The Truth about GOD'S CALENDAR
by Jamie McNab
F
What is the truth about
"God's Holy Day calendar"? It
is very likely that many of you will have been challenged over the past few
years about the Holy Day calendar -- and if you haven’t been challenged so far,
you probably soon will be!!
The story usually goes along the
lines of, "The calendar that we have traditionally followed in the
The major "splits" in
the
The calendar can become a very big
subject, and a huge amount has been written about it. With references to molads, conjunctions,
dark moons, equinoxes, postponement rules, and so on, it can all become very
technical and difficult to follow.
In the space available in this
Newsletter, it will not be possible to cover all aspects of the calendar
debate. However, we will look in detail
at a couple of specific points which are often brought up. As we look at these points, we will hopefully
see why we have chosen to hold fast to the calendar traditionally observed by
the
The two points we will review in
these notes are: when in God's calendar do the months start, and when
does the year start?
One of the first objections to the
traditional Hebrew calendar that you are likely to hear is that the months
begin "at the wrong time".
In fact, quite a selection of possible times are "on
offer" for the beginning of the months!
Various calendar writers will propose, for example, the visible crescent
(sometimes based on
Let us look more closely at one of
the more "popular" of these ideas -- the visible crescent. Here we will be told that the months must
always begin with the "new moon", and that the new moon is to be
defined as the first faint visible crescent of the moon, as observed over
But what, in fact, does the Bible
say?
Firstly, it can be shown quite
easily that God did indeed give us the sun and moon for "signs, and for
seasons, and for days and years", see Gen
The Hebrew word for
"seasons" here is moed,
which means appointed time, and is
frequently used throughout the Old Testament to refer to the Feast Days.
Virtually all calendar writers
acknowledge that the moon determines the beginning of the months -- usually
referring to the relevant moon as the new
moon.
What, then, is the new moon? Can those who want us to follow a different
calendar prove from the Bible that the new moon is the first faint
visible crescent?
One writer says that he cannot
find any Scriptures supporting the method the Jews adopt, but "I did find one (Scripture) demanding
observation of the New Moon" -- by which he means a visible "new
moon".
Is there such a scripture?
This particular writer devotes a
whole chapter of his article to God's
Sacred New Moon. The chapter is over 4 pages long. Extensive quotes are made from a number of external sources (historians etc) to
support the point, but only one scripture is given to "prove"
a "visible" moon -- Deut 16:1 which merely states, "Observe
the month of Abib ...".
The terms "month" and
"new moon" are used interchangeably in the Old Testament. The writer opts to use the meaning "new
moon" in this verse, then continues, "Notice the command to observe it! ... The new moon must be observed..." We are told that the new moon must be
"observed" with the eye -- seen visibly -- as in "observe
the cat about to pounce on that bird".
Yet the writer continues, "The word observe is the Hebrew shamar
(Strong's 8104) meaning to hedge about; guard; protect; mark; look narrowly,
observe, preserve, regard".
The majority of these meanings do
not require us to observe physically with the eyes!
The Hebrew word "shamar"
is very common in the Bible. There is no real need to even look in the
dictionary for its meaning. The places
where God uses the term make it very clear.
According to Young's Analytical
concordance, the word is translated 284 times as "KEEP". It is translated a further 45 times as
"observe", and 19 times as "preserve" -- and then a handful
of times as the other words given in the definition above. Some of the over 300 usages are:
·
Ex
·
Deut 4:40, "Thou shalt
keep (shamar) therefore His statutes, and His commandments..." (not
just "look at" them).
·
Deut
·
Ex 31:13, "...Verily
my sabbaths ye shall keep (shamar)...”
When we are driving our cars we
"observe" the speed limit (hopefully!). That doesn't mean we just "look at"
the road signs as we whizz by -- it means we keep, adhere to, follow and obey
the instructions.
Deut 16:1 appears to be the main
(and probably only) Scripture used to justify a visible crescent new moon. Yet this verse in reality refers to our
keeping or celebrating the month of Abib, just as we keep, celebrate -- or
"observe" -- the Sabbath.
There is, in fact, no Biblical
support at all for a visible crescent moon.
That is why virtually all of these writers refer to dictionaries,
historical records, and calendar "experts" rather than provide us
with a collection of "proof scriptures".
The Hebrew calendar uses the molad in calculating the beginning of
the months (for those with a technical interest, the molad is that particular moment in each month when the moon comes directly
between the earth and the sun; this occurs, on average, every 29 days 12 hours,
44 minutes and a few seconds). The molad
is obtained by calculation, and has been worked out for decades to come.
You may wonder, "If the Bible
doesn't command that the month begin with the visible crescent, does it then
command that the month begin with the molad?" The answer, quite simply, is NO -- the Bible
itself does not give any instruction as to what, exactly, should constitute the
"new moon".
As we look further into the subject we will see that
the Bible itself does not contain sufficient information to set up a calendar
whose rules are beyond dispute. If it
did, we wouldn't see more than a dozen different "true Bible calendars"
circulating among the Churches of God!
We will see why an authoritative standard must
be established to ensure the safekeeping of God's Holy Days.
Some who argue for a visible
crescent have said that a calculated conjunction (e.g. a molad) was an
impossibility, because the ancients didn't have the astronomical skills to
calculate an "invisible" conjunction.
This "logic" is flawed.
A Jewish rabbi, Hillel II, is generally regarded as having made public the
molad calculations somewhere around 390 A.D.
A number of calendar writers demonstrate that these calculations go back
to at least 300 B.C. However, bearing in
mind that there was no new "technology" in use in those eras (no
telescopes, radar, dopplers, computers!) then, if it was possible to calculate
the molad in 300 B.C., it was also possible in 1,300 B.C or 3,300
B.C.
There is historical evidence that
the ancient Chinese calculated the conjunctions as far back as 1,850 B.C.
Indeed, a Plain Truth article in
July 1965 shows that Abraham was an outstanding scientist, astronomer and
mathematician (who taught astronomy and mathematics to the ancient Egyptians),
so we should not be surprised to find out that the ancients were a lot smarter
than some of today's writers think!
So ... we find no Biblical
proof of a "visible crescent moon". We see no reason logically to prefer a
visible crescent over a calculated conjunction -- both were accessible to the
ancients.
If the Bible itself is rather
quiet as to when the month begins, does it at least give us a clear starting
point for the year?
Well -- not according to the
calendar experts, who will give you a choice of: the date of equinox itself,
the new moon nearest the equinox, the
first new moon after the equinox, the
new moon when the "ears are green", and one writer gives the date when
the sun appears in the constellation of Aries.
Not much agreement here!!
One critic, commenting on the
Church of God calendar that we are following this year states, " This year you will recognise the first day
of the year in the Winter, but next year you will recognise it in the
Spring. This year you will keep the Feast of Trumpets in the summer, and
next year you will keep it in the Fall." The writer states that he finds no scriptures
for such, but that he does find a scripture "that demands that the Festivals be observed in their seasons".
Is this correct? Are we keeping the Holy Days in the wrong seasons?
Are we disobeying God's scriptural instructions?
Well ...we need to be a little
careful here not to read our own ideas into the scriptures.
In the context of the calendar it
is easy to interpret the term "seasons" as applying to Spring,
Summer, Fall, and so on. These are of course "seasons", in the
agricultural sense.
We do, however, also hear of the
"Yuletide season" -- or the "football season" -- or the
"mating season", and similar.
These are just recognised "periods of time" when certain
things come about or happen.
So what is the Biblical
usage of "seasons", when referring to the Holy Days?
As mentioned previously, Gen 1:14,
when talking of the sun and moon, states that they are "for signs and for seasons". Psa 104:19 says, "He appointed the moon
for seasons..."
The Hebrew term is mo'ed (Strong's
4150). According to Strong's the meaning
is "properly an appointment i.e.
a fixed time or season; specifically
a festival... by implication an assembly (as convened for a definite
purpose)..." It is translated as
"congregation" 149 times, as "time appointed" 9 times, as
"solemn feast" 9 times, as "set time" 6 times, "set
feast" 5 times, "feast" 6 times, "appointed season" 4
times.
There is no implication of a
direct connection to any agricultural "season" such as spring
or autumn.
People often quote Lev 23:4,
"These are the Feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall
proclaim in their seasons..."
However, the Hebrew here is mo'ed -- meaning "time appointed",
rather than "spring" or "autumn".
The NIV translates the verse as,
" These are the LORD'S appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to
proclaim at their appointed times".
The Good News Bible puts it,
"Proclaim the following festivals at the appointed times."
The RSV: "These are the
appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim
at the time appointed for them".
Perhaps a critic might use Num
9:2? In the KJV it reads, "Let the
children of
However, here again we have
mo'ed. The NIV gives "Make the
Israelites celebrate the Passover at the appointed time". The RSV translates as, "Let the people
of
So where are the scriptures that demand
that the Passover be observed in the "season" of spring?
The only use in the Bible of the
word "spring" is with regard to "springs of water" and so
on -- there is no "spring" season mentioned anywhere. The only
agricultural seasons mentioned are summer and winter, and there is no Biblical
definition as to when winter ends and summer begins.
[There is a separate Hebrew word
for "seasons" as used agriculturally. Strong's 6256, "eth", as in Deut
What the scriptures require therefore
is that Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread be kept at their appointed
times. Likewise the other Holy
Days. That's all the Bible says.
On the topic of the
"seasons", some writers -- and critics -- make much of the importance
of the "equinox" in producing "a true Bible calendar".
Perhaps the equinox is important
-- but where do we find the clear, explicit, scriptures which tell us so --
where is the clear Biblical proof?
The word "equinox" does
not appear in the Bible. One writer, commenting on the vital importance of the
equinox, states that "equinox" is the "correct" translation
of the Hebrew tequwphah
(Strong's 8622), as used in Ex
34:22. However, the actual meaning
given in Strong's is: " a revolution,
i.e. (of the sun) course, (of time) lapse". It is used only 4 times in the Old Testament,
being translated (in the KJV) as "circuit" (2), "end" (1),
"come about"(1).
It is true that a number of
writers identify one of the possible meanings of tequwphah as
"equinox" -- but others stand by its basic meaning of
"revolution" or "end", meaning, for example, "the end
of the growing season" or "the end of the year's activities".
In Ex 34:22 we read, "Thou
shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the
feast of ingathering at the year's end".
One critic writes of us, "This year you will keep the Feast of
Trumpets in the Summer, and next year you will keep it in the Fall". We agree -- by our customary definitions of
summer, fall and so on, that is correct.
But we cannot find any Scripture saying that that is wrong. The feast days still fall at their
"appointed times".
The verse just quoted says we are
to keep the Feast of Ingathering "at the year's end" (Hebrew,
tequwphah). If that does mean "equinox"
(although there is no biblical proof), then isn't it interesting that this year
the Hebrew calendar has the Feast of Tabernacles commencing "at" the
time of the equinox (within two or three days), whereas the calendar being put
forward by many others -- based on the visible crescent etc. -- has the Feast
commencing almost 5 weeks later than the equinox (late October, and
stretching in fact into early November)?
If the Hebrew in Ex 34:22 means "equinox", how can something
happening five weeks later be said to be kept at the equinox?
We could look at several other
points, but this article is already long enough.
One useful principle in all of
this is: we do not want to move away from
something, to something else, unless we have clear and unequivocal
evidence that it is better.
Many men have put in a tremendous
amount of work investigating and debating the calendar. One writer has spent more than twenty years
researching the subject. We perhaps
cannot doubt their sincerity.
However, despite all the work and
scholarship, there is no single agreed alternative to the Hebrew calendar. That is very interesting!
I've read of at least eight
different ways of beginning the New Year, and five different ways of
starting each month -- and you can "perm" those any way you want to
get over a dozen different calendars, all claiming to be Biblical or Sacred
calendars.
And they obviously can't all be
right!!
Although the
Let us ask: What calendar did the
The only calendar available to
them is the calendar that we accept today -- the Hebrew calendar!
In our generation, for nearly
seventy years, most of the
Whilst the "novelty" of
the other calendars can prove quite a fascination, and they can initially
appear plausible, the end result seems to be just more division among God's
people.
As we saw earlier, the Bible
nowhere gives us a clear and unambiguous definition of what constitutes
the "new moon", or beginning of the month. It does not give us a clear statement
of what constitutes the "new year" -- either when there are
"green ears" or an equinox, or whatever. It does not give us details of the various
other calendar rules that are necessary for a fully functioning calendar.
So -- if we cannot find the
"calendar rules" clearly stated in the Bible, where can we look to
find out about the Holy Day calendar?
Surely somebody must have them?!
Interestingly, Mr Herbert
Armstrong came across the self-same problem some sixty years ago. Let's read his comments, taken from the Good
News Letter 1940 (the full text of which can be found in the "Key of David"
CD from Mr Don Tiger):
"Research reveals two basic
points on this question. 1st, GOD DID
NOT RECORD IT IN THE BIBLE, which gives us absolutely NOTHING more to go on
than I have stated above. 2nd, History
is vague on the subject, shedding little light that can be accepted and
trusted....We learn in the Bible that men of old did have understanding of the
times. They knew how to figure time. 'Of
the children of Issachar, which were men that HAD UNDERSTANDING OF THE TIMES,
to know what
Mr Armstrong continues, "The
true sacred calendar is no more lost than the weekly Sabbath. Then WHO HAS PRESERVED THIS TIME, this sacred
CALENDAR? To whom did God give it? To whom were "the oracles of God
COMMITTED"? To
Mr Armstrong adds, "In
conclusion, unless God has preserved His sacred calendar thru the Jew, then WE
DO NOT KNOW how to figure Passover or ANY of the holy days this year. For there is NO AUTHORITY for any other
day.... There is NO BIBLE AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER for (for example) figuring the
1st day of the month from the new moon NEAREST the spring equinox!"
It’s hard to disagree with Mr
Armstrong's conclusions of sixty years ago.
God has not left us with a
confusion of a dozen or more “biblical calendars”, and every man doing that
“which is right in his own eyes.”
Jesus
Christ kept the Holy Days according to the Hebrew calendar when He walked the
earth nearly 2,000 years ago. We can do the same safely
today!