The Biblical Calendar
How can we determine the dates of the Biblical holidays?
The Biblical holidays can be very divisive.
Some of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) have become very divisive about which events that they should celebrate. These disagreements have separated friends and split congregations.
Some will insist on only celebrating the Feasts of Truth (Moedim aka Feasts of the Father of Truth) that make up the acts of the greatest play ever. Others will also throw a Purim party and celebrate Chanukah. These are all holidays found in the Book of Truth (The Bible).
However, even when they agree on which of these holidays to celebrate, they can still become very divisive. The problem is, that they cannot agree on which dates that the Biblical holidays fall .
Why is there so much disagreement?
Most people agree to which dates on the Biblical Calendar that these holidays fall on. What they cannot agree on, is which dates on the Gregorian Calendar that these dates fall on.
The Biblical Calendar
The first step to understanding their disagreement begins with understanding the differences between the Biblical Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar.
Like any calendar, the Biblical calendar is composed of various units for measuring time. The basic time unit used to build all other units is the day, just like it is on the Gregorian Calendar. However, the day is defined very differently.
On the Gregorian Calendar, a day is from midnight to midnight.
Midnight is exactly half way from noon of one day to noon of the next day. Noon is when the sun has reached the highest point in the sky.
(There is variation of the position of the sun at noon from location to location inside the same time zone. Also, the sun reaches the highest point in the sky one hour later on the clock during Daylight Savings Time.)
So, a day on the Gregorian Calendar consists of the last half of one night time, followed by day time, and finished with the first half of the next night time. The change from one day to the next cannot be observed without a clock. Each day begins at 12 am on the clock in all locations.
On the Biblical Calendar, a day is from one evening to the next evening (Leviticus 23:32).
Evening is the transition period between complete light and complete darkness that begins at sun set (Deuteronomy 16:6). Morning is the transition period between complete darkness and complete light that ends at sun rise (Judges 9:33).
So, a day on the Biblical Calendar is from the beginning of night time to the end of day time (Genesis 1:5). When a day begins on the clock varies from day to day, and location to location.
On both calendars a period of seven days makes a week.
On the Gregorian Calendar, the last day of the week is called "Saturday". On the Biblical Calendar, the last day of the week is called "The Sabbath" (Exodus 16:26). (The Sabbath ends at sunset on Saturday.)
On both calendars, a group of about 30 days creates a month.
On the Gregorian Calendar, each month is a fixed number of days. Every month has a defined length that occurs in easy predictable cycles. The number of days in a month is tied to position of the month in the year, and to the position of the year relative to other years.
This produces an easy predictable pattern. February has 28 days most years. On leap years, February has 29 days. April, June, September, and November always have 30 days. January, March, May, July, August, October and December always have 31 days.
On the Biblical Calendar, a month is period from one New Moon to the next New Moon (Isaiah 66:23). Every month does not have a defined length that occurs in a easy predictable cycles. The number of days in a month is not tied to the position of the month in the year, nor to the position of the year relative to other years.
This does not produce an easy predictable pattern. The period from one New Moon to another is not same each time. It can be as short as 29.27 days or as long as 29.84 days. So, a month can have either 29 or 30 days. Since the period from one New Moon to another varies so much, it is also possible to have two 29 day months or two 30 day months in a row.
On both calendars, a number of months create a year.
On the Gregorian Calendar, a year is the period that it takes the Earth to complete on circuit around the sun. A year is always exactly twelve months. It has 365 days in a regular year, and 366 days in a leap year.
On the Biblical Calendar, each year starts with the month when the descendants of Israel left Egypt (Exodus 12:2-18).
This occurred after the barley began ripening, but before the wheat was growing out of the ground (Exodus 9:31-32).
[Abib means "Spring". The barley was in the state which showed that climatic Spring had begun. When abib is used of barley, it is when the barley is in the ear. This means that the barley stalks has heads with seeds in them, so they are in at least the sixth stage of ripening, when the seeds are soft like wax and covered by a soft husk. The barley was probably in the seventh stage of ripening, when the seeds are hard and covered by a brittle husk. In this stage, the barley stalks are very dry as well. So, both the stalks and the heads of the barley can be easily be broken by hail.]
The memorial of the deliverance from Egypt was weeks before the first of the wheat was harvested (Exodus 34:18-22).
In fact, the first of the barley is harvested fifty days before the first of the wheat is harvested (Leviticus 23:5-17).
[The Hebrew word "karmel" translated as "green", is not the Hebrew word for "green" which is "yerech". "Karmel" means fruitful and is translated as "full ears" concerning barley everywhere else.]
The barley has to have full ears that can be roasted to be counted as the beginning of the barley harvest (Leviticus 2:14).
So on the Biblical Calendar, a year is the period from the month when the barley harvest begins until the month before when the next barley harvest begins. It is not always exactly twelve months.
Twelve months on the Biblical calendar is between 353 and 355 days, due to the variance in the number of days in each month.
However, barley ripens during the same time period defined by the position of the Earth with respect to the Sun each year. So, the twelfth month keep moving backwards with respect to the barley harvest each year. Eventually, the barley harvest will not fall during the following month. When this happens, a leap month has to be added to put the barley harvest back in the first month.
So, a year can be either twelve or thirteen months. It has between 353 and 355 days in a regular year, and 383 to 385 days in a leap year.
Also, the year in both calendars is divided into the four seasons. These seasons are determined by the position of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. When the Earth is further away, the weather is colder, but warmer when it is closer.
The stars in the sky also rotate over the course of a year to indicate the approximate location of the Earth in its orbit. So the stars also tell of the season of the year.
The Sun truly regulates the seasons and the stars truly indicate the seasons, including Spring (Genesis 1:14-18).
A Calendar Translation System
Since the Biblical Calendar and the Gregorian Calendars are so different, a system is needed to translate Biblical Calendar dates to Gregorian Calendar dates.
The calendar translation system only needs to determine two things. Once those two things are determined, the rest of the dates on the Biblical Calendar can easily be determined on the Gregorian Calendar.
The first is the date on the Gregorian Calendar of the first day of each month on the Biblical Calendar. The second is the date on the Gregorian Calendar of the first day of each year on the Biblical Calendar.
Every month on the Biblical Calendar has at least 29 days, but not more than 30 days. So, determining the start of a month can be simplified to determining whether or not the day after the 29th day of the month is the day of the New Moon. If the next day is the day of the New Moon, then it is the first day of the next month. Otherwise, it is the 30th day of the current month.
Every year on the Biblical Calendar has at least 12 months, but not more than 13 months. So, determining the start of a year can be simplified to determining whether or not the month after the 12th day of the month is the month of the barley harvest. If the next month is the month of the barley harvest, then it is the first month of the next year. Otherwise, it is the 13th month of the current year.
Also, the Feast of Tabernacles began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Leviticus 23:34). The grape harvest had to be over before the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) began (Deuteronomy 16:13). So, the seventh month was the month of the end of the grape harvest.
So, really all that is needed for a translation system is to know the date on the Gregorian Calendar of each New Moon, when the barley will ready for harvest each year on the Gregorian Calendar, and when the grape harvest will end on the Gregorian Calendar each year.
The problem is, that there are multiple systems to determine the date of each New Moon, the month of the barley harvest, and the month of the end of the grape harvest. So, what people are really disagreeing about, is which system to use to determine these three things.
In order to select the best system for determining these three things, we need to examine each system, starting with the original system.
The Original System
Originally, there was a really simple system. The High Priest just asked the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD).
The Father of Truth gave unto the High Priest two stones called the Urim (lights) and the Thummim (perfections) (Exodus 28:30). The High Priest could then consult the Father of Truth using the Urim to get His counsel on a matter (Numbers 27:19-22).
So, on the 29th day of each month, the High Priest could ask the Father of Truth if the next day was the beginning of a new month.
If the Father of Truth said "Yes", then the Priests would blow the silver trumpets to announce that the day was the beginning of the new month when they made the evening sacrifice (Numbers 10:2-10). Otherwise, the Priests would wait one more day to announce the beginning of the new month by blowing the trumpets.
On the last of day of the twelfth month, the High Priest could ask the Father of Truth if the next month was the beginning of a new year.
If the Father of Truth said "Yes", then the High Priest would announce that the next day was the beginning of the new year, the month of Abib, so people could start getting rid of the leaven in their houses to prepare for Passover (Pesach) (Deuteronomy 16:1-4). Otherwise, the High Priest would wait one more month to announce the beginning of the new year.
So, the original system was simple and always correct. This system worked as long as the people of Israel all lived near each together and were doing their best to live in obedience to the Father of Truth.
The Canaanite and Babylonian Calendars
However, the Father of Truth would not answer by the Urim when people were in rebellion to Him (1 Samuel 28:6-10).
By the time when Solomon built the Temple, the people of Israel were already calling their months by the names that the Canaanites used (1 Kings 8:1-3). So, the people of Israel might have adopted the Canaanite Calendar as they went further and further into rebellion to the Father of Truth.
Another system definitely was devised after the Temple was destroyed and the priests were scattered by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 29:1). Otherwise, the observance of the Feasts of Truth would have came to an end.
The people of Israel learned the Babylonian system for calculating the New Moon and the Observation Babylonian Calendar while they were living in Babylon (Daniel 1:1-4).
The Observation Babylonian Calendar was based on observation at this time, just like the Canaanite Calendar.
The reason for the Babylonians basing their Calendar on observation, instead of calculation, was because they worshiped the Sun, the Moon and stars like almost everyone else, except the Children of Truth (2 Kings 23:3-5).
Each month in the Observation Babylonian Calendar started on the night when the crescent of the New Moon was first observed in Babylon. However, if weather conditions prevented it from being seen on the night after the 29th day, then a 30th day was added to the month, and the first day of the new month was declared on the following day.
The months were named after the twelve constellations worshiped by the Babylonians. The span of the sky assigned to each constellation was called the house of that constellation. These houses formed the a full circle called the Zodiac. The Zodiac rotates over the course of the year, so that the Sun rises in the house of a different constellation each lunar cycle.
However, because twelve of these months were less than the time it took the Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun, occasionally the Sun would rise in the house of the same constellation twice. When that happened, an extra month named after their chief idol, the Sun itself, would be declared, giving that year thirteen months.
So, during the captivity by the Babylonians, the people of Israel used this Observation Babylonian calendar based on the observation of the Sun, the Moon, and the stars to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar.
It was very close most of the time. The first month was the month of when the barley harvest began and the seventh month was the month when the grape harvest ended.
This allowed Jews across the Babylonian Empire to observe the Feasts of Truth on the same day. If an extra month was added before the seventh month, then they just observed the Feasts of Truth of the seventh month, in whatever month happened to be the seventh month of that year.
Then Darius the Mede conquered Babylon (Daniel 5:30-31). He adopted the Babylonian Calendar for use across the Persian Empire.
However in 499 BC, the Babylonians introduced the Calculated Babylonian Calendar, which became the standard across the Persian Empire.
The Babylonians had discovered that the number of days in 125 short months (29 days) plus 110 long months (30 days) was the same number days that was in 19 years. This meant that in a nineteen year cycle, seven of the years would have an extra long month. This extra long month is called a leap month.
So, they came up with a scheme to insert a leap month seven times in the nineteen year cycle. A leap month was added after the twelfth month in years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, and 19. A leap month was added after the sixth month in year 17.
The Calculated Babylonian Calendar worked well enough for determining the Feasts of Truth when it was introduced.
This caused the first month of the Calculated Babylonian calendar to always occur during the month of the barley harvest. The end of the grape harvest occurred in the seventh month of the Calculated Babylonian Calendar each year of the nineteen year cycle, except the seventeenth year. In the seventeenth year of the cycle, the Feasts of Truth of the seventh month were held in the leap month of the Calculated Babylonian Calendar.
During the time of the Persian Empire, Ezra the Priest returned from Babylon with a Levites and priests to establish a school to teach people how to keep the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) correctly (Ezra 7:1-10). Then, the Temple was rebuilt (Nehemiah 6:10-11). However, the High Priest no longer had the Urim and the Thummim (Nehemiah 7:64-65).
When the Jews returned to Jerusalem, they were still using the Babylonian names for the months (Ezra 6:15). The first month was now called by the Babylonian name of Nisan, instead of Abib (Esther 3:7).
(The first day of the Babylonian month of Nisan varied from eight days before the day of the Spring Equinox to twenty one days after the day of the Spring Equinox.)
The only source of information about the system that Ezra the Priest used is the writings of the sages. They verified that Ezra used a calculated system. They wrote this long before the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) was born.
So by using the Calculated Babylonian Calendar, the Children of Truth scattered across the Persian Empire were able to continue to observe each of the Feasts of Truth on the same day. They were also able to accurately plan trips to Jerusalem to observe the Feasts of Truth in the Temple.
The Macedonian Calendar
Then Alexander the Great took over the Persian Empire. Then his Greek empire was divided into four smaller Greek empires after his unexpected death, as Daniel the Prophet of Truth had said (Daniel 8:20-22).
These emperors replaced the Calculated Babylonian Calendar with the Macedonian Calendar throughout these empires.
The Macedonian Calendar was similar to the Calculated Babylonian Calendar with three important differences.
The year on the Macedonian Calendar began in the Fall instead of the Spring. The month of the barley harvest was in the sixth month of the Macedonian Calendar and the month of the end of the grape harvest was the last month of the Macedonian Calendar during a regular year.
It also had a nineteen year cycle called the Metonic Cycle.
However, in years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, and 17 there was a leap month after the sixth month. In those years, the month of the barley harvest was the leap month and the month of the end of the grape harvest was the last month of the Macedonian Calendar.
In year 19, there was a leap month after the twelfth month. In that year, the month of the barley harvest was seventh month and the month of the end of the grape harvest was the leap month.
Lastly, the Metonic Cycle was off by around two hours per cycle, just like the cycle of the Calculated Babylonian Calendar. This mean the Metonic Cycle would be off by an entire day every 238 years.
To correct this, four Metonic Cycles were grouped into a Callippic Cycle. The last month of Callippic Cycle was shortened by one day. The Callippic Cycle would only be off by an entire day every 553 years.
Needless to say, people found it difficult to keep track of the months of the Biblical Calendar using the Macedonian Calendar. So, they continued to use the Calculated Babylonian Calendar to keep track of the Biblical Calendar throughout these four smaller Greek empires.
The Adjusted Babylonian Calendar
Using the Calculated Babylonian Calendar worked alright until about 260 AD, when the flaw in it caused the New Moon day to occur on the last day of the month on the Calculated Babylonian Calendar.
So, the High Priest made an adjustment by declaring the day of the New Moon to be the first day of the next month on an Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. From that point on, an Adjusted Babylonian Calendar would be used to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar. However, this would not prevent this problem from occurring again.
So, the priests continued to use a system based on calculation for determining the New Moon and the month of the barley harvest and the end of the grape harvest. However, they only calculated the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar in three year increments, the maximum number of years needed for a leap month. They would be able to make the adjustment to the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar before the New Moon day fell on the end of the month again.
So the priests used the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar to create calendars that showed all of the dates on the Biblical Calendar for the next set of three years.
In fact, the Temple Scroll, which is the longest of the Dead Sea Scrolls, includes a three year Biblical Calendar based on the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. This three year Biblical Calendar shows the schedule of the courses of the priests over the entire three year period. This way each priest knew far in advance when their course to serve in the Temple fell.
These calculated three year Biblical Calendars could be distributed to pilgrims that came to Jerusalem for the Feasts of Truth. However, all the pilgrims really needed to know was to move the dates on the Calculated Babylonian Calendar back by one day.
If any pilgrims came to Jerusalem, who did not know about the new system, then they would show up one day late. Since they typically arrived at least a week early, this was usually not a problem.
The Adjusted Babylonian Calendar continued to be used until the priests became corrupt. This corruption began when Onias III, the last faithful High Priest, was murdered and Antiochus Epiphanes became the emperor of the Seleucid Empire in 175 BC, as foretold by Daniel the Prophet of Truth (Daniel 11:21-23).
The Sadducee Calendar
During this time the faithful priest Matthias, and other priests like him, began to perform many of their duties outside of the Temple. The unjust courts of the corrupt priests would not let them perform their duties inside the Temple.
This presented a problem, since the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar was maintained by the corrupt priests that remained in the Temple.
During this same time, the followers of Zadok, the Sadducees, began gaining influence. They offered a solution for this problem.
The Sadducees rejected all of the Original Covenant, except the Law of Truth, as being from the Father of Truth. However, they used Greek logic to interpreted the Law of Truth. The Law of Truth was only for maintaining the cultural identity of the people of Israel in their view.
The Sadducees rejected the intervention of the Father of Truth in the natural world after Moses (Moishe) died. They did not believe in anything supernatural like the resurrection or angels (Matthew 22:23-32).
So, the Sadducees taught that the Father of Truth never did not answer questions from the High Priest through the Urim and Thummim. Instead, they maintained that the dates of the Biblical Calendar were determined by the observation of natural phenomenon, similar to the Observed Babylonian Calendar.
The Sadducees said, that each month on the Biblical Calendar began when the first sliver of the New Moon was observed. Furthermore, they maintained that the first month of the year was determined by observing the state of the barley fields. The first month, that had at least green ears of barley on the first day of the month, was the first month of the year.
This system was subject to the weather and other factors making it unreliable.
Cloudy weather could keep the New Moon for being seen. An extra warm and wet winter could cause the barley ears to appear green earlier than normal, while an extra cold and dry winter could cause the barley ears to appear green later than normal. During years of severe famine, there might not even be a barley crop.
Also, there was no good way to communicate the beginning of each month, or the year, to those outside of the Promised Land. Those outside of Israel continued to use the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar.
Nonetheless, this became the means of determining the dates of the Biblical Calendar in the land of Israel as long as the corrupt priests were in control of the Temple.
Soon afterwards, a time of terrible persecution for the Children of Truth came as foretold by Daniel the Prophet of Truth.
In 167 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes joined many Jews who rejected the Law of Truth and made out right war against the Law of Truth (Daniel 11:30). His Greek army and these Jews by birth only, proceeded to pollute the Temple, take away the daily sacrifices, and set up a giant idol in the Temple with the face of Antiochus Epiphanes on it (Daniel 11:31).
However, the Children of Truth were led by the Maccabees in fighting a war of resistance against the Greek army, and the corrupt Jewish allies of Antiochus Epiphanes (Daniel 11:32). Finally in 160 BC, the Maccabees led their Jewish army, and some Greeks that had sided with them, to victory after a long, bloody, and costly conflict (Daniel 11:33-35).
Among those that came out of the refining fire of this fifteen year period of corrupt priests running the Temple were the Hasideans. They sought to return to using the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar that had been in use before the corrupt priests had taken over the Temple.
Out of the Hasideans came a new party, the Pharisees. While the Hasmoneans, the successors of the Maccabees, ruled over Judea as well as occupied the office of High Priest, the Pharisees vied with the Sadducees for influence.
From the time of Hasmonean rule, there were numerous changes of which party was favored by the Hasmoneans. The system for determining the dates Biblical Calendar was changed whenever there was a change in which party was in favor.
Some years, it did not really matter, because under both systems the Feasts of Truth were on the exact same days. However, some years, the dates of the Feasts of Truth produced by these two systems differed by as much as a month.
This caused great confusion when pilgrims came to Jerusalem to observe one of the Feasts of Truth, and then discovered that they were a month early or late, because the other party had gained influence.
When Salome Alexandra became queen in 76 BC, she favored the Pharisees. She allowed them to reorganize the Sanhedrin to their liking and meet in the Hall of Hewn Stones on the Temple Mount. In order to avoid further violence, she moved the Sadducees out of Jerusalem and into fortified cities.
At this time, the Sadducee Calendar fell out of use.
After Salome died in 67 BC, the Pharisees supported her choice for the throne, Hyrcanus II, and the Sadducees supported his usurping brother Aristobulus II.
This led to more wars between the Pharisees and Sadducees, with the calendar that each supported being used to determine the dates of the Feasts of Truth, when their choice for king had control of Jerusalem.
The Roman Calendar
Then in 62 AD, Pompey the Great arrived and conquered the land of Israel while it was weakened by this internal state of civil war.
So, now there was a new calendar that the people of Israel had to deal with besides the Sadducee Calendar, the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar, and the Macedonian Calendar - The Roman Calendar.
The Romans had originally followed a similar calendar to the Macedonian Calendar, but they found it awkward to use for planning purposes. They wanted a more stable Calendar. By the time of Pompey, they had developed a predictable calendar that corrected for the Spring Equinox in a four year cycle, instead of a nineteen year cycle.
However, the Roman Calendar was still somewhat awkward.
A day on the Roman Calendar did not start at sunset like the other calendars. A day started at midnight, which was the half-way point between when the sun reached the highest point in the sky one day and when it did the next day. Midnight could only be determined by using a time device of some type.
It had twelve months of 28, 29, or 31 days. The first month was called January, and the last month was called December, literally tenth month, confusingly enough. (March had originally been the first month on an earlier version.) The first and third years were regular years of 354 days.
The Romans correct this by inserting a 22 day leap month called Mercedonis (month of wages) between the 23rd and 24th day of February during the second year. Mercedonis was 23 days long when it was inserted during the fourth year of the cycle.
However, the Roman Calendar did make it easier to plan for the barley harvest and the end of the grape harvest, because they occurred within the same date range each year on the Roman Calendar.
However, the dates on the Biblical Calendar did not naturally correspond to the dates on the Roman Calendar. So, the Pharisees continued to use the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar to determine these dates and the Sadducees continued to use the Sadducee Calendar.
The Julian Calendar
Then Julius Caesar became dictator of the Roman Empire in 49 BC. In 46 BC, he replaced the Roman Calendar with the much less awkward Julian Calendar.
The Julian Calendar had the same twelve months as the regular years on the Roman Calendar, except they followed a pattern of alternating between 31 and 30 days, except for February, which had 29 days in a regular year. The Roman Senate changed the name of the seventh month to July in honor of Julius Caesar.
Every fourth year was a leap year, and February had a leap day added at the end to make it 30 days long. This was intended to keep the Spring Equinox on the same date on the Julian Calendar every year.
The Julian Calendar was based upon climatic seasons in Rome, not astronomical seasons. For this reason, the equinoxes and solstices for the seasons fell about three weeks into the first month of each season.
Each season had three months that defined the early part, middle part, and late part of that season. For example, March was early Spring, April was mid Spring, and May was late Spring.
The month of April was named that because the barley heads opened (aperire) to show they were ripe at the beginning of that month.
However, the dates on the Biblical Calendar did not naturally correspond to the dates on the Julian Calendar. So, the Pharisees continued to use the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar to determine these dates and the Sadducees continued to use the Sadducee Calendar.
The Combined Calendar
Then, in 42 BC Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus II, united the Pharisees and Sadducees in an effort to throw off Roman rule.
In order to work together, the Pharisees and Sadducees had to come to an agreement about how to share power. In general, the Pharisees would continue to rule the synagogues that met on the Sabbath, while the Sadducees would continue to control the Temple, where people went to celebrate the Feasts of Truth. Each party would occupy a proportional number of seats in the Sanhedrin.
This arrangement eventually made the unjust trial of the Man of Truth possible.
However, they had to come up with a single system for determining the dates on the Biblical Calendar to end the confusion and present a unified front.
Eventually, they came up with a Combined Calendar that combined elements from both the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar and the Sadducee Calendar. This Combined Calendar was based on a combination of calculation and observation.
The science used to create the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar determined when the observations used for the Sadducee Calendar were possible. So, the actual observation of the events were not used to determine the beginning of months and years, but rather when the event should be possible to observe.
These calculations were made in short sequences of only three years at a time, like the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. When possible, the time of these calculated observable events were compared against the time when the events were actually observed. If there was a difference in the time, then improvements were made to the calculations and the starting point for calculating the next three year sequence was adjusted accordingly.
In order to mitigate issues with weather affecting the observation of the barley and grape harvest, an official barley field and vineyard were set up near Jerusalem. This included barley being grown on the top of flat roofs in Jericho, which is less subject to affected by extreme cold weather due being below sea level. These were always watered and specially cared for, even in times of severe drought, so they would ripen about the same time every year.
The Biblical holidays can be very divisive.
Some of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) have become very divisive about which events that they should celebrate. These disagreements have separated friends and split congregations.
Some will insist on only celebrating the Feasts of Truth (Moedim aka Feasts of the Father of Truth) that make up the acts of the greatest play ever. Others will also throw a Purim party and celebrate Chanukah. These are all holidays found in the Book of Truth (The Bible).
However, even when they agree on which of these holidays to celebrate, they can still become very divisive. The problem is, that they cannot agree on which dates that the Biblical holidays fall .
Why is there so much disagreement?
Most people agree to which dates on the Biblical Calendar that these holidays fall on. What they cannot agree on, is which dates on the Gregorian Calendar that these dates fall on.
The Biblical Calendar
The first step to understanding their disagreement begins with understanding the differences between the Biblical Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar.
Like any calendar, the Biblical calendar is composed of various units for measuring time. The basic time unit used to build all other units is the day, just like it is on the Gregorian Calendar. However, the day is defined very differently.
On the Gregorian Calendar, a day is from midnight to midnight.
Midnight is exactly half way from noon of one day to noon of the next day. Noon is when the sun has reached the highest point in the sky.
(There is variation of the position of the sun at noon from location to location inside the same time zone. Also, the sun reaches the highest point in the sky one hour later on the clock during Daylight Savings Time.)
So, a day on the Gregorian Calendar consists of the last half of one night time, followed by day time, and finished with the first half of the next night time. The change from one day to the next cannot be observed without a clock. Each day begins at 12 am on the clock in all locations.
On the Biblical Calendar, a day is from one evening to the next evening (Leviticus 23:32).
Evening is the transition period between complete light and complete darkness that begins at sun set (Deuteronomy 16:6). Morning is the transition period between complete darkness and complete light that ends at sun rise (Judges 9:33).
So, a day on the Biblical Calendar is from the beginning of night time to the end of day time (Genesis 1:5). When a day begins on the clock varies from day to day, and location to location.
On both calendars a period of seven days makes a week.
On the Gregorian Calendar, the last day of the week is called "Saturday". On the Biblical Calendar, the last day of the week is called "The Sabbath" (Exodus 16:26). (The Sabbath ends at sunset on Saturday.)
On both calendars, a group of about 30 days creates a month.
On the Gregorian Calendar, each month is a fixed number of days. Every month has a defined length that occurs in easy predictable cycles. The number of days in a month is tied to position of the month in the year, and to the position of the year relative to other years.
This produces an easy predictable pattern. February has 28 days most years. On leap years, February has 29 days. April, June, September, and November always have 30 days. January, March, May, July, August, October and December always have 31 days.
On the Biblical Calendar, a month is period from one New Moon to the next New Moon (Isaiah 66:23). Every month does not have a defined length that occurs in a easy predictable cycles. The number of days in a month is not tied to the position of the month in the year, nor to the position of the year relative to other years.
This does not produce an easy predictable pattern. The period from one New Moon to another is not same each time. It can be as short as 29.27 days or as long as 29.84 days. So, a month can have either 29 or 30 days. Since the period from one New Moon to another varies so much, it is also possible to have two 29 day months or two 30 day months in a row.
On both calendars, a number of months create a year.
On the Gregorian Calendar, a year is the period that it takes the Earth to complete on circuit around the sun. A year is always exactly twelve months. It has 365 days in a regular year, and 366 days in a leap year.
On the Biblical Calendar, each year starts with the month when the descendants of Israel left Egypt (Exodus 12:2-18).
This occurred after the barley began ripening, but before the wheat was growing out of the ground (Exodus 9:31-32).
[Abib means "Spring". The barley was in the state which showed that climatic Spring had begun. When abib is used of barley, it is when the barley is in the ear. This means that the barley stalks has heads with seeds in them, so they are in at least the sixth stage of ripening, when the seeds are soft like wax and covered by a soft husk. The barley was probably in the seventh stage of ripening, when the seeds are hard and covered by a brittle husk. In this stage, the barley stalks are very dry as well. So, both the stalks and the heads of the barley can be easily be broken by hail.]
The memorial of the deliverance from Egypt was weeks before the first of the wheat was harvested (Exodus 34:18-22).
In fact, the first of the barley is harvested fifty days before the first of the wheat is harvested (Leviticus 23:5-17).
[The Hebrew word "karmel" translated as "green", is not the Hebrew word for "green" which is "yerech". "Karmel" means fruitful and is translated as "full ears" concerning barley everywhere else.]
The barley has to have full ears that can be roasted to be counted as the beginning of the barley harvest (Leviticus 2:14).
So on the Biblical Calendar, a year is the period from the month when the barley harvest begins until the month before when the next barley harvest begins. It is not always exactly twelve months.
Twelve months on the Biblical calendar is between 353 and 355 days, due to the variance in the number of days in each month.
However, barley ripens during the same time period defined by the position of the Earth with respect to the Sun each year. So, the twelfth month keep moving backwards with respect to the barley harvest each year. Eventually, the barley harvest will not fall during the following month. When this happens, a leap month has to be added to put the barley harvest back in the first month.
So, a year can be either twelve or thirteen months. It has between 353 and 355 days in a regular year, and 383 to 385 days in a leap year.
Also, the year in both calendars is divided into the four seasons. These seasons are determined by the position of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. When the Earth is further away, the weather is colder, but warmer when it is closer.
The stars in the sky also rotate over the course of a year to indicate the approximate location of the Earth in its orbit. So the stars also tell of the season of the year.
The Sun truly regulates the seasons and the stars truly indicate the seasons, including Spring (Genesis 1:14-18).
A Calendar Translation System
Since the Biblical Calendar and the Gregorian Calendars are so different, a system is needed to translate Biblical Calendar dates to Gregorian Calendar dates.
The calendar translation system only needs to determine two things. Once those two things are determined, the rest of the dates on the Biblical Calendar can easily be determined on the Gregorian Calendar.
The first is the date on the Gregorian Calendar of the first day of each month on the Biblical Calendar. The second is the date on the Gregorian Calendar of the first day of each year on the Biblical Calendar.
Every month on the Biblical Calendar has at least 29 days, but not more than 30 days. So, determining the start of a month can be simplified to determining whether or not the day after the 29th day of the month is the day of the New Moon. If the next day is the day of the New Moon, then it is the first day of the next month. Otherwise, it is the 30th day of the current month.
Every year on the Biblical Calendar has at least 12 months, but not more than 13 months. So, determining the start of a year can be simplified to determining whether or not the month after the 12th day of the month is the month of the barley harvest. If the next month is the month of the barley harvest, then it is the first month of the next year. Otherwise, it is the 13th month of the current year.
Also, the Feast of Tabernacles began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Leviticus 23:34). The grape harvest had to be over before the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) began (Deuteronomy 16:13). So, the seventh month was the month of the end of the grape harvest.
So, really all that is needed for a translation system is to know the date on the Gregorian Calendar of each New Moon, when the barley will ready for harvest each year on the Gregorian Calendar, and when the grape harvest will end on the Gregorian Calendar each year.
The problem is, that there are multiple systems to determine the date of each New Moon, the month of the barley harvest, and the month of the end of the grape harvest. So, what people are really disagreeing about, is which system to use to determine these three things.
In order to select the best system for determining these three things, we need to examine each system, starting with the original system.
The Original System
Originally, there was a really simple system. The High Priest just asked the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD).
The Father of Truth gave unto the High Priest two stones called the Urim (lights) and the Thummim (perfections) (Exodus 28:30). The High Priest could then consult the Father of Truth using the Urim to get His counsel on a matter (Numbers 27:19-22).
So, on the 29th day of each month, the High Priest could ask the Father of Truth if the next day was the beginning of a new month.
If the Father of Truth said "Yes", then the Priests would blow the silver trumpets to announce that the day was the beginning of the new month when they made the evening sacrifice (Numbers 10:2-10). Otherwise, the Priests would wait one more day to announce the beginning of the new month by blowing the trumpets.
On the last of day of the twelfth month, the High Priest could ask the Father of Truth if the next month was the beginning of a new year.
If the Father of Truth said "Yes", then the High Priest would announce that the next day was the beginning of the new year, the month of Abib, so people could start getting rid of the leaven in their houses to prepare for Passover (Pesach) (Deuteronomy 16:1-4). Otherwise, the High Priest would wait one more month to announce the beginning of the new year.
So, the original system was simple and always correct. This system worked as long as the people of Israel all lived near each together and were doing their best to live in obedience to the Father of Truth.
The Canaanite and Babylonian Calendars
However, the Father of Truth would not answer by the Urim when people were in rebellion to Him (1 Samuel 28:6-10).
By the time when Solomon built the Temple, the people of Israel were already calling their months by the names that the Canaanites used (1 Kings 8:1-3). So, the people of Israel might have adopted the Canaanite Calendar as they went further and further into rebellion to the Father of Truth.
Another system definitely was devised after the Temple was destroyed and the priests were scattered by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 29:1). Otherwise, the observance of the Feasts of Truth would have came to an end.
The people of Israel learned the Babylonian system for calculating the New Moon and the Observation Babylonian Calendar while they were living in Babylon (Daniel 1:1-4).
The Observation Babylonian Calendar was based on observation at this time, just like the Canaanite Calendar.
The reason for the Babylonians basing their Calendar on observation, instead of calculation, was because they worshiped the Sun, the Moon and stars like almost everyone else, except the Children of Truth (2 Kings 23:3-5).
Each month in the Observation Babylonian Calendar started on the night when the crescent of the New Moon was first observed in Babylon. However, if weather conditions prevented it from being seen on the night after the 29th day, then a 30th day was added to the month, and the first day of the new month was declared on the following day.
The months were named after the twelve constellations worshiped by the Babylonians. The span of the sky assigned to each constellation was called the house of that constellation. These houses formed the a full circle called the Zodiac. The Zodiac rotates over the course of the year, so that the Sun rises in the house of a different constellation each lunar cycle.
However, because twelve of these months were less than the time it took the Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun, occasionally the Sun would rise in the house of the same constellation twice. When that happened, an extra month named after their chief idol, the Sun itself, would be declared, giving that year thirteen months.
So, during the captivity by the Babylonians, the people of Israel used this Observation Babylonian calendar based on the observation of the Sun, the Moon, and the stars to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar.
It was very close most of the time. The first month was the month of when the barley harvest began and the seventh month was the month when the grape harvest ended.
This allowed Jews across the Babylonian Empire to observe the Feasts of Truth on the same day. If an extra month was added before the seventh month, then they just observed the Feasts of Truth of the seventh month, in whatever month happened to be the seventh month of that year.
Then Darius the Mede conquered Babylon (Daniel 5:30-31). He adopted the Babylonian Calendar for use across the Persian Empire.
However in 499 BC, the Babylonians introduced the Calculated Babylonian Calendar, which became the standard across the Persian Empire.
The Babylonians had discovered that the number of days in 125 short months (29 days) plus 110 long months (30 days) was the same number days that was in 19 years. This meant that in a nineteen year cycle, seven of the years would have an extra long month. This extra long month is called a leap month.
So, they came up with a scheme to insert a leap month seven times in the nineteen year cycle. A leap month was added after the twelfth month in years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, and 19. A leap month was added after the sixth month in year 17.
The Calculated Babylonian Calendar worked well enough for determining the Feasts of Truth when it was introduced.
This caused the first month of the Calculated Babylonian calendar to always occur during the month of the barley harvest. The end of the grape harvest occurred in the seventh month of the Calculated Babylonian Calendar each year of the nineteen year cycle, except the seventeenth year. In the seventeenth year of the cycle, the Feasts of Truth of the seventh month were held in the leap month of the Calculated Babylonian Calendar.
During the time of the Persian Empire, Ezra the Priest returned from Babylon with a Levites and priests to establish a school to teach people how to keep the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) correctly (Ezra 7:1-10). Then, the Temple was rebuilt (Nehemiah 6:10-11). However, the High Priest no longer had the Urim and the Thummim (Nehemiah 7:64-65).
When the Jews returned to Jerusalem, they were still using the Babylonian names for the months (Ezra 6:15). The first month was now called by the Babylonian name of Nisan, instead of Abib (Esther 3:7).
(The first day of the Babylonian month of Nisan varied from eight days before the day of the Spring Equinox to twenty one days after the day of the Spring Equinox.)
The only source of information about the system that Ezra the Priest used is the writings of the sages. They verified that Ezra used a calculated system. They wrote this long before the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) was born.
So by using the Calculated Babylonian Calendar, the Children of Truth scattered across the Persian Empire were able to continue to observe each of the Feasts of Truth on the same day. They were also able to accurately plan trips to Jerusalem to observe the Feasts of Truth in the Temple.
The Macedonian Calendar
Then Alexander the Great took over the Persian Empire. Then his Greek empire was divided into four smaller Greek empires after his unexpected death, as Daniel the Prophet of Truth had said (Daniel 8:20-22).
These emperors replaced the Calculated Babylonian Calendar with the Macedonian Calendar throughout these empires.
The Macedonian Calendar was similar to the Calculated Babylonian Calendar with three important differences.
The year on the Macedonian Calendar began in the Fall instead of the Spring. The month of the barley harvest was in the sixth month of the Macedonian Calendar and the month of the end of the grape harvest was the last month of the Macedonian Calendar during a regular year.
It also had a nineteen year cycle called the Metonic Cycle.
However, in years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, and 17 there was a leap month after the sixth month. In those years, the month of the barley harvest was the leap month and the month of the end of the grape harvest was the last month of the Macedonian Calendar.
In year 19, there was a leap month after the twelfth month. In that year, the month of the barley harvest was seventh month and the month of the end of the grape harvest was the leap month.
Lastly, the Metonic Cycle was off by around two hours per cycle, just like the cycle of the Calculated Babylonian Calendar. This mean the Metonic Cycle would be off by an entire day every 238 years.
To correct this, four Metonic Cycles were grouped into a Callippic Cycle. The last month of Callippic Cycle was shortened by one day. The Callippic Cycle would only be off by an entire day every 553 years.
Needless to say, people found it difficult to keep track of the months of the Biblical Calendar using the Macedonian Calendar. So, they continued to use the Calculated Babylonian Calendar to keep track of the Biblical Calendar throughout these four smaller Greek empires.
The Adjusted Babylonian Calendar
Using the Calculated Babylonian Calendar worked alright until about 260 AD, when the flaw in it caused the New Moon day to occur on the last day of the month on the Calculated Babylonian Calendar.
So, the High Priest made an adjustment by declaring the day of the New Moon to be the first day of the next month on an Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. From that point on, an Adjusted Babylonian Calendar would be used to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar. However, this would not prevent this problem from occurring again.
So, the priests continued to use a system based on calculation for determining the New Moon and the month of the barley harvest and the end of the grape harvest. However, they only calculated the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar in three year increments, the maximum number of years needed for a leap month. They would be able to make the adjustment to the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar before the New Moon day fell on the end of the month again.
So the priests used the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar to create calendars that showed all of the dates on the Biblical Calendar for the next set of three years.
In fact, the Temple Scroll, which is the longest of the Dead Sea Scrolls, includes a three year Biblical Calendar based on the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. This three year Biblical Calendar shows the schedule of the courses of the priests over the entire three year period. This way each priest knew far in advance when their course to serve in the Temple fell.
These calculated three year Biblical Calendars could be distributed to pilgrims that came to Jerusalem for the Feasts of Truth. However, all the pilgrims really needed to know was to move the dates on the Calculated Babylonian Calendar back by one day.
If any pilgrims came to Jerusalem, who did not know about the new system, then they would show up one day late. Since they typically arrived at least a week early, this was usually not a problem.
The Adjusted Babylonian Calendar continued to be used until the priests became corrupt. This corruption began when Onias III, the last faithful High Priest, was murdered and Antiochus Epiphanes became the emperor of the Seleucid Empire in 175 BC, as foretold by Daniel the Prophet of Truth (Daniel 11:21-23).
The Sadducee Calendar
During this time the faithful priest Matthias, and other priests like him, began to perform many of their duties outside of the Temple. The unjust courts of the corrupt priests would not let them perform their duties inside the Temple.
This presented a problem, since the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar was maintained by the corrupt priests that remained in the Temple.
During this same time, the followers of Zadok, the Sadducees, began gaining influence. They offered a solution for this problem.
The Sadducees rejected all of the Original Covenant, except the Law of Truth, as being from the Father of Truth. However, they used Greek logic to interpreted the Law of Truth. The Law of Truth was only for maintaining the cultural identity of the people of Israel in their view.
The Sadducees rejected the intervention of the Father of Truth in the natural world after Moses (Moishe) died. They did not believe in anything supernatural like the resurrection or angels (Matthew 22:23-32).
So, the Sadducees taught that the Father of Truth never did not answer questions from the High Priest through the Urim and Thummim. Instead, they maintained that the dates of the Biblical Calendar were determined by the observation of natural phenomenon, similar to the Observed Babylonian Calendar.
The Sadducees said, that each month on the Biblical Calendar began when the first sliver of the New Moon was observed. Furthermore, they maintained that the first month of the year was determined by observing the state of the barley fields. The first month, that had at least green ears of barley on the first day of the month, was the first month of the year.
This system was subject to the weather and other factors making it unreliable.
Cloudy weather could keep the New Moon for being seen. An extra warm and wet winter could cause the barley ears to appear green earlier than normal, while an extra cold and dry winter could cause the barley ears to appear green later than normal. During years of severe famine, there might not even be a barley crop.
Also, there was no good way to communicate the beginning of each month, or the year, to those outside of the Promised Land. Those outside of Israel continued to use the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar.
Nonetheless, this became the means of determining the dates of the Biblical Calendar in the land of Israel as long as the corrupt priests were in control of the Temple.
Soon afterwards, a time of terrible persecution for the Children of Truth came as foretold by Daniel the Prophet of Truth.
In 167 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes joined many Jews who rejected the Law of Truth and made out right war against the Law of Truth (Daniel 11:30). His Greek army and these Jews by birth only, proceeded to pollute the Temple, take away the daily sacrifices, and set up a giant idol in the Temple with the face of Antiochus Epiphanes on it (Daniel 11:31).
However, the Children of Truth were led by the Maccabees in fighting a war of resistance against the Greek army, and the corrupt Jewish allies of Antiochus Epiphanes (Daniel 11:32). Finally in 160 BC, the Maccabees led their Jewish army, and some Greeks that had sided with them, to victory after a long, bloody, and costly conflict (Daniel 11:33-35).
Among those that came out of the refining fire of this fifteen year period of corrupt priests running the Temple were the Hasideans. They sought to return to using the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar that had been in use before the corrupt priests had taken over the Temple.
Out of the Hasideans came a new party, the Pharisees. While the Hasmoneans, the successors of the Maccabees, ruled over Judea as well as occupied the office of High Priest, the Pharisees vied with the Sadducees for influence.
From the time of Hasmonean rule, there were numerous changes of which party was favored by the Hasmoneans. The system for determining the dates Biblical Calendar was changed whenever there was a change in which party was in favor.
Some years, it did not really matter, because under both systems the Feasts of Truth were on the exact same days. However, some years, the dates of the Feasts of Truth produced by these two systems differed by as much as a month.
This caused great confusion when pilgrims came to Jerusalem to observe one of the Feasts of Truth, and then discovered that they were a month early or late, because the other party had gained influence.
When Salome Alexandra became queen in 76 BC, she favored the Pharisees. She allowed them to reorganize the Sanhedrin to their liking and meet in the Hall of Hewn Stones on the Temple Mount. In order to avoid further violence, she moved the Sadducees out of Jerusalem and into fortified cities.
At this time, the Sadducee Calendar fell out of use.
After Salome died in 67 BC, the Pharisees supported her choice for the throne, Hyrcanus II, and the Sadducees supported his usurping brother Aristobulus II.
This led to more wars between the Pharisees and Sadducees, with the calendar that each supported being used to determine the dates of the Feasts of Truth, when their choice for king had control of Jerusalem.
The Roman Calendar
Then in 62 AD, Pompey the Great arrived and conquered the land of Israel while it was weakened by this internal state of civil war.
So, now there was a new calendar that the people of Israel had to deal with besides the Sadducee Calendar, the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar, and the Macedonian Calendar - The Roman Calendar.
The Romans had originally followed a similar calendar to the Macedonian Calendar, but they found it awkward to use for planning purposes. They wanted a more stable Calendar. By the time of Pompey, they had developed a predictable calendar that corrected for the Spring Equinox in a four year cycle, instead of a nineteen year cycle.
However, the Roman Calendar was still somewhat awkward.
A day on the Roman Calendar did not start at sunset like the other calendars. A day started at midnight, which was the half-way point between when the sun reached the highest point in the sky one day and when it did the next day. Midnight could only be determined by using a time device of some type.
It had twelve months of 28, 29, or 31 days. The first month was called January, and the last month was called December, literally tenth month, confusingly enough. (March had originally been the first month on an earlier version.) The first and third years were regular years of 354 days.
The Romans correct this by inserting a 22 day leap month called Mercedonis (month of wages) between the 23rd and 24th day of February during the second year. Mercedonis was 23 days long when it was inserted during the fourth year of the cycle.
However, the Roman Calendar did make it easier to plan for the barley harvest and the end of the grape harvest, because they occurred within the same date range each year on the Roman Calendar.
However, the dates on the Biblical Calendar did not naturally correspond to the dates on the Roman Calendar. So, the Pharisees continued to use the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar to determine these dates and the Sadducees continued to use the Sadducee Calendar.
The Julian Calendar
Then Julius Caesar became dictator of the Roman Empire in 49 BC. In 46 BC, he replaced the Roman Calendar with the much less awkward Julian Calendar.
The Julian Calendar had the same twelve months as the regular years on the Roman Calendar, except they followed a pattern of alternating between 31 and 30 days, except for February, which had 29 days in a regular year. The Roman Senate changed the name of the seventh month to July in honor of Julius Caesar.
Every fourth year was a leap year, and February had a leap day added at the end to make it 30 days long. This was intended to keep the Spring Equinox on the same date on the Julian Calendar every year.
The Julian Calendar was based upon climatic seasons in Rome, not astronomical seasons. For this reason, the equinoxes and solstices for the seasons fell about three weeks into the first month of each season.
Each season had three months that defined the early part, middle part, and late part of that season. For example, March was early Spring, April was mid Spring, and May was late Spring.
The month of April was named that because the barley heads opened (aperire) to show they were ripe at the beginning of that month.
However, the dates on the Biblical Calendar did not naturally correspond to the dates on the Julian Calendar. So, the Pharisees continued to use the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar to determine these dates and the Sadducees continued to use the Sadducee Calendar.
The Combined Calendar
Then, in 42 BC Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus II, united the Pharisees and Sadducees in an effort to throw off Roman rule.
In order to work together, the Pharisees and Sadducees had to come to an agreement about how to share power. In general, the Pharisees would continue to rule the synagogues that met on the Sabbath, while the Sadducees would continue to control the Temple, where people went to celebrate the Feasts of Truth. Each party would occupy a proportional number of seats in the Sanhedrin.
This arrangement eventually made the unjust trial of the Man of Truth possible.
However, they had to come up with a single system for determining the dates on the Biblical Calendar to end the confusion and present a unified front.
Eventually, they came up with a Combined Calendar that combined elements from both the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar and the Sadducee Calendar. This Combined Calendar was based on a combination of calculation and observation.
The science used to create the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar determined when the observations used for the Sadducee Calendar were possible. So, the actual observation of the events were not used to determine the beginning of months and years, but rather when the event should be possible to observe.
These calculations were made in short sequences of only three years at a time, like the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. When possible, the time of these calculated observable events were compared against the time when the events were actually observed. If there was a difference in the time, then improvements were made to the calculations and the starting point for calculating the next three year sequence was adjusted accordingly.
In order to mitigate issues with weather affecting the observation of the barley and grape harvest, an official barley field and vineyard were set up near Jerusalem. This included barley being grown on the top of flat roofs in Jericho, which is less subject to affected by extreme cold weather due being below sea level. These were always watered and specially cared for, even in times of severe drought, so they would ripen about the same time every year.
The beginning of each month had to be known by evening. Some work, like fishing, was done at night (John 21:3).
Each day began with the evening (Genesis 1:13-14). So, people had to know whether or not they could work by evening to prevent unintentionally working on the Feast of Tabernacles (first day of the seventh month) (Leviticus 23:24-25).
Eventually, a calculation system was developed that always produced dates that agreed with the day of the observed New Moon, when it was not obscured, and the observed month of the barley being at ready by the time of the Feast of Firstfruits. This was possible, since it only needed precision of a day, and it only was used to calculate the Combined Calendar three years at a time.
This is how it worked. (Time units have been converted to modern time units. Everything was based on Jerusalem time.)
The Dark Moon is the moment when the moon becomes completely dark. The New Moon is when the waxing crescent of the moon first becomes visible after the Dark Moon. However, the New Moon might not be seen for days due to cloud cover.
A month could only be twenty-nine or thirty days. If the current month was already thirty days long on the night of the Dark Moon, then the next day was considered to first day of the new month. Otherwise, the Observable New Month had to be used.
This is how it worked. (Time units have been converted to modern time units. Everything was based on Jerusalem time.)
The Dark Moon is the moment when the moon becomes completely dark. The New Moon is when the waxing crescent of the moon first becomes visible after the Dark Moon. However, the New Moon might not be seen for days due to cloud cover.
A month could only be twenty-nine or thirty days. If the current month was already thirty days long on the night of the Dark Moon, then the next day was considered to first day of the new month. Otherwise, the Observable New Month had to be used.
So, the Observable New Moon was defined as about twenty-one hours and fifteen after the Dark Moon, when it reaches 6 percent illumination. (It has been spotted as early as fifteen hours and 32 minutes in very flat places under extremely rare conditions, but this is as early as it can be reasonably expected near Jerusalem in normal conditions.)
If the Observable New Moon came no later than than night fall, then the day after the Dark Moon was considered the first day of the new month. Otherwise, the new month started on the second day after the Dark Moon.
(The first waxing crescent is most often only visible between sunset and nightfall (the end of nautical twilight). In rare cases, it can be visible as late as six hours after sunset.
(The first waxing crescent is most often only visible between sunset and nightfall (the end of nautical twilight). In rare cases, it can be visible as late as six hours after sunset.
Observation was restricted to the evening (the period between sunset and nightfall), so the new month could be announced at the beginning of the Biblical day.)
The date of the Feast of Firstfruits was based on the Sadducee definition of the Sunday following Passover, since they controlled when the sacrifices were given for the Feasts of Truth in the Temple. (The Pharisees maintained that it was the day after the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.)
The first day of Spring was the biblical day that the Spring Equinox fell on. The first day of Fall was the biblical day when the Fall Equinox fell.
After the twelfth month, the next month was the potential first month of the year.
Next, the date of the Feast of Firstfruits for the potential first month was calculated. If date of the Feast of Firstfruits of the potential first month was at least six days after the first day of Spring, then the potential first month was the first month of the new year. Otherwise, the month following the twelfth month was a leap month.
Then the first day of the potential seventh month was calculated for verification. If the fifteenth day of the potential seventh month was no earlier three days before the first day of Fall, then then the potential first month was the first month of the year. Otherwise, the month following the twelfth month was a leap month.
There can never be a case where the month of the barley harvest and the month of the end of the grape harvest are not six Biblical months apart. If one of them calculates to be a close call, then the other one will provide clarification.
This next Combined Calendar set of three years was calculated in the first year of the current set. This allowed pilgrims, who came to the Temple from all over the world, to take the news back with them of when the Feasts of Truth would be celebrated in the following three to five years.
This Combined Calendar continued to be used even after the rise of the Herodians and the last Hasmonean High Priest died in 32 BC.
The Augustan Calendar
After Caesar Augustus became the Roman Emperor in 29 BC, the Roman Senate honored him by changing the name of the eighth month on the Julian Calendar to August.
However, Augustus did not like that his month, August, had only 30 days, while the month to honor Julius Caesar, July, had 31 days. So, he had February shortened by one day to 28 days in a regular year, and 29 days in a leap year. He then had August lengthened by one day to 31 days. He then had the months after August changed to resume the 30 day / 31 day pattern.
Everything else remained the same as the Julian Calendar, so the Augustan Calendar is often mistakenly referred to as the Julian Calendar.
So, during the reign of the Herodians, there were three calendars that had to be considered for determining the dates of events in the land of Israel.
First, the Augustan Calendar was used throughout the Roman Empire. Second, the Macedonian Calendar was still used throughout most of the territory previously covered by the Greek Empire. Third, the Combined Calendar continued to be used to determine the dates of the Feasts of Truth.
It is important when to understand which calendar is being referenced in historical documents about the land of Israel during this time.
For example, the Renewed Covenant expresses events in terms of the Augustan Calendar sometimes, as well as the Combined Calendar. It is important to know which is being used to understand a passage correctly.
When the wife of Pilate told him that she had been warned in a dream that day that he should have nothing to do with the death of the Man of Truth, she was referring to a day according to the Augustan Calendar (Matthew 27:17-19). However, the day of the preparation, that began with the evening, was a day according to the Combined Calendar (Mark 15:42-43).
The Man of Truth referred to the months of the Combined Calendar when he is talking about the time of the coming harvest in the land of Israel (John 4:35). However, Luke the Jew (Lucius aka The Apostle Luke) referred to the months of the Augustan Calendar that define Winter for the Romans, when he recorded the journey to Rome (Acts 28:11).
Luke the Jew referred to the Augustan Calendar when he identified the year of the rule of various rulers in the Roman Empire (Luke 3:1). However, when Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) desired to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost, he was referring to the date set on the Combined Calendar (Acts 20:16).
Also, when Josephus discusses various events that occurred on the Feasts of Truth at the Temple, he gives the dates on the Macedonian Calendar of those events, not the Combined Calendar.
He and other authors used the Macedonian Calendar to date events that occurred on the Feasts of Truth, and those could be translated to the Augustan Calendar with certainty. This made it possible to reverse engineer the rules used for calculating dates on the Combined Calendar and verify that those rules produced the correct dates.
The Combined Calendar even continued to be used to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.
Most of the people with the training to calculate the times on the Combined Calendar had either died or been carried away captive in the Great Revolt. The records containing the rules for creating the Combined Calendar had been stored in the Temple, so they were also destroyed.
So, the Sanhedrin reverted to using the Sadducee Calendar that relied solely on observation. Since there were no more pilgrims coming to the Temple in Jerusalem every year, a new method to communicate the start of months and years on the Biblical Calendar was developed.
Signal fires would be set from a central location in Israel to announce the beginning of each month, with a double signal fire that announced the beginning of the year. Jews far and wide would be watching for these signal fires on the night after the 29th day of each month. When they saw the signal fires, then they would light their own signal fires. This process would repeat over and over, from one location to another. So by morning, Jews from Rome to Babylon knew that the new month or new year had began.
The dates of these events recorded on the Augustan Calendar had the exact same months and days as the Gregorian Calendar. These dates on the Augustan Calendar did not require any adjustment until after the fall of the Herodians was finished in 95 AD.
Then the province of Judaea was destroyed, and most of the Jewish people were scattered across the Roman Empire and beyond in 135 AD, as a result of the Bar Kochba Revolt.
After this, the Samaritans started setting false signal fires to get back at the Jews for years of mistreatment. Needless to say, this caused much confusion.
Around the same time, teachers from Babylonia moved back to the land of Israel, and brought with them the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. They knew how to perform the calculations to keep it going year after year. So, they worked to have it slowly replace the Sadducee Calendar, or even possibly revive the Combined Calendar.
By 200 AD, the system of signal fires had became unworkable. The Sanhedrin was now called the Beit HaMidrash (House of Learning) and lacked any ability to enforce its rulings, making it a school. Greek language and the Macedonian Calendar were fading from use in most of the area of the former Greek Empire. The free movement of trade from the Rome Empire to China via the Silk Road had started being destroyed by warring empires.
Inside the Roman Empire, communication was still possible via trade. The the Feasts of Truth were expressed as dates on the Augustan Calendar to Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. This would allow these Jews inside the Roman Empire to occasionally adjust their own local observation based Biblical Calendars to try to match that used in Israel.
However, it was a different story for Jews who lived outside of the Roman Empire.
There simply was no way for Jewish communities scattered all over the world to communicate with each other. People outside of the Roman Empire were having to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar as best as they could. Those east of the Roman Empire, especially in Babylonia, had returned to using the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar.
The Rabbinic Calendar
Due to the conditions in the land of Israel, some of the teachers in the land of Israel began moving to Babylonia, and starting rival schools there. In fact, since the time of the Great Revolt, around ten times as many Jews lived in Babylonia than lived in the land of Israel. Soon, Babylonia became the center of Jewish learning, and was eclipsing the schools in land of Israel. These schools used the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar to designate the dates of the Biblical Calendar.
So, more and more of the Jews in the land of Israel were using the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar, even though there was no central authority in Jerusalem to make further adjustments, rather than the Sadducee Calendar. This would allow the Jews scattered across the Roman Empire, and much of the the rest of the area of the former Greek empire to the east, to celebrate the Feasts of Truth on the same day.
However, the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar no longer agreed with facts on the ground, because it was not longer being adjusted to correct its flaw every 238 year. So, the Talmud (Rosh haShana 25a) records that the head of the renamed Sanhedrin declared that the hundreds of witness, who saw to the crescent of the new moon on the 29th day of the month to be false witnesses, because the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar said that this could not happen until the first day of the next month.
Afterwards, it became apparent that the time of renamed Sanhedrin was coming to an end. So, the Sadducee Calendar, and all efforts to revive the Combined Calendar, were officially abandoned by the Sanhedrin in 358 AD.
Instead, the renamed Sanhedrin decided to create a Rabbinic Calendar that followed a fix set of rules. This would allow Jews all over the world to observe the Biblical Holidays on the same day.
So, in 359 AD, the head of the renamed Sanhedrin created a new Rabbinic Calendar based on the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. It had the same months, and followed the same 19 year cycle for adding leap months, as the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar, with some important changes.
These changes ensured that none of certain holidays on the Rabbinic Calendar interfered with the observation of the Sabbath. This was done by creating rules for adjusting the length of a year forwards or backwards by one day. The length of the year was adjusted by either adding a day to the eighth month or subtracting a day from the ninth month.
The sum of these changes add three days to the nineteen year cycle of the Rabbinic Calendar. This makes the Rabbinic Calendar to be off by an entire day every 217 years.
By 390 AD, the much larger Jewish community in Babylonia agreed to use the Rabbinic Calendar, instead of the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. However, there was still resistance in the land of Israel, where many people wanted to continue using the Sadducee Calendar, or revive the Combined Calendar.
There were no more adjustments possible after 425 AD, when the renamed Sanhedrin ceased to convene. This was due to the persecution of the Byzantine Empire, which had closed down the schools in the land of Israel, and forced the Rabbis to be scattered throughout the Byzantine Empire and beyond.
These scattered Rabbis brought the Rabbinic Calendar with them. It eventually replaced the patchwork of local observational calendars used by Jews scattered all over the world.
Across the area of the former Roman Empire, the dates of the Rabbinic Calendar were expressed in terms of the Augustan Calendar. The Augustan Calendar date was when the daytime portion of the Rabbinic Calendar date occurred. The Rabbinic Calendar date started at sunset of the previous day on the Augustan Calendar.
The Gregorian Calendar
However, the Augustan Calendar was also in need of adjustment. It was ahead by three days every four hundred years. For this reason, when Sol Invictus, the holiday when Romans worshiped the Sun on the Winter Solstice, was renamed Christmas in 366 AD, it fell on December 25th.
By 1545 AD, the Augustan Calendar was ahead by 10 whole days! All of the solstices or equinoxes were falling in the month after their original month.
So, Pope Paul III was granted authority to reform the calendar, so that the Spring equinox fall on the same date as it did in 325 AD, when the first Council of Nicea had met. Of primary importance was the calculation of the date of Easter. Also, he desired to keep the reformed calendar as close to the Augustan Calendar as possible.
However, it proved difficult to find a reform that would be simple to implement and understand.
In 1561 AD, Lilius and Clavis proposed to Pope Gregory that the structure of the Augustan Calendar be retained with an adjustment to determining leap years as a civil calendar. Years which were multiples of 100, would be regular years, unless they were also multiples of 400. So, there would be only 97 leap years every 400 years, instead of 100 leap years.
They also proposed a new religious Calendar for determining the date of Easter, to replace the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar, which was off by 8 days since its original adoption for calculating Easter. It be would corrected by one day every 300 or 400 years, for a total of 8 days over a period of 2500 years. It would also follow the new proposed rules for leap years.
Pope Gregory approved the changes and had ten days deleted from the first Gregorian Calendar in 1562 AD. October 4, 1562 AD was followed by October 15, 1562 AD. It was immediately adopted by several countries with Catholic kings and their colonies.
However, it was resisted by the rest of the world. The Gregorian Calendar did not replace the Augustan Calendar until 1752 AD in the British Empire, including the colonies that became the United States. By that time, they had to make an 11 day adjustment, jumping from September 2, 1752 AD to September 14, 1752 AD.
It was not adopted by every country in Europe until 1923 AD. The last country to adopt the Gregorian Calendar was Saudi Arabia in 2016 AD.
Today, the Gregorian Calendar is the universal civil calendar. It is only off by one day every 3,236 years.
The Best System Today
Now that we have looked at the various systems that have been used to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar, which one is the best one to use today?
The Original System was based on revelation. That system is not currently available since there is no Urim and Thummim or High Priest today.
The choices come down to systems based on calculation, observation, or both.
It has been shown, that systems for determining the dates of the Biblical Calendar by either calculation or observation, have their roots in worship of the Sun, the Moon, and the stars. So neither one is better than the other in that regard.
Also, the Rabbinic Calendar and the Sadducee Calendar will actually agree on the date of Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles the majority of the time. The question comes down to those cases where they disagree.
The Rabbinic Calendar based on calculation is espoused by the Rabbis, who came from the Pharisees. They claim that it is always correct.
However, this system does not always agree with the facts on the ground in Israel. In fact, the first day of the month on the Rabbinic Calendar often conflicts with the New Moon, sometimes occurring before the Dark Moon. So, it is plainly not always correct.
Also, no one has the authority to add or take away a day to change the start of a month (Deuteronomy 4:2).
So, the calculation system of the Rabbinic Calendar does not always produce the correct results.
The Sadducee Calendar based on observation is espoused by the Karaites, who came from the Sadducees. They claim that it is always correct.
However, this system is subject to error due to weather conditions.
For example, in 2017 AD, cloudy weather started on the night of the Dark Moon, and lasted for about a week across Israel. This kept the New Moon from being spotted on the evening after either the 29th day, or 30th day, of the sixth month. So, the Karaites just blew the shofars after the 30th day ended to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, since they knew that the first day of the seventh month had to have started. At this point, they were going by calculation, instead of observation.
Also, using only the date of the earliest barley in the sixth state of ripening to determine the first month can lead to the Feast of Tabernacles occurring before the last of the grape harvest. There is no way observe the date of the last of the next grape harvest at the end of the twelfth month.
Also, there is the problem of where this observation is to occur, for those outside the land of Israel.
Are people to use local observation like they do for the Sabbath? If so, then what about places where barley does not grow, or the seasons are reversed due to being south of the equator?
Also, do people use observation of the New Moon based on local time as well? If so, what about those above the Arctic Circle, where the moon is not seen all summer?
If people are to use observation based on Jerusalem, then how does that get communicated to people living far away in primitive conditions or remote locations?
The truth is that there is no commandment in the Law of Truth that says that the New Moon, or the state of the barley, or the end of the grape harvest, has to be observed.
In fact, the New Moon technically begins a moment after the Dark Moon. It just cannot be seen until almost a day has passed. For this reason, some people use the Biblical day when the Dark Moon occurs as the first day of the new month.
The month starts at the New Moon in Israel, whether anyone sees it or not. The year starts in the month of the barley harvest in Israel, whether anyone sees it or not. The seventh month occurs in the month of the end of the grape harvest in Israel, whether anyone sees it or not.
So, the observation system of the Sadducee Calendar does not always produce the correct results. It plainly does not work for people scattered all over the world.
Both of these systems are trying to solve a problem that did not exist when the Biblical Calendar was first given. The people of Israel were all living in close proximity to each other close to the land of Israel, where the High Priest could easily communicate the beginning of each month and year.
The best solution today is to return to using the Combined Calendar. Modern technology makes this practical.
Drip irrigation makes the times of the barley and grape harvests stable. Records of the beginning of the barley harvest and end of the grape harvest for almost one hundred years in the land of Israel are available over the internet. Also, letters from people who lived in the land of Israel and wrote about the timing of these events can be found.
(The barley harvest in Israel using modern farming equipment can start as early as April 15. It requires the barley to be down to 13% moisture content. Manual harvesting can be done as much as two weeks earlier. It only requires the barley to be down to 20% moisture content. The earliest barley harvest using manual methods I found from researching modern records was March 27. If the first of the barley is harvested on March 27, then the first of the wheat would be harvested on May 16. This is the earliest that the wheat can be harvested using manual methods in Israel today. The grape harvest is not over in Israel until the last of September. The grape harvest in 2017 ended by September 20 due to ideal conditions.)
The complex calculations to determine the exact time of each Dark Moon (called the New Moon on their charts), sunset, nightfall, and equinox at Jerusalem has already been performed by NASA. It is just a matter of looking up this information on the internet and applying the rules of the Combined Calendar.
Also, the existence of the Impossible Country makes it possible to verify the results and make corrections to fine tune the rules of the Combined Calendar. The New Moon is visible in every season in Jerusalem. The barley harvest and the end of the grape harvest in Israel occur at the time intended by the Biblical Calendar.
It is certain that the Combined Calendar was accurate during the time of the Man of Truth. After all, the Messiah of Israel had to fulfill the first three acts of the Greatest Play Ever on the exact days they occurred. He commanded his disciples to fulfill the Feast of Pentecost, which also had to be on the exact day as well. The dates of those Feasts of Truth were determined by the Combined Calendar.
The date on the Gregorian Calendar for each event can be determined for Jerusalem. Everywhere else then can observe these events on the same date on the Gregorian Calendar. Calendars that show the Biblical Calendar in the context of the Gregorian Calendar can easily be made in three year sets. These three year sets can be distributed to those living in primitive conditions or in remote locations.
The Simplified Calendar
The rules for the Combined Calendar can be intimidating for some people. I explained them to my pastor one Sabbath. The next Sabbath he told me about a simpler system that he came up with and asked me what I thought. I checked the results of using his simpler system, and found that it usually produced the same results as the Combined Calendar.
Sometimes I call this simpler system the Jim system in his memory. After all, he was a Jim among men.
Later, I realized the rules could be simplified even more, and still almost always give the same results as the Combined Calendar. So, I call the calendar calculated by these simpler rules, "The Simplified Calendar".
Here the rules for the Simplified Calendar.
Point of determination:
1) Use Jerusalem as the point of determination.
a) The Jerusalem date is defined by the Gregorian Calendar date of an event in Jerusalem.
1) The Jerusalem date is the Gregorian Calendar date of the daylight part of the event.
2) The Biblical day begins on the sunset of the day prior to the Jerusalem date.
b) The Jerusalem date is the Gregorian Calendar date that is used everywhere for the event.
1) This keeps everyone in sync around the globe.
c) It is certain that Jerusalem will be the determining point when Messiah reigns.
Rules for determining the first day of each month:
1) If the Dark Moon (New Moon on most charts) occurs at least 20 hours before sunset in Jerusalem,
then the sunset in Jerusalem after the Dark Moon begins of the first day of the month.
2) Otherwise, the second sunset in Jerusalem after the Dark Moon begins of the first day of the
month.
3) Examples using sunset at 5:45 pm March 14 in Jerusalem:
a) Example 1: If the Dark Moon occurs at 9 pm on March 13, then the first day begins at
sunset on March 14, and the first day of the month is March 15.
b) Example 2: If the Dark Moon occurs at 10 pm on March 13, then the first day begins at
sunset on March 15, and the first day of the month is March 16.
c) Example 3: If the Dark Moon occurs at 5 am on March 14, then the first day begins at
sunset on March 15, and the first day of the month is March 16.
d) Example 4: If the Dark Moon occurs at 5 pm on March 14, then the first day begins at
sunset on March 15, and the first day of the month is March 16.
Rules for determining the months of each year
1) Determine the first Biblical day of Spring and Fall in Jerusalem.
a) The first Biblical day of Spring is the Biblical day when the Spring Equinox occurs in
Jerusalem.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall is the Biblical day when the Fall Equinox occurs in Jerusalem.
2) Determine the Dark Moon for the seventh month in Jerusalem.
a) Find the first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first Biblical day of
Fall.
b) If that Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall:
1) Find the time of sunset for the next day.
2) Compare the time of the Dark Moon to the time of sunset for the next day.
3) If the time of the Dark Moon is not earlier than twenty hours before the time of sunset for
the next day, then that Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
4) Otherwise, the next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
c) Otherwise, that Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) Determine the first day of the seventh month in Jerusalem.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
b) The seventh month starts on this day.
4) Verify that the first day of the seventh month is correct.
a) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
c) If the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first Biblical
day of Fall, then the first day of the seventh month is correct.
c) Otherwise, go back to determining the Dark Moon of the seventh month starting one day later.
5) Determine the Dark Moon for the first month in Jerusalem.
a) Count six Dark Moons backwards from the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
1) This is the Dark Moon for the first month.
6) Determine the first day of the first month in Jerusalem.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the Dark Moon for the first month.
b) The first month starts on this day.
7) Verify that the first day of the first month is correct.
a) If the first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring, then the first day of the first month is correct.
b) Otherwise, do the following:
1) Determine the day of Firstfruits in Jerusalem.
a) Passover occurs on the fourteenth day of the first month.
b) The day of Firstfruits is the first Sunday after Passover.
2) If the day of Firstfruits is at least six days after the first day of Spring in Jerusalem:
a) Then the first day of the first month is correct.
3) Otherwise, the first month will be adjusted forward by one Biblical month.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the next Dark Moon in Jerusalem.
b) The first month starts on this day.
c) The seventh month will also be adjusted forward by one Biblical month.
8) Determine the first day of the rest of the months in Jerusalem.
a) For each month:
1) Count the Dark Moons forward from the Dark Moon for the first month.
2) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for that Dark Moon.
Examples of all three possible extreme cases that determine the months of the years:
(2nd possible date for Spring and 1st possible date for Fall can never happen.)
1) Examples using 6:30 am March 20 in Jerusalem as the Spring Equinox and 5:21 pm September 22
in Jerusalem as the Fall Equinox:
a) The first Biblical day of Spring in Jerusalem is March 20.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall in Jerusalem is September 22.
c) Example 1: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 10:45 pm on September 2 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:59 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) The next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon (October 2 at 3:11 am) for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is October 2.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on October 17.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is April 8 at 2:23 pm.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on April 10.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
d) Example 2: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 11:15 pm on September 2 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:59 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs not more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is September 5.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 19.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 10 at 3:54 am.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 12.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
e) Example 3: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 12:15 am on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs later than twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) The first day of the Biblical month is September 5.
4) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 19.
5) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
6) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 10 at 4:54 am.
7) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 12.
8) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
2) Examples using 2:33 pm March 20 in Jerusalem as the Spring Equinox and 1:23 am September 23
in Jerusalem as the Fall Equinox:
a) The first Biblical day of Spring in Jerusalem is March 20.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall in Jerusalem is September 23.
c) Example 1: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 10:45 pm on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:59 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) The next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon (October 3 at 2:27 pm) for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is October 3.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on October 18.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is April 9 at 11 pm.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on April 12.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
d) Example 2: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 11:15 pm on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:58 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs not more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is September 6.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 20.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 11 at 11 am.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 13.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
e) Example 3: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 12:15 am on September 4 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs later than twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) The first day of the Biblical month is September 6.
4) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 20.
5) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
6) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 11 at 12 pm.
7) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 13.
8) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
3) Examples using 2:59 am March 21 in Jerusalem as the Spring Equinox and 1:46 pm September 23
in Jerusalem as the Fall Equinox:
a) The first Biblical day of Spring in Jerusalem is March 21.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall in Jerusalem is September 23.
c) Example 1: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 10:45 pm on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:59 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) The next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon (October 3 at 2:27 pm) for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is October 3.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on October 18.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is April 9 at 11 pm.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on April 12.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
d) Example 2: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 11:15 pm on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:58 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs not more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is September 6.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 20.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 11 at 11 am.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 13.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
e) Example 3: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 12:15 am on September 4 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs later than twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) The first day of the Biblical month is September 6.
4) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 20.
5) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
6) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 11 at 12 pm.
7) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 13.
8) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
The reduced rules for determining the months of each year:
Since the both the first day of the first month and the seventh month have been shown to always be correct, the rules for verifying those days are not needed. So the rules for determining Simplified Calendar can be reduced to these:
1) Determine the first Biblical day of Spring and Fall in Jerusalem.
a) The first Biblical day of Spring is the Biblical day when the Spring Equinox occurs in
Jerusalem.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall is the Biblical day when the Fall Equinox occurs in Jerusalem.
2) Determine the Dark Moon for the seventh month in Jerusalem.
a) Find the first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first Biblical day of
Fall.
b) If that Dark Moon occurs twenty days before before the first Biblical day of Fall:
1) Find the time of sunset for the next day.
2) Compare the time of the Dark Moon to the time of sunset for the next day.
3) If the time of the Dark Moon is not earlier than twenty hours before the time of sunset for
the next day, then that Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
4) Otherwise, the next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
c) Otherwise, that Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) Determine the first day of the seventh month in Jerusalem.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
b) The seventh month starts on this day.
4) Determine the Dark Moon for the first month in Jerusalem.
a) Count six Dark Moons backwards from the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
1) This is the Dark Moon for the first month.
5) Determine the first day of the first month in Jerusalem.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the Dark Moon for the first month.
b) The first month starts on this day.
6) Determine the first day of the rest of the months in Jerusalem.
a) For each month:
1) Count the Dark Moons forward from the Dark Moon for the first month.
2) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for that Dark Moon.
The Simplified Calendar is easy to implement and the results are extremely close to the Combined Calendar. It is what our congregation uses, but any congregation can adapt it.
The Biblical Holidays
The Simplified Calendar can be used to determine the Gregorian Calendar dates of these Biblical holidays:
Purim - Days 14-15 of Month 12
New Year Day - Day 1 of Month 1
Passover (Preparation) - Day 14 of Month 1
First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread* - Day 15 of Month 1
First Fruits** - First Sunday After Passover
Seventh Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread* - Day 21 of Month 1
Make Up *** Passover (Preparation) - Day 14 of Month 2
Make Up ***First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread* - Day 15 of Month 2
Make Up ***First Fruits** - First Sunday After make up Passover
Make Up ***Seventh Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread* - Day 21 of Month 2
Shavuot*- Seventh Sunday after First Fruits
Feast of Trumpets* - Day 1 of Month 7
Day of Atonement *- Day 10 of Month 7
First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles* - Day 15 of Month 7
Eighth Day of the Feast of Tabernacles* - Day 22 of Month 7
First Day of Chanukah - Day 25 of Month 9
Eighth Day of Chanukah - 1 week after the First Day of Chanukah
* High Sabbath - No regular work and congregation required
** High Sabbath - No regular work but no congregation required
*** Only observed if regular Holiday could not be observed due to circumstances such as illness
The Messianic System
Even though the Combined Calendar accurately reflected the Biblical Calendar during the time of the Man of Truth and the Apostles of Truth, it was still not as reliable as the Original System. A system of direct revelation from the Father of Truth is the only system that can end all disagreements.
Even though the Urim and Thummim were lost during the Babylonian Exile, there is something better coming. Another system of direct revelation from the Father of Truth is coming!
The Man of Truth will reign over all the Earth (Jeremiah 23:5)! He will reveal all things (John 4:25)!
He will teach people of every ethnic group how to walk in the ways of the Father of Truth (Isaiah 2:3)! He will be able to create a new Biblical Calendar for the year by revelation (Micah 4:2)!
Every year, when people of every ethnic group come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, they will be able to pick up a new Biblical Calendar to tell them when to show up the next year (Zechariah 14:16)! No one will have an excuse for not coming to the biggest party on Earth each year (Zechariah 14:17-19)!
The Messianic System is going to end all disagreements about the Biblical Calendar.
Until then, the Children of Truth will have to use the best system available to them today.
There is no reason for the Children of Truth to be divided over the Biblical Calendar. Perhaps, a future Sanhedrin will revive the Combined Calendar again. Until then, people can get very close by using the Simplified Calendar and time and date data calculated by NASA for Jerusalem.
The important thing is that the Children of Truth are doing their best to observe the Feasts of Truth. They are doing their best to heed the warning of the Mensch who killed Christmas. They are saying, "Happy Firstfruits!", instead of "Happy Easter!"!
The Biblical Calendar is for all of the Children of Truth. It is not just a Jewish thing!
However, there is something much more important to the Father of Truth than getting the dates of the Biblical Calendar right. That is taking care of His Forever Family!
The entire Law of Truth does not hang on getting the Biblical Calendar right!
The entire Law of Truth hangs on loving the Father of Truth and loving people (Matthew 22:37-40). It does not matter if someone gets the Biblical Calendar right, if they do not love people (1 Corinthians 13:2). No one can love the Father of Truth without also loving people (1 John 4:20).
You do not wait for the Man of Truth to reign over the Earth before you can start getting revelation! You can have the Messianic System working in your own life today! It will transform your entire life step by step!
The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) will lead you into all truth, if you will come into the House of Truth (John 16:13). You can make the Man of Truth king over all of your life, because you believe that his Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).
Come into the House of Truth!
The first day of Spring was the biblical day that the Spring Equinox fell on. The first day of Fall was the biblical day when the Fall Equinox fell.
After the twelfth month, the next month was the potential first month of the year.
Next, the date of the Feast of Firstfruits for the potential first month was calculated. If date of the Feast of Firstfruits of the potential first month was at least six days after the first day of Spring, then the potential first month was the first month of the new year. Otherwise, the month following the twelfth month was a leap month.
Then the first day of the potential seventh month was calculated for verification. If the fifteenth day of the potential seventh month was no earlier three days before the first day of Fall, then then the potential first month was the first month of the year. Otherwise, the month following the twelfth month was a leap month.
There can never be a case where the month of the barley harvest and the month of the end of the grape harvest are not six Biblical months apart. If one of them calculates to be a close call, then the other one will provide clarification.
This next Combined Calendar set of three years was calculated in the first year of the current set. This allowed pilgrims, who came to the Temple from all over the world, to take the news back with them of when the Feasts of Truth would be celebrated in the following three to five years.
This Combined Calendar continued to be used even after the rise of the Herodians and the last Hasmonean High Priest died in 32 BC.
The Augustan Calendar
After Caesar Augustus became the Roman Emperor in 29 BC, the Roman Senate honored him by changing the name of the eighth month on the Julian Calendar to August.
However, Augustus did not like that his month, August, had only 30 days, while the month to honor Julius Caesar, July, had 31 days. So, he had February shortened by one day to 28 days in a regular year, and 29 days in a leap year. He then had August lengthened by one day to 31 days. He then had the months after August changed to resume the 30 day / 31 day pattern.
Everything else remained the same as the Julian Calendar, so the Augustan Calendar is often mistakenly referred to as the Julian Calendar.
So, during the reign of the Herodians, there were three calendars that had to be considered for determining the dates of events in the land of Israel.
First, the Augustan Calendar was used throughout the Roman Empire. Second, the Macedonian Calendar was still used throughout most of the territory previously covered by the Greek Empire. Third, the Combined Calendar continued to be used to determine the dates of the Feasts of Truth.
It is important when to understand which calendar is being referenced in historical documents about the land of Israel during this time.
For example, the Renewed Covenant expresses events in terms of the Augustan Calendar sometimes, as well as the Combined Calendar. It is important to know which is being used to understand a passage correctly.
When the wife of Pilate told him that she had been warned in a dream that day that he should have nothing to do with the death of the Man of Truth, she was referring to a day according to the Augustan Calendar (Matthew 27:17-19). However, the day of the preparation, that began with the evening, was a day according to the Combined Calendar (Mark 15:42-43).
The Man of Truth referred to the months of the Combined Calendar when he is talking about the time of the coming harvest in the land of Israel (John 4:35). However, Luke the Jew (Lucius aka The Apostle Luke) referred to the months of the Augustan Calendar that define Winter for the Romans, when he recorded the journey to Rome (Acts 28:11).
Luke the Jew referred to the Augustan Calendar when he identified the year of the rule of various rulers in the Roman Empire (Luke 3:1). However, when Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) desired to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost, he was referring to the date set on the Combined Calendar (Acts 20:16).
Also, when Josephus discusses various events that occurred on the Feasts of Truth at the Temple, he gives the dates on the Macedonian Calendar of those events, not the Combined Calendar.
He and other authors used the Macedonian Calendar to date events that occurred on the Feasts of Truth, and those could be translated to the Augustan Calendar with certainty. This made it possible to reverse engineer the rules used for calculating dates on the Combined Calendar and verify that those rules produced the correct dates.
The Combined Calendar even continued to be used to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.
Most of the people with the training to calculate the times on the Combined Calendar had either died or been carried away captive in the Great Revolt. The records containing the rules for creating the Combined Calendar had been stored in the Temple, so they were also destroyed.
So, the Sanhedrin reverted to using the Sadducee Calendar that relied solely on observation. Since there were no more pilgrims coming to the Temple in Jerusalem every year, a new method to communicate the start of months and years on the Biblical Calendar was developed.
Signal fires would be set from a central location in Israel to announce the beginning of each month, with a double signal fire that announced the beginning of the year. Jews far and wide would be watching for these signal fires on the night after the 29th day of each month. When they saw the signal fires, then they would light their own signal fires. This process would repeat over and over, from one location to another. So by morning, Jews from Rome to Babylon knew that the new month or new year had began.
The dates of these events recorded on the Augustan Calendar had the exact same months and days as the Gregorian Calendar. These dates on the Augustan Calendar did not require any adjustment until after the fall of the Herodians was finished in 95 AD.
Then the province of Judaea was destroyed, and most of the Jewish people were scattered across the Roman Empire and beyond in 135 AD, as a result of the Bar Kochba Revolt.
After this, the Samaritans started setting false signal fires to get back at the Jews for years of mistreatment. Needless to say, this caused much confusion.
Around the same time, teachers from Babylonia moved back to the land of Israel, and brought with them the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. They knew how to perform the calculations to keep it going year after year. So, they worked to have it slowly replace the Sadducee Calendar, or even possibly revive the Combined Calendar.
By 200 AD, the system of signal fires had became unworkable. The Sanhedrin was now called the Beit HaMidrash (House of Learning) and lacked any ability to enforce its rulings, making it a school. Greek language and the Macedonian Calendar were fading from use in most of the area of the former Greek Empire. The free movement of trade from the Rome Empire to China via the Silk Road had started being destroyed by warring empires.
Inside the Roman Empire, communication was still possible via trade. The the Feasts of Truth were expressed as dates on the Augustan Calendar to Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. This would allow these Jews inside the Roman Empire to occasionally adjust their own local observation based Biblical Calendars to try to match that used in Israel.
However, it was a different story for Jews who lived outside of the Roman Empire.
There simply was no way for Jewish communities scattered all over the world to communicate with each other. People outside of the Roman Empire were having to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar as best as they could. Those east of the Roman Empire, especially in Babylonia, had returned to using the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar.
The Rabbinic Calendar
Due to the conditions in the land of Israel, some of the teachers in the land of Israel began moving to Babylonia, and starting rival schools there. In fact, since the time of the Great Revolt, around ten times as many Jews lived in Babylonia than lived in the land of Israel. Soon, Babylonia became the center of Jewish learning, and was eclipsing the schools in land of Israel. These schools used the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar to designate the dates of the Biblical Calendar.
So, more and more of the Jews in the land of Israel were using the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar, even though there was no central authority in Jerusalem to make further adjustments, rather than the Sadducee Calendar. This would allow the Jews scattered across the Roman Empire, and much of the the rest of the area of the former Greek empire to the east, to celebrate the Feasts of Truth on the same day.
However, the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar no longer agreed with facts on the ground, because it was not longer being adjusted to correct its flaw every 238 year. So, the Talmud (Rosh haShana 25a) records that the head of the renamed Sanhedrin declared that the hundreds of witness, who saw to the crescent of the new moon on the 29th day of the month to be false witnesses, because the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar said that this could not happen until the first day of the next month.
Afterwards, it became apparent that the time of renamed Sanhedrin was coming to an end. So, the Sadducee Calendar, and all efforts to revive the Combined Calendar, were officially abandoned by the Sanhedrin in 358 AD.
Instead, the renamed Sanhedrin decided to create a Rabbinic Calendar that followed a fix set of rules. This would allow Jews all over the world to observe the Biblical Holidays on the same day.
So, in 359 AD, the head of the renamed Sanhedrin created a new Rabbinic Calendar based on the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. It had the same months, and followed the same 19 year cycle for adding leap months, as the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar, with some important changes.
These changes ensured that none of certain holidays on the Rabbinic Calendar interfered with the observation of the Sabbath. This was done by creating rules for adjusting the length of a year forwards or backwards by one day. The length of the year was adjusted by either adding a day to the eighth month or subtracting a day from the ninth month.
The sum of these changes add three days to the nineteen year cycle of the Rabbinic Calendar. This makes the Rabbinic Calendar to be off by an entire day every 217 years.
By 390 AD, the much larger Jewish community in Babylonia agreed to use the Rabbinic Calendar, instead of the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar. However, there was still resistance in the land of Israel, where many people wanted to continue using the Sadducee Calendar, or revive the Combined Calendar.
There were no more adjustments possible after 425 AD, when the renamed Sanhedrin ceased to convene. This was due to the persecution of the Byzantine Empire, which had closed down the schools in the land of Israel, and forced the Rabbis to be scattered throughout the Byzantine Empire and beyond.
These scattered Rabbis brought the Rabbinic Calendar with them. It eventually replaced the patchwork of local observational calendars used by Jews scattered all over the world.
Across the area of the former Roman Empire, the dates of the Rabbinic Calendar were expressed in terms of the Augustan Calendar. The Augustan Calendar date was when the daytime portion of the Rabbinic Calendar date occurred. The Rabbinic Calendar date started at sunset of the previous day on the Augustan Calendar.
The Gregorian Calendar
However, the Augustan Calendar was also in need of adjustment. It was ahead by three days every four hundred years. For this reason, when Sol Invictus, the holiday when Romans worshiped the Sun on the Winter Solstice, was renamed Christmas in 366 AD, it fell on December 25th.
By 1545 AD, the Augustan Calendar was ahead by 10 whole days! All of the solstices or equinoxes were falling in the month after their original month.
So, Pope Paul III was granted authority to reform the calendar, so that the Spring equinox fall on the same date as it did in 325 AD, when the first Council of Nicea had met. Of primary importance was the calculation of the date of Easter. Also, he desired to keep the reformed calendar as close to the Augustan Calendar as possible.
However, it proved difficult to find a reform that would be simple to implement and understand.
In 1561 AD, Lilius and Clavis proposed to Pope Gregory that the structure of the Augustan Calendar be retained with an adjustment to determining leap years as a civil calendar. Years which were multiples of 100, would be regular years, unless they were also multiples of 400. So, there would be only 97 leap years every 400 years, instead of 100 leap years.
They also proposed a new religious Calendar for determining the date of Easter, to replace the Adjusted Babylonian Calendar, which was off by 8 days since its original adoption for calculating Easter. It be would corrected by one day every 300 or 400 years, for a total of 8 days over a period of 2500 years. It would also follow the new proposed rules for leap years.
Pope Gregory approved the changes and had ten days deleted from the first Gregorian Calendar in 1562 AD. October 4, 1562 AD was followed by October 15, 1562 AD. It was immediately adopted by several countries with Catholic kings and their colonies.
However, it was resisted by the rest of the world. The Gregorian Calendar did not replace the Augustan Calendar until 1752 AD in the British Empire, including the colonies that became the United States. By that time, they had to make an 11 day adjustment, jumping from September 2, 1752 AD to September 14, 1752 AD.
It was not adopted by every country in Europe until 1923 AD. The last country to adopt the Gregorian Calendar was Saudi Arabia in 2016 AD.
Today, the Gregorian Calendar is the universal civil calendar. It is only off by one day every 3,236 years.
The Best System Today
Now that we have looked at the various systems that have been used to determine the dates of the Biblical Calendar, which one is the best one to use today?
The Original System was based on revelation. That system is not currently available since there is no Urim and Thummim or High Priest today.
The choices come down to systems based on calculation, observation, or both.
It has been shown, that systems for determining the dates of the Biblical Calendar by either calculation or observation, have their roots in worship of the Sun, the Moon, and the stars. So neither one is better than the other in that regard.
Also, the Rabbinic Calendar and the Sadducee Calendar will actually agree on the date of Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles the majority of the time. The question comes down to those cases where they disagree.
The Rabbinic Calendar based on calculation is espoused by the Rabbis, who came from the Pharisees. They claim that it is always correct.
However, this system does not always agree with the facts on the ground in Israel. In fact, the first day of the month on the Rabbinic Calendar often conflicts with the New Moon, sometimes occurring before the Dark Moon. So, it is plainly not always correct.
Also, no one has the authority to add or take away a day to change the start of a month (Deuteronomy 4:2).
So, the calculation system of the Rabbinic Calendar does not always produce the correct results.
The Sadducee Calendar based on observation is espoused by the Karaites, who came from the Sadducees. They claim that it is always correct.
However, this system is subject to error due to weather conditions.
For example, in 2017 AD, cloudy weather started on the night of the Dark Moon, and lasted for about a week across Israel. This kept the New Moon from being spotted on the evening after either the 29th day, or 30th day, of the sixth month. So, the Karaites just blew the shofars after the 30th day ended to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, since they knew that the first day of the seventh month had to have started. At this point, they were going by calculation, instead of observation.
Also, using only the date of the earliest barley in the sixth state of ripening to determine the first month can lead to the Feast of Tabernacles occurring before the last of the grape harvest. There is no way observe the date of the last of the next grape harvest at the end of the twelfth month.
Also, there is the problem of where this observation is to occur, for those outside the land of Israel.
Are people to use local observation like they do for the Sabbath? If so, then what about places where barley does not grow, or the seasons are reversed due to being south of the equator?
Also, do people use observation of the New Moon based on local time as well? If so, what about those above the Arctic Circle, where the moon is not seen all summer?
If people are to use observation based on Jerusalem, then how does that get communicated to people living far away in primitive conditions or remote locations?
The truth is that there is no commandment in the Law of Truth that says that the New Moon, or the state of the barley, or the end of the grape harvest, has to be observed.
In fact, the New Moon technically begins a moment after the Dark Moon. It just cannot be seen until almost a day has passed. For this reason, some people use the Biblical day when the Dark Moon occurs as the first day of the new month.
The month starts at the New Moon in Israel, whether anyone sees it or not. The year starts in the month of the barley harvest in Israel, whether anyone sees it or not. The seventh month occurs in the month of the end of the grape harvest in Israel, whether anyone sees it or not.
So, the observation system of the Sadducee Calendar does not always produce the correct results. It plainly does not work for people scattered all over the world.
Both of these systems are trying to solve a problem that did not exist when the Biblical Calendar was first given. The people of Israel were all living in close proximity to each other close to the land of Israel, where the High Priest could easily communicate the beginning of each month and year.
The best solution today is to return to using the Combined Calendar. Modern technology makes this practical.
Drip irrigation makes the times of the barley and grape harvests stable. Records of the beginning of the barley harvest and end of the grape harvest for almost one hundred years in the land of Israel are available over the internet. Also, letters from people who lived in the land of Israel and wrote about the timing of these events can be found.
(The barley harvest in Israel using modern farming equipment can start as early as April 15. It requires the barley to be down to 13% moisture content. Manual harvesting can be done as much as two weeks earlier. It only requires the barley to be down to 20% moisture content. The earliest barley harvest using manual methods I found from researching modern records was March 27. If the first of the barley is harvested on March 27, then the first of the wheat would be harvested on May 16. This is the earliest that the wheat can be harvested using manual methods in Israel today. The grape harvest is not over in Israel until the last of September. The grape harvest in 2017 ended by September 20 due to ideal conditions.)
The complex calculations to determine the exact time of each Dark Moon (called the New Moon on their charts), sunset, nightfall, and equinox at Jerusalem has already been performed by NASA. It is just a matter of looking up this information on the internet and applying the rules of the Combined Calendar.
Also, the existence of the Impossible Country makes it possible to verify the results and make corrections to fine tune the rules of the Combined Calendar. The New Moon is visible in every season in Jerusalem. The barley harvest and the end of the grape harvest in Israel occur at the time intended by the Biblical Calendar.
It is certain that the Combined Calendar was accurate during the time of the Man of Truth. After all, the Messiah of Israel had to fulfill the first three acts of the Greatest Play Ever on the exact days they occurred. He commanded his disciples to fulfill the Feast of Pentecost, which also had to be on the exact day as well. The dates of those Feasts of Truth were determined by the Combined Calendar.
The date on the Gregorian Calendar for each event can be determined for Jerusalem. Everywhere else then can observe these events on the same date on the Gregorian Calendar. Calendars that show the Biblical Calendar in the context of the Gregorian Calendar can easily be made in three year sets. These three year sets can be distributed to those living in primitive conditions or in remote locations.
The Simplified Calendar
The rules for the Combined Calendar can be intimidating for some people. I explained them to my pastor one Sabbath. The next Sabbath he told me about a simpler system that he came up with and asked me what I thought. I checked the results of using his simpler system, and found that it usually produced the same results as the Combined Calendar.
Sometimes I call this simpler system the Jim system in his memory. After all, he was a Jim among men.
Later, I realized the rules could be simplified even more, and still almost always give the same results as the Combined Calendar. So, I call the calendar calculated by these simpler rules, "The Simplified Calendar".
Here the rules for the Simplified Calendar.
Point of determination:
1) Use Jerusalem as the point of determination.
a) The Jerusalem date is defined by the Gregorian Calendar date of an event in Jerusalem.
1) The Jerusalem date is the Gregorian Calendar date of the daylight part of the event.
2) The Biblical day begins on the sunset of the day prior to the Jerusalem date.
b) The Jerusalem date is the Gregorian Calendar date that is used everywhere for the event.
1) This keeps everyone in sync around the globe.
c) It is certain that Jerusalem will be the determining point when Messiah reigns.
Rules for determining the first day of each month:
1) If the Dark Moon (New Moon on most charts) occurs at least 20 hours before sunset in Jerusalem,
then the sunset in Jerusalem after the Dark Moon begins of the first day of the month.
2) Otherwise, the second sunset in Jerusalem after the Dark Moon begins of the first day of the
month.
3) Examples using sunset at 5:45 pm March 14 in Jerusalem:
a) Example 1: If the Dark Moon occurs at 9 pm on March 13, then the first day begins at
sunset on March 14, and the first day of the month is March 15.
b) Example 2: If the Dark Moon occurs at 10 pm on March 13, then the first day begins at
sunset on March 15, and the first day of the month is March 16.
c) Example 3: If the Dark Moon occurs at 5 am on March 14, then the first day begins at
sunset on March 15, and the first day of the month is March 16.
d) Example 4: If the Dark Moon occurs at 5 pm on March 14, then the first day begins at
sunset on March 15, and the first day of the month is March 16.
Rules for determining the months of each year
1) Determine the first Biblical day of Spring and Fall in Jerusalem.
a) The first Biblical day of Spring is the Biblical day when the Spring Equinox occurs in
Jerusalem.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall is the Biblical day when the Fall Equinox occurs in Jerusalem.
2) Determine the Dark Moon for the seventh month in Jerusalem.
a) Find the first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first Biblical day of
Fall.
b) If that Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall:
1) Find the time of sunset for the next day.
2) Compare the time of the Dark Moon to the time of sunset for the next day.
3) If the time of the Dark Moon is not earlier than twenty hours before the time of sunset for
the next day, then that Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
4) Otherwise, the next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
c) Otherwise, that Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) Determine the first day of the seventh month in Jerusalem.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
b) The seventh month starts on this day.
4) Verify that the first day of the seventh month is correct.
a) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
c) If the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first Biblical
day of Fall, then the first day of the seventh month is correct.
c) Otherwise, go back to determining the Dark Moon of the seventh month starting one day later.
5) Determine the Dark Moon for the first month in Jerusalem.
a) Count six Dark Moons backwards from the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
1) This is the Dark Moon for the first month.
6) Determine the first day of the first month in Jerusalem.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the Dark Moon for the first month.
b) The first month starts on this day.
7) Verify that the first day of the first month is correct.
a) If the first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring, then the first day of the first month is correct.
b) Otherwise, do the following:
1) Determine the day of Firstfruits in Jerusalem.
a) Passover occurs on the fourteenth day of the first month.
b) The day of Firstfruits is the first Sunday after Passover.
2) If the day of Firstfruits is at least six days after the first day of Spring in Jerusalem:
a) Then the first day of the first month is correct.
3) Otherwise, the first month will be adjusted forward by one Biblical month.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the next Dark Moon in Jerusalem.
b) The first month starts on this day.
c) The seventh month will also be adjusted forward by one Biblical month.
8) Determine the first day of the rest of the months in Jerusalem.
a) For each month:
1) Count the Dark Moons forward from the Dark Moon for the first month.
2) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for that Dark Moon.
Examples of all three possible extreme cases that determine the months of the years:
(2nd possible date for Spring and 1st possible date for Fall can never happen.)
1) Examples using 6:30 am March 20 in Jerusalem as the Spring Equinox and 5:21 pm September 22
in Jerusalem as the Fall Equinox:
a) The first Biblical day of Spring in Jerusalem is March 20.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall in Jerusalem is September 22.
c) Example 1: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 10:45 pm on September 2 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:59 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) The next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon (October 2 at 3:11 am) for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is October 2.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on October 17.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is April 8 at 2:23 pm.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on April 10.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
d) Example 2: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 11:15 pm on September 2 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:59 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs not more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is September 5.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 19.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 10 at 3:54 am.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 12.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
e) Example 3: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 12:15 am on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs later than twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) The first day of the Biblical month is September 5.
4) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 19.
5) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
6) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 10 at 4:54 am.
7) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 12.
8) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
2) Examples using 2:33 pm March 20 in Jerusalem as the Spring Equinox and 1:23 am September 23
in Jerusalem as the Fall Equinox:
a) The first Biblical day of Spring in Jerusalem is March 20.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall in Jerusalem is September 23.
c) Example 1: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 10:45 pm on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:59 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) The next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon (October 3 at 2:27 pm) for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is October 3.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on October 18.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is April 9 at 11 pm.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on April 12.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
d) Example 2: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 11:15 pm on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:58 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs not more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is September 6.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 20.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 11 at 11 am.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 13.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
e) Example 3: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 12:15 am on September 4 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs later than twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) The first day of the Biblical month is September 6.
4) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 20.
5) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
6) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 11 at 12 pm.
7) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 13.
8) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
3) Examples using 2:59 am March 21 in Jerusalem as the Spring Equinox and 1:46 pm September 23
in Jerusalem as the Fall Equinox:
a) The first Biblical day of Spring in Jerusalem is March 21.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall in Jerusalem is September 23.
c) Example 1: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 10:45 pm on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:59 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) The next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon (October 3 at 2:27 pm) for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is October 3.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on October 18.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is April 9 at 11 pm.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on April 12.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
d) Example 2: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 11:15 pm on September 3 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) The sunset of the next day is at 6:58 pm.
3) That Dark Moon occurs not more than twenty hours before the sunset of the next day.
4) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
5) The first day of the Biblical month is September 6.
6) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 20.
7) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
8) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 11 at 11 am.
9) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 13.
10) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
e) Example 3: The first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first
Biblical day of Fall occurs at 12:15 am on September 4 in Jerusalem.
1) That Dark Moon occurs later than twenty days before the first Biblical day of Fall.
2) That Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) The first day of the Biblical month is September 6.
4) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is on September 20.
5) The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is not earlier than three days before the first
Biblical day of Fall.
a) The first day of the seventh month is correct.
6) The Dark Moon of the first month is March 11 at 12 pm.
7) The first month is the Biblical month that begins on March 13.
8) The first day of the first month is not earlier than eight days before the first Biblical day of
Spring.
a) The first day of the first month is correct.
The reduced rules for determining the months of each year:
Since the both the first day of the first month and the seventh month have been shown to always be correct, the rules for verifying those days are not needed. So the rules for determining Simplified Calendar can be reduced to these:
1) Determine the first Biblical day of Spring and Fall in Jerusalem.
a) The first Biblical day of Spring is the Biblical day when the Spring Equinox occurs in
Jerusalem.
b) The first Biblical day of Fall is the Biblical day when the Fall Equinox occurs in Jerusalem.
2) Determine the Dark Moon for the seventh month in Jerusalem.
a) Find the first Dark Moon that occurs not more than twenty days before the first Biblical day of
Fall.
b) If that Dark Moon occurs twenty days before before the first Biblical day of Fall:
1) Find the time of sunset for the next day.
2) Compare the time of the Dark Moon to the time of sunset for the next day.
3) If the time of the Dark Moon is not earlier than twenty hours before the time of sunset for
the next day, then that Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
4) Otherwise, the next Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
c) Otherwise, that Dark Moon is the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
3) Determine the first day of the seventh month in Jerusalem.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
b) The seventh month starts on this day.
4) Determine the Dark Moon for the first month in Jerusalem.
a) Count six Dark Moons backwards from the Dark Moon for the seventh month.
1) This is the Dark Moon for the first month.
5) Determine the first day of the first month in Jerusalem.
a) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for the Dark Moon for the first month.
b) The first month starts on this day.
6) Determine the first day of the rest of the months in Jerusalem.
a) For each month:
1) Count the Dark Moons forward from the Dark Moon for the first month.
2) Determine the first day of the Biblical month for that Dark Moon.
The Simplified Calendar is easy to implement and the results are extremely close to the Combined Calendar. It is what our congregation uses, but any congregation can adapt it.
The Biblical Holidays
The Simplified Calendar can be used to determine the Gregorian Calendar dates of these Biblical holidays:
Purim - Days 14-15 of Month 12
New Year Day - Day 1 of Month 1
Passover (Preparation) - Day 14 of Month 1
First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread* - Day 15 of Month 1
First Fruits** - First Sunday After Passover
Seventh Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread* - Day 21 of Month 1
Make Up *** Passover (Preparation) - Day 14 of Month 2
Make Up ***First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread* - Day 15 of Month 2
Make Up ***First Fruits** - First Sunday After make up Passover
Make Up ***Seventh Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread* - Day 21 of Month 2
Shavuot*- Seventh Sunday after First Fruits
Feast of Trumpets* - Day 1 of Month 7
Day of Atonement *- Day 10 of Month 7
First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles* - Day 15 of Month 7
Eighth Day of the Feast of Tabernacles* - Day 22 of Month 7
First Day of Chanukah - Day 25 of Month 9
Eighth Day of Chanukah - 1 week after the First Day of Chanukah
* High Sabbath - No regular work and congregation required
** High Sabbath - No regular work but no congregation required
*** Only observed if regular Holiday could not be observed due to circumstances such as illness
The Messianic System
Even though the Combined Calendar accurately reflected the Biblical Calendar during the time of the Man of Truth and the Apostles of Truth, it was still not as reliable as the Original System. A system of direct revelation from the Father of Truth is the only system that can end all disagreements.
Even though the Urim and Thummim were lost during the Babylonian Exile, there is something better coming. Another system of direct revelation from the Father of Truth is coming!
The Man of Truth will reign over all the Earth (Jeremiah 23:5)! He will reveal all things (John 4:25)!
He will teach people of every ethnic group how to walk in the ways of the Father of Truth (Isaiah 2:3)! He will be able to create a new Biblical Calendar for the year by revelation (Micah 4:2)!
Every year, when people of every ethnic group come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, they will be able to pick up a new Biblical Calendar to tell them when to show up the next year (Zechariah 14:16)! No one will have an excuse for not coming to the biggest party on Earth each year (Zechariah 14:17-19)!
The Messianic System is going to end all disagreements about the Biblical Calendar.
Until then, the Children of Truth will have to use the best system available to them today.
There is no reason for the Children of Truth to be divided over the Biblical Calendar. Perhaps, a future Sanhedrin will revive the Combined Calendar again. Until then, people can get very close by using the Simplified Calendar and time and date data calculated by NASA for Jerusalem.
The important thing is that the Children of Truth are doing their best to observe the Feasts of Truth. They are doing their best to heed the warning of the Mensch who killed Christmas. They are saying, "Happy Firstfruits!", instead of "Happy Easter!"!
The Biblical Calendar is for all of the Children of Truth. It is not just a Jewish thing!
However, there is something much more important to the Father of Truth than getting the dates of the Biblical Calendar right. That is taking care of His Forever Family!
The entire Law of Truth does not hang on getting the Biblical Calendar right!
The entire Law of Truth hangs on loving the Father of Truth and loving people (Matthew 22:37-40). It does not matter if someone gets the Biblical Calendar right, if they do not love people (1 Corinthians 13:2). No one can love the Father of Truth without also loving people (1 John 4:20).
You do not wait for the Man of Truth to reign over the Earth before you can start getting revelation! You can have the Messianic System working in your own life today! It will transform your entire life step by step!
The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) will lead you into all truth, if you will come into the House of Truth (John 16:13). You can make the Man of Truth king over all of your life, because you believe that his Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).
Come into the House of Truth!
Labels: Barley, Biblical Calendar, Grapes, History, Math, Science
posted by The House Of Truth @ February 08, 2020
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