Tishri in Relation to the Equinox (No. 175)

Christian Churches of God No. 175

Tishri in Relation to the Equinox

(Edition 2.0 19960824-20080404)

In defending the postponement system under the Hillel calendar, some reactionary ministers of the Churches of God have resorted to misinterpreting Scripture to justify their arguments. This paper analyses these claims in light of the irregularity that occurred for example in 1997.

Christian Churches of God PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA Email: [email protected]

(Copyright  1996, 2008 Wade Cox)

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Tishri in Relation to the Equinox

Some reactionary ministers within the than Jewish history proper, during the time of Churches of God have sought to justify the the Maccabees and subsequently postponements under the Hillel calendar by (1Maccabees; see Schürer, History of the resorting to misconstruction of Scripture. One Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ, Vol. such false argument rests on the premise that 1, pp. 18-19 and pp. 125-126 for the determination of the Molad or First of bibliographical data). However, the Tishri under the Hillel system has a Maccabees began their year in the northern relationship to or is in some way dependent on spring also (Schürer, ibid.). the position of the September equinox. The New Moon of Tishri is simply that – the New This argument seems to confuse the Moon of the Seventh month. The term Molad application of the Macedonian Seleucid is perhaps a convenient term because, quite calendar with the Babylonian-Hebrew system. incorrectly, the First of Tishri under the Hillel The postponement rules do not apply or relate system does not always fall on the New to the northern autumnal equinox. The rule is Moon. simply that in all circumstances Passover must fall after the vernal equinox (Schürer, ibid., p. In defence of the postponement system and 590; based on the authorities, Schürer states: the irregularity that occurred for example in “when the sun stood in the sign of Aries”, 1997, some extraordinary arguments are ibid., p. 593). The sign of Aries begins on advanced. One individual has quoted Exodus approximately 21 March and ends on 20 34:22 as a proof text that the Feast of the April, in Gregorian terms. Thus, Passover Seventh month must occur on or after the after 21 April is clearly prohibited under the September equinox. The text merely states: ancient rules. (It must also be remembered

Exodus 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of that Astrology and Astronomy were not weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the separated into distinct areas of discipline until feast of ingathering at the year's end. (KJV) the Reformation. Thus, this is an astronomical This text can be interpreted also as being at and not an astrological indicator.) Schürer the turn of the year from the use of teqûphâh notes that Anatolius, according to Eusebius (SHD 8622) meaning a revolution (of the (HE, vii 32, 16-19) says this is the unanimous sun), a course (of time) lapse, hence a circuit, view of all the Jewish authorities including a come about or end. This can mean the end Aristobulus, the philosopher in the time of of the growing season or the end of the year’s Ptolemy Philometor, and also Philo and activities. It in no way infers a specific Josephus (Schürer, op. cit.). The Macedonian relationship to the equinox or that it must calendar was used in Syria from the beginning succeed the equinox. of the Seleucid dominion until well into Christian times. There is no rule known to either the ancient Hebrews, the Greeks, the Babylonians or the It was used: Canaanites, or by the early Church that (1) to designate real lunar months; postponed the declaration of Nisan[u] or Abib (2) to designate the twelve months of a solar based on a calculation of the Seventh month year identical with the Julian calendar, in relation to the equinox. The Seventh month except that their beginnings were fixed is determined from the calculation of the First differently. The Macedonian Seleucid month in the Hebrew and other calendars. The calendar was, moreover, inexact in its Macedonian Seleucid calendar begins its year determination from area to area, showing from the month corresponding to Tishri and, that the rule did not relate specifically to hence, seemingly around the northern the autumnal equinox even then. In Tyre, autumnal equinox. This calendar was used in the year began on 18 November (Schürer, addition to the Babylonian system for the p. 595), after the equinox. In Gaza, calculation of some events of Seleucid rather however, it began on 29 August (Schürer, Tishri in Relation to the Equinox Page 3

ibid.; cf. Bickerman, Chronology, p. 50), is without basis in history or in fact. It relies well before the equinox. on rabbinical thought in circular justification. (3) In later times the Julian months were simply called by the Macedonian names Similarly, the Molad of Tishri calculation is (Schürer, ibid.). The Syrian names, which another construction of the Hillel system. were more or less identical to the Jewish, There is no biblical rule whatsoever that were used to correspond to the determines the so-called Molad of Tishri other Macedonian. than as the New Moon of the Seventh month. Thus nothing is pivotal to this day except the Thus, there is no known system that defines day sequence for Tishri as it determines Tishri, the Seventh month, in relation to the Atonement and the Feast. The centrality of the autumnal equinox. This is a device to defend Molad of Tishri is a fabrication of rabbinical the Hillel system, which has no validity. It is (from Pharisaic) Judaism, as is a 6 Sivan also needed to attempt to defend the fiction of Pentecost. The month of Nisan, or Abib (not a 31 CE crucifixion as advanced by Herman Tishri) shall be the beginning of months to Hoeh under direction of Herbert Armstrong you (Ex. 12:2); nor is the First month (see the paper The Timing of the Crucifixion determined from Tishri. and the Resurrection (No. 159)). Herman Hoeh even invented a postponement rule of Another misconception voiced in this dispute his own for this purpose (cf. The Crucifixion is that 1 Nisan should not precede the vernal was not on a Friday). equinox. The New Moon of Nisan preceded the equinox, for example, in 1988, 1991, 1994 The preparation day or 14 Nisan, termed the and 1996. 1997 was thus the fifth time in the day of the Lord’s Supper, is not the Passover last ten years that 1 Nisan preceded the proper as stated by some. This was an equinox. Thus, it is equally common for this erroneous view advanced by Herbert to be the case. This fact will also determine Armstrong and defended by some of his the commencement of Tishri well before the ministry, and quite incorrectly (see the paper equinox in many cases. Arguments that seek The Passover (No. 98)). to establish a rule regarding the proximity of Tabernacles to the equinox are false and The Passover in 1997 was a month late in the ignore historical fact. Jewish calendar because it relied on the postponements under the Hillel system, which In 1994 all the Feasts of Tishri fell before the has no validity in Scripture or in history prior September equinox except the Last Great to the fourth century of the current era. What Day, as was the case in 1997. Those who raise the apologists of this system are doing, in objection on such grounds for 1997 did not effect, is to invent a new rule and to say that object in 1994, presumably because the the rule for the determination of Nisan is that people involved were comfortable with the the month is determined from the New Moon view as it was also that of the rabbinical nearest to the northern vernal equinox, with system. The position of 1994 against that of Passover/Unleavened Bread being the first 1997 shows that there is no rule regarding the full moon sequence following the equinox September equinox. except where the Feast of Tabernacles would fall before the northern autumnal equinox In relation to the days of the New Moons, the (even if the Last Great Day falls on the New Moon is a precise astronomical event. equinox), in which case Passover/Unleavened The information is supplied throughout the Bread becomes the second full moon United Kingdom, to both defence and sequence following the vernal equinox. No commercial operations on land, sea and air, by such rule exists or indeed ever has existed, Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office and if used would throw the calendar into (HMNAO). This is NOT a book called the further chaos. The construction placed on Queen’s Almanac as one uninformed fellow Exodus 34:22 in support of the Hillel system thought in a recent very poor critique of some of our work. The information on the precise Page 4 Tishri in Relation to the Equinox

New Moon can be supplied in Greenwich proof that the conjunction, not the crescent, is Mean Time (International time) and assistance the determining factor. can be given for details in the calculation of Jerusalem time and other times for both the It is probable that this postponement rule was conjunction and for End Evening Nautical introduced for the Asian Jews, as the further Twilight (EENT) for Jerusalem, and also for east one goes the New Moon is pushed into local areas. EENT is required for the the next day. The calendar determination from determination of the day for purposes of the Jerusalem thus places the New Moon in Asia calendar. The precise event of the New Moon up to eight hours ahead, and hence occurs on thus determines the time for the conjunction the previous day in these later appearances. worldwide. Local moonrise times will differ. Thus the calendar is sometimes one day ahead of the New Moon in the East especially in The times in some constructed calendars, such Australia and New Zealand. This is the only as, for example, that being advanced by Frank postponement rule that makes any sense Nelte, do not appear to relate to the time of whatsoever in empirical observation and the conjunction as determined by official historical fact. The problems with the Hillel sources in any clear way. Perhaps there is calendar are in the paper God’s Calendar (No. some confusion between moonrise times and 156). those of the conjunction. Regardless of the merits of this sole position, This is an opportunity to clear up another and it does not correctly solve the problem, misconception. The New Moon is NOT a the Christian Churches of God has opted for crescent moon. The mid-day postponement the Jerusalem calculations free of all rule holds that if the conjunction occurs after postponements in the interest of calendrical mid-day then the determination of the New uniformity of the Churches of God on a Moon is postponed to the following day. worldwide basis until such time as a world conference of the Churches of God further This mid-day rule is based on the premise that discusses the matter. it takes at least six hours to develop a crescent q from the conjunction. This rule is of itself