Hello, Thank you for such a great resource! Is there any way of know historical calendar dates (what dates feast days landed on certain years)> I’ve very interested on how many times and the years that the 9th of Av landed on the Feast of New Wine. For instance, did the Feast of New Wine land on the 9th of Av on the proposed years Jesus was crucified? Can anyone tell me? Or tell me how to determine it? Thanks so much!
That is a very interesting question and the answer would be dependent on your calendar reference. With this solar calendar the answer is no, as the Feast of New Wine always falls on the 3rd day of the fifth month so it can’t be the 9th day. I don’t know how often the 9th of the fifth lunar month might coincide with the 3rd day of the fifth solar month.
Interestingly, Jeremiah says it was the 10th:
Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the LORD, the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire.
(Jeremiah 52:12-13 NASB)
Since this was the start of the Babylonian captivity and way before Hellenization, the question to be considered is whether or not the writer of this text was still following the Solar calendar?
Thank you for this helpful information. I was under the impression that the Jewish calendar was lunar based. This calendar is called a solar calendar – can you clarify? Thank you.
Thanks for the comment Stacy. The Jewish calendar, created by Hillel II, is in fact lunar based. The majority of the Jewish people adopted a lunar based calendar following the Babylonian captivity and subsequent Hellenization by the Greeks. Prior to that, many believe the calendar was solar as outlined in the book of Enoch.
I’m thoroughly confused. I used this calendar to schedule our feasts this year, but everywhere else I Google had the dates different than this by a week or so. What am I missing?
This calendar is a solar calendar based on teachings of the Qumran community in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Additional understanding comes from the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. The Bible itself does not specifically address how the calendar is determined. Using the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), it s necessary to first assume what the calendar is and then apply it to what you read. Since the Jewish community has used a lunar based calendar since at least the Hellenistic period and likely before that, Scripture is often read through that lens.
There are a number of different calendars in play. You are probably seeing the dates based on the lunar (Hillel) calendar which is the most common. If those you fellowship with are using different dates (as do those where I fellowship), join them in celebration. Don’t make this a matter of division.
Hello, Thank you for such a great resource! Is there any way of know historical calendar dates (what dates feast days landed on certain years)> I’ve very interested on how many times and the years that the 9th of Av landed on the Feast of New Wine. For instance, did the Feast of New Wine land on the 9th of Av on the proposed years Jesus was crucified? Can anyone tell me? Or tell me how to determine it? Thanks so much!
That is a very interesting question and the answer would be dependent on your calendar reference. With this solar calendar the answer is no, as the Feast of New Wine always falls on the 3rd day of the fifth month so it can’t be the 9th day. I don’t know how often the 9th of the fifth lunar month might coincide with the 3rd day of the fifth solar month.
Interestingly, Jeremiah says it was the 10th:
Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the LORD, the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire.
(Jeremiah 52:12-13 NASB)
Since this was the start of the Babylonian captivity and way before Hellenization, the question to be considered is whether or not the writer of this text was still following the Solar calendar?
Thank you for this helpful information. I was under the impression that the Jewish calendar was lunar based. This calendar is called a solar calendar – can you clarify? Thank you.
Thanks for the comment Stacy. The Jewish calendar, created by Hillel II, is in fact lunar based. The majority of the Jewish people adopted a lunar based calendar following the Babylonian captivity and subsequent Hellenization by the Greeks. Prior to that, many believe the calendar was solar as outlined in the book of Enoch.
Thank you for this resource.
Shalom dear brother.
Please I have a question and it goes this way.
Why is this year 2025, an intercalation year and not 2028?.
Shalom, I explain the method if intercalation here.
I’m thoroughly confused. I used this calendar to schedule our feasts this year, but everywhere else I Google had the dates different than this by a week or so. What am I missing?
Joanne,
This calendar is a solar calendar based on teachings of the Qumran community in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Additional understanding comes from the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. The Bible itself does not specifically address how the calendar is determined. Using the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), it s necessary to first assume what the calendar is and then apply it to what you read. Since the Jewish community has used a lunar based calendar since at least the Hellenistic period and likely before that, Scripture is often read through that lens.
There are a number of different calendars in play. You are probably seeing the dates based on the lunar (Hillel) calendar which is the most common. If those you fellowship with are using different dates (as do those where I fellowship), join them in celebration. Don’t make this a matter of division.
You can find the traditional dates here at MessianicLight.com.