |
{5} |
|
48 |
27 |
|
(See Appendix
50) 4000 |
THE
NATIVITY 1st taxing or
Census Luke 2:2 {4 |
YEARS OF THE
AGE OF THE LORD
0} |
749 Herod d.c end
of January 3 B.C.
|
28 Our Lord
birth 15th Tisri = 29th September 4 B.C.
|
|
{1 |
{3 |
Quirinus'
First Governorship. 1} |
750
|
29 |
|
{2 |
{2 |
2} |
51 |
30 |
|
3 |
{1 |
3} |
52 |
31 |
|
4004 |
0 A.D.
|
4 |
753 |
32 A.D.
reckoning begins, owing to the mistake of Dionysius
Exiguus in arranging the Calendar of the Christian Era in
A.D. 532. |
|
5 |
1 |
5 |
54 |
33 |
|
6 |
2 |
6 |
55 |
34 |
|
7 |
3 |
7 |
56 |
35 |
|
8 |
4 |
8 |
57 |
36 |
|
9 |
5 |
9 |
58 |
37 |
|
4010
|
6 |
10 |
59 |
38 |
|
1 |
7 |
11 |
760
|
39 |
|
2 |
8 |
12 Christ
in the Temple |
61 |
40 |
|
3 |
9 |
13 |
62 |
41 |
|
4 |
2nd Census
(?) 10 |
14 |
63 |
42 |
YEARS OF THE
REIGN OF TIBERIUS. |
5 |
11 |
15 |
64 |
43 |
|
6 |
12 |
16 |
65 |
44 1st yr. of
Tiberius' |
1 joint reign
with Augustus. |
7 |
13 |
17 |
66 |
45 |
2
|
8 |
14 |
18 |
67 |
19th
August 46 Augustus
dies. |
3 Tiberius
alone. |
9 |
15 |
19 |
68 |
|
4
|
4020
|
16 |
20 |
69 |
|
5
|
1 |
17 |
21 |
770
|
|
6
|
2 |
18 |
22 |
71 |
|
7
|
3 |
19 |
23 |
72 |
|
8
|
4 |
20 |
24 |
73 |
|
9
|
5 |
21 |
25 |
74 |
|
10
|
6 |
22 |
26 |
75 |
|
11
|
7 |
23 |
27 |
76 |
|
12
|
8 |
3rd Census
(?) 24 |
28 |
77 |
|
13
3rd Census this year (?). |
9 |
25 |
29 |
78 |
|
14
|
4030 |
26 The
Ministry |
30 of our
|
779 Lord
|
begins (Luke 3:23) in
the |
15th year of
Tiberius. |
1 |
27 |
31 |
780
|
|
16
|
2 |
28 |
32 |
81 |
|
17
|
ANNO
MUNDI 4033 |
THE
CRUCIFIXION 29
|
A.D.THE
LORD 33
|
YEARS
OF AGE.
|
A.U.C.
ROMAN
RECKONING. 782 |
THE
18th year of Tiberius. |
II. DATES OF "THE BEGETTING" (he
gennesis, Matthew 1:18,20 (see Revised
Version marg.). John 1:14-) OF OUR LORD
AND HIS BIRTH. (Luke 2:7. John
1:-14.)
TEBETH (29)
|
1 =25-26 |
DECEMBER (7)
(5 B.C.). |
|
2 = 26-27 |
|
|
3 = 27-28 |
|
|
4 = 28-29 |
|
|
5 = 29-30 |
|
|
6 = 30-31 |
|
|
7 = 31-1 |
|
|
8 = 1-2 |
JANUARY (31)
(4 B.C.). |
|
9 = 2-3 |
|
|
10 = 3-4 |
|
|
11 = 4-5 |
|
|
12 = 5-6 |
|
|
13 = 6-7 |
|
|
14 = 7-8 |
|
|
15 = 8-9 |
|
|
16 = 9-10 |
|
|
17 = 10-11 |
|
|
18 = 11-12 |
|
|
19 = 12-13 |
|
|
20 = 13-14 |
|
|
21 = 14-15 |
|
|
22 = 15-16 |
|
|
23 = 16-17 |
|
|
24 = 17-18 |
|
|
25 = 18-19 |
|
|
26 = 19-20 |
|
|
27 = 20-21 |
|
|
28 = 21-22 |
|
|
29 = 22-23 |
|
SEBAT
(30) |
1 = 23-24 |
|
|
2 = 24-25 |
|
|
3 = 25-26 |
|
|
4 = 26-27 |
|
|
5 = 27-28 |
|
|
6 = 28-29 |
|
|
7 = 29-30 |
|
|
8 = 30-31 |
|
|
9 = 31-1 |
|
|
10 = 1-2 |
FEBUARY (29)
(Leap Year) |
|
11 = 2-3 |
|
|
12 = 3-4 |
|
|
13 = 4-5 |
|
|
14 = 5-6 |
|
|
15 = 6-7 |
|
|
16 = 7-8 |
|
|
17 = 8-9 |
|
|
18 = 9-10 |
|
|
19 = 10-11 |
|
|
20 = 11-12 |
|
|
21 = 12-13 |
|
|
22 = 13-14 |
|
|
23 = 14-15 |
|
|
24 = 15-16 |
|
|
25 = 16-17 |
|
|
26 = 17-18 |
|
|
27 = 18-19 |
|
|
28 = 19-20 |
|
|
29 = 20-21 |
|
|
30 = 21-22 |
|
ADAR (29)
|
1 = 22-23 |
|
|
2 = 23-24 |
|
|
3 = 24-25 |
|
|
4 = 25-26 |
|
|
5 = 26-27 |
|
|
6 = 27-28 |
|
|
7 = 28-29 |
|
|
8 = 29-1 |
|
|
9 = 1-2 |
MARCH (31)
|
|
10 = 2-3 |
|
|
11 = 3-4 |
|
|
12 = 4-5 |
|
|
13 = 5-6 |
|
|
14 = 6-7 |
|
|
15 = 7-8 |
|
|
16 = 8-9 |
|
|
17 = 9-10 |
|
|
18 = 10-11 |
|
|
19 = 11-12 |
|
|
__________ |
|
|
78 | 78 |
|
|
20 = 12-13 |
|
|
21 = 13-14 |
|
|
22 = 14-15 |
|
|
23 = 15-16 |
|
|
24 = 16-17 |
|
|
25 = 17-18 |
|
|
26 = 18-19 |
|
|
27 = 19-20 |
|
|
28 = 20-21 |
|
|
29 = 21-22 |
|
NISAN (30)
|
1 = 22-23 |
|
|
2 = 23-24 |
|
|
3 = 24-25 |
|
|
4 = 25-26 |
|
|
5 = 26-27 |
|
|
6 = 27-28 |
|
|
7 = 28-29 |
|
|
8 = 29-30 |
|
|
9 = 30-31 |
|
|
10 = 31-1 |
|
|
11 = 1-2 |
APRIL (30)
|
|
12 = 2-3 |
|
|
13 = 3-4 |
|
|
14 = 4-5 |
|
|
15 = 5-6 |
|
|
16 = 6-7 |
|
|
17 = 7-8 |
|
|
18 = 8-9 |
|
|
19 = 9-10 |
|
|
20 = 10-11 |
|
|
21 = 11-12 |
|
|
22 = 12-13 |
|
|
23 = 13-14 |
|
|
24 = 14-15 |
|
|
25 = 15-16 |
|
|
26 = 16-17 |
|
|
27 = 17-18 |
|
|
28 = 18-19 |
|
|
29 = 19-20 |
|
|
30 = 20-21 |
|
ZIF (29)
|
1 = 21-22 |
|
|
2 = 22-23 |
|
|
3 = 23-24 |
|
|
4 = 24-25 |
|
|
5 = 25-26 |
|
|
6 = 26-27 |
|
|
7 = 27-28 |
|
|
8 = 28-29 |
|
|
9 = 29-30 |
|
|
10 = 30-31 |
|
|
11 = 1-2 |
MAY (31)
|
|
12 = 2-3 |
|
|
13 = 3-4 |
|
|
14 = 4-5 |
|
|
15 = 5-6 |
|
|
16 = 6-7 |
|
|
17 = 7-8 |
|
|
18 = 8-9 |
|
|
19 = 9-10 |
|
|
20 = 10-11 |
|
|
21 = 11-12 |
|
|
22 = 12-13 |
|
|
23 = 13-14 |
|
|
24 = 14-15 |
|
|
25 = 15-16 |
|
|
26 = 16-17 |
|
|
27 = 17-18 |
|
|
28 = 18-19 |
|
|
29 = 19-20 |
|
SIVAN (30)
|
1 = 20-21 |
|
|
2 = 21-22 |
|
|
3 = 22-23 |
|
|
4 = 23-24 |
|
|
5 = 24-25 |
|
|
6 = 25-26 |
|
|
7 = 26-27 |
|
|
8 = 27-28 |
|
|
9 = 28-29 |
|
|
________ |
|
|
156 | 156 |
|
|
10 = 29-30 |
|
|
11 = 30-31 |
|
|
12 = 31-1 |
|
|
13 = 1-2 |
JUNE (30)
|
|
14 = 2-3 |
|
|
15 = 3-4 |
|
|
16 = 4-5 |
|
|
17 = 5-6 |
|
|
18 = 6-7 |
|
|
19 = 7-8 |
|
|
20 = 8-9 |
|
|
21 = 9-10 |
|
|
22 = 10-11 |
|
|
23 = 11-12 |
|
|
24 = 12-13 |
|
|
25 = 13-14 |
|
|
26 = 14-15 |
|
|
27 = 15-16 |
|
|
28 = 16-17 |
|
|
29 = 17-18 |
|
|
30 = 18-19 |
|
THAMMUZ (29)
|
1 = 19-20 |
|
|
2 = 20-21 |
|
|
3 = 21-22 |
|
|
4 = 22-23 |
|
|
5 = 23-24 |
|
|
6 = 24-25 |
|
|
7 = 25-26 |
|
|
8 = 26-27 |
|
|
9 = 27-28 |
|
|
10 = 28-29 |
|
|
11 = 29-30 |
|
|
12 =30-1 |
|
|
13 = 1-2 |
JULY (31)
|
|
14 = 2-3 |
|
|
15 = 3-4 |
|
|
16 = 4-5 |
|
|
17 = 5-6 |
|
|
18 = 6-7 |
|
|
19 = 7-8 |
|
|
20 = 8-9 |
|
|
21 = 9-10 |
|
|
22 = 10-11 |
|
|
23 = 11-12 |
|
|
24 = 12-13 |
|
|
25 = 13-14 |
|
|
26 = 14-15 |
|
|
27 = 15-16 |
|
|
28 = 16-17 |
|
|
29 = 17-18 |
|
AB (30)
|
1 = 18-19 |
|
|
2 = 19-20 |
|
|
3 = 20-21 |
|
|
4 = 21-22 |
|
|
5 = 22-23 |
|
|
6 = 23-24 |
|
|
7 = 24-25 |
|
|
8 = 25-26 |
|
|
9 = 26-27 |
|
|
10 = 27-28 |
|
|
11 = 28-29 |
|
|
12 = 29-30 |
|
|
13 = 30-31 |
|
|
14 = 31-1 |
|
|
15 = 1-2 |
AUGUST (31)
|
|
16 = 2-3 |
|
|
17 = 3-4 |
|
|
18 = 4-5 |
|
|
19 = 5-6 |
|
|
20 = 6-7 |
|
|
21 = 7-8 |
|
|
22 = 8-9 |
|
|
23 = 9-10 |
|
|
24 = 10-11 |
|
|
25 = 11-12 |
|
|
26 = 12-13 |
|
|
27 = 13-14 |
|
|
28 = 14-15 |
|
|
__________ |
|
|
234 | 234 |
|
|
29 = 15-16 |
|
|
30 = 16-17 |
|
ELUL (29)
|
1 = 17-18 |
|
|
2 = 18-19 |
|
|
3 = 19-20 |
|
|
4 = 20-21 |
|
|
5 = 21-22 |
|
|
6 = 22-23 |
|
|
7 = 23-24 |
|
|
8 = 24-25 |
|
|
9 = 25-26 |
|
|
10 = 26-27 |
|
|
11 = 27-28 |
|
|
12 = 28-29 |
|
|
13 = 29-30 |
|
|
14 = 30-31 |
|
|
15 = 31-1 |
SEPTEMBER (29)
|
|
16 = 1-2 |
|
|
17 = 2-3 |
|
|
18 = 3-4 |
|
|
19 = 4-5 |
|
|
20 = 5-6 |
|
|
21 = 6-7 |
|
|
22 = 7-8 |
|
|
23 = 8-9 |
|
|
24 = 9-10 |
|
|
25 = 10-11 |
|
|
26 = 11-12 |
|
|
27 = 12-13 |
|
|
28 = 13-14 |
|
|
29 = 14-15 |
|
ETHANIM
(TISRI) (15)
|
1 = 15-16 |
|
|
2 = 16-17 |
|
|
3 = 17-18 |
|
|
4 = 18-19 |
|
|
5 = 19-20 |
|
|
6 = 20-21 |
|
|
7 = 21-22 |
|
|
8 = 22-23 |
|
|
9 = 23-24 |
|
|
10 = 24-25 |
|
|
11 = 25-26 |
|
|
12 = 26-27 |
|
|
13 = 27-28 |
|
|
14 = 28-29 |
|
ETHANIM
OR (TISRI) |
15 = 29-30 |
SEPTEMBER |
|
____________ |
|
Days on
Jewish reckoning, |
280 | 280 |
days, on
Gentile reckoning. |
|
_____ _____ |
|
According to
Jewish reckoning. |
|
According to
Gentile (Western) reckoning. |
TEBETH 29
days |
|
DECEMBER 7
days |
SEBAT 30
days |
|
JANUARY 31
days |
ADAR 29
days |
|
FEBUARY 29
days |
NISAN 30
days |
|
MARCH 31
days |
ZIF 29
days |
|
APRIL 30
days |
SIVAN 30
days |
|
MAY 31
days |
THAMMUZ 29
days |
|
JUNE 30
days |
AB 30
days |
|
JULY 31
days |
ELUL 29
days |
|
AUGUST 31
days |
ETHANIM 15
days |
|
SEPTEMBER 29
days |
__________ |
|
__________ |
280 |
|
280 |
========== |
|
========== |
280 days = 40 weeks - forty sevens, the
perfect period of human gestation [7x5x8=280].
|
The Component Numbers of 280 are highly
significant in this connection.
|
7 denotes Spiritual Perfection. |
5 denotes Divine Grace. |
8 denotes Resurrection, Regeneration, etc. (Appendix
10). |
1st TEBETH = 25th
December (5 B.C.)
|
15th ETHANIM = 29th
September (4 B.C.).
|
From 1st TEBETH to 15th
ETHANIM (inclusive)
= 280 days. |
From 25th DECEMBER (5
B.C .) to 29th
SEPTEMBER (4
B.C.) = 280
days. |
It
thus appears without the shadow of a doubt that the day assigned to the
Birth of the Lord, videlicet: December 25, was the day on
which He was "begotten of the Holy Ghost", that is to say,
by pneuma hagion = divine power (Matthew 1:18, 20 marg.), and His
birth took place on the 15th of Ethanim, September 29, in
the year following, thus making beautifully clear the meaning of John
1:14,"The Word
became flesh" (Matthew 1:18,20) on 1st
Tebeth or December 25 (5 B.C.), "and
tabernacled (Greek eskenosen) with
us", on 15th of Ethanim or September 29 (4 B.C.).
The 15th of
Ethanim (or Tisri) was the first day of the Feast of
Tabernacles. The Circumcision therefore took place on the
eighth day of the Feast = 22nd Ethanim = October 6-7
(Leviticus 23:33-43). So that these
two momentous events fall into their proper place and order, and the
real reason is made clear why the 25th of December is
associated with our Lord, and was set apart by the Apostolic Church to
commemorate the stupendous event of the "Word becoming
flesh" - and not, as we have for so long been led to suppose, the
commemoration of a pagon festival.
- An
overwhelmingly strong argument in favour of the correctness of this view
lies in the fact that the date of "the Festival of
Michael and All Angels" has been from very early times the 29th
day of September, on Gentile (Western) reckoning.
But "the
Church" even then had lost sight of the reason why this date
rather than any other in the Calendar should be so indissolubly
associated with the great Angelic Festival.
The following expresses the almost universal
knowledge or rather want of knowledge of "Christendom" on
the subject: "We pass on now to consider, in the third place, the
commemoration of September 29, the festival of Michaelmas, par
excellence. It does not appear at all certain what was the
original special idea of the commemoration of this
day" (Smith Dictionary of Chr. Antiqq. (1893),
volume ii, page 1177 (3) ).
A reference, however, to the Table and statements
above, make the "original special idea" why
the Festival of "Michael and All Angels" is held on
September 29 abundantly clear. Our Lord was born on that
day, the first day of the "Feast of Tabernacle" (Leviticus
23: 39). This was on
the fifteenth day of the seventh Jewish month called
Tisri, or Ethanim (Appendix 51. 5),
corresponding to our September 29 (of the year 4 B.C.).
The "Begetting"
(gennesis) Day of the Lord was announced by the Angel
Gabriel. See notes on Daniel 8: 16, and Luke
1:19.
The "Birth" Day, by "(the)
Angel of the Lord", unnamed in either Matthew and Luke.
That this Angelic Being was "Michael the
Archangel" (of Jude 9), and
"Mika'el hassar haggadol-"Michael the Great
Prince"-of Daniel 12:1, seems clear for
the following reason: If, "when again (yet future)
He bringeth the First-begotten into the world, He saith, Let
all the Angels of God worship Him" (Hebrews
1:6; quoting Psalm
97:6)-then this must
include the great Archangel Michael himself. By parity of reasoning, on
the First "bringing" into the world of the
only begotten Son, the Archangel must have been present. And the
tremendous announcement to the shepherds, that the Prince of Peace
(Isaiah 9:6) was on earth in
the person of the Babe of Bethlehem, must therefore have been made by
the same head of the heavenly host (Luke 2:9-14). In mundane
affairs, announcement of supremest importance (of Kings, etc.) are
invariably conveyed through the most exalted personage in the realm. The
point need not be laboured.
- The
fact of the Birth of our Lord having been revealed to the
shepherds by the Archangel Michael on the 15th of Tisri
(or Ethtanim), corresponding to September 29, 4
B.C.-the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles-must
have been known to believers in the Apostolic Age. But "the
mystery of iniquity" which was "already working" in
Paul's day (2 Thessalonians 2:7) quickly
enshrouded this and the other great fact of the Jewish month
Tebeth (corresponding to December 25, 5 B.C.)-as well as
other connected with His sojourn on earth,4-in a rising mist
of obscurity in which they have ever since been lost.
The earliest
allusion to December 25 (modern reckoning) as the date for the Nativity
is found in the Stromata of Clement of Alexandria, about
the beginning of the third century A.D. (See note
3).5
That
"Christmas" was a pagan festival long before the time of
our Lord is beyond doubt. In Egypt Horus (or Harpocrates 6), the son of
Isis (Queen of Heaven), was born about the time of the winter
solstice.7 By the time of
the early part of the fourth century A.D., the
real reason for observing Christmas as the date for the
miraculous "begetting" of Matthew 1:18 and "the
Word becoming flesh" of John 1:14 had been lost
sight of. The policy of Constantine, and his Edict of
Milan, by establishing universal freedom of religion furthered
this. When many of the followers of the old pagan systems-the vast
majority of the empire, it must be remembered- adopted the Christian
religion as a cult, which Constantine had made fashionable, and the
"Church" became the Church of the Roman Empire, they
brought in with them, among a number of other things emanating from
Egypt and Babylon, the various Festival Days of the old
"religious". Thus "Chirstmas Day," the
birthday of the Egyptian Horus (Osiris), became gradually
substituted for the real Natalis Domini of our blessed
Saviour, videlicet: September 29,or Michaelmas Day.
- If,
however, we realize that the centre of gravity, so to speak, of what we
call the Incarnation is the Incarnation itself- the
wondrous fact of the Divine "begetting", when "the
Word became flesh" (see Matthew 1:18 and John
1:14) - and that this
is to be associated with December 25 instead of March - as for 1,600
years Christendom has been led to believe - then
"Christmas" will be seen in quite another light, and many
who have hitherto been troubled with scruples concerning the day being,
as they have been taught, the anniversary of a Pagan festival, will be
enabled to worship on that Day without alloy of doubt, as the time when
the stupendous miracle which is the foundation stone of the Christian
faith, came to pass.
The
"Annunciation" by the Angel Gabriel marked the
gennesis of Matthew 1:18, and the first
words of John 1:14.
The announcement to the shepherds by the Archangel
Michael marked the Birth of our Lord. John 1: 14 is read as
though "the Word became flesh (Revised Version), and dwelt among
us", were one and the same thing where - as they are
two clauses.
The paragraph should read thus:
- "And the Word became flesh; (Greek ho logos sarx
egeneto.)
- And
tabernacled with (or among) us." (Greek kai eskenosen en
hemin).
The word
tabernacled here (preserved in Revised Version marg.)
receives beautiful significance from the knowledge that "the Lord
of Glory" was "found in fashion as a
man" , and thus tabernacling in human flesh. And in
turn it shows in equally beautiful significance that our Lord was born
on the first day of the great Jewish Feast of Tabernacles,
videlicet: the 15th of Tisri, corresponding to September 29, 4
B.C. (modern reckoning). The circumcision of
our Lord took place therefore on the eighth day, the last
day of the Feast, the "Great Day of the Feast" of John
7:37
("Tabernacles" had eight days. The Feast of Unleavened
Bread had seven days, and Pentecost one. See Leviticus 23).
- The
main arguments against the Nativity having taken place in
December may be set forth very simply:
- (i) The extreme improbability, amounting almost to
impossibility, that Mary, under such circumstances, could have
undertaken a journey of about 70 miles (as the crow flies), through a
hill district averaging some 3,000 feet above sea - level, in the
depth of winter:
- (ii) Shepherds and their flocks would not be found
"abiding" (Greek agrauleo) in the open
fields at night in December (Tebeth), for the paramount reason that
there would be no pasturage at that time. It was the custom then (as
now) to withdraw the flocks during the month Marchesvan
(October-November)8 from the open
districts and house them for the winter.
- (iii) The Roman authorities in imposing such a
"census taking" for the hated and unpopular
"foreign" tax would not have enforced the imperial
decree (Luke 2:1) at the most
inconvenient and inclement season of the year, by compelling the
people to enroll themselves at their respective "cities"
in December. In such a case they would naturally choose the
"line" of least resistance", and select a time of
year that would cause least friction, and interference with the habits
and pursuits of the Jewish people. This would be in the autumn, when
the agricultural round of the year was complete, and the people
generally more or less at liberty to take advantage, as we know many
did, of the opportunity of "going up" to Jerusalem for
the "Feast of Tabernacles" (compare John 7:8-10, etc.), the
crowning Feast of the Jewish year.
To take advantage
of such a time would be to the Romans the simplest and most natural
policy, whereas to attempt to enforce the Edict of Registration for the
purposes of Imperial taxation in the depth of winter, - when travelling
for such a purpose would have been deeply resented, and perhaps have
brought about a revolt,-would never have been attempted by such an
astute ruler as Augustus.
- With regard to the other two "Quarter Days", June
24, March 25, these are both associated with the miraculous (Luke
1:7)
"conception" and the birth of the Forerunner, as December
25 and September 29 are with our Lord's miraculous
"Begetting" and Birth; and are therefore connected with
"the Course of Abiah."
III. "THE COURSE OF ABIA" (Luke 1:5).
This was the eighth of the priestly courses of
ministration in the Temple (1 Chronicles
24:10), and occurred, as
did the others, twice in the year.
The "Courses"were changed every week,
beginning each with a Sabbath. The reckoning commenced on the 22nd day of
Tisri or Ethanim (Appendix 51. 5).
This was the eighth and last day of the Feast of Tabernacles = the
"Great Day of the Feast" (John 7: 37), and was a
Sabbath (Leviticus 23:39).
The first course fell by lot to Jehoiarib, and the
eighth to Abia or Abijah ( 1 Chronicles
24:10).
Bearing in mind that all the courses
served together at the three Great Feasts, the dates for the two yearly
"ministrations" of Abiah will be seen to fall as follows:
The first 9 ministration was
from 12-18 Chisleu = December 6-12.
The second ministration was from 12-18 Sivan = June
13-19.
The announcement therefore to Zacharias in the Temple
as to the conception of John the Baptist took place between 12-18
S IVAN (June 13-19), in the year 5 B.C. After finishing
his "ministration", the aged priest "departed to his
own house" (Luke 1:23), which was in a
city10 in "the
hill country" of Juda (verse 39).
The day following the end of the "Course of
Abia" being a Sabbath (Sivan 19), he would not be able to leave
Jerusalem before the 20th.
The thirty miles journey would probably occupy, for
an old man, a couple of days at least. He would therefore arrive at his
house on the 21st or 22nd. This leaves ample time for the miraculous
"conception" of Elizabeth to take place on or about 23rd of
S IVAN 11 - which would
correspond to June 23-24 of that year. The fact of the conception and
its date would necessarily be known at the time and
afterwards, and hence the 23rd SIVAN would henceforth
be associated with the conception of John Baptist as the 1st TEBETH would be with that
of our Lord.
But the same influences that speedily obscured and
presently obliterated the real dates of our Lord's
"Begetting" and Birth, were also at work with regard to
those of the Forerunner, and with the same results. As soon as the true
Birth day of Christ had been shifted from its proper date,
videlicet: the 15th of Tisri (September 29), and a Festival Day from the
Pagan Calendars substituted for it (videlicet: December 25), then
everything else had to be altered too.
Hence "Lady Day" in association with
March 25 (new style) became necessarily connected with the Annunciation.
And June 24 made its appearance, as it still is in our Calendar, as the
date of "the Nativity of John the Baptist",
instead of, as it really is, the date of his miraculous conception.
The Four "Quarter Days" may therefore
be set forth thus: first in the chronological order of the events with
which they are associated, videlicet:
The
conception of John Baptist |
on or about
23rd SIVAN = June
24 |
in the year 5
B.C. |
The
Gennesis (Begetting) of our Lord |
on or about
1st TEBETH = December
25 |
in the year 5
B.C. |
The birth of
John Baptist |
on or about
4th-7th NISAN = March
25-28 |
in the year 4
B.C. |
The birth of
our Lord |
on or about
15th TISRI = September
29 |
in the year 4
B.C. |
or, placing the two sets together naturally:-
{The
conception of John |
23rd
SIVAN = June
23-24 |
in the year 5
B.C. |
{The birth of
John |
7th
NISAN = March
28-29 |
in the year 4
B.C. |
{The
Miraculous "Begetting" |
1st
TEBETH = December
25 |
in the year 5
B.C. |
{The
NATIVITY |
15th
TISRI = September
29 |
in the year 4
B.C. |
NOTES
1 ZUMPT fixes Quirinus'
(Cyrenius') First Governorship as 4 B.C. to 1 B.C. Justin Martyr
thrice says that our Lord was born under Quirinus (Apol. 1.
XXXIV, page 37; XLVI, page 46; Dial. LXXVIII, page 195.
Clarks edition).
2 According to some,
Augustus died August 19, A.D. 14. Therefore if
Tiberius' co-regnancy was for two years before Augustus' death his
first year was 765 A.U.C. = 12 A.D.. His fifteenth
year consequently was A.U.C. 779 = 26
A.D. = 4030 A.M. and A.C. 30, for our Lord
was thirty years of age when He begun His Ministry (Luke 3:23). Clement of
Alexandria gives the years of Augustus' reign as being 43-46, according to
different reckonings in his day.
3 According to
Clement of Alexandria (compare A.D. 190-220)
"Our Lord was born in the twenty-eighth year when
first the census was ordered to be taken in the reign of
Augustus" (Stromata, Book i, see Clark's edition i.
pages 444-445). If that is correct, and it is true that a Census was taken
every fourteen years, then the next would fall in
A.D. 10, and the succeeding one would have been due A.D. 24.
4 Notably the day of
the crucifixion, etc (see Appendix 156 and
Appendix
165).
5 His statements
are, however, very vague, and he mentions several dates claimed by others
as correct.
6 Osiris
reincarnated.
7 See Wilkinson's
Ancient Egyptians, Volume III, page 79 (Birch's
edition).
8 It is true that
the Lebanon shepherds are in the habit of keeping their flocks alive
during the winter months, by cutting down branches of trees in the forests
in that district, to feed the sheep on the leaves and twigs, when in
autumn the pastures are dried up, and in winter, when snow covers the
ground (compare Land and Book, page 204), but there is no
evidence that the Bethlehem district was afforested in the manner.
9 Reckoning of
course from Ethanim or Tisri - the
First month of the civil year. The sacred year was six month
later, and began on 1st Nisan.
10 The
"city" is not named (possibly Juttah, some 30
miles to the south of Jerusalem).
11 The conception of
John Baptist was, in view of Luke 1:7, as miraculous as
that of Isaac; but it is not necessary to insist upon the complete period
of forty sevens in the case of Elizabeth. Therefore the
birth of the Forerunner may have been three or four days short of the full
two hundred and eighty days, - as indicated in the above table.
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