Vou. XXIX ALLEGHENY, PA., FEBRUARY 1, 1908 No. 3 THE PASSOVER IN THE FIRST MONTH Considerable difficulty is experienced by many in harmonizing our solar calendar with that of the Jews, which is built upon an association of lunar and solar time. We tender assistance to such by quoting an extract from Smith’s Bible Dictionary on the subject—followed by an extract from the Hebrew chronologist. Lindo on the same subject. Smith’s Bible Dictionary says:— “The characteristics of the year instituted at the Exodus can be clearly determined, though we cannot absolutely fix those of any certain year. There can be no doubt that it was essentially tropical, since certain observances connected with the produce of the land were fixed to particular days. It is equally clear that the months were lunar, each commencing with anew moon. It would appear, therefore, that there must have been some mode of adjustment. To decide what this was, it was necessary first to ascertain when the year commenced. On the 16th of Abib ripe ears of corn were to be offered as firstfruits of the harvest. (Lev. 2:14; 23:10, 11.) The reaping of the barley commenced the harvest (2 Sam. 21:9), the wheat following. (Ruth 2:23.) It is therefore necessary to find when the barley becomes ripe in Palestine. According to the observation of travelers, the barley is ripe, in the warmest parts of the country, in the first days of April. The barley harvest, then, commences about half a month after the vernal equinox, so that the year would begin at about that tropical point, were it not divided into lunar months. We may conclude that the nearest new moon about or after the equinox, but not much before, was chosen as the commencement of the year. The method of intercalation can only have been that which obtained after the Captivity—the addition of a thirteenth month whenever the twelfth ended too long before the equinox for the firstfruits of the harvest to be offered in the middle of the month following, and the similar offerings at the times appointed.’’ Extracts from Lindo: ‘‘The Jewish year is luni-solar, for although the months are lunar, our calculations being founded on the lunar cyele, every 19th year we come to the same date in the solar year. The cycle contains 235 lunations, which we divide into twelve years of 12 months, and seven (termed Embolismic) of 13 months, ‘‘The celebrated mathematician Meton of Athens, who flourished B. C. 432, which was in the reign of Zedekiah, a.m. 3328, made the same division of time, but by making every third year embolismic, the 18th and 19th were both of 13 months; by our arrangement the solar and lunar years are better equalized. Days Hrs. Min. See. 19 years, according to Rab Ada..... -- 6989 16 33 38% 235 lunar months.............0.005- 6939 16 33 3% ‘*The year is of three kinds, perfect, common and imperfect. The perfect has 355 days, and is when the months of Hesvan and Kislev have each 30 days. The common, 354 days, when Hesvan has 29 and Kislev 30. The imperfect, 353 days, when both have only 29. The embolismic year is formed by the introduction of an intercalary month, immediately after Adar, which is called Ve-adar, or Second Adar. The year then consists of 385, 384, or 383 days, according to the rule above. The reason of the introduction at that period is that the Passover may be kept in its proper season, which is the full moon of the vernal equinox, or after the sun has entered Aries; it is indifferent at what period of it the full moon happens, but it must be kept while the sun is in that sign. That a time was fixed for its observance is shown in Numbers 9:2, ‘Let the children of Israel also keep the Passover at its appointed season.’ ‘*That our months have always been lunar is shown by 1 Kings 6:38, ‘And the eleventh year in the month Bul, which is the eighth month,’ etc. By a reference to the Hebrew text it will be seen that the two words translated mouth are different, the first being derived from the word ‘moon,’ the latter from ‘innovation.’ Our months are the following:— Tisri .......e eae, 30 days Nisan ............ 30 days Hesvan ...... 29or30 days Yiar .............. 29 days Kislev ....... 29 or 30 days Sivan ............. 30 days Tebet ..........6.- 29 days Tamuz ............ 29 days Sebat ............- 30 days Ab ............... 30 days Adar ....c.ceeeaee 29 days HElul .............. 29 days ‘In the embolismie years, Adar has 30, and the intercalary month Ve-adar 29. ‘As a lunation from one conjunction to another, termed & synodical month, has 29:12:44:314, being 2914 days and about % hour, it could not be better arranged than by making [4127] one month 29 and the following 30 days. When a month has 30 days, the last day of the month and the following day are both kept as New Moon, on the principle that a holiday cannot be kept part of a day. The 30th day being half in the preceding month and half in the new moon, the whole day is made a holiday, and the following as a matter of course, from its being the first whole day of the new moon. That this rule was followed in ancient times, is to be seen in 1 Sam. 20:5, 27. “‘It will have been seen that by this arrangement there is yet a deficiency every month of 44 min., 344 sec., making nearly 9 hours in years of 12 months. To make up this deficiency one day is added to Hesvan every second or third year, by which that month then consists of 30 days. When Hesvan has 30 days, Kislev invariably has the same. Without Hesvan having 30 days, Kislev is sometimes made 30, which is done to prevent Passover happening on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, for as that festival regulates all the other holidays, it is arranged that none may fall on days on which they could not be properly observed. On the same day of the week as the 1st day of Passover are the fasts of Tamuz and Ab. 2nd day of Passover is the first day of Sebuot and Hosana Raba. 3rd day of Passover is the first day of New Year and Tabernacle. 4th day of Passover is the Rejoicing of the Law. 5th day of Passover is the Kippur, the day of Atonement. ‘*Consequently, were the first day on Monday, Purim would be on Saturday and Kippur on Friday, days on which neither could be observed. If it were on Wednesday, Kippur would be on Sunday, on which it could not be kept; the reason is that as Kippur has the same strict ordinances as Sabbath, it cannot precede or follow the Sabbath. If it were on Friday, Hosana Raba would be on Saturday, a day on which the ceremonies of it could not be observed. By the above regulation, it will be seen that Rosh Ashana can never fall on Sunday, Wednesday or Friday. ‘«Phis holiday is to be observed on the day of the conjunction, with the following exceptions:— ‘*1. If the conjunction takes place on Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, the holiday is to be kept on the following day, as in 5604. *¢2, If the conjunction should happen after noon, the following day is to be observed, and if that should happen to be Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, the next is to be kept, as in 5601. **3, If the conjunction takes place in an ordinary year on Tuesday, on or after 9h., 1lm., 20s. A.M., it is not to be observed thereon, and as it may not be kept on Wednesday, it will be observed on Thursday, as in 5616. An objection may be made to this, as New Year should be observed on the day of conjunction, but were it to be so kept, the preceding month of Elul would only be of 27 or 28 days, and a month can never be less than 29. *¢4, The conjunction being on Monday, on or after 3:30:52 P.M., in a year immediately following an embolismie, the holiday is to be kept on Tuesday, as in 5617. This occurs but seldom. “Our embolismie years are Nos. 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, 19 of each cycle. ‘Although the Gregorian calculations have been made with great nicety they are still imperfect, and other alterations must take place in future ages. As a proof the Council of Nice ordered that Easter should not be kept on the same day as the first day of Passover, in order that there might be no appearance of Judaism in it; ‘Ne videantur Judaizare,’ to prevent which they ordered its observance on the Sunday after the full moon, Passover being always kept on the day of the full moon; and yet in 1825 both were kept on the same ? day. s 8 From the foregoing it will be seen that, with every endeavor to reach exactly the date specified in their Law for the Passover, the Jews have difficulty, and often there is of necessity a choice between two days equally appropriate. However, they follow the guidance of their leaders in this matter and have a uniformity of celebration, instead of each one trying to fix the date and celebrating according to his personal knowledge, convenience or preference. And this measure of subserviency to leaders was endorsed by our Lord, who said, ‘‘ The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat; whatsoever therefore they bid you observe, that observe and do.’’ (Matt. 23:3.) (35-36)
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