The Fifth-Century Jewish Calendar at Elephantine Author(s): S. H. Horn and L. H. Wood Source: Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan., 1954), pp. 1-20 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/543003 Accessed: 21-03-2019 22:06 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Near Eastern Studies This content downloaded from 137.151.132.58 on Thu, 21 Mar 2019 22:06:50 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES Volume XIII JANUARY 1954 Number 1 (SEVENTY-FIRST YEAR) THE FIFTH-CENTURY JEWISH CALENDAR AT ELEPHANTINE S. H. HORN AND L. H. WOOD THE fourteen dated Aramaic Moreover, papyri these new papyri form ex- from Elephantine recently ceedingly discov- important source material for ered among the personal effects the study of of the calendar in use among the the late Mr. Charles Edwin Wilbour Jews inof theElephantine during the fifth cen- Brooklyn Museum' form a most tury welcome B.C. Of the fourteen new dated papy- addition to the more than eighty ri, previous- eleven bear double dates, i.e., the ly known papyri from the sameEgyptian Nile and Persian (or Jewish) ones. island.2 They are important for Since a recon- only twenty-four of the previously struction of the Aramaic language known spoken papyri were dated, of which eleven by the Jews in Egypt during the contained fifth cen- double dates, the new material tury B.C. and appreciably supplement has at once our almost doubled our available knowledge of the economic, religious, evidence forand the calendar of the fifth-cen- secular history of the Jewish turycolony Jewry at at Elephantine. Elephantine. Immediately after the publication of 1 These new papyri have been published in a most the first group of papyri, several scholars excellent way by Emil G. Kraeling, The Brooklyn Museum Aramaic Papyri, New Documents of the Fifth attacked the problems in their dates and Century B.C. from the Jewish Colony at Elephantine, the calendar system involved. E. Schiirer3 (New Haven, 1953). They are quoted in this article was one of the first who discussed the as Kraeling 1-14. Owing to the generosity of Dr. Kraeling and Mr. J. D. Cooney of the Brooklyn Mu- dates of these documents., He was followed seum, advanced information and photographs of these papyri were obtained, which made it possible to work by F. K. Ginzel.4 Both of them started on their dates before they were published. The present out from the hypothesis that the Jews of authors herewith express their deep-felt gratitude for this unusual kindness. the fifth century had a lunar calendar like 2 The first series of previously known papyri the from Persians and that they began every Elephantine, acquired by A. H. Sayce and Robert month after the visibility of the new moon Mond in the years 1901-4, were published by A. H. Sayce and A. E. Cowley, Aramaic Papyri Discovered a E. Schtiirer, book review, "Aramaic Papyri Dis- at Assuan (London, 1906). Those discovered during covered at Assuan, edited by A. H. Sayce with the the excavations of 1907-8 were published by Eduard assistance of A. E. Cowley. London, A. Moring, Sachau, Aramaische Papyrus und Ostraka aus einer 1906 ... ," Theologische Literaturzeitung, Vol. XXXII jiidischen Militdr-Kolonie zu Elephantine (Leipzig, (1907), cols 1-7; "Der jiidische Kalender nach den 1911). All pre-Christian Aramaic papyri known up to aramitischen Papyri von Assuan. Nachtrag zu der 1923 were conveniently collected by A. Cowley, Ara- Anzeige in Nr. 1," ibid., cols. 65-69. maic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C. (Oxford, 1923). 4 Friedrich Karl Ginzel, Handbuch der mathema- Papyri contained in Cowley's work are quoted in this tischen und technischen Chronologie, II (Leipzig, 1911), article as AP 1 ft. 45-52. 1 This content downloaded from 137.151.132.58 on Thu, 21 Mar 2019 22:06:50 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 2 JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES as in Babylon. Irregularities visibilityand disagree- of the first crescent nor on the ments in the dates were explained conjunction but as on the application of a scribal mistakes. L. Belleli, however, regular cycle.8 tried However, he believed that to prove by the apparently the inexplicable Jewish fall-to-fall calendar was a later disagreements between some institution.' of the dates that the documents were modern for- Martin Sprengling, on the other hand, geries,6 but very few scholars could believe reached entirely different conclusions. that papyri found by a scientific expedi- Maintaining that the Jewish civil year be- tion-as the majority of the papyri hadginning with Tishri was a later develop- come to light in this way-could have ment, he held that the Elephantine papyri been dumped on the side by forgers who attest a year which began with Nisan and would have no profit from the discovery that of the Jews of the fifth century used a the documents. Since the excavated papy- second Elul but dropped it later on.'0 It is ri showed the same characteristics as those not necessary to review in detail the work bought from natives, no doubt in the of P. J. Hontheim, J.-B. Chabot, J. G. genuineness of any of them can reasonably Smyly, D. Sidersky, and H. Pognon," be- be entertained. cause their reasonings vary only in some The astronomer E. B. Knobel showed from papyri AP 13 and 25 that a nineteen- 8 Eduard Mahler, "Die Doppeldaten der ara- maischen Papyri von Assuan," Zeitschrift fir Assyri- year cycle was known to the Jews in ologie, the XXVI (1912), 61-76; Handbuch der jiudischen fifth century B.C., as their system of inter- Chronologie (Leipzig, 1916), pp. 346-58. One of his statements may be quoted as an example: "Auf jeden calation shows. He concluded from his Fall aber erkennen wir, dass den jiidischen Kalen- findings that the Jewish civil calendar wasderangaben in den zu Assuan und Elephantine gefundenen aramaischen Papyri weder das Neulicht, computed and that the Jewish civil year noch die Bestimmung des wahren Neumondes als began with Tishri 1.6 The well-known Grundlage der Zahlung diente; hierfiir war die zy- klische Bestimmungsmethode der Babylonier mit British astronomer J. K. Fotheringham ihrem 19jahrigen Zyklus massgebend" (Handbuch came similarly to the conclusion that p. the 355). 9 Mahler thinks that the fall-to-fall calendar was computed calendar and the year begin- not introduced among the Jews prior to the Seleucid ning with Tishri 1 were used and also that period (Handbuch, pp. 359-60). Since the Syrians pos- the intercalation was arbitrarily done sessed by Tishri 1 as New Year's Day, it became: the 0 1 07;1 '"l of the Jews at that time, he claims. the insertion of a second Adar, without This view cannot be correct because of the conclusive the use of a second Elul.7 evidence for a fall-to-fall calendar among the Jews in the pre-Exilic and post-Exilic period as shown by The chronologist E. Mahler agreed Ginzel (op. cit., II, 26, 39, 40), and Edwin R. Thiele, with Knobel and Fotheringham that the The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings (Chica- go, 1951), pp. 30-33. It also is unthinkable that the Jewish calendar was based neither on the Jews should have retained after their liberation an in- 5L. Belleli, An Independent Examination of the stitation forced on them by their most hated enemies, Assuan and Elephantine Aramaic Papyri (London, the Seleucid oppressors. 1909). 10 Martin Sprengling, "Chronological Notes from 6 E. B. Knobel, "A Suggested Explanation of the the Aramaic Papyri," AJSL, XXVII (1911), 233-52. Ancient Jewish Calendar Dates in the Aramaic 11 P. J. Hontheim, "Die neuentdeckten jiidisch- Papyri Translated by Professor A. H. Sayce and Mr. aramaischen Papyri von Assuan," Biblische Zeit- A. E. Cowley," Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronom- schrift, V (1907), 225-34; J.-B. Chabot, "Les Papyri ical Society, LXVIII (1907-1908), 334-45; "Note on aramiens d'll6phantine sont-ils faux?" Journal asia- the Regnal Years in the Aramaic Papyri from As- tique, XIV (10th ser., 1909), 515-22; J. Gilbart Smyly, suan," ibid., LXIX (1908-9), 8-11. "An Examination of the Dates of the Assouan Ara- 7 J. K. Fotheringham, "Calendar Dates in the maic Papyri," Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Aramaic Papyri from Assuan," Monthly Notices of XXVII, the Sec. C (1908-1909), 235-50; D. Sidersky, "Le Royal Astronomical Society, LXIX (1908-9), 12-20; Calendrier semitique des papyri arameens d'As- "Note on the Regnal Years in the Elephantine souan," Journal asiatique, XVI (10th ser., 1910), Papyri," ibid., pp. 446-48; "A Reply to Professor 587-92; H. Pognon, "Chronologie des papyrus Ginzel on the Calendar Dates in the Elephantine aramdens d'El1phantine," Journal asiatique, XVIII Papyri," ibid., LXXI (1911), 661-63. (10th ser., 1911), 337-65. This content downloaded from 137.151.132.58 on Thu, 21 Mar 2019 22:06:50 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms FIFTH-CENTURY JEWISH CALENDAR AT ELEPHANTINE 3 details from the various conclusions the intercalation was carried out regularly reached by the scholars already aremen- disputed questions.