SIDE BAR NOTES
[1] And a few selected holidays from the US and other calendars.
[2] Ex 40:2, 17.
[3] Ezr 6:15-19.
[4] 1 Kgs 8:65-66, 1 Mc 4:56.
[5] Dn 9:24.
[6] This is seen in the wording of Scripture which speaks of the lamb its upon procurement as being “a lamb” (Ex 12:3), but when it comes time for its sacrifice it is spoken of as “your lamb” (Ex 12:5). [7] See Espenek 2014 or Figure B.25 in Appendix B [8] Kitov 1979. [9] ibid.[10] Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 58b.
[8] Kitov 1979. [9] ibid.[10] Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 58b.
[9] ibid.
[10] Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 58b.
[11] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 11a.
[12] Mal 3:4-24.
[13] Acts 2:17-21.
[14] Jn 12:1-11.
[15] Mt 21:12-17, Mk 11:15-17, Lk 19:45-46 and Jn 2:13-22.
[16] Flavius Josephus (94 AD), Antiquities of the Jews, XV: 380.
[17] Jos 5:9, NABRE.
[18] Jesus praised the woman who anointed Him, saying she would always be remembered for it (Mt 26:13). And this explains why.
[19] Jn 19:14.
[20] Mt 26:17, Mk 14:12, Lk 22:7.
[21] Ex 23:14.
[22] Described in Ex 12:1-51, 13:17-14:9.
[23] Ex 12:15-20.
[24] This suggests, per-haps, that 15 Nisan was originally just a harvest festival and was later seen to have been fulfilled by the events of the exodus, with the harvest festival rituals being moved to the day after the full moon so that the exodus could be the central focus of the holiday. But to be clear, this theory is not supported by Scripture, It is not, however, in conflict with it either. [25] Lk 2:41.
[26] Lk 2:42.
[27] Jn 2:13-21.
[28] Jn 6:4.
[29] Jn 6:53, NIV.
[30] 1 Cor 15:20, Col 1:18.
[31] An Ashkenazi custom that can be dated back to the 7th century AD. [32] Ez 37:1-14. [33] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31a.
[34] Mt 27:51, Mk 15:38.
[35] Ex 14:21, 27.
[36] Espenek 2014. But see also Table B25 in Appen-dix B.
[37] Mt 2:16-18.
[38] Lk 2:41-51.
[39] CCC 1304 and 1317.
[40] Figure 8.2 in chapter 8 looks into this in much greater detail. Suffice it to say here that the math has a great deal more to say on this than is presented here.
[41] Ex 19:1.
[42] Ex 23:14.
[43] Lv 23:15.
[44] Ex 19:1-24:11.
[45] Lk 2:22 in conjunction with Lv 12:1-8.
[46] 2 Kgs 25:3 in conjunction with Jer 39:2, 59:6..
[47] Mishna, Taanit 4:6.
[48] Ex 24:18.
[49] The smashed tablets, after all, were quickly replaced and restored to the people on Yom Kippur. And we are not told of God saying anything negative to Moses about smashing them. As to the idolatry, God had a lot to say, all negative (see Ex 32:7-14, 30-34).
[50] See Ez 8:14.
[51] Jerusalem Talmud, Ta’anit 4:5. [52] Flavius Josephus (75 AD) War of the Jews vi, 2, 1.
[53] Seder Olam, Rabah 30. [54] As per Lk 1:5. But see chapter 1: Part 4 for the details.
[55] Excerpted from the full haftarah, Is 1:1-27.
[56] Jn 2:19-21.
[57] Acts 18:6-11.
[58] The actual prophecy is provided in the discussion on Tzom B' Tammuz (which see).
[59] 2 Kgs 25:8.
[60] Jer 52:12
[61] Lk 1:39-45.
[62] Is 40:1-26.
[63] As prophesied in Gn 3:15.
[64] Mishna, Ta’anit 4:8.
[65] Babylonian Talmud, Taanit 30b.
[66] Jgs 20:20-21:23.
[67] Jgs 21:22.
[68] Joffre 2023.
[69] Gn 12:1-4.
[70] Rm 5:12.
[71] As reported in The Book of Mary’s Repose from the 3rd century AD, the date was apparently simply changed to August 15 when the Church adapted to the Julian calendar over the Hebrew calendar.
[72] Ex 34:28.
[73] Del Rey and May 2025.
[74] Mt 4:1-2, Mk 1:12-13, Lk 4:1-2.
[75] Jn 1:26-2:2.
[76] Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 58b.
[77] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 2a.
[78] Dt 21:17.
[79] Holweck 1911.[
[80] Lv 20:10.
[81] Kitov 1979.
[82] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 11b. [83] Midrash, Vayikra Rabbah 29:1.
[84] 1 Cor 15:45.
[85] The actual prophecy is provided in the discussion on Tzom B' Tammuz (which see). [86] 2 Kgs 25:1-26. [87] See also Jer 40:13-43:7 for a more detailed account of the assassin-ation of Gedaliah.
[88] Jer 41:1.
[89] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 18b. ]90] Radak, Commentary on Jeremiah 41:1.
[91] Lk 22:32 in con-junction with Jn 13:13-15.
[92] As is implied in Gn 17:14, Ex 12:48 and Lv 19:23.
[93] This is assuming, that is, that this common custom concerning Bar Mitzvahs was in effect back then.
[94] Dn 9:24-25.
[95] Taragin 2014.
[96] Mt 14:6, Mk 6:21
[97] Lv 16:29 and Nm 29:7 both speak of humbling oneself as a requirement of the atonement. And the Hebrew term for this is an idiom understood to include fasting, prayer and introspection. See note on Lv 16:29 in the NABRE.
[98] Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 39a.
[99] Mt 4:1-2, Mk 1:12-13, & Lk 4:1-2.
[100] Mt 3:14.
[101] In Jn 1:26 John the Baptist speaks of Jesus as someone He hasn’t yet encountered. But on “the next day” (Jn 1:29-32) He speaks of seeing the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove, which is what the Synoptic Gospels report happened as His Baptism (Mt 3:16, Mk 1:10 & Lk 3:22.
[102] Ex 23:14.
[103] Lv 23:40.
[104] ibid.
[105] Zec 14:16.
[106] Is 40:3, Jn 1:23, KJV.
[107] Mk 1:4-6.
[108] Lk 1:26, 36.
[109] Lk 3:1 dates it as being in the 15th year of the Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar, which translates to 28 AD.
[110] Nm 8:24 points to 25, whereas Nm 4:3, 23). suggests that 30 is the age of ordination. But either way it would have been on John's 1 Sukkot birthday.
[111] Jn 1:26-2:1.
[112] Gn 3:6-24.
[113] Jn 2:4.
[114] Mt 17:1 places it 6 days after Peter was named the Rock upon which Christ would build His Church. And with that happening on Erev Yom Kippur (which see), 6 days later puts the Transsfig-uration on 1 Sukkot. [115] Lk 9:33.
[116] Jl 3:4.
[117] Mk 9:9-10.
[118] Jn 21:18-19.
[119] The Acts of Peter (2nd century AD), xxxvii, Tertullian (ca. 200 AD) Prescription Against Heresy, xxxvi. [120] Tacitus (116 AD) Annals xv, 44. [121] Guarducci 1968.
[122] See Espenek 2014 or Table B:23 in Appendix B.
[123] See Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot for that discus-sion.
[124] Upon this rock [declared Jesus of St. Peter] I will build my Church (Mt 16:18, NAB). And his grave has been found by archeologists in a crypt hidden deep within the foundation of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican (Zander 2023). [125] It can be assumed that the animal sacrifices of Sukkot began under Moses in 1453, and ancontinued until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. However, Neh 8:17 speaks of a roughly 835-year gap in observing the holiday (from the days of Joshua until the end of the Babylonian exile). This calculates to not more than 700 years total when the holiday was observed and 140,000 animals sacri-ficed, max.
[126] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31a.
[127] Ez 38:18-39:16.
[128] Rv 20:8.
[129] Zec 14:1-21.
[130] Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a-98b. [131] Mt 3:2.
[132] Every 7th year was to be a Sabbatical year for the land (per Lv 25:1-7) and like a Sabbath, this meant that the land should be allowed to rest with nothing sown on it for the entire year. [133] Dt 31:10-12 required it. And we see this occurring, too, at the end of the Babylonian exile when Ezra the Scribe read to the returning exiles from the Torah on the site of the destroyed Jerusalem Temple (Neh 8:1-9:1). [134] Lk 1:5-9. [135] It also calculates to 33 AD, the focal point of all of human history being a Sabbatical Year, or perhaps even more appropriately a Jubilee Year (see Lv 25:8-22). [136] Jerusalem Tal-mud, Sukkah 5:7:3.
[137] Jos 5:1-9.
[138] Lk 1:5-25, 57-66.
[139] Nm 14:10-23.
[140] Lk 1:59-64.
[141] Acts 28:30-31.
[142] Eusebius (early 4th century AD) Church History ii, 22.
[143] Tacitus (116 AD) Annals xv, 44.
[144] Jn 7:37, NABRE.
[145] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31a. But the rationale cited is hard to decipher. It is that of the dedication of the First Temple, which took place throughout the festival of Sukkot. But there is no mention of the Torah cycle in the description of that event in 1 Kgs 8:1-66. [146] Neh 8:1-10:40. [147] That is the modern scholarly opinion on how the Torah came to be in its present form.​
[148] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31b.
[149] Neh 9:1-2.
[150] Ezr 3:1-10 read in conjunction with Neh 8:1-9:1. [151] Eph 2:19-20.
[152] Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, 21b.
[153] They held to it mainly because 25 Kislev was the date the Greeks defiled the Temple (as per 1 Mc 4:54 & 2 Mc 10:5). So their desire to rededicate the repurified Temple on the same date was for the intent of wiping out all memory of the pagan holiday the Greeks had established.
[154] Jn 10:30.
[155] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31a.
[156] Zec 3:1-10.
[157] Zec 4:1-6.
[158] The actual prophecy is provided in the discussion on Tzom B' Tammuz (which see). [159]
2 Kgs 25:1-26. [160] 2 Kgs 25:1.
[161] Lk 1:26, 36.
[162] See Espenek 2014 or Table B.8 in Appendix B. [163] Lk 1:5.
[164] 1 Chr 24:7-19.
[165] Jerusalem Talmud, Taanit 4:5.
[166] Ex 15:1-21.
[167] Jgs 5:1-31.
[168] Nm 13:25.
[169] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 2a.
[170] Mt 5:6.
[171] 1 Mc 8:1.
[172] Acts 9:1-19.
[173] Mt 17:24-27.
[174] Knowing full well the harsh penalties back then for sexual infidel-ity, Mary, nevertheless, assented, without hesita- tion, to be the mother of our Lord. And it implied that she would eventually have a life-threatening run in with the religious authorities, as did the holiday of her birth (Rosh HaShanah La’Behe-mot, which see). [175] The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 15-16).
[176] Jn 6:1-15.
[177] Jn 6:16-21.
[178] Jn 6:22-71.
[179] Jn 6:53.
[180] Jn 6:70.
[181] Jn 12:6.
[182] First 2011.
[183] February 23 is another possibility given there is an uncertainty built into the calculation of 1 day. [184] This is in accord with the ancient traditions saying that St. Joseph was a widower who had been tasked to marry the young, consecrated virgin, Mary, to provide for her as would a guardian, rather than as a husband. See The Protev-angelion of James (Walker 1886, 8-9).
[185] The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 15-16).
[186] The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 8-15).
[187] 1 Sm 1:1-28.
[198] The rules are laid out in Lv 15:19-24. But it is interesting to note that God appears here to have prescribed these seemingly biased rules not out of chauvinism. And it is not because it was a patriarchal society, either (as some have claimed). It was rather to bring about a greater good by providing Jesus a stepfather. [189] Lk 1:34 in conjunction with Lv 20:10. [190] Mt 1:20. [191] This scriptural test for adultery is described in Nm 5:11-31.
[192] Jn 11:39.
[193] See Espenek 2014 or Table B19 in Appendix B.
[194] Nm 19:1-22.
[195] See Mishna, Parah for the supplemental regu-lations in effect in the late Second Temple period.
[196] Nm 19:7-8, and 21 especially.
[197] … on Rosh HaSha-nah La’Ilanot (which see).
[198] Jn 4:4-14, 7:37-38.
[199] 2 Cor 5:21.
[200] Jn 2:19:21. [201] Heb 4:14. [202] 1 Pt 2:4-8. [203] Jn 1:29.
[204] Mt 26:2, 14-16, Mk 14:1, 10.
[205] US labor leader, Peter J. McGuire.
[206] But this is not an endorsement by the Church of the texts from which this tradition hails. It is merely an acknowledgement from Scripture (Lk 1:34) that Mary appears to have been a consecrated virgin. A day to honor her consecration however it may have occurred, therefore, seems legitimized and laudable. [207] Lv 12:5. [208] The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 7).
[209] See Espenek 2014.
[1]
As an aid for those who need a tutorial on the various Jewish holidays, fasts, Special Sabbaths and commemorations that pertain to this study a compendium of those observances with a more in-depth description is provided next. After that, a selection of pertinent holidays and observances from other calendars is provided. And each description can be easily accessed by clicking on their link in the directory. At the end of the directory, a timeline (Figure C1) is also linked that plots every event associated with these observances, from the conception of St. Joseph in 63 BC to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD.
DIRECTORY
Nisan
Ta’anit Bechorot / Erev Pesach
​
Iyar
Rosh Chodesh Iyar / Shabbat Mevarchim
Sivan
​
Tammuz
Av
Elul
Tishri
​
Cheshvan
Kislev
Tevet
The Wedding Feast of Queen Esther
Shevat
Adar
​
Holidays from other Calendars and a Summarizing Graphic​
​​
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Rosh Chodesh Nisan
​
Commonly known as: Jewish Liturgical New Year
Observance Type: One of 4 New Year celebrations on the Hebrew calendar
Date: 1 Nisan
Scriptural References: Exodus 12:2.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: Rosh Chodesh Nisan is the date from which liturgical and regnal years (and also months) are counted. Historically it was also the date reserved for the dedication of sacred structures. The Tent of Meeting was dedicated on this date, [2] as was the Second Temple, presumedly, given that its dedication is known from Scripture to have taken place sometime after its construction was completed in 3 Adar, but before 15 Nisan (Passover). [3] In Scripture the dedication ceremony for the First Temple and the rededication ceremony for the Second Temple lasted 7 or 8 days. [4] It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that the initial dedication ceremony for the Second Temple was of similar length.
​​
Christian Relevance: Occurring on April 1, 26 BC it is the last day of St. Joseph’s presumed 8-day spiritual commissioning as the living embodiment of the Second Temple. This is derived from Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy, [5] the commissioning being 70 weeks of years from when the Second Temple was originally dedicated (and seemingly to the exact day). And the start of the 8-day commissioning is also determined mathematically, given that it is exactly 2/3rds of the way from St. Joseph’s birth until his marriage.
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Shabbat HaGadol
​​
Commonly known as: The Great Sabbath
Observance Type: Special Sabbath / Commemoration
Date: The last Sabbath before Passover
Scriptural References: Exodus 12:3-5.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: At the time of the exodus, the miracle that won the Israelites their freedom from Egypt involved the sacrifice of a lamb on the 15th day of the month of Nisan. This is the story of Passover (which see). But God instructed that the lamb be procured by each Israelite household on the 10th day of the month (not the 15th). And the reason for the delay is presumedly to allow each family to bond with the lamb, so that its loss 5 days later will be a greater sacrifice. [6] It is traditionally understood, however, that at the time of the exodus, 10 Nisan was a Sabbath. (And this study’s insistence that the exodus occurred in 1453 BC does confirm that it would have been a Sabbath that year). [7]
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But with it being a Sabbath, there was an obvious conflict with the Sabbath work restrictions, which may be the very reason this occasion became so memorable as a Sabbath. Another reason is said to be because the object they were to procure that day, the lamb, was worshipped as a deity in Egypt. So when their Egyptian overseers noticed the Israelites working on the Sabbath, both reasons would have seemingly aroused suspicions. For one, they should have known full well that the Hebrew religion did not allow it. And for another, to see them violating their own laws for the purpose of making a sacrifice of one of their gods should have been doubly alarming. So a divine intervention of some sort is thought to have occurred to keep them at bay.
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These are the basics of the story told today, anyway, of how Shabbat HaGadol came to be. [8] And this is what has been passed down as the reason this commemoration is observed on the day of the week it happened rather than on the calendar date it was originally prescribed. They do so to commemorate what is believed to be a Sabbath miracle. And it does seem reasonable that something of an incredible nature did happen on this day to cause this scheduling difference, because there is no other observance on the Hebrew calendar that does this.
​​​
As to the requirement of procuring the lamb on 10 Nisan, the Torah does not say that it needed to always be on the 10th. This is understood to have been a one-time requirement. So in Second Temple times there does not appear to have been any set date for procuring the lamb. Nevertheless, there was an understanding that it needed to be procured by a sufficient number of days before Passover, to ensure the lamb was without blemish. [9] With regard to the sacrifice itself, besides being without blemish it needed to be a yearling male from either the sheep or the goats and it could not have any broken bones. And the lamb (or kid), once selected, would be marked with a dab of red paint. [10]
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The origin of the Sabbath’s name is unknown. But some have speculated that it has to do with the "great" sermons associated with the day, as it became the custom on Shabbat HaGadol to prepare the people for all that was required of them to observe the Passover properly. And those sermons could be quite long. But its name is also often theorized to stem from the Old Testament prophecies that speak of the great and terrible day of the LORD. Specifically, these prophecies are found in two books, that of Joel and Malachi.
​​​
The sun will darken,
the moon turn blood-red,
Before the day of the LORD arrives,
that great and terrible day (Joel 3:4, NABRE).
​​
Now I am sending to you
Elijah the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day (Malachi 3:23, NABRE).
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Both being Messianic prophecies, it explains their connection to Passover, as tradition has long held that the Messiah would arrive in the spring. [11] And with the miraculous events of the night of the Passover (which saw the firstborn males of Egypt being slain while the firstborn of Israel were spared) we have another incident of both great and terrible proportions. So it makes sense that Jewish tradition might arrive at the idea that the Passover would also see the coming of the Messiah. And as it turns out, they were right. Christ’s redemptive death on the Cross was a great and terrible day.
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The haftarah read for this Sabbath is today exclusively from Malachi. [12] But given how beautifully Joel’s prophecy of the great and terrible day was fulfilled on Passover in 33 AD, and St. Peter’s reference to it at Pentecost 50 days later, [13] it seems reasonable that it, too, was part of the standard liturgy for Shabbat HaGadol in Judea at the time of Christ.
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Christian Relevance: Jesus, according to John’s Gospel, [14] was anointed on this day at the home of Lazarus and his sisters in Bethany. And, in this way, He was marked for His later sacrifice as the Lamb of God. But it would also partially fulfill the 70 weeks prophecy from Daniel 9, with Jesus becoming the anointed one of that prophecy 70 weeks of years after the Decree of Artaxerxes in 458 BC. It is not at all unusual, therefore, that the 2/3rd Rule would place this event at the start of the 1st Period of the 6th Level of Creation making it the logical beginning of Holy Week.
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Yom Ha’Aliyah
​​​
Commonly known as: Aliyah (Holy Land Repatriation) Day
Observance Type: Feast Day / Commemoration
Date: 10 Nisan
Scriptural References: Joshua 4:19.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: Aliyah Day is the anniversary of the Israelites crossing the miraculously parted Jordan River into the Promised Land after their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness.
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Christian Relevance: Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem occurred on this Hebrew calendar date in 33 AD. On the Julian calendar it took place on March 29th. And it is today celebrated on the Christian liturgical calendar as Palm Sunday.
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All four Gospels also speak of Jesus cleansing the Temple of its moneychangers in the days leading up to the Passover. [15] But they are not in agreement on the actual day, or even the year. The Synoptic Gospels, for instance, place it during Holy Week with Matthew and Luke in accord that it happened on Palm Sunday. Mark, however, has it occurring on the day after that, whereas John’s Gospel does not give the exact day but does insist it happened at the very start of Christ’s ministry.
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John’s Gospel’s position seems to be supported, as well, by its tying the event to the Temple’s renovations under Herod, which it says began 46 years earlier. And since 30 AD is closer to the correct timing of the renovation, as reported by Josephus, [16] this is the year chosen to depict the event on Figure C1. As to the day, 10 Nisan seems to be the majority opinion of the four Gospels, so that was the day chosen. But it needs to be stressed that the year and the day are both arbitrary assignments. Based solely on the evidence given in the Gospels there are several equally plausible days it could have happened.
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Yud Gimmel Nisan
​​​
Commonly known as: The Thirteenth of Nisan
Observance Type: Three separate anniversaries (none of which observed as holidays)
Date: 13 Nisan
Scriptural References: Joshua 5:2-9, Esther 3:12-13.
Origin: 19th, 15th and 5th century BC.
Description: This is traditionally believed to be the date Abraham received from God the Rite of Circumcision. But this is not reliably corroborated, as Scripture gives us only the year in Abraham’s life that this happened. Scripture does, however, show that 13 Nisan is in accord with the timing of the Second Circumcision of Israel. It does this by telling us it took place sometime after the Israelite’s 10 Nisan entry into the Promised Land but before they partook of the 15 Nisan Passover Seder. Its purpose was to prepare the Israelites for their new home and remove from them what Scripture called the Reproach of Egypt. [17] It is also the date (from the Book of Esther) that the villainous Haman hatched his plot with King Ahasuerus of Persia to kill all the Jews in the empire.
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Christian Relevance: As it relates to the two circumcision anniversaries, it coincides with Christ’s body being anointed on Holy Wednesday (April 1, 33 AD) in preparation for His burial. It is by this anointing, however, that Christendom seems to have been given the Sacrament of Last Rites. Their oils remove from our hearts the Reproach of this world prior to our entry into the Promised Land. But in a manner similar to what Christ did in giving us the Sacrament of Baptism on Yom Kippur (which see) this appears to be the day that our Reproach was taken from those oils and placed on Christ's shoulders that He might carry them to the Cross. [18]
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With regard to Haman, this day's alternate name, Spy Wednesday, also appropriately coincides to this anointing, given that it was the impetus for Judas deserting Christ to make his deal with the Sanhedrin. Judas from this point forward until his betrayal on Thursday night, is, therefore, best described as an enemy spy. And his change in allegiance this day is commemorated by the Pagan holiday, Veneralia (which see), which honors the Roman Goddess Venus Verticordia (the changer of hearts) and her consort Virilis Fortuna (the fortunes of men). But given Judas’s grisly fate after he betrayed Jesus, it being April Fool’s Day applies as well.
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Ta’anit Bechorot / Erev Pesach
​​​
Commonly known as: The Fast of the Firstborn / the Eve of Passover
Observance Type: A minor Fast
Date: 14 Nisan
Scriptural References: Exodus 12:6.
Origin: The rituals associated with Erev Pesach are described in the Torah, whereas the custom of fasting is known to have existed only as early as the 8th century AD. But it, too, may have stretched back into biblical times.
Description: In the period of Temple sacrifice, and earlier, the afternoon of the 14th was when the lambs were slaughtered for the upcoming Seder meals. And it may have also been customary in those days for all firstborn males to fast the entire day to acknowledge their debt to God for having been passed over by the Angel of Death at the time of the Exodus.
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Christian Relevance: According to John’s Gospel, Jesus was crucified on Passover preparation day. [19] So by that understanding the Temple priests would have been slaughtering the Paschal lambs on the same Friday afternoon that Jesus, Himself, was killed. The Synoptic Gospels, however, describe Jesus and the Apostles observing the holiday a day earlier. [20] making Erev Pesach, from their perspective, a Thursday. So there is a bit of a mystery here. And one common resolution (adopted also by this book) is that Jesus and his Apostles were on a different time schedule from that of the Temple. But regardless of whether it occurred on Thursday or Friday of Holy Week, Erev Pesach does play an important role in the Passion Narrative.
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As to the fast, although there is no mention of it in the Gospels, if the custom of fasting did exist in 33 AD, Christ would have likely observed it.
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Pesach
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Commonly known as: The Passover, aka the Feast of Unleavened Bread
Observance Type: A major 7-day Festival
Date: 15–21 Nisan
Scriptural References: Exodus 11:1-13:20.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: Pesach is one of the three harvest festivals that called people to pilgrimage in biblical times (the other two being Shavuot and Sukkot). [21] And during the First and the Second Temple periods, that pilgrimage was to Jerusalem. Its agricultural focus is the barley harvest, which ripened around this time. And the first fruits of that harvest were to be offered up at the Temple so that the entire harvest would be blessed and the land would continue to yield.
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But this spring holiday also more famously commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs. And it spans 7 days to commemorate their flight, which began with the miracle that persuaded the Egyptian pharaoh to release them from bondage, and ended upon their eventual arrival at the shores of the Red Sea. This is where they awaited another great miracle, the Splitting of the Sea. [22] There is no indication, from Scripture, when exactly the sea was split, but it is commonly accepted to have taken place on either the 21st or the 22nd of Nisan. It is, nevertheless, commonly observed on the 7th day of Passover (21 Nisan) as Kriyas Yam Suf (which see).
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Its name, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, comes from what is to be eaten on every day of the holiday. And it serves as a reminder that, when the Israelites took flight out of Egypt, it was so hurried their bread did not have time to rise. But the holiday’s alternate and more famous name, the Passover, pertains to the first day of the holiday, which saw the great and terrible miracle that ultimately bought their freedom.
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It was the tenth of 10 plagues God afflicted on Egypt, through Moses, to convince the Egyptian Pharaoh to let His people go. This plague, the Death of the Firstborn, saw the Angel of Death descending on Egypt at midnight on 15 Nisan to slay every firstborn male of man and beast of the land whose household did not bear God’s seal. And those Israelite households that were sealed by God, were preserved from harm or rather “passed over” by the Angel of Death (hence the name).
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To be sealed, however, an Israelite family had to perform certain rituals precisely as Moses laid out for them two to three weeks earlier. (See Shabbat HaChodesh). They would first have to procure a yearling sheep or goat, without blemish, to be sacrificed at dusk on the 15th. Its blood would then be brushed onto their lintels and doorposts as an outward sign of their compliance. And the lamb itself would be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. There were a few other things they needed to do, too. But this covers the basic requirements. And failure to do any one of them risked not being sealed.
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As to the holiday, in the Second Temple period the first day was observed almost exactly as prescribed in the Torah. The one big exception is that the lambs would be slaughtered by the Temple priests at the Jerusalem Temple rather than in the home. And it took most of the afternoon to do it. After that, though, the lamb was roasted and eaten as prescribed in each household’s traditional evening Seder meal, which consisted of the lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread and wine.
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In more modern times it’s become traditional for the head of the household to lead the others at table in telling the story of the Passover. And a place for the prophet Elijah might also be commonly set, should he show up to fulfill the prophecy of Malachi. (See Shabbat HaGadol for more on that). How far back in time these traditions go is unknown.
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But of those modern customs that definitely do go back to the beginning, leavening plays a big part, in that the unleavened bread is eaten not just on the first night, but on each subsequent day of the holiday. And, per Moses, care was also taken throughout the week leading up to the festival to ensure that there was nothing of a certain type of leavening called chametz anywhere in the household. [23] Anything found containing it would have to be used up, given away or discarded.
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So every day of the holiday, and the first day especially, have relevance to the exodus. But Moses prescribed rituals for the day following 15 Nisan, too. And these rituals are associated with the holiday’s dual nature as a harvest festival. [24]
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Relating them to the Second Temple period, on 16 Nisan a sheaf of barley was to be elevated at the Temple to consecrate the first fruits of the barley harvest, which matured right around the time of Passover. An unblemished yearling lamb was also sacrificed on this day together with an offering of grain flour and wine. And from this day forward the days were to be counted leading up to Shavuot (aka Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks). Forty-nine days (or 7 weeks) were to transpire before the first fruits of the wheat harvest could be offered. And this ritual counting became known known as Counting the Omer.
Christian Relevance: The holiday of Passover has many connections to Christ in New Testament times. Scripture tells us it was the custom of the Holy Family to observe the Passover in Jerusalem every year (as it would have been for every devout Jewish family in those days). [25] With Jesus being born on 24 Nisan, it can be assumed, therefore, that they would have been observing the Passover in Jerusalem just prior to travelling to Bethlehem for the census. This may partially explain why the Blessed Virgin had to give birth in a stable. Their devotion to the Law forced her and St. Joseph to stay in Jerusalem longer than would have been advisable if they wanted to beat the rush and acquire suitable lodging.
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The first mention in Scripture, however, of their observing the Passover in Jerusalem is when Jesus was 12. [26] And in that observance Jesus would later be found in the Temple 3 days after the holiday ended. So with Jesus being born on 24 Nisan, this would have been His 13th birthday, His Bar Mitzvah birthday, the day Jewish boys are understood to have arrived at spiritual adulthood and are allowed for the first time to comment publicly on the Torah. It is no wonder, then, that Jesus would be confused as to why His earthly parents wouldn’t know where to look for Him. Where else should He have been but the Temple on this auspicious day?
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During Christ’s ministerial years there are three separate Passovers mentioned in John’s Gospel. And this is the primary reason Christ’s ministry has traditionally been understood to have spanned 3 years. As to the first, John reports that it is during this Passover that Jesus angrily drove the money changers out of the Temple. [27] And it makes sense that it would be this Passover given how angry Christ was about it. The other Gospels report that this happened, however, on the third Passover and on or around Yom Ha'Aliyah (which see). As to the second Passover of Christ’s ministry, it is mentioned in John’s Gospel only in passing. [28] And there is no further mention of anything happening during the holiday in that intermediate year.
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So that takes us to the third Passover from John’s Gospel, the one that takes place near the end of Holy Week. This is the Passover that gets all the attention. And deservedly so, because it is the focus of all four Gospels and, as this book has consistently shown, it is the focal point of all of creation.
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The Last Supper on the night of April 2, 33 AD, is the first direct connection to this Passover. The Synoptic Gospels conjoin it to the traditional Passover Seder meal. And that also associates all the events of Christ’s Passion up to and including His death and burial to the 1st day of Passover. John’s Gospel, however, places Christ’s death on 14 Nisan, connecting it to the slaughter of the Paschal lambs on the afternoon of Erev Pesach. And many theories have been proposed to explain this discrepancy. But maybe the most likely position, for those who insist that the Gospel narratives are inerrant, is that the Temple priests (for some unknown reason) were off by one day on when the holiday actually started.
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This is the position held by this book anyway. And it also effects the date of the Resurrection. It places it on either the 2nd or 3rd day of Passover, depending on which perspective (that of the Apostles or the Temple priests) is being referenced. And there are merits to both positions. From the point of view of the Temple and the Apostles, then, Christ’s death on the 1st day of Passover is a total fulfillment of that holiday. He is our Paschal Lamb slain for the sins of the world that we might be freed from their bondage. And when we partake of that Lamb in the Sacrament of Communion, we become one with God and His sacrifice. Or as Christ put it, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. [29] In other words, the Eucharist was given us to save us from the angel of death.
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So from this it becomes apparent that Christ’s death on Passover needs to be seen from both perspectives, just as the Gospels have declared. But it is only from the Temple’s perspective that the Resurrection can be seen as a holiday fulfillment. It ties that event to the rituals peculiar to the 2nd Day of Passover. This is the day the first fruits of the year were to be offered at the Temple. And, as Scripture has noted, the risen Christ is the first fruits of humanity, the firstborn from the dead. [30]
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Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach
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Commonly known as: A Sabbath that occurs during the “mundane” days of Passover
Observance Type: An auspicious holiday Sabbath
Date: Any Sabbath occurring during the holiday of Passover other than on the first or last day
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach is a Sabbath much like any other, but distinguished by special readings and prayers to reflect the festival it is positioned in. Some communities today, for instance, traditionally read from the Song of Songs. [31] But that is a supplemental, as in all Jewish communities the main reading is from Ezekiel. [32] And, given its citation in the Talmud, [33] that tradition seemingly dates back to the Second Temple period.
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Christian Relevance: The Gospels tell us Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and rose on a Sunday morning, making the bulk of the time He was in the tomb a Sabbath. And from the perspective of the Synoptic Gospels that would make it Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach. So that Sabbath’s traditional recitation of the Song of Songs (a dialogue between God and man) would have been most appropriate given the unique nature of that biblical book.
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It was written in the style of a love poem from a lover to his beloved and has always been understood to be an expression of the great love God has for His people (and vice versa). But it takes on even greater relevance on Holy Saturday, for how could we see a better example of that love than in what Christ did for us the day before at Calvary, His love for His Bride (the Church) being so great that He laid down His life for her.
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But this fulfillment of Scripture pales to what is seen in the traditional reading from Ezekiel. In it he reports on a vision he was graced with, a vision of another resurrection from the dead.
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The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the broad valley. It was filled with bones.
He made me walk among them in every direction.
So many lay on the surface of the valley! How dry they were!
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He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come back to life?
“Lord GOD,” I answered, “you alone know that.”
Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones,
and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
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Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Listen!
I will make breath enter you so you may come to life.
I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put breath into you so you may come to life.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
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I prophesied as I had been commanded.
A sound started up, as I was prophesying, rattling like thunder.
The bones came together, bone joining to bone.
As I watched, sinews appeared on them, flesh grew over them,
skin covered them on top, but there was no breath in them.
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Then he said to me: Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man!
Say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O breath,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath entered them;
they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.
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He said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel!
They are saying, “Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: Look!
I am going to open your graves; I will make you come up out of your graves, my people, and bring you back to the land of Israel.
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You shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and make you come up out of them, my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may come to life, and I will settle you in your land.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have spoken; I will do it (Ezekiel 37:1-14, NABRE).
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Could there have been a better Old Testament Scripture recited on the day preceding Christ’s Easter Sunday Resurrection? And the Scripture notes that it wasn’t merely Christ who rose from the tomb that day. It was His entire mission, His Church, that was brought back to life.
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Kriyas Yam Suf
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Commonly known as: The Splitting of the Sea
Observance Type: A Commemoration
Date: 21-22 Nisan
Scriptural References: Exodus 14:21.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: Kriyas Yam Suf is a commemoration of God parting the Red Sea to provide safe passage for the Israelites, allowing them to escape the Egyptians who were in hot pursuit. The splitting according to the Bible, took place at dusk and continued throughout the night to allow a wind to dry up the seabed to accommodate travel. It is not clear, however, from Scripture, the exact day this happened. But it is traditionally assumed to have taken place at the end of the Passover festival. This would put its start at the end of the day on either 21, or 22, Nisan.
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Christian Relevance: In accord with the findings in this book, Mary’s labor would have presumedly begun on 22 Nisan in 8 BC. That would suggest that her water broke on the anniversary of the Red Sea partition. And, in keeping with the Integral Age Rule, it further suggests that it occurred at 3 PM on April 3rd, with Jesus being born 40 hours later at 7 AM, April 5, 8 BC. This would make both events a foreshadowing for Christ’s 40-hour dormition, which also began at 3 PM. The splitting of the veil, from top to bottom, in the inner sanctum of the Jerusalem Temple when Jesus died, [34] was, therefore, also foreshadowed by the events of the exodus and of Jesus’s birth.
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Hatzi’at Yam Suf
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Commonly known as: The Crossing of the Sea
Observance Type: An Anniversary (commonly observed concurrently with Kriyas Yam Suf)
Date: Traditionally: 22 Nisan, Proposed true date: 22-24 Nisan
Scriptural References: Exodus 14:22-31.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: The biblical narrative on the crossing of the Red Sea suggests it happened over a period of 1-day, from dawn on the 22nd of Nisan until just after dawn on the 23rd. However, it is not conclusive that this was a 1-day affair. And tradition coupled with an intriguing verse from Deuteronomy suggests it occurred over 2 days’ time. In that verse we see Moses speaking to the Israelites with regard to the crossing, and telling them …
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Remember that you too were once slaves in the land of Egypt,
and the LORD, your God, brought you out from there with a strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the LORD, your God, has commanded you to observe the sabbath day
(Deuteronomy 5:15, NABRE).
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And the suggestion here is that the Crossing is somehow associated with the Sabbath, that it either began or ended on a Sabbath, as those are the only two times Moses stretched out his arm to liberate the Israelites from Egypt. He did so to part the Red Sea and he did it again to close it back up. [35] Recalling also that the 10th day of Nisan at the time of the Exodus is traditionally understood to have been a Sabbath (See Shabbat HaGadol) it follows that the crossing ended around dawn on the 24th. And the astronomical record for the year being proposed for the Exodus (1453 BC) does confirm that both 10 and 24 Nisan that year would have been Sabbaths. [36]
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Christian Relevance: Christ’s proposed birthday at 7:00 AM on April 5, 8 BC would have coincided with 24 Nisan and presumedly in accord with the last Israelite (Joshua perhaps) stepping out of the parted Red Sea and into the wilderness. A good case could also be made that the Special Sabbath, Shabbat Shirah (which see) should be observed on the first Sabbath following Passover, as 24 Nisan in 1453 BC does appear to have been the day the events associated with that observance occurred, as well.
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Yom HaShoah
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Commonly known as: Holocaust Remembrance Day
Observance Type: A modern Commemoration
Date: 27 Nisan
Scriptural References: none
Origin: 1951
Description: After WWII and the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, there was a huge outcry for a date to commemorate the millions that perished in the Nazi extermination camps. And, in searching for a date, 10 Tevet was originally chosen since it was already a day of fasting. So, starting in 1949, that is the day it was first observed.
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But Israel’s governing body (the Knesset) later felt it would be more appropriate to give it its own day and attach it to something that actually happened during the Shoah. And so they eventually decided on the Warsaw ghetto uprising, which was an act of Jewish resistance against the Nazis that began on 14 Nisan in 1943 and lasted for 29 days. But 14 Nisan is also Erev Pessach. And they, understandably, did not want the somber tone of the new observance to interfere and darken the holiday of Passover. So they pushed the date forward to 6 days after Passover. And that’s where it’s been since 1951.
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Christian Relevance: Christ’s proposed 24 Nisan birthday, being sandwiched exactly between the last day of Passover (on 21 Nisan) and the Yom HaShoah observance (on 27 Nisan) is suggestive of a common thread linking the 3 dates. And one possibility for that common thread is, that they are all associated with holocausts. The Passover pertains to an ancient holocaust, the death of the firstborn, while Yom HaShoah pays homage to a modern holocaust. And Christ’s birth belongs here, too, having incited Herod’s infamous slaughter of the innocents. [37]
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But that really was just the start of all the death’s Christ’s presence among us has inspired. And that (combined with the fact that there is no Jewish holiday associated with Christ’s birth) is indicative of there being a need for the establishment of a new holiday, one that acknowledges all of these deaths. Christ’s birth should be a day of joy. But by our unwitting complicity with Satan’s hatred of all that He has done in our world, we’ve turned it into a day of horror, a day marked by the martyrdoms of millions. And the most innocent among us, the ones most like Christ are the ones most hated, the ones most vulnerable to being annihilated.
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This is the message being sent to us by the placement of Christ’s birth between these two holocaust observances. It is a call to establish a third holocaust memorial and to observe it with reverence and fasting until the blight of legalized abortion is eliminated, not just from the country but, from the planet. For how can we properly celebrate Christ’s birth when so many are losing their lives every year, every day, every hour, because of Satan’s unquenchable hatred for those among us most like Him?
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Rosh Chodesh Iyar / Shabbat Mevarchim
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Commonly known as: The first day of the second month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Iyar
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: A minor observance to celebrate the first day of the second liturgical month. Being the 8th day after their arrival into the wilderness after crossing the Red Sea, it would be also the day the practical ban on circumcision would have gone into effect for the Israelites.
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Christian Relevance: Christ was circumcised on this day. And He may have also celebrated His coming of age on this date by reading from the Torah in His synagogue at Nazareth after returning there from celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem. This would have been the first Sabbath after His 13th birthday (His Bar Mitzvah birthday). His actual 13th birthday would have been on a Sunday and it would have been the same day of the story mentioned in Luke’s Gospel of His being found by his parents confounding the elders in the Jerusalem Temple. [38]
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The significance of both His circumcision and His Bar Mitzvah ceremonies occurring on the same day is seen in the Sacraments they foreshadow. It shows, in accord with Catholic teaching, that the Sacrament of Confirmation is tied to the Sacrament of Baptism. It completes it. [39]
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There is significance, as well, in each of these holiday connections occurring on a Sabath. The issue is that there are only 3 other Rashey Chadashim that find connections to Christendom. They are Rosh Chodesh Nisan, Rosh Chodesh Elul and Rosh Chodesh Tishri (more commonly known as, Rosh HaShanah). But in each case these observances are also holidays in their own right (which see). So it is a little problematic that Rosh Chodesh has even one such connection, let alone two, because it creates more questions than it resolves.
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It insists that all the others should have connections. And the fact that they don’t can be seen as a flaw in the theory. This minor Rosh Chodesh celebration being a Sabbath, however, changes things. It makes this Rosh Chodesh Iyar a Shabbat Mevarchim. And as such it is elevated above the more mundane in that category and awards it the status of a Special Sabbath.
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Yom Ha’Atzmaut
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Commonly known as: Israel Independence Day
Observance Type: A modern Commemoration / Anniversary
Date: 5 Iyar (by the modern Hebrew calendar)
Scriptural References: none
Origin: May 14, 1948
Description: A commemoration of the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948.
Christian Relevance: There is no known Christian relevance to the holiday but there does seem to be a connection to Pentecost when dating it in accord with the ancient Hebrew calendar. And the math shows that it would have been precisely 1,915 Hebrew calendar years from the first celebration of Pentecost in Christendom (in 33 AD).
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That by itself means virtually nothing until it is realized that another span of 1,915 years tacked on to that takes you to the year of Abraham’s call (in 1883 BC) to be the father of the Chosen People. And that is arguably the most important year in the history of the Chosen People, for that is the year they were chosen. The significance of there being two identical spans of years separating these three watershed dates in Jewish history is left for the reader to decide. But it does seem reasonable to wonder whether Abraham’s call might have also been on Pentecost, as there is a lot in the theme of the holiday to recommend it, too. [40]
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Yom Yerushalayim
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Commonly known as: Jerusalem Day (or less commonly - Jerusalem Reunification Day)
Observance Type: A modern Commemoration / Anniversary
Date: 28 Iyar (by the modern Hebrew calendar)
Scriptural References: none
Origin: 1967
Description: At the time of the formation of the modern state of Israel in 1948, Jerusalem was set up by the UN to be a divided city with the Israelis being in control of only one section of it. And this is how it remained for 19 years until what came to be known as the Six Days War. In the midst of that war, on June 7, Israeli forces captured the entire city and it has remained an undivided city ever since, with the annual celebration for that victory set to the Hebrew calendar date it occurred.
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Christian Relevance: With Christ ascending into heaven 40 days after His Resurrection (plus or minus one-day) this is one of three possible dates it might have happened. But given that both events celebrate reunification there is a lot to recommend this connection over the other two possibilities.
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Rosh Chodesh Sivan
Commonly known as: The first day of the third month
Observance Type: One of 12 (possibly 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Sivan
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: A minor observance to celebrate the first day of the third liturgical month. But it is also noteworthy for being the day Moses and the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai. [41] As such this day, and those that follow, have become a time of prayer and reflection in anticipation for the anniversary of the Great Theophany commemorated by the holiday of Shavuot (which see).
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Christian Relevance: Like all the other “mundane” Rashey Chadashim, this one has no known relevance to an event in Christendom. But it does occur right after the Ascension in 33 AD. So there may have been a similar sense of anticipation with the Apostles (as there was with the Israelites at Sinai) for what was about to occur on Pentecost.
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Shavuot
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Commonly known as: The Feast of Weeks (aka Pentecost or the Feast of First Fruits)
Observance Type: A major Festival
Date: 6 Sivan (by the modern Hebrew calendar); 5, 6 or 7 Sivan (by the original Hebrew calendar)
Scriptural References: Leviticus 23:15-21.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: Shavuot is one of the three harvest festivals that called people to pilgrimage in biblical times (the other two being Pesach and Sukkot). [42] And during the First and the Second Temple periods, that pilgrimage was to Jerusalem. Its agricultural focus is the wheat harvest, which ripened around this time. And the first fruits of that harvest (in the form of two loaves of bread made from wheat) were to be offered up to God at the Temple so that the entire harvest would be blessed and the land would continue to yield. But this offering was to also include the sacrifice of seven unblemished yearling lambs, two rams, a bull and wine as a libation.
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Being a first fruits grain harvest festival, it has a natural affinity to the festival of Pesach. And although they are separated by more than a month Shavuot is also commonly seen as the closing convocation for the Passover celebration (just as Shmini Atzeret is seen as the closing convocation for Sukkot). As to its date, at the time of Christ it was always 50 days after the first day of Passover. And this is where it got the name, Pentecost (a derivation of the Greek word for “fiftieth”). The counting, however, was to begin (according to Scripture) [43] from the 2nd day of Passover. And from there it is 49 days, or 7 weeks later. This is apparently how it came to also be called the Feast of Weeks.
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But, like the other two harvest festivals, Shavuot also does double duty as a commemoration of events from the time of the exodus. And in that regard, it is the anniversary of what theologians call the Great Theophany. Having brought the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness after several weeks travel they eventually encamped near the foot of Mt. Sinai. This is where God first talked to Moses from the burning bush. And Shavuot is the day God decided to make His presence known to all the Israelites so as to impress on them the need to avoid sin. [44]
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But God’s presence (even though it was shrouded in a cloud) was so thunderous and traumatizing the people feared for their lives and begged Moses to, from that point on, be their liaison with God. They did, nevertheless, receive the Law that day. And it has been their guide to righteous living ever since.
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Christian Relevance: There are three connections to this holiday in Christendom but only one is well-known given that it is also clearly mentioned in Scripture. And it is the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday, which, by this book’s reckoning, would have been on May 24 in 33 AD. As it relates to Pentecost, this is the day the Israelites were given God’s Law to be their guide. Whereas Christ’s Church received another guide this day, a higher one, the Paraclete, to lead it into all truth.
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So that covers one of the themes common to this holiday. But Shavuot, being a multifaceted festival, it is not unreasonable to expect that those other themes might find fulfillment, as well. And this is what is seen, with each of the three connections found to Shavuot, focusing on a separate theme.
Looking next, then, at the connection found during Jesus's infancy, with the Nativity being 10 days after the first day of Passover, and His presentation occurring 40 days after that, [45] it totals 50 days and would have remarkedly placed it right on Pentecost in 8 BC. And in this instance it is a very appropriate connection to the holiday’s harvest theme. It tells us that the infant Jesus would have been offered up to the Father on the same day the Priests in the Temple were offering up bread and wine. But Scripture tells us Mary also made an offering that day. It was her ritual sin offering required of every woman who has given birth. And from this scene we are seeing something remarkable. It is our first New Testament glimpse of the Catholic Mass.
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A third connection to this holiday takes us into the 20th century and the reestablishment of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948. On the modern Hebrew calendar this took place on 5 Iyar and is celebrated on that day every year as Yom Ha’Atzmaut (which see). But when dating it in accord with the original Hebrew calendar that historic event fell on Pentecost that year. And that, in itself, is intriguing. But it does not explain how the holiday fits in with the event until you look at the math.
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To begin with, it is exactly 1,915 years on the Hebrew calendar between this Pentecost and the first Christian Pentecost in 33 AD. And when you look earlier you find that the span from 33 AD backward to the year the 2/3rds Rule calculates Abraham was called and the chosen people were, thus, chosen (1883 BC), is also 1,915 years. (This suggests that Abraham’s call took place on Pentecost, too. But that is beside the point.)
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What is important here is that there are two spans of 1,915 years defined by three watershed moments in the history of the chosen people. And it is not the first time God seems to have done this with them. Figure 8.2 in chapter 8, shows two other times where the lives of the chosen people have been differentiated by two equal spans of time. The first time took them from the call of Abraham to their migration to Egypt and from there to their miraculous exodus from enslavement in Egypt via two spans of 215 years. And the second time took them from their entry into the Promised Land to their pinnacle of greatness under King Solomon to their miraculous return from the Babylonian exile via two spans of 437 years.
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So the one thing they all have in common pertinent to this discussion is these three important times in Jewish history all culminated in an undeniable miracle. In other words, the establishment of the modern state of Israel was brought about by divine providence, nothing less. And that it happened on Pentecost connects it to the Great Theophany. God did it to make His presence once again known in the world. And there are quite a few skeptics who have already taken notice. It was an unprecedented event in human history.
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Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
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Commonly known as: The first day of the fourth month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Tammuz
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: A minor observance to celebrate the first day of the fourth liturgical month.
Christian Relevance: Like all the other “mundane” Rashey Chadashim, this one has no known relevance to an event in Christendom.
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Tzom B’Tammuz
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Commonly known as: The Fast of the Fourth Month
Observance Type: One of the 4 fast days of Zechariah
Date: 17 Tammuz (since 70 AD), 9 Tammuz (from 586 BC – 70 AD), 15 Tammuz? (before that)
Scriptural References: Zechariah 8:19.
Origin: 1st century AD, with traditional links to the 5th century BC and its origin dating possibly as far back as 15th century BC
Description: The prophet Zechariah spoke of 4 fast days that will be turned to joy with the coming of the Messiah. Or as he put it …
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The fast days of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months
will become occasions of joy and gladness, cheerful festivals for the house of Judah:
only love faithfulness and peace! (Zechariah 8:19, NAB)
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And Tzom B’Tammuz is the first of those four fast days mentioned. He did not, however, mention on which date in Tammuz the fast fell. So we look to Jewish tradition for that. But there is some conflict in that area, too, for it was once held that it commemorates the fall of Jerusalem in the Babylonian siege of the city in 586 BC. And with Scripture stating that the city walls were breached on 9 Tammuz, [46] that is date they came to observe the fast. But in 70 AD the city walls were breached again in the month of Tammuz. And this time it was at the hands of the Romans. It happened this second time, however, not on the 9th but, the 17th of Tammuz. So that became the day the fast has been observed ever since.
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And, in support of this dating change, the Mishna lists four other calamities that befell the Jewish people on this date. [47] But only one of those four is also mentioned in Scripture and it predates all of them taking the fast all the way back to the time of the exodus. It is the day the ancient traditions claimed that Moses broke the tablets of the Law on seeing for the first time the Golden Calf. And Scripture does appear to be favorable to this date assignment.
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It tells us that Moses ascended Mt. Sinai on 6 Sivan (Shavuot) and was up there for 40 days conversing with God while the Decalogue was being forged onto the tablets. [48] In the meantime, it also tells us the Israelites were getting restless in Moses’s absence. And so they talked his brother Aaron into creating for them a holiday so they could express their devotion to God for delivering them from the Egyptians. Aaron complied and all would have been well except that the Israelites no longer knew how to properly celebrate. Living among pagans for so many years, all they knew was idolatry. So they had a golden calf fashioned for the occasion and turned what might have been a day of pious worship into a pagan bacchanal.
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As to the actual date Moses would have witnessed their sin, Hebrew months are either 29 or 30 days long. So 40 days after 6 Sivan may well have landed on 17 Tammuz. There is a roughly 50% chance of this being true (if the Bible on this matter can be trusted). But it also conjures up an even bigger question. Why would Moses’s angry reaction to the sin be so important? Wouldn’t the sin itself be the real tragedy?
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The Bible answers that question for us. It is the sin, of course. [49] And the date for that is rather easy to calculate as well. The ancient Hebrew calendar being lunisolar, the 15th of each month always lands on the full moon. And that made it the most common and popular date for creating a holiday. The full moon made it very inviting to continue the holiday into the night and the 16th of the month which began at dusk. We can, therefore, presume with a high degree of confidence that the holiday Aaron created was on 15 Tammuz. And this is backed up by the calculation just performed that shows Moses witnessing the celebration on either 16 or 17 Tammuz. It further suggests that by the time Moses got to it, this was a celebration that had been going on for at least one day and possibly two.
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To summarize then, the ancient traditions are in agreement that there be a fast associated with the month of Tammuz. But the date being proposed for that fast has changed over the centuries. And the earliest reason cited for the fast, the golden calf incident, is best commemorated, not on the 17th, but on the 15th day of Tammuz. That is the day the high priest, Aaron, seems to have set aside for it. And that is the contention of this book, as well. To state it clearly, the root inspiration for the Fast of Tammuz seems to predate the calamities associated with Jerusalem and the Temple. Those later incidents, though tragic, were merely symptoms of a greater issue. The entire month seemingly became cursed because the Israelites corrupted a holiday created to worship God by paying homage, instead, to an idol.
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And in keeping with that understanding the very name of the month, Tammuz, is that of a Babylonian idol, [50] making it the only Hebrew month with an idolatrous etymology. It is also connected in time to the Fast of the 5th month by a period of mourning, abstinence and prayer known as Bein HaMetzarim (literally: Between the Straits, aka The Three Weeks). So with clearly half of the month devoted to mourning (and no other, more joyful, observances to offset it) that would appear to be the defining characteristic for the entire month.
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Christian Relevance: With Mary’s assent to God’s will on 15 Tammuz (July 4, 9 BC) and the Word becoming flesh in her womb at that very moment we have what appears to be the perfect fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy for the 4th month. The sin of the Israelites has been negated and the holiday Aaron created to worship the Redeemer of Israel has finally been realized. Its sadness has been turned to joy with the coming of the Messiah!
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So that is how the 15th of Tammuz finds relevance to Christendom. But the 17th of Tammuz, the date in 70 AD that the walls of Jerusalem were breached, has relevance, as well, since Jewish tradition also claims that this is the same day Temple sacrifice ended. [51] And Josephus provides the reason. He tells us it ended because there were no more priests to offer it. [52] They had apparently all fled when the Romans entered the city. Those two crucial bits of information, coupled with the knowledge that the last Levitical house to serve in the Temple was the House of Jehoiarib, [53] gives us a means of calculating the exact weeks each year the Archangel, Gabriel, could have told John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, that he was to have a son. [54] And it also corroborates this book’s independent calculation that John was conceived on Tzom Asara B’Tevet (which see).
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Rosh Chodesh Av
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Commonly known as: The first day of the 5th month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Av
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: As a Rosh Chodesh it is a minor observance to celebrate the first day of the fifth liturgical month. But it is also the first day of the second stage of a period of mourning and reflection known as The Three Weeks. That period began on Tzom B’Tammuz (which see). But these final days leading up to Tzom Tisha B’Av (known collectively as The Nine Days) are traditionally observed with intensified mourning and abstaining.
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Christian Relevance: Like all the other “mundane” Rashey Chadashim, this one has no known relevance to an event in Christendom.
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Shabbat Hazon
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of Vision (aka, The Black Sabbath)
Observance Type: One of 10 Special Sabbaths of the Hebrew calendar
Date: The Sabbath on or just prior to Tzom Tisha B’Av
Scriptural References: none
Origin: 6th century BC?
Description: Shabbat Hazon is a Sabbath of mourning for the lost Temple and its contents, the Ark of the Covenant, in particular. And its name, the Sabbath of Vision, comes from the traditional reading on this day from the prophet Isaiah. The verses are known collectively as the Vision of Isaiah, and they predict the 6th century BC destruction of the Temple. It also beseeches the people to cease doing evil … learn to do good. [55] Isaiah’s purpose, therefore, is to help people recognize that the blame for the loss of the Temple and the Ark will be on their shoulders. It is their own sin that will bring it on. So the message is rather bleak. And Sabbath Hazon has also been nicknamed the Black Sabbath because of it.
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But the vision does not speak of this as being a permanent loss. It speaks rather of it being a chastisement intended for their spiritual improvement. Along those lines there is also a tradition that those who observe this Sabbath piously will be rewarded with a vision of the long awaited Third Temple. This is a Temple yet to come by the Jewish understanding of the term. In Christian tradition, however, the Jewish Temple can never be rebuilt, because Christ is the Third Temple. [56]
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Christian Relevance: There are two links to this Sabbath in New Testament times. It shows up first on the same day as Tzom Tisha B’Av (which see) at the Visitation. And its relevance to the occasion is seen in John the Baptist’s joyful reaction in his mother’s womb to the sound of Mary’s voice. Being an infant, he, of course, has no idea what is going on. So it is really the Holy Spirit that is motivating John’s reaction, And its purpose is to show symbolically that the Ark of the Covenant reappearance in the world has been recognized. But this Sabath of Vision is also telling us John is filled with joy over what he’s symbolically perceived to be in her womb, namely the Third Temple in His third week of gestation.
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The second link to this Sabbath involves St. Paul. It is the observance calculated to have coincided with a second encounter St. Paul had with the risen Christ. In his first encounter it led to his conversion, presumedly on Shabbat Shekalim (which see). But in this second vision he is told to continue focusing his work in Corinth on converting the gentiles. [57] And that may well be where he got his name change from Saul to Paul and become known as The Apostle to the Gentiles. More importantly though, St. Paul’s vision on this date is precisely the sort of vision he is supposed to have on this Sabbath dedicated to visions.
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Tzom Tisha B’Av
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Commonly known as: The Fast of the (9th Day of the) Fifth Month
Observance Type: One of the 4 fast days of Zechariah
Date: 9 Av
Scriptural References: Zechariah 8:19.
Origin: 6th century BC (and corroborated in the 1st century AD)
Description: Considered the saddest of the four Fasts, Tzom Tisha B’Av was prophesied by the prophet, Zechariah, to become a time of joy with the coming of the Messiah. [58] As such, it is the only fast of the four where fasting is required throughout the entire day. Whereas in the other fasts, the fasting is only in effect during the daylight hours.
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Like the other fasts, however, Zechariah makes no mention of the exact date or the precise reason for it. But Tzom Tisha B’Av has come to be associated with the destruction of the Temple on the 9th day of Av, as that appears to have happened on that same date after two separate sieges. The first time it fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC. And the Ark of the Covenant was lost on that occasion, as well. But that Temple was rebuilt shortly thereafter, only to see it fall a second time, in 70 AD, at the hands of the Romans. And it has remained in ruins to this day.
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As to the date, 9 Av, there is little question that the Temple fell on that date in 70 AD, since it is cited in many sources. There is a discrepancy, however, as to the day it fell in 586 BC. The Book of Kings reports that it took place on the 7th day of the 5th month, [59] whereas the prophet Jeremiah places it on the 10th day. [60] But Jewish tradition reconciles all three positions asserting that the Babylonians seized the Temple on the 7th, put it to the torch on the 9th in a fire that did not end until the 10th. Whether true or not there is no mention of this fast day ever being observed on any day other than 9 Av, so there does not seem to be any good basis for arguing for a different date.
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Christian Relevance: The Bible speaks of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth right after being asked to be the mother of our Lord. [61] And given the requirements of travel back then and the need for single women to do so by caravan to ensure safe passage, it is not unreasonable that it would take Mary three weeks to accomplish her mission. The Visitation, as it is called, is also quite beautifully connected to this fast, since we see in it a reversal of fortune. John the Baptist, we are told, leapt in his mother’s womb at the sound of Mary’s voice when she arrived. And it is not hard to understand why.
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If this really did occur as is being claimed, we can assume that the Holy Spirit inspired John’s leap to symbolize the world’s joyous reaction to the realization that the Arc of Covenant had been returned. And in her womb, Christ (the living embodiment of the Third Temple) was forming. In fact the timing is quite exquisite as well since we know that the human heart first begins to beat right around 23rd day of gestation. So at the very moment John was leaping with joy at the sound of Mary’s voice, Christ’s sacred heart was seemingly putting out its first tiny beats into our Universe. And Zechariah’s prophecy could not be more stunningly fulfilled. There is nothing more to mourn on this day. It is a day for celebration.
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Shabbat Nahamu
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of Comfort
Observance Type: One of 10 Special Sabbaths of the Hebrew calendar
Date: The Sabbath on, or just prior to, Hag Ha'Ahava
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: Shabbat Nahamu’s purpose, being the Sabbath that follows immediately after Shabbat Hazon is to restore people’s moods after their having gone through 3 weeks of mourning over the destruction of the Temple and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant. So it focuses on comforting the people for those losses. And to that end the traditional reading for the Sabbath, from Isaiah, [62] seems to have been chosen because it emphasizes the term comfort, saying it twice in one of its verses.
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Comfort, give comfort to your people, says your God. (Isaiah 40:1, NAB).
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It is also the first of seven Sabbaths leading up to Rosh HaShanah. And all are associated with consolation. To start things off then, it is traditionally observed in a very upbeat manner, with music and dancing often included.
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Christian Relevance: Mary’s assumption into heaven is calculated to have occurred on this day in 53 AD, coinciding also that year with the holiday of Hag Ha'Ahava (which see). And being taken from us on this day is similarly an upbeat occasion in spite of the outward appearance of loss. She has left us only in the physical sense. But, in every other, her presence among us is far greater than it could have been while she walked the earth. She has taken her rightful place as the Queen mother of the Church. And in that capacity, she has become our heavenly mother and our most powerful weapon against the wickedness and snares of the devil. [63]
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Hag Ha'Ahava
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Commonly known as: Literally, the Holiday of Love (aka, Tu B'Av or the Fifteenth of Av)
Observance Type: A Commemoration
Date: 15 Av
Scriptural References: Judges 21:19.
Origin: 15th century BC?
Description: Tu B’Av is one of the most joyous festivals on the Hebrew calendar. [64] The Talmud likens it to the Day of Atonement in terms of joy, as those holidays are the only times every year where the young maidens of every village dress in white and go down into the vineyards to dance and sing. [65] The Bible does not give us a date for this holiday, nor the reason for it. It provides only one small reference to it at the end of the Book of Judges speaking of it as a yearly feast of the LORD.
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Looking then to the oral traditions, we’re told it was originally established in the time of the Judges or earlier. After the Israelites entered and conquered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua it was to be divided and parceled out to the different tribes. There was a need, therefore, to keep the bloodlines of the 12 tribes as pure as possible to avoid complications when divvying things up. So intermarriage between the 12 tribes of Israel is said to have been banned during the 40 years the Israelites sojourned in the wilderness. But eventually the ban was no longer needed. So it was lifted, with its repeal being commemorated on 15 Av. And it naturally evolved into a cause of great celebration, especially with the women of the tribes, because it gave them much greater potential for finding husbands.
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And the reference to the holiday in the Book of Judges contains a similar theme. It revolves around a civil war that erupted between the tribe of Benjamin and all the other tribes. [66] And the animosity toward the Benjaminites was so fierce during the war that intermarriage with the tribe was banned. Benjamin eventually lost the war, however, and was so depleted from it that not one woman in their tribe survived. All that remained were 600 men. So they beseeched the other tribes for help that their tribe might not be completely annihilated. And the other tribes did take pity on them, finding for them 400 marriageable females in one of the cities that was destroyed in the war. And for the remaining 200 they had another idea.
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They were told to go down to Shiloh (presumedly during the festival of Hag Ha'Ahava). But because the marriage ban was still in place, they were to hide in the bushes when the young maidens came down to dance and choose from them a bride and take back home to marry. It sounds a little brutal to modern ears, but the Bible explains it was not much different from the way things were normally done, since if there had been no ban they would have simply asked their fathers for their hands. And out of common courtesy their fathers would have been forced to accept. [67] So all that was going on is they were cutting through the red tape to attain the same result. These young women became their wives, gave them children, saved their tribe and provided yet another reason to celebrate on this day.
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In modern times the holiday is observed as a kind of Jewish Valentine’s Day with dances, dinner dates and the traditional gifting of flowers and chocolates. But there is maybe a little more of an emphasis on marriage and motherhood than with its Christian counterpart. And as such it has become, as might be expected, an auspicious day for weddings. [68]
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Christian Relevance: Mary’s assumption into heaven where she took her rightful place as the spiritual mother of Christ’s Bride, the Church, is calculated to have taken place on this holiday in 53 AD. Being a Saturday it also corresponds to Shabbat Nahamu (which see). And it would have been on August 18th, making her 75 years old (the same age as Abraham when he became the Spiritual father of the Hebrew people). [69] But this would have also been 1-day shy of her 76th Julian calendar birthday. So, in keeping with the Integral Age rule (which seems to apply to all the main figures in the Gospels), we appear to be receiving divine assurance in this that being sinless she was spared the pain of death. [70]
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It is currently observed on August 15th. But the most ancient texts telling us of the Assumption connect it to 15 Av. [71] The Church simply changed it to August 15 when it adapted to the Julian calendar. But this connection to Tu B’Av was apparently well known in ancient times. And it is easy to see how beautifully the holiday is fulfilled by her elevation. For just as it was at the time of the Judges when 200 young maidens were taken up to save the tribe of Benjamin by becoming the mothers of their children, so the Blessed Virgin was also taken up to aid us by becoming our spiritual mother.
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Rosh Chodesh Elul
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Commonly known as: The first day of the sixth month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Elul
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: Rosh Chodesh Elul is a minor observance to celebrate the first day of the sixth liturgical month. It is also one of two dates argued in the Talmud for the placement of the New Year for Sacrificial Animals (Rosh Hashanah La’Behemot, which see). The other date they argued for is the 1st day of Tishri. Whereas this book argues that it was observed on 15 Elul, the median between the two.
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Historically, the first day of Elul also commemorates the start of a 40-day fast Moses embarked on while conversing with God on Mt. Sinai and pleading for mercy for the Israelites over the golden calf incident. [72] A second set of tablets of the Law were also crafted while he was up there to replace those that he'd destroyed. And in the end he was successful, coming down from the mountain, according to tradition, [73] on 10 Tishri (Yom Kippur, which see) to give the people the good news, the Law, and the terms of their reconciliation.
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Christian Relevance: The Synoptic Gospels all speak of Jesus embarking on a 40-day desert fast right after being baptized at the start of His ministry. [74] But John’s Gospel makes no such reference, heavily suggesting rather that He hit the ground running once He began His ministry (which makes a great deal more sense). As such, it shows Jesus selecting His first Apostles over the next few days and places Him at the Wedding of Cana shortly after that. [75]
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And with the Rule’s contention that Jesus’s Baptism took place on Yom Kippur, it sides with John's timing over that of the Synoptics. The fast, as reported on by the Synoptics, is still accepted to have taken place, however. On that there is no argument. But to stay true to John's Gospel, its start is simply relocated to Rosh Chodesh Elul, making it 40 days prior to the start of Christ's ministry, to mirror Moses’s fast and show it to be in near perfect alignment.
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Rosh HaShanah La’Behemot
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Commonly known as: The New Year for Sacrificial Animals
Observance Type: One of 4 New Year celebrations on the Hebrew calendar
Date: 1 Elul (modern) but at the time of Christ the date was still being debated.
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: Rosh HaShanah La’Behemot seems to have originated from the fact that sacrificial animals at the time of the Second Temple were bred such that they gave birth just prior to the High Holy Days of Tishri. And this suggested to some that there needed to be a New Year observance set up for these animals that was just prior to the New Year for people (Rosh HaShanah).
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But that alone does not really explain the need for the added holiday. So in looking through the Torah for some direction a scriptural restriction involving newly born animals is found that may have had something to do with it. In that regard God told Moses …
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… seven days it shall remain with its mother;
on the eighth day you shall give it to me. (Exodus 22:30, NRSV).
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So rather than just hope that any animal would be born soon enough to be eligible for sacrifice during Tishri, the majority of Jewish authorities may have felt there needed to be a New Year for Sacrificial Animals that preceded Rosh HaShanah. And any animal born after that deadline would not be available for sacrifice until the following year. Rosh HaShanah La’Behemot became then, by that logic, the day for selecting all the animals that would be sacrificed over the year. And that is how it worked. The selection process used was in accord with Leviticus 27:32. And once selected these animals were marked with a dab of red paint. [76]
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The exact date for this ritual was not universally taught, however. The Talmud speaks of there being an argument, [77] with some continuing to maintain that Rosh HaShanah should apply to the animals as well. But the majority prevailed, pushing it back to the first day of Elul (Rosh Chodesh Elul). And that is the day it is observed today even though animal sacrifice ended with the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. So it has lost much of its original meaning. But nevertheless, in modern times it has been rejuvenated as a holiday focused instead on the humane treatment of animals.
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What is important to note here, however, is that the exact date of this holiday at the time of Christ was not fixed. And we do not even know whether the dates debated in the Talmud were exclusive. So it may have been observed on 1 Tishri, on 1 Elul or some other date never mentioned. And there is good reason to suspect that that third option may be the correct one. For one, those arguing for 1 Tishri apparently felt this new holiday was not needed. And similarly, those arguing for 1 Elul obviously felt it was. A compromise would seem to be in order. And 15 Elul would be the most logical solution.
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​Besides that, with the 15th being a full moon (as is the case with the 15th of every month on the Hebrew calendar) it would be a very popular date for establishing the holiday. It would give the animal a two-week reprieve rather than the one required by Scripture. And that would comply well with another scriptural requirement, that firstborns receive a double portion of everything. [78] This is not to say, however, that it would be logical to take this position on its own merit. Without any ancient testimonies to support it, no one should. In fact, even if one testimonial could be found, it still might not be enough to override tradition on this date. So God, apparently recognizing this failing, gave us two. See below.
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Christian Relevance: As mentioned above there are two events in New Testament times that fall on 15 Elul. The first is our Blessed Mother’s birthday. Applying the Integral Age Rule (from the date we’ve already found for her Assumption) we find that 15 Elul would have occurred on August 19th in 24 BC (the year we’ve determined to be her birth year). This is one day after the day she should have been born on to be in full compliance with the Integral Age Rule. But there is a rational explanation for it. With Mary being sinless this slight discrepancy may just be heaven’s way of telling us that being sinless she was spared the pain of death.
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But there is corroboration for this timing, too, from the traditional date chosen to celebrate her birth. That date (September 8) comes from a vision reported by a man in Tours, France (sometime around the year 430 AD) who claimed he saw angels celebrating Mary’s birth in his field. The date he saw them was September 8. But if the year had been 431 AD (and it easily could have been) it would also have been 15 Elul. [79]
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So that is one corroboration. And the theme of the holiday also fits extremely well with what we know of the Anunciation coupled with the traditional understanding that Mary was an only (and therefore, firstborn) child. It says that from the moment of her birth she was given, not just one, but two weeks of years (or rather, 14 years) to be with her mother before being asked to lay down her life for God. And that is exactly what she did when she assented, without hesitation, to bear a child out of wedlock, given that the appearance of sexual infidelity back then could easily lead to her being stoned to death. [80]
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But, as was stated, God was not done providing us reasons for making such a drastic holiday redesignation. So to add an exclamation point to the proposed change, He applied it to Mary’s firstborn son, as well. It turns out the sole date the 2/3rds Rule calculated that landed in the middle of Jesus’s hidden years, September 3, 19 AD also landed on 15 Elul. And once again the timing was impeccable. He would have been 26 at the time. And the holiday would have been making it very clear to Him that He, too. was being given 2 weeks of years to be with his blessed mother before being asked to lay down His life for us all.
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Rosh HaShanah
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Commonly known as: The Jewish New Year (according to the civil calendar)
Observance Type: A major Holiday, one of the 2 High Holy Days of Tishri, one of 4 New Year celebrations on the Hebrew calendar, and one of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1-2 Tishri
Scriptural References: Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 29:1-6.
Origin: 15th century
Description: Rosh HaShanah is a major observance established in the Torah to celebrate the first day of the civil year. It was originally a 1-day celebration, but it evolved into two days after the Israelites spread out into the Promised Land due to the lack of foreknowledge as to when the new month would arrive. [81] At issue was the preparation for the holiday. The place of sorship had to be sanctified, which required the performance of certain rituals on the day prior to the holiday. So, to be safe, those rituals were performed on the 29th day of Elul in anticipation of the new moon being sighted at dusk. And if it wasn’t (which would be true about half of the time) the sanctification rituals would have to be performed again on the 30th since they now knew that the new month would follow at dusk.
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So this was a little bit of a hassle for the priests, but the bigger difficulty was the uncertainty in the outlying areas, given that after the Jerusalem Temple became the center of worship, the people were dependent on it to tell them when the month arrived. And notifications were not allowed, by Law, to be sent out during a festival. So to resolve both issues and ensure that everyone was observing the holiday on the same day Rosh HaShanah became a two-day holiday with its first day always beginning after 29 Elul (regardless of when the new moon would be sighted). And to stay true to the Torah's designation of it being a one-day festival, it became common to refer to its elongated duration as being Yoma Arichta (one long day).
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But with it becoming a two-day festival, all the rituals laid out for it in the Torah were performed on both days. They each began, that is, with a blast from the shofar followed by the same ritual grain and animal sacrifices which consisted of the sacrifice of 1 bull, 1 ram, 1 goat and 7 lambs.
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The holiday also marks the onset of the Ten Days of Awe that lead up to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, which see). This is the final stage of a period of soul searching and mental preparation that began 1-month earlier on Rosh Chodesh Elul (which see). But in these last 10 days the mental preparation is heightened.
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The Talmud speaks of two other traditions associated with Rosh HaShanah. It is the date (based on Psalm 81:4-6) that the Patriarch Joseph is believed to have been released from Pharoah’s prison. [82] And the first man, Adam, is also said to have been created on this day. [83]
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Christian Relevance: The 2/3rds Rule calculates that Jesus’s stepfather, St. Joseph, was born on Rosh HaShanah (September 4th) in 62 BC. And this is very fitting for someone whose birth marks a new beginning for mankind. It is also fitting that the first man of the New Testament should arrive on the anniversary of the arrival of the first man of the Old Testament. So just as his wife is often referred to as the New Eve, it is appropriate to refer to St. Joseph as the Second Adam. But he is not to be confused with Christ, whom Scripture calls the Final Adam. [84]
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Tzom Gedaliah
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Commonly known as: The Fast of the Seventh Month (aka the Fast of Gedaliah)
Observance Type: One of the 4 fast days of Zechariah
Date: Original date is seemingly lost. The Talmud, and later tradition, puts it at 3 Tishri, whereas the 2/3rds Rule favors 9 Tishri.
Scriptural References: Zechariah 8:19.
Origin: 6th century BC
Description: This is the third of the four fasts prophesied by the prophet, Zechariah to become joyous festivals with the coming of the Messiah. [85] As with the other three fasts, Zechariah makes no mention of the exact date or the exact reason for it. But it has come to be associated with the tragic events of the Babylonian Captivity as laid out in the last chapter of the 2nd Book of Kings, [86] with this fast commemorating the assassination of Governor Gedaliah, whom the Babylonians installed in Judah after defeating the Judahites in 586 BC. [87]
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And, with his death, the remnant still living in Judah became frightened of what the Babylonian king would do to them on finding out, so they fled en masse to Egypt. So this would appear to be the primary reason for the fast. That is, there’s a lot more to it than the assassination of one governor, because in it we see a complete reversal of fortune for the Jewish people. With God’s help, they’d escaped slavery in Egypt in the 15th century BC. And some 450 years later they’d risen to the pinnacle of success under King Solomon. They were the jewel of the middle east for a time. But in roughly the same amount of time, by their own evil machinations, they had lost it all and were now right back to living in subjugation in Egypt. It is no wonder, then, that a day of national fasting was declared.
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But the Bible tells us only that this happened in the seventh month (Tishri). [88] And the date provided for it in the Talmud, 3 Tishri, [89] seems to be based on a rather novel interpretation of the Hebrew word for month (since it is sometimes also used for new moon). [90] By this understanding, Gedaliah was assassinated on 1 Tishri, and the fast was subsequently moved to the 3rd to avoid the obvious conflict with Rosh HaShanah. But this interpretation of Scripture seems like a real stretch. So the probability, that it actually did occur on 1 (or 3) Tishri cannot be considered high. That is the opinion of many scholars today, anyway. But the Bible does mention something maybe a little more telling to point us in the right direction.
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The day after the murder of Gedaliah, before anyone learned about it,
eighty men, in ragged clothes, with beards shaved off and gashes on their bodies, came … bringing grain offerings and incense for the house of the LORD (Jeremiah 41:4-5, NABRE).
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And the penitential nature of these 80 men may be the Bible’s way of telling us exactly what we want to know, that their intent was to make these offerings on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). So the 2/3rds Rule’s position that the assassination took place on the day prior, on Erev Yom Kippur (or rather, 9 Tishri) is not without merit.
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Christian Relevance: Together with the scriptural support cited above, the case for 9 Tishri is supported in two other, major, ways. For starters, one of the dates calculated by the 2/3rds Rule in its countdown to Calvary is October 1, 32 AD. It marks the end of the 2nd Creation milli-Second of Creation Level V. But this is, remarkably, also John the Baptist’s 40th Julian calendar birthday. So by that alone we have the death of Gedaliah being a foreshadowing of John’s, whose death on his 40th birthday would also be a foreshadowing of the age that his cousin, Jesus, would die 6 months later.
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And since the Integral Age Rule, which purports that true prophets always die on their birthdays, seems to be relevant here, it provides further evidence that John truly was a righteous man. But this is still only half of the story, because Zechariah’s prophecy insists that this day will become a joyous festival in the Messianic age. And although there is a certain kind of joy involved with John being ushered into glory by dying a martyr’s death on this day, it does not really pass for the kind of joy Zechariah seemed to be talking about.
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We need to look instead, then, to the periodic nature of history and see what the 2/3rds Rule has discerned for the end of the 2nd Period of every other level. And therein we see that each is marked by the establishment of a miraculous bond. At the end of the 2nd Day of Creation, for instance, this bond occurred when one procaryote ingested another and it became its nucleus. And when Jesus gave Himself to us at the end of the 2nd micro-Second of Creation in the Sacrament of Communion, it was for the purpose that on ingesting Him (in the outward appearance of bread and wine), He might become our nucleus.
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But the theme of Creation Level V is the formation of the primordial Church. So the miraculous bond we should expect to see at the end of the 2nd Creation milli-Second is one where Christ’s Church was given its nucleus that, like the first eukaryotes and the first Communicants, it might be more than it could ever have been on its own.
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Putting it all together than, October 1, 32 AD appears to be the day Christ appointed St. Peter to be the rock upon which He would build His Church. He was to be its nucleus and bonded to all the other Apostles, as Scripture puts it, as their servant leader. [91] And being selected to this role on the very night of John’s death explains quite well how this day was turned to joy. In response to the death of Gedaliah a new governor was appointed, one that can never be assassinated, because he can forever be replenished through the process whose precedent was set on this very night, the process of apostolic succession.
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Shabbat Shuvah
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of Return
Observance Type: One of 10 Special Sabbaths of the Hebrew calendar
Date: The Sabbath just prior to Yom Kippur
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: Being the Sabbath that occurs amid the Days of Awe, its readings are a call to the Jewish people to prepare for the upcoming Day of Atonement. So, as its name implies, they are designed to help them achieve a state of elevated repentance, called teshuvah, through prayer and introspection. This is the state that, when given the opportunity to commit the same sin again, the penitent will naturally choose to abstain. Hence they have “returned” their heart to what it was before they committed the sin they are now repenting of.
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Christian Relevance: There are two connections to this Sabbath in New Testament times, and both apply to St. Joseph. And this makes good sense since that which Shabbat Shuvah points to, atonement, of course, is ultimately achieved through Christ, the Last Adam. His life and graces give us the means to return to what we were in Eden. But the first step to that goal begins with the desire to attain it, as is represented here by St. Joseph, the Second (or intermediate) Adam. See Rosh HaShanah for more on that.
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The first time this observance shows up in in St. Joseph’s life is at his circumcision on September 11, 62 BC. And its placement on the 8th day after his birth on Rosh HaShanah was invaluable for finding his birth year. In fact, this has to be considered one of the main reasons the Holy Spirit connected his circumcision to this Sabbath. Without that aid, St. Joseph’s birthyear could have still been discerned. But it would have been next to impossible to find it.
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There is more to it than that, however, because there is a penitentiary nature to circumcision, too. It can be seen as a metaphor for the shedding of sin. Indeed, to the Jewish mindset, becoming circumcised is synonymous with being made righteous. [92] So a circumcision on this date would be very appropriate. Occurring when it does, in 62 BC, it also fell on Erev Yom Kippur (which see). So it seems doubly concerned with preparing St. Joseph for an upcoming atonement of sorts. And in looking at the later events in his life that fits, too. It should not be missed, either, that it occurred on US Patriot Day (which see).
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The second time Shabbat Shuvah appeared prominently in St. Joseph’s life was when it was the first Sabbath after his 13th birthday in 49 BC. As such it would be the day of his Bar Mitzvah, the day he would publicly read for the first time from the Torah at the synagogue. [93] So in this connection we have a second indicator that St. Joseph is on a formative spiritual journey. And we get an even better understanding of the role he is being prepared for from the realization that his Bar Mitzvah would have been 70 weeks-of-years after the decree of Cyrus (in 539 BC) that the Temple of Jerusalem should be rebuilt.
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This is the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken of in the book of Daniel. [94] And it tells us further that, from the day of his Bar Mitzvah, St. Joseph is, himself, a construction project, that God is molding him to be the living embodiment of the Second Temple. And that construction job will be logically completed in the same amount of time it took to complete the Second Temple.
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But what about this Decree of Cyrus? Are we being told that it took place on Shabbat Shuvah, as well? The archeological record would not rule it out. And it does seem to fit with what has been discerned of St. Joseph’s commissioning 23 years later on Rosh Chodesh Nisan (which see). If so that would be three links found to this Sabbath, not two.
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Erev Yom Kippur
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Commonly known as: The eve of the Day of Atonement
Observance Type: A minor Observance
Date: 9 Tishri
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown, but probably very soon after the establishment of Yom Kippur
Description: The Day of Atonement is a cause of jubilation for the Jewish people since it is the day each year their sins are atoned for (provided they’ve prepared themselves properly for the grace). But it is also a fast day, so feasting and celebrating in like fashion is forbidden. The day prior naturally evolved, therefore, into a day for expressing some of that joy. It is still, however, one of the Days of Awe, the penultimate day in fact. So a full-blown feast is still inappropriate. But it’s become a mitzvah to eat well on Erev Yom Kippur. [95]
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As regards events in biblical times that may have coincided with this holiday, it is this study’s position that Gedaliah (the governor appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar to oversee Judah after their defeat by the Babylonians) was assassinated on this night. And it makes sense that the assassins might choose Erev Yom Kippur to do it. Being a day associated with rejoicing, it is reasonable to assume the governor may have had his guard down. And that would make it an ideal time for an assassin to strike.
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Christian Relevance: The 2/3rds Rule found two connections to this holiday in New Testament times, one to St. Joseph and one to John the Baptist. And in both cases, it is not the only observance associated with the event. In the first connection, St. Joseph’s circumcision, for instance, it occurs in conjunction with Shabbat Shuvah (which see) and the emphasis of the holiday is the call to be prepared for the atonement that is coming.
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In the second connection, however, John the Baptist’s beheading in Herod’s palace, which also took place on Tzom Gedaliah (which see) the emphasis is on the jubilation associated with Erev Yom Kippur. In fact, Scripture tells us that the day John died, Herod was throwing a party for all his friends. And the reason given for the party was that it was his birthday. [96] Herod Antipas was apparently born on Erev Yom Kippur, which provides even more reason why he’d be giving a party, given the celebratory nature of the holiday.
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But, being October 1st, it was also John’s Julian calendar birthday. So in this fascinating study of opposites we see that the Word is presenting to us two fundamentally different men who seemingly shared the same birthday on one very fateful night.
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Yom Kippur
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Commonly known as: The Day of Atonement
Observance Type: A major Holiday, one of the 2 High Holy Days of Tishri
Date: 10 Tishri
Scriptural References: Leviticus 16:1-34, 23:26-32 & Nm 29:7-11.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: Yom Kippur is one of the two most important holidays of the Hebrew calendar, the other being Pesach. It commemorates Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai with a replacement set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments. The first tablets were destroyed when he threw them down in anger upon seeing the Israelites worshipping a golden calf (See Tzom B’Tammuz for more on that). But it also commemorates the atonement Moses obtained from God for them over that sin.
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It was not to be a one-time atonement, however. This was to be a yearly occurrence where their sins for each year were atoned for provided there was adequate remorse, [97] and the prescribed rituals were performed. In former times those rituals included animal sacrifice. And the sacrifices that most typify the holiday involved two identical male goats.
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One goat was to be slaughtered on the altar as a purification offering. ​But the other was designated the scapegoat. And its job was to symbolically accept the sins of the people onto its shoulders. He was then led out into the desert to return those sins to their author, Azazael (aka Satan), whose abode was said to be in the desert.
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In the days these rituals were performed at the Temple, it was customary to tie a crimson thread around the horn of the scapegoat and another on the doorpost of the Temple sanctuary. And in this way the priests could know when the goat had completed its mission, because when it did the thread on the doorpost would turn white. The Talmud reports, however, of something very strange happening, with regard to this custom, in the 1st century AD. [98] For the last 40 years of the Temple’s existence (from 30 to 70 AD) the thread no longer turned white. And they could not explain why. It does make sense though from a Christian perspective. See below.
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Christian Relevance: The 2/3rds Rule calculates that Christ began His ministry on Yom Kippur (September 27) 30 AD. This is traditionally also understood to have occurred when John baptized Jesus in the Jordan river. Jesus then, according to the 3 Synoptic Gospels, went immediately out into the desert where He had an encounter with Satan. [99] And that fits quite well with what is known of the holiday.
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Jesus is the true atonement sacrifice that the purification offering of Yom Kippur merely symbolizes. And it is well known that He took on that role at the end of His ministry at Calvary. But here at the start we now see that He is also taking on the role of the scapegoat. And in the process, He is also purifying the waters of Baptism, taking our sins from those waters, putting them on His sinless shoulders and returning them to Satan in the desert just as the Synoptic Gospels have testified.
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So although He was sinless and had no need of being baptized (which John the Baptist rightly pointed that out) [100] it was still needed. That’s because we needed it to happen. We needed it so that we might have the Sacrament of Baptism. Christ created it that day. So it is extraordinary but also understandable that the crimson thread tied to the sanctuary doorpost would no longer turn white. From Yom Kippur in 30 AD on, the Temple scapegoat was no longer needed. The Scapegoat for the entire world had taken its place.
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It needs to be mentioned, however, that the Gospels are not in full agreement on the details of Christ’s baptism. John’s Gospel, for one, has Jesus back at the Jordan River attracting His first disciples the very next day. [101] Whereas the 3 Synoptic Gospels have Jesus in the desert for a full 40 days before actually getting back to His ministry. And this issue was examined in the discussion for Rosh Chodesh Elul (which see). As to its resolution, suffice to say here that the evidence suggests there is truth in both accounts.
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But they cannot both be right on when Jesus’s embarked on his 40-day desert fast. So the 2/3rds Rule sides with the timing of the only testimony that is an eyewitness account, John’s. But it also accepts that Jesus did go into the desert immediately after being baptized just as was stated by the Synoptics. Only (in keeping with John’s Gospel) He did so for only one night.
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And so, by this solution, the authors of Matthew Mark and Luke, writing strictly from hearsay, got it basically right. They just combined Jesus’s 40-day desert fast with His brief return to the desert right after His baptism. Whereas, in siding with John’s testimony, these appear to be two separate incidents. And, in keeping with John’s Gospel, Jesus’s 40-day fast seems to fit best as an event that took place just prior to the start of His ministry (which makes a great deal more sense from a logistical perspective.
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Sukkot
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Commonly known as: The Feast of Ingathering (aka, the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths)
Observance Type: A major 7-day Festival
Date: 15–21 Tishri.
Scriptural References: Exodus 23:16, Leviticus 23:33-43, Numbers 29:12-38, Deuteronomy 16:13-17.
Origin: 15th century BC
Description: Sukkot is one of the three harvest festivals that called people to pilgrimage in biblical times (the other two being Pesach and Shavuot). [102] And during the First and the Second Temple periods, that pilgrimage was to Jerusalem. The Torah refers to it as the Feast of Ingathering and its focus from that perspective was on the fruit harvest, [103] which ripened around this time. But the produce from other harvests could be offered up, as well. And these offerings could come in throughout the year starting with the first day of Pesach and ending with the last day of Sukkot.
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But, like the other two harvest festivals, it is also associated with events from the time of the Exodus. And, in that regard, its purpose was to commemorate the 40 years the Israelites lived in the wilderness prior to their eventual entry into the Promised Land. There is more to it, however, than just a simple commemoration.
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The festival calls the people to actually relive, in some respects, what their ancestors went through in those days. To do that the people were required, on the first day of the holiday, to construct a makeshift hut whose roof was made of fronds (and/or similar vegetation). And every day of the holiday they were to live in it as a family, taking meals there and even sleeping in it (although in modern Jewish communities, most do not take it that far). The hut was to be a place of prayer, reflection and praising God, or in other words, a tabernacle. And the Hebrew term for tabernacle, sukkah, is where the holiday gets its name.
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As the first holiday after the more somber High Holidays of Tishri, the Feast of Booths naturally evolved into a joyous occasion, as might also be expected of the last holiday of a successful harvest season. But if that was not enough, God, in fact, commanded that the participants make merry on this holiday. [104] And the rituals that were common to it in the Second Temple period reflect that joy. Every year, for instance, during the holiday, the Temple was lit up by bowls of oil suspended on very tall poles and set ablaze. And its glow could be seen for miles in the sky to beckon everyone to the city for the festivities.
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There was also the Water Drawing Ceremony where on each day of the festival a large golden vessel was filled with water from the healing Pool of Siloam and processed into the Temple to one side of the altar. On the other side was another vessel of similar size filled with wine. And both were then poured out over the altar and through funnels into silver basins beneath it to symbolize the prayers the priests were reciting to bring rain for the following year’s fruit harvest.
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So of all the Jewish holidays, the festivities of Sukkot in the Second Temple period were maybe the most extreme. And this is particularly true with regard to animal sacrifice, as there was no other holiday that can compare. Over the course of the seven days of the festival and its 8th day convocation ceremony (Shmini Atzeret, which see) there were 72 bulls, 15 rams, 8 goats, and 105 yearling lambs offered up, 200 burnt offerings in total.
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Many of these customs, of course, no longer exist today, but the holiday atill has a great deal of worth as a time to unplug and getting closer to God. And in that regard, there is an as-yet unrealized prophecy associated with Sukkot that needs to be mentioned. The prophet Zechariah foretold that it would one day be celebrated throughout the world by Jew and gentile alike. [105] And with all the events it connects to in Christendom it is easy to see how this might happen.
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Christian Relevance: Between Sukkot and the 2 observances associated with Sukkot (Shabbot Chol HaMoed Sukkot and Shmini Atzeret) there are 9 connections to this holiday in New Testament times. And no less than 5 of those 9 are to John the Baptist. But with Sukkot being a festival commemorating the 40 years spent by the Israelites in the wilderness it makes sense that it would be associated with someone Scripture calls … a voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “make straight the way of the Lord.” [106] And the Gospels confirm. John’s ministry was in the desert where he subsisted solely on locusts and wild honey (which symbolically resembles the quail and the manna the Israelites subsisted on). [107]
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His association with the holiday begins with his birthday. John, being conceived 6 months earlier than his cousin, Jesus, [108] sets his conception date to January 4, 9 BC. And nine months (or 270 days) after that takes us to his birth on October 1, 9 BC, which coincided with the 1st day of Sukkot that year.
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And a second remarkable correlation is seen with the 2/3rds Rule’s calculation that the 1st Creation milli-Second of Creation Level V began on September 22, 28 AD. This date, occurring in the same year Scripture told us John began his ministry, [109] was also the first day of Sukkot. So with Scripture telling us nothing else that happened in 28 AD, it is logical to conclude John was called to begin his ministry on this day, which would have also been his 36th Hebrew calendar birthday.
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And in between those two events we see one further possible connection to 1 Sukkot in John’s life since Scripture tells us Levitical priests are ordained on either their 25th or 30th birthdays. [110] We don’t know, of course, if this happened, since the Gospels are silent on the matter. But his father being a Levitical priest certainly would have been ordained in one of those years. So it is logical that John, if he followed at all in his father’s footsteps, would have been ordained on 1 Sukkot in either 17 or 22 AD. (Figure C1 placed it arbitrarily on 17 AD).
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The other two connections found to John that pertain to Sukkot are to Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot and Shmini Atzeret. And the discussion on those connections are reserved for those observances (which see). Suffice it to say, just as Passover and Yom Kippur are holidays that naturally look to Jesus for their fulfillment, so Sukkot belongs to His cousin, John (but not exclusively).
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There are four other instances in New Testament times that involve the Feast of Booths. And those instances appear to be for the purpose of fulfilling the other traditions associated with the holiday. Looking first at the miracle at the Wedding at Cana (when counting all the days John’s Gospel gives us leading up to it), [111] we see that it happened on the 6th day after Jesus’s baptism. And with the first day being 10 Tishri (Yom Kippur, which see), the 6th day takes us to the 1st day of Sukkot (15 Tishri). So we have in this our first connection to Sukkot that does not involve John the Baptist. But what does it mean?
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Well being the 6th day there is a call back to the Book of Genesis and the 6th Day of Creation, which saw the fall of man due to the woman pulling man into sin. [112] But in the Cana story we see the opposite happening. We see Jesus’s mother (the New Eve), whom Jesus calls “woman” [113] to make the point, asking Jesus (the Final Adam) to do something righteous, and in the process, the wrong of original sin is seemingly righted.
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As regards the holiday on which this occurred, we see that in obeying Mary’s request to turn the water into wine at the wedding feast a most remarkable connection to the Water Drawing ceremony. And perhaps maybe at the very same moment the Priests at the Temple were making their offering, and praying that the water they were pouring out over the altar be turned symbolically into wine, Christ, from 70 miles away, was quite literally answering their prayer.
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Moving onto the next interaction with Sukkot in New Testament times we come to the Transfiguration, which the 2/3rds Rule, in conjunction with Scripture, has determined took place on 1 Sukkot in 32 AD. [114] And in it we see another custom of the holiday being referenced, the building of booths on the first day. This is thought by many the reason St. Peter on seeing the Transfigured Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah offered to build booths for them. And Scripture highlights this offer by saying Peter didn’t know what he was saying, [115] The implication is somewhat obvious. This was the Holy Spirit apparently speaking through St. Peter for the purpose of telling us the exact day that this happened.
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And the astronomical record is in accord with this timing as well. It places the Transfiguration on the night of a lunar eclipse. It would not have been visible in Judea. But the full moon might still have risen red as is a common occurrence on days that have eclipses. And with it being precisely 180 days prior to the night of the Crucifixion, which Scripture suggests also saw a blood moon, [116] it may have acted as a comfort to the Apostles on that sorrowful night. Seeing the same blood moon again could have stirred their memory of Jesus telling them at the Transfiguration that He was going to rise from the dead. [117] The didn’t understand what He was saying at the time. But they understood it now. And it would have given them hope.
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And finally, the martyrdom of St. Peter has been calculated to have taken place on 1 Sukkot in 64 AD during the Neronian persecutions. And this determination is supported by several traditions.
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John’s Gospel alludes very strongly to St. Peter being crucified in his old age. [118]
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It was common knowledge in the early Church that St. Peter was crucified upside down along with a throng of other Christians that were crucified by the Roman Emperor, Nero, after being falsely accused of setting the Fire of Rome. [119]
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Secular reports concur that Nero did scapegoat the Christians for the 64 AD Fire of Rome and crucified many of them for sport as punishment. [120]
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The most likely time archeologists place this mass execution is during Nero’s 10-year anniversary celebration (his Decennalia) where such spectacles were commonplace. [121]
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The astronomical record shows that the first day of Nero’s 8-day Decennalia (October 13, 64 AD) would have also been the first day Sukkot in 64 AD, with its last day being Shmini Atzeret. [122]
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So, as can be seen, on traditional and secular evidence alone, it is easy to arrive at the conclusion that St. Peter died during Sukkot in 64 AD. But in tying it to other events in St. Peter’s life, the 2/3rds Rule does narrow it down to 1 Sukkot as the exact date of his death. [123] And it also points to St. Paul’s martyrdom occurring on Shmini Atzeret, to give us one very big big clue as to which traditions of Sukkot are being highlighted by their deaths.
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The Sukkot Lighting Ceremony at the Temple of Jerusalem, for one, seems gruesomely appropriate, given that Nero famously doused those valiant Christian martyrs with oil and set them ablaze after crucifying them. Nero’s torches (as they became known as) were to light up the night sky (supposedly) as just punishment for the fires they were being scapegoated for.
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Even more appropriate, though, is the reference to the large number of animals typically sacrificed over the holiday of Sukkot. The 200 animals annually slain, for instance, emphasizes the number 2, which singles out the deaths of Sts. Peter and Paul, specifically. And with all animal sacrifice ending 6 years later when the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed, we see that one major aspect of their deaths being in Rome was to firmly and permanently reestablish the Holy See in that city. That would be the way Catholics see it, anyway. And it does fulfill a prophecy. [124]
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But that still just accounts for 2 of the 200 animals sacrificed during Sukkot. It can seemingly be assumed, therefore, that there were maybe 198 more that died under Nero at that festival. But it needs to also be recognized that that is just one year’s tally of sacrifices. When considering all the animals sacrificed during the Feast of Booths over the centuries, it tallies to a very large number. But at 140,000, tops, [125] it still pales to the millions of Christians martyred over the past 2,000 years.
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As it has long be said, the Church was built on the blood of the martyrs. It continues to this day. And without even realizing it, the holiday of Sukkot, as observed during the First and Second Temple periods, seems to have foreshadowed that brutal reality.
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Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot
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Commonly known as: A Sabbath that occurs during the “mundane” days of Sukkot
Observance Type: An auspicious holiday Sabbath
Date: Any Sabbath occurring during Sukkot from 16 to 20 Tishri
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: The Chol HaMoed days of Pesach or Sukkot are those that occur in the middle of these 7-day holidays. In comparison to the festivities associated with the first and last days, they are said to be “mundane”. The only exceptions are those Sabbaths that might occur on those days. They are elevated to a higher status somewhere between a normal and a Special Sabbath. As such, and like Special Sabbaths, they have special prayers and readings associated with them. But one big difference is that there may or may not be any in a given year. The probability, that is, of there being a Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot, for instance, in any given year is 71%. And the same applies to Pesach.
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The haftarah prescribed by the Talmud for Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach (which see) is a reading from prophet Ezekiel (Ez 37:1-14). But for this Sabbath the Talmud’s prescription is from the very next chapter. [126] And it prophesies of the battle waged on Israel by Gog (a ruthless enemy) and the land he hails from, Magog. [127] From a theological perspective, however, it has always been understood to be a metaphor for the age-old battle in this world between good and evil. And today it has come to be associated almost exclusively with end times prophecy due to the fact that this battle is also mentioned in the Book of Revelation. [128] But in Old Testament times it was simply understood to foretell of a battle that takes place with the coming of the Messiah.
Christian Relevance: In 5 AD John the Baptist’s 13th Hebrew calendar birthday would have occurred on October 7. This was the 1st day of Sukkot that year, and it was a Wednesday. With Bar Mitzvah’s being traditionally celebrated on the first Sabbath following that auspicious birthday, it would have logically taken place on October 10 (18 Tishri) making it the 4th day of Sukkot and, as such, a Chol HaMoed Sabbath. So there is a match, at least, with a holiday.
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But the reading for this day is also extremely appropriate given how it was understood in John’s time. Rabbinical thought back then, in conjunction with the prophet Zechariah’s elaboration on this great spiritual battle, [129] saw the battle of Gog and Magog as a complete overthrow of the present system at the coming of the Messiah. [130] And isn’t that precisely what John would soon be devoting his entire life to, in preaching that the Kingdom of God was at hand? [131]
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An interesting sidelight to this arises, too, in speculating when the Sabbatical years may have occurred in the time of Christ and whether 5 AD may have been one. [132] We do not know today with certainty when they occurred back then, but if 5 AD was a Sabbatical year, it is intriguing to also speculate how it may have effected John’s Bar Mitzvah. This is because it was customary on Sabbatical years for the entire Torah to be read to the public during the festival of Sukkot. [133] This was called the Hakhel.
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So given that John was the son of a Levitical priest who had ministerial ties to the Temple, [134] it makes sense that John might have been given the opportunity to participate in the Hakhel on Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot, in honor of his coming of age. And, given also who John would turn out to be, it makes sense, too, that the Holy Spirit would have set things up this way. [135]
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Shmini Atzeret
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Commonly known as: Literally - The Eighth (day) Solemn Gathering
Observance Type: A convocation Festival, connected to but independent of Sukkot
Date: 22 Tishri
Scriptural References: Numbers 29:35-38.
Origin: 15 century BC
Description: Although similar in nature to Sukkot in that it follows immediately after the last day of the 7-day Feast of Booths, and the dwelling in sukkah is still required, the ancient rabbis insist it is an independent holiday. [136] The Talmud, however, does not speak much about it, nor do the ancient traditions. Some have seen it as the convocational ending of Sukkot, just as Shavuot can be seen as the convocational ending of Pesach. Noting that Zechariah prophesied that Sukkot would one day be a universal holiday for both Jew and gentile, others have posited that when that happens, Shmini Atzeret will be a special Sukkot for Jews only.
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But that is merely what is known of it from its role as a harvest festival. With the other harvest festivals having a connection to the time of the Exodus, however, so should Shmini Atzeret. And we can discern it by looking at the connection between Shavuot and Pesach. That timespan began with the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt and brought to the edge of the wilderness (over the 7 days of Pesach). And it ended on Shavuot when in the wilderness they received from God their new master (the Law) at Mt, Sinai.
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But Sukkot commemorates the entire time the Israelites were in the wilderness. It is reasonable to assume, then, that Shmini Atzeret might commemorate something monumental that happened to them once they finally entered the Promised Land (something akin to their receiving the Law). And the Bible speaks of several such things that happened after they entered. But with Shmini Atzeret occurring immediately after Sukkot it implies it should be maybe the very first thing that happened. And that would point us to, what theologians call, The Second Circumcision. [137]
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Circumcisions had been banned during the entire time the Israelites were in the wilderness. So with their receiving the rite again on entering the Promised Land (after being in spiritual limbo for so long) it was like God telling them they had earned again the right to call themselves His Chosen People. And in their being circumcised en masse, as they were, the last vestiges of what they were as slaves were taken away. Or as the Bible put it, their circumcisions removed from them the reproach of Egypt.
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Christian Relevance: There are two connections found to this holiday in New Testament times. One is to John the Baptist’s circumcision. The other is to St. Paul’s martyrdom. And both are very fittingly applied to it.
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Looking first at John circumcision, as described in the Gospel of Luke, [138] we see that its relevance stretches back to the day the angel announced his conception. His father, Zechariah, expressed doubt when he heard it that this might happen given how old he and his wife were. And for that lack of faith he was struck dumb, remaining in that state until the day of John’s circumcision. It was a seemingly small infraction, whose punishment seems a bit steep to modern readers, until it is realized that its severity may have been for the purpose of drawing our attention to a similar incident from the time of the exodus.
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In the Torah we read that it wasn’t God’s original intent to bar the Israelites from entering the Promised Land for 40 years after they escaped Egypt. They were actually being prepared to leave the wilderness the same year they entered. But, on learning of how mighty the current occupants of the Promised Land were, they expressed doubt in their ability to conquer it. So God punished them for their lack of faith by barring them entry into the Promised Land until that generation of cowards had all basically perished. [139]
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In summary, the Israelites and John the Baptist’s father were both stuck in a state of spiritual purgatory due to their lack of faith. And in both cases it ended with a circumcision. For John’s father it ended with his son’s circumcision on Shmini Atzeret. This is when he received again his faculty for speech. [140] And for the Israelites it ended with the Second Circumcision, which is commemorated by Shmini Atzeret. And there are way too many correlations here for it to be mere coincidence. This was obviously all planned from the start.
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As to St. Paul’s martyrdom in Rome, it is connected in time to St. Peter’s martyrdom on 1 Sukkot that same year. So the details, as they pertain to both events, are described in the discussion on Sukkot (which see). But those details pertaining, specifically, to Shmini Atzeret can be best understood here when recognizing one crucial difference between St. Peter and St. Paul, their citizenship.
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St. Paul was a Roman citizen, and that is the very reason he was in Rome. He'd been charged with a crime by the Jewish authorities and he felt his chances of acquittal were better if he was tried in a Roman court. So he used his Roman citizenship to convince the Roman magistrate, Festus, to send him to Rome for his trial. And that is where the Book of Acts ends, with St. Paul in Rome for two years under house arrest and awaiting his trial. [141]
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Given the hostility the Jewish authorities had toward Christians it did seem at the time like the best venue for the trial. What St. Paul didn’t anticipate, however, was the Fire of Rome and how drastically it would alter Roman attitudes. So St. Paul was apparently destined for martyrdom whichever choice he made. And the Neronian persecution is traditionally understood to have been the setting for that eventuality. [142] He did have one slight advantage over St. Peter in the way he died, however, in that being a Roman citizen, he was assured a much quicker death than crucifixion.
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And this is why it makes sense that St. Paul would have been killed on Shmini Atzeret. With Nero’s 10-year anniversary celebration (his Decennalia) beginning on 1 Sukkot and stretching out over the entre 8 days, those deaths involving crucifixions would have logically taken place first, because they would have been the most spectacular deaths. And Tacitus’s description of the event show that Nero was bent on making them spectacular. [143] For the less spectacular executions, however, like say, St. Paul’s beheading, it would be logical that they might be scheduled for the last day of the festival (which would also be Shmini Atzeret).
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This is mostly speculative, of course. But in the 2/3rds Rule projections on the other events in St. Paul’s life (on Shabbat Hazon and Shabbat Shekalim, which see), there is some mathematical support for it.
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But to sum up, St. Peter is being proposed to have died being nailed to a structure (a crucifix) on the one day every year (1 Sukkot) when it is customary to build wooden structures. And St. Paul, by similar logic, died (with the other condemned Roman Christians) by the edge of a blade (the headsman’s ax) on a day (Shmini Atzeret) commemorating the large-scale use of a blade in the Second Circumcision. But it should also not be forgotten that, in the discussion on Yud Gimmel Nisan (which see), the Second Circumcision was shown to be a prefigurement for the Sacrament of Last Rites (which fits the occasion quite well, too).
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The discussion on this holiday is not completely done, however, as there is one last connection worth noting. The 7th chapter of John's Gospel places Jesus in Jerusalem for the final days of the Feast of Booths in 32 AD. And, on what it says was the last and greatest day of the feast, [144] Jesus addressed the crowd to tell them of the living water. It is assumed that John was speaking of Shmini Atzeret. But the relevance of this address to the theme of the holiday is unclear. It is, nevertheless, included in the graphic C1, since it is a datable event associated with a holiday.
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Simchat Torah
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Commonly known as: Literally – The Joy of the Torah (day)
Observance Type: A minor Festival
Date: Inside of Israel: 22 Tishri, Outside of Israel: 23 Tishri, Proposed from Scripture: 24 Tishri
Scriptural References: Nehemiah 9:1.
Origin: unknown
Description: Simchat Torah is a minor observance that celebrates the end of the Torah cycle readings for the old year and the start of the Torah cycle readings for the new year. So it is kind of new year celebration for the Torah cycle. This renewal of the Torah cycle is mentioned in the Talmud and assigned to the day following the 7 days of Sukkot. [145] However, its scriptural roots seem to go back much earlier and suggest also a later date.
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In the book of Nehemiah, Ezra the Scribe performs a version of the Hakhel for the returning exiles throughout the month of Tishri. [146] He and his fellow scribes have been compiling and copying the Torah throughout their time of exile in Babylon. [147] And on returning to Jerusalem he takes the opportunity to reintroduce its wisdom to the people. Most have never even heard of the Torah, let alone heard someone read from it. And it brings many to tears, because in this reading they rediscovered who they were as a people and, more importantly, they learned that all the calamities that had befallen them were the just result of their sins.
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So when Ezra had finished, on 24 Tishri, they all came together, in sackcloth and ashes, to repledge themselves to the covenant their ancestors had made to their God. And there was a definite change in piety with the chosen people from that point on, as can be seen in their fierce opposition to paganism during the time of the Maccabees. So this was obviously a watershed moment in Judaism. And, with Scripture highlighting the day it happened, that point is made very clear.
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It might be expected, therefore, that if any day in Tishri is to be selected for celebration of the start of the new Torah cycle, 24 Tishri would be the day, as it would also be a commemoration. And it may well have been that day for a while. But by the time of the compilation of the Talmud it had become expedient to set the end of the Torah cycle to the day following the last day of Sukkot. And since the propensity of rabbinical thought felt it wrong to end the day with the end of the Torah, they also assigned the start of the new Torah cycle to the same day. [148]
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In its observance, it is treated today primarily as a festival (and deservedly so) with singing and dancing and many other rituals designed to celebrate the Torah. As to the scriptural reference to 24 Tishri, there is one Jewish community today, the Karaites, that observes that day, too. But in consideration of the penitentiary description given it in the book of Nehemiah, they believe it to be the true date of Tzom Gedaliah. And they observe it, accordingly, not as a feast but, as a fast.
Christian Relevance: The 2/3rds Rule calculates that Christ selected His 12 Apostles on Sunday, September 29, 31 AD, which was also 24 Tishri that year. And although this doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the renewal of the Torah cycle, it does have a great deal to do with the more impactful events of 24 Tishri, as described in the book of Nehemiah. In that story the penitents who came together to pledge their loyalty to the covenant are described not as Judahites but as Israelites. [149] We can, therefore, view them as being representative of all 12 tribes of Israel.
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And it also needs to be recognized that immediately after this pledge they began construction of the Second Temple over the rubble of the First Temple, [150] starting, of course, with its foundation. And that is fundamentally precisely what Jesus was doing in selecting His Apostles. He was beginning construction of His Church, starting, of course, with its foundation. [151]
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Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan
Commonly known as: The first day of the eighth month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Cheshvan
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: A minor observance to celebrate the first day of the eighth liturgical month. Christian Relevance: Like all the other “mundane” Rashey Chadashim, this one has no known relevance to an event in Christendom.
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Rosh Chodesh Kislev
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Commonly known as: The first day of the ninth month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Kislev
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: A minor observance to celebrate the first day of the ninth liturgical month.
Christian Relevance: Like all the other “mundane” Rashey Chadashim, this one has no known relevance to an event in Christendom.
Chanukah
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Commonly known as: The Feast of the Dedication, aka The Festival of Lights
Observance Type: A minor 8-day Commemoration / Festival
Date: 25 Kislev to 2 (or 3) Tevet
Scriptural References: 1 Maccabees 4:52-59, 2 Maccabees 10:1-8, Jn 10:22.
Origin: 2nd century BC
Description: The 8-day Chanukah festival commemorates the purification and rededication of the Second Temple after it had been defiled by the Greeks at the time of the Maccabees. With the Temple being destroyed in 70 AD it has lost most of its relevance. And with it being a minor commemoration there is also no obligation to celebrate it. But its placement in winter near Christmas has elevated its popularity to nearly the same status as the major holidays.
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Its alternate name, the Festival of Lights, originated from a miracle that is said to have occurred during the rededication. [152] As the story goes, after the Temple was purified, the people were so anxious to rededicate the Temple, they lit the lamp in the inner sanctum without checking first to see that they had enough oil to keep it lit. And sure enough, they quickly discovered that the oil they’d been counting on had been defiled. To make matters worse, the ritual required to purify more oil took 7 days.
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So they might have logically chosen to extinguish the lamp and start again once they had sufficient oil to keep it lit. But the date they chose for the dedication had special significance to them, so they decided instead to just hold their breaths and hope for the best while their priests prepared more oil. [153] And the lamp is said to have stayed lit the entire time, in spite of it having only one day’s supply of purified oil. The people saw this as an undeniable miracle. And, with the lit lamp being symbolic of God’s presence in the Temple, it gave them assurance that God truly was with them. So from that the modern custom arose where one candle each day is lit in Jewish households on an 8-candle menorah during the festival to commemorate the miracle.
Christian Relevance: The 2/3rds Rule has determined that both of Jesus’s earthly parents, His blessed mother and His stepfather, were conceived on 1 Chanukah. And in both cases (St. Joseph’s on December 7, 63 BC and the Blessed Virgin’s on December 6, 25 BC) the connection shows their lives to be tied in with the Second Temple.
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With regard to St. Joseph, his Bar Mitzvah on Shabbat Shuvah (which see) and his commissioning on Rosh Chodesh Nisan (which see) show that he was groomed throughout his life to be the living embodiment of the Second Temple. So his conception on the Feast of the Dedication is understood to be harbinger of the commissioning he would one day receive.
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And Blessed Mary, being identified as the new Ark of the Covenant at the Visitation (on Tzom Tisha B’Av, which see) and at her Assumption (on Shabbat Nahamu, which see), is logically also associated with the Second Temple. In fact, she would one day find shelter and sanctuary with the living embodiment of that Temple through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
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But there is a major difference between the two in terms of holiness. And this, too, is reflected in the holiday, in that the Blessed Virgin’s conception was found to have also occurred on Shabbat Chanukah (which see). So both are associated with the Temple’s dedication. But, with Mary and in accord with the readings common to that supplemental connection, her conception is also tied in with the Temple’s repurification.
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And this is to be expected of someone whom the Church has taught was Immaculately Conceived. This is the dogmatic belief of Catholics (and others) that Mary was miraculously preserved from the stain of Original Sin via a singular act of grace by God for her alone. Given that she was to be the vessel by which the Word was to enter our universe, and given, also, that she was to be His mother and guardian during the most vulnerable years of His life, it was necessary that her soul be pristine. So it makes a ton of sense that she was born sinless and would remain in that state throughout her life.
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But this holiday connection says this most eloquently. It affirms that just as it was in the days of the Maccabees when the defiled Second was purified and rededicated, so on this same day in 25 BC, the defiled human temple was repurified and rededicated by a singular act of grace for our Blessed Mother. By what holiday connection could God have said it better?
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And the 8 days of the holiday are significant, too, considering it takes that many days for a fertilized ovum to make its way into the uterus and attach to it. It suggests that our Blessed Mother was receiving divine protection for those first perilous days of her existence to ensure that she’d make it into the sterile environment of her mother’s womb without issue.
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So how exactly does someone become immaculately conceived in our sinful world? We have no way of knowing. But we do, at least, now have a pretty good idea of how long it takes. It is a miracle that takes apparently the same number of days that (with God’s help) the lamp in the Temple’s Inner Sanctum remained lit. And this would also appear to be God’s opinion on how much more acknowledgement the Feast of the Immaculate Conception should be given over what it presently receives. An 8-day celebration is what is being called for here. And the ancient Jewish custom of lighting a candle each day on an 8-candle menorah to commemorate what happened is ripe for appropriation.
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So that about covers Mary's involvement with the holiday. But Scripture mentions a link, of sorts, to her son, as well. John's Gospel tells of Jesus being in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Dedication in the winter (presumedly of 32 AD). There is no mention at that time of any sign or miracle taking place during the festival. And there is no specific day of the festival highlighted either. About the only thing of importance mentioned is a confrontation Jesus had with the Jerusalem religious authorities where He declared publicly, for the first time, that He and the Father are one. [154] Being a somewhat significant event and somewhat datable, it is included in Figure C1 and assigned arbitraily to Shabbat Chanukah. It's relevance to the theme of the festival is, however, unclear.
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Shabbat Chanukah
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of Chanukah
Observance Type: One of 10 Special Sabbaths of the Hebrew calendar
Date: The first Sabbath occurring in Chanukah
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: The 8-day festival of Chanukah primarily celebrates the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem during the Maccabean period. Whereas the first Sabbath that occurs during this 8-day festival, Shabbat Chanukah, puts its emphasis on the repurification of the Temple prior to its being rededicated. And this is seen in the haftarah the Talmud claims is assigned to this Sabbath. [155] It is Zechariah 2:17-4:6, which speaks of two visions. The first is of a prophet whose filthy garments are cleansed. [156] And the second is of a golden 7-candle lampstand with a golden bowl on top. [157]
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The symbology present in both visions was originally understood to represent the purification the Judahites received through the ordeal of the Babylonian captivity. But, with its later connection to Chanukah, it is understood to represent the repurification of the Jerusalem Temple and the Miracle of the Oil. (See the discussion on Chanukah for more on that).
Christian Relevance: The haftarah for this Sabbath from the Christian perspective sees its ultimate fulfillment in the purification of the human temple in the singular act of God’s grace in the Immaculate Conception (See Chanukah for the greater ramifications).
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But this Sabbath was also invaluable for determining the true date of the Immaculate Conception, because of all the years the Blessed Virgin might have been conceived in, there were only two where Sabbath Chanukah also landed on 1 Chanukah. And of those two only one (December 6, 25 BC) was compatible with all the other dates discerned for her.
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Rosh Chodesh Tevet
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Commonly known as: The first day of the tenth month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Tevet
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: A minor observance to celebrate the first day of the tenth liturgical month.
Christian Relevance: Like all the other “mundane” Rashey Chadashim, this one has no known relevance to an event in Christendom.
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Tzom Asara B’Tevet
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Commonly known as: The Fast of the Tenth Month
Observance Type: One of the 4 fast days of Zechariah
Date: 10 Tevet
Scriptural References: Zechariah 8:19.
Origin: 6th century BC
Description: This is the fourth of the four Fasts foretold by the prophet, Zechariah to become joyous festivals with the coming of the Messiah. [158] As with the other fasts, Zechariah makes no mention of the exact date or the exact reason for it. But it has come to be associated with the tragic events of the Babylonian Captivity as laid out in the last chapter of the 2nd Book of Kings. [159] And this fast is traditionally observed as a commemoration of the onset of the Babylonian siege on Jerusalem, which took place on 10 Tevet (according to Scripture) [160] in 588 BC.
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Christian Relevance: With John the Baptist being 6 months older than his cousin, Jesus, [161] his conception 6 months prior to July 4, 9 BC would put it right around January 4, 9 BC. And the astronomical record concurs that January 4 would coincide with 10 Tevet in 9 BC. [162] But so does the test given us in Luke concerning John’s father’s priestly service in the Jerusalem Temple. [163]
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Therein we read that John’s family hailed from the ancestral House of Abijah, which was the 8th of 24 Houses that service the Temple’s Inner Sanctum. As described in the 1st Book of Chronicles, [164] a member of each House is called to one week of this service until a priest from all 24 Houses has served. So each rotatiopn lasts 24 weeks and then it starts over with the first House being called upon again to serve. Given, therefore, that John’s father was serving in the Temple for his House when he received the news from the angel that John was to be conceived, all that is required, then, to know when this might have happened is the service date and year of any of the Houses. From that it is a simple matter of back calculating.
And (as discussed in much greater detail in Part 4 of chapter 1) the ancient texts do give us the name of the last House that was serving when the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. [165] So in doing the math for the year proposed for John’s conception (9 BC) this places the heavenly announcement of John’s conception during the week ending on January 5. So, along with the astronomical record, that’s now two reliable sources that verify this correlation.
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But maybe the most compelling verification is in the way John’s conception fulfills Zechariah’s prophecy that this sad fast day would become joyous in the Messianic age. And how better could it be fulfilled? The Babylonian siege on Jerusalem after all marked the beginning of the end of the Davidic Kingdom. Whereas the conception of John the Baptist marked the beginning of a new kingdom, one that John would soon be heralding and one that can never be destroyed, the Kingdom of God.
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The Wedding Feast of Queen Esther
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Commonly known as: N/A
Observance Type: Lost and largely forgotten Holiday - no longer observed
Date: Sometime during the month of Tevet
Scriptural References: Esther 2:16-18.
Origin: 4th century BC
Description: When the Jewish heroine Esther was married to the Persian King, Ahasuerus, a feast day was declared. However, Scripture tells us only that it took place in the month of Tevet. It does not state the exact day. And there is no indication of it ever being celebrated outside of Persia or as a Jewish feast day other than that one scriptural reference.
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Christian Relevance: Two-thirds of the way into the Blessed Virgin’s pregnancy and two-thirds of the way into St. Joseph’s life (from the day he was born to the day he died) both land on precisely the same date. It is January 3, 8 BC, which was 21 Tevet that year. The math, therefore, insists that it is highlighting a very momentous occassion for both of them. So it has been determined to very likely be the day they were married. And given that the Jewish heroine, Queen Esther, is a very obvious prefigurement from Scripture of our Heavenly Queen mother, the one holiday that seems to be the best fit for the occasion is Queen Esther’s wedding day.
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So although the date of the holiday is lost to us today, the implication here is that it was still well known in New Testament times. And, if true, it is not hard to imagine it being a very popular date for scheduling weddings back then, which would also explain how it might come to be the wedding day for Mary and Joseph. But whether they knew the date Queen Esther was married or not, the Holy Spirit knew when it was and could have (for reasons now known) inspired them to say their vows on that specific date anyway.
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So that is a fairly reasonable New Testament fulfillment of an Old Testament foreshadowing. But there is one other connection to this holiday that might apply. Back in biblical times a marriage involved two ceremonies. The first was a betrothal, which was a great deal more than what a betrothal is today. People in those days lived with their parents until they married. When betrothed, however, they were essentially married in all respects but one. Their living arrangements were unchanged. Time was needed for the groom to prepare a home for his bride. So, in the final step, the wedding, the marriage was completed by the groom taking his bride ceremonially from her parents and into the home he’d prepared for her.
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It was customary, too, that the betrothal lasted one year to allow the groom adequate time for the preparations. So if that custom was followed, Mary and Joseph would have also become betrothed on Queen Esther’s wedding day (21 Tevet), which would have coincided with January 27 in 9 BC. And, although speculative, that date, occurring several months prior to the Annunciation, would not be in conflict with the ancient traditions.
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Rosh Chodesh Shevat
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Commonly known as: The first day of the eleventh month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Shevat
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: A minor observance to celebrate the first day of the eleventh liturgical month.
Christian Relevance: Like all the other “mundane” Rashey Chadashim, this one has no known relevance to an event in Christendom.
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Shabbat Shirah
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of Song
Observance Type: Special Sabbath / Commemoration
Date: On or just prior to Rosh Hashanah La’Ilanot
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: The Sabbath commemorates two events from Scripture that are associated with song. The most famous is the song sung by the Israelites after they safely crossed through the parted Red Sea. [166] While the other is the song sung by Deborah after the defeat of King Jabin and the Canaanites in the time of the Judges. [167] And the readings for this Sabbath are from both events.
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The timing of the Sabbath is a little odd, though, in that, of the two events, the crossing of the Red Sea is the only one that can be dated from Scripture. It occurred right after the 7th day of Passover. So it would seem natural to position this Sabbath on the first Sabbath after the holiday of Passover. The traditional rationale for assigning it rather to a day that marks the beginning of spring is that this is when the New Year for Trees begins. And trees are associated with birds. And birds sing.
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It does make sense, however, to set it to a nonspecific day, if the intent is to ensure that both songs (that of the Israelites and that of Deborah), are equally highlighted. Setting it to the time of the exodus would focus all the attention of the day onto the Song of the Israelites. And the day’s connection to the Song of Deborah might, by now, be lost.
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Christian Relevance: Sabbat Shirah fell on January 31 in 33 AD. And this is also the last day of the 3rd Period of the 5th Creation level. As such the Periodicity of the Creation epic predicts that the subjects of this Level (the Apostles) have successfully overcome the treacherous waters they’d been thrust into and are now new creations ready and eager to take on new challenges.
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And those waters were the terrifying waters of Faith. When they first entered, at the start of the 2nd Period, they’d been conditioned by the world to rely solely on themselves for their livelihood. But after being forced out of that mindset they learned to be reliant solely on God and were now swimming in waters once thought lethal. They were, metaphorically speaking, walking on water, with the assurance that as long as they hung on to Christ they would not sink.
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This is, therefore, the date all the clues point to that the Apostles were sent out in twos, by Christ, on their first missions. And it is supported by the fact that the next Period (which started the following day) is 40 days long, whereas the event that prefigures their mission, the sending out of the 12 spies in the Book of Exodus, was also for 40 days. [168]
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Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot (modern: Tu B’Shevat)
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Commonly known as: The New Year for Fruit bearing Trees, aka Jewish Arbor Day
Observance Type: One of 4 New Year celebrations on the Hebrew calendar
Date: disputed - 15 Shevat (School of Hillel), 1 Shevat (School of Shammai)
Scriptural References: Leviticus 19:23-24.
Origin: unknown
Description: In the Torah God gave a command concerning the tithing of fruit from fruit bearing trees. It reads …
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When you come into the land and plant any fruit tree there,
first look upon its fruit as if it were uncircumcised.
For three years, it shall be uncircumcised for you; it may not be eaten.
In the fourth year, however, all of its fruit shall be dedicated to the LORD in joyous celebration. Not until the fifth year may you eat its fruit, to increase the yield for you.
I, the LORD, am your God. (Leviticus 19:23-25, NABRE).
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And from that an obvious question arose. From what day are tree years to be counted? Now this may not have been an issue with the many evergreen trees of the middle east. But for those fruit trees (like the fig) that lie dormant in the winter, the natural solution was to count these years from when they begin to bloom again, in the spring. That, however, did not settle the issue on the exact date to assign to it.
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And at the time of Christ there were two rabbinical schools of thought on the matter. One school (that of Shammai) set it to 1 Shevat. And the other (the School of Hillel) argued for 15 Shevat. [169] But the Talmud does not explain the reason for the argument, or what the date may have been before the debate began. Was it 1 Shevat, 15 Shevat, or some other date the Rabbis felt needed to be changed? The 2/3rds Rule argues for that third option. See below.
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Christian Relevance: According to the 2/3rds Rule the 4th Period of the 5th Creation Level began on February 1, 33 AD. And on it Jesus embarked on the second 40-day fast of His ministry. It is heavily suggested by the length of the Period (40 days) and the Beatitude that defines the Period (the 4th) which speaks of hungering and thirsting for the sake of righteousness. [170] It is also in keeping with the Church’s intuition that a 40-day Lenten fast period needed to be assigned to its Liturgical calendar just prior to Holy Week.
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Christ's intent with the fast (in accord with the 5th Beatitude) was for the city of Jerusalem to show Him mercy, that they might receive mercy. Jesus knew in advance, however, that it would not be successful, but He did it anyway. It was simply the right thing to do. And He started it on 12 Shevat, making it the 2/3rds Rule’s position as to the true date of Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot.
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The rationale for this dating comes partly from its position on the Julian calendar that year. The solar calendar being much more consistent as to the precise timing of the seasons, it makes sense that the people back then might have naturally gravitated toward making February 1 the New Year for trees, as this would have been aligned much better with when the first blossoms bloomed every year. Many cultures back then also observed that day as the 1st day of Spring. And it is still observed in Celtic lands as the holiday of Imbolc (which see).
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This would make sense, too, of why the rabbinical schools in Jesus’s day felt the need to reassign the date to either the 1st or 15th of Shevat. They would have certainly felt it unseemly for a Jewish holiday to be observed on a date set by a pagan calendar. Maybe at the time this tradition started it wasn’t that bad, given how highly the Romans were once regarded. [171] But by New Testament times the Jewish people despised their Roman overlords and the same animus would likely apply to their calendar.
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Whether true or not, this holiday connection’s biggest selling point is in how stunningly beautifully it fits with what we know of Jesus at this time in His life. That is, He began His ministry in 30 AD, so from the New Year for Tree’s perspective this is His 4th year. And from the very start of it He has been engaged in the creation and the nurturing His Church (which could metaphorically be seen as a tree). He, of course, wants it to continue to grow and bear fruit so with only roughly 2 months left in His ministry He is being asked to present Himself to the Temple as a first fruits offering from that tree so His Church will continue to yield.
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So that is the primary New Testament connection found to this holiday. And its beauty is breathtaking. But from it is derived another. This same Hebrew calendar date, 12 Shevat, was calculated to have significance in the life of St. Peter in 54 AD. It didn’t fall on February 1st that year, however. It was February 8th. So this is somewhat problematic unless the position is taken that this correlation isn’t connecting to the holiday as it was defined by the Old Covenant. St. Peter’s connection was to its relevance in Jesus’s life.
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In other words, it is the kernel of truth buried within the old Quo Vadis legend. And its intent is to tell us that St. Peter was being called to Rome and to his ultimate destiny on this date, in a way similar to Jesus being called to Jerusalem. This is admittedly speculative. But it is backed up mathematically by being calculated from two much more solid holiday connections attached to St. Peter’s commissioning and his martyrdom.
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Shabbat Shekalim
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of Shekels (aka the Sabbath of the Temple Tax, or tithing)
Observance Type: One of 10 Special Sabbaths of the Hebrew calendar
Date: The Sabbath on, or just prior to, 1 Adar
Scriptural References: Exodus 30:11-16.
Origin: unknown
Description: The Temple tax at the time of Christ was 1 half-shekel and it was required of every Jewish household to pay for the Temple’s construction and upkeep. Shabbat Shekalim was the first call each year to pay the tax. And it was expected to be paid sometime before the holiday of Rosh Chodesh Nisan. It also became customary to throw in an extra half-shekel on Purim bringing the total tax to 2 half-shekels.
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Christian Relevance: In putting together all the tiles in the mosaic created by the 2/3rds Rule that defines the life of Christ, by the time it came to bringing the lives of Sts. Peter and Paul into greater scrutiny there was still one Jewish observance unconnected. It was Shabbat Shekalim. But it was also found that it fit quite well into the bigger picture when assigned to St. Paul’s conversion. [172] His being blinded after witnessing a vision of the risen Christ, the two half-shekels can, accordingly, be seen as a metaphor for the scales that fell from his eyes when he could once again see. And in accord with the custom of putting coins on the eyes of the deceased, it symbolizes that his soul was literally brought back to life at his conversion.
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But there is another story from Scripture that might apply, as well. It deals specifically with the Temple tax and it also involves a miracle. [173] In it, Jesus is asked about paying the tax, so He tells St. Peter to pull a fish out of the sea and cut it open. And inside is found a coin, by which the tax was paid. There is nothing in this story that tells us precisely when it happened. So with no math to back it up, it is not that good a match for this Sabbath when compared to what we’ve found for every other observance. But for those who prefer a connection that is more specifically applied to the Temple tax, it is included in Figure C1. And since Matthew’s Gospel dates it after the Transfiguration it is assigned to the last Shabbat Shekalim of Christ’s ministry.
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Rosh Chodesh Adar
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Commonly known as: The first day of the twelfth month
Observance Type: One of 12 (or sometimes 13) annual Rosh Chodesh celebrations
Date: 1 Adar
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: A minor observance to celebrate the first day of the twelfth liturgical month.
Christian Relevance: Like all the other “mundane” Rashey Chadashim, this one has no known relevance to an event in Christendom.
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Shabbat Zakhor
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of Remembrance
Observance Type: One of 10 Special Sabbaths of the Hebrew calendar
Date: The Sabbath just prior to Purim
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: The Torah portion for this Sabbath is a command from God that reads …
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Bear in mind what Amalek did to you on the journey after you left Egypt,
how he surprised you along the way, weak and weary as you were,
and struck down at the rear all those who lagged behind; he did not fear God.
​​
Therefore, when the LORD, your God, gives you rest from all your enemies round about
in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you to possess as a heritage,
you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.
Do not forget! (Deuteronomy 25:17-19, NABRE)
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And so, in obeyance of this command, Shabbat Zakhor was created that the Jewish people would always be on their guard against the treachery of the Amalekites and all those throughout the centuries (even sadly to this day) who have been infected by the spirit of the Amalekites and wish to do them harm.
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Its placement just prior to the holiday of Purim (which see) is in accord with the tradition that Haman, the arch enemy of the Jews in the Book of Esther, was an Amalekite.
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Christian Relevance: Satan’s hatred of God’s chosen people is matched only by his hatred of those whom God grafted onto that vine (the Christians). So this Sabbath, which was created to stand as an annual reminder that there are a lot of people out there with evil intent, is as relevant to the people of the New Testament as it is to the people of the Old. And it really does need to be added, therefore, to the Christian liturgical calendar somewhere, especially in light of the heightened violence being seen in the world these days against both Christians and Jews.
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As to its relevance to New Testament times, there are two events in that time period where this Sabbath is highlighted. The first is an incident alluded to, [174] but not specifically mentioned, in Scripture. It comes, rather, from the oral traditions concerning an ordeal the Holy Family endured just prior to Jesus being born. [175] Therein it was claimed that Mary’s pregnancy was found out. And with her being a consecrated virgin, it resulted in a trial that might have ended her life (or that of her husband) if either was found guilty of infidelity.
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They were, of course, acquitted. And this study has found some truth in this story, assigning the trial and the acquittal to Purim (which see). But as pertains to this observance, it occurred 2 days prior to Purim. And sandwiched in between is Ta’anit Esther (which see), an observance found to have an even stronger connection to the Holy Family than Purim. It proposed that, like Esther, they, too, embarked on a fast. But with these three observances lined up consecutively like this it gives the impression that this Sabbath played an important role in this affair, as well.
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It suggests that the trial took place as a result of someone the Holy Couple thought they could trust turning them in. In other words, it would be something akin to Judas’s betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday of Holy Week. (But in their case, the trial wasn’t rigged). Whatever the treachery was, however, it would not have likely happened on Shabbat Zakhor. The Holy Spirit has shown on two other occasions that He does not dignify betrayal by giving it a place of honor on the Hebrew calendar. Acts of that nature seem to be reserved for the pagan calendar, as was the case for the treachery that occurred on the Ides of March and Veneralia (which see).
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So this Sabbath’s placement just prior to Ta’anit Esther appears rather to simply be God’s way of reminding the Holy Family of all the evil that was afoot and lurking in the shadows conspiring to do them harm. It may have even been the inspiration behind their decision to conduct the fast they started on the following day and continued until their child was born. If so, we can see by the trial and their subsequent acquittal that they were wise in doing it.
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But we can also see by this example how this observance works. Its purpose is to shine a spotlight on those things that prefer to hide in the shadows. And with that knowledge we have the means to speculatively date, not just one but, three major events during Christ’s ministerial years. Making up the entirety of the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel, they all occur sequentially within a span of two days.
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The first of the three is the miracle where Jesus, on a mountain preaching to the multitude, fed them all with five barley loaves and two fish. [176] And the second is a miracle, too, occuring later that night. It features Jesus, walking on water across the Sea of Galilee. [177] And the third takes place the following day. It is the famous discourse Jesus gave to a large crowd on the Bread of Life. [178] It contains no miracle, but it does provide a clue at the end of it to suggest to us today when all these events took place.
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In the discourse, Jesus told His followers for the first time about the need to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. [179] And it was a very hard saying to accept. We’re told that many turned their backs on Jesus that day and walked away in disgust. His own Apostles do not appear to have understood what He was saying, yet they all claimed they would stay with Him since they knew He was the Christ.
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And this is where Jesus slipped in a seemingly disconnected aside that has been the cause of a lot of speculation. He thanked His Apostles for their blind trust but noted that one of them was a devil. [180] This is the first time in the Gospels we hear of Judas being a traitor. And some theologians have interpreted it as the moment that Judas’s heart was turned, that, like many of the others who left Jesus that day, he could not handle what Jesus was saying.
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And this would be a reasonable assumption if it also jived with Scripture. But Scripture (John’s Gospel, specifically) argues against that theory by telling us that Judas’s seemingly sole motivation was greed. [181]
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So why else would Jesus have brought this up at this particularly time? There are probably many other possibilities, but the one favored by this book is that Jesus was putting a spotlight on Judas’s heart to tell us the day on which He said it. And that would be the day when it is appropriate to call such things out, Shabbat Zakhor.
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Again, this is all hugely speculative. But it is a reasonable solution to the problem. And opposed to the more popular position, it is not, at least, in conflict with Scripture. As to the precise date of this Special Sabbath we need to first know the year in Christ’s ministry these events occurred. And its placement in John’s Gospel suggests it was in 32 AD. But that would put it more than a year prior to the Last Supper. And the subject matter of the Discourse suggests a much later date. The miracle of the loaves and fishes is also indicative of a date closer to Calvary, given how much attention it drew. And it seems odd that Jesus would be giving up on Judas so soon (only four months) after selecting him.
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All in all, the more likely year seems to be 33 AD, with the date of Shabbat Zakhor that year being February 28. And the 2/3rds Rule seemingly concurs, placing it 2/3rds of the way into the 4th Period of Creation Level V. This is where it will be shown in Figure C1 anyway. But again, this one is hugely speculative (on both the date and the year).
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Ta’anit Esther / Erev Purim
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Commonly known as: The Fast of Esther / The Eve of Purim
Observance Type: A commemorative Fast
Date: 13 Adar
Scriptural References: Esther 4:16-17.
Origin: unknown
Description: There is no mention of this fast in any known ancient text prior to the 8th century AD. [182] That does not necessarily mean, however, that it didn’t exist in biblical times. It means only that its existence, prior to the 8th century AD, cannot be verified. But whenever it may have come into existence, it is a commemoration of two fasts from the time of Esther.
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The first was conducted by Queen Esther (the Jewish wife of the Persian king) along with all the Jews in the city of Susa to thwart the evil plans of the king’s viceroy, Haman. He despised Esther’s cousin / foster father, Mordecai, whom he knew to be Jewish. And so, rather than take his anger out on Mordecai, he conspired instead to eradicate all the Jews from the empire in one day via a massive genocide. And he did this by lying to the king about the Jews and convincing him to decree it.
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Haman, however, did not know that Esther, the king’s favorite wife, was Jewish. And so on hearing of the treachery, Mordecai asked Esther to speak with the king about it and hopefully change his mind. It was their only chance, but it was also, unfortunately, against protocol for her to speak to the king without first being summoned by him. And he hadn’t summoned her in a long while. She would have to, therefore, approach the king unannounced, which could result in her execution if he did not waive the obligatory punishment.
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So in preparation for approaching the king, which she felt she had no choice but to do, Esther and Mordecai fasted for three days in the month of Nisan. And their fast was successful. Her presumptiveness in approaching the king was not punished, and she did eventually stop the genocide that was scheduled to happen 11 months later on Purim (which see).
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So, given how impactful this fast was for the fortunes of the Jewish people, it is understandable that it might have inspired a commemoration. And, although the fast took place during the month of Nisan, it is observed on the eve of Purim to better connect it to the holiday. But its placement there is also in line with the tradition that there was a second fast conducted just before Purim by all the Jewish people in the land to implore God to keep them safe.
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Christian Relevance: In 8 BC Ta’anit Esther would have occurred on February 24, [183] which is exactly 40 days prior to Jesus’s proposed birthday on April 5. And with Esther and Mordecai being obvious foreshadowings of Mary and Joseph, [184] it strongly implies, given what they knew of the forces aligned to prevent it, that the Holy Couple embarked on their own fast on this fast day to guard against those forces until Jesus was born. It matters not whether this fast actually existed in those days, because, even if it didn’t, the Holy Spirit knew it would exist one day. And that would be sufficient to inspire them to fast on this particular day.
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The Holy Couple would have also not known when they started the fast the day it would end. But the Holy Spirit would settle that issue, too, setting it to 40 days, and making it the first of many instances where the number 40 played a prominent role in Christ’s life.
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As to the many dangers that may have inspired the fast, Scripture alludes to one big one. The appearance of infidelity could be life threatening in those days, And the tradition that Mary was a consecrated virgin, would have made each passing month of her pregnancy more difficult to explain. But the ancient traditions pick up on this, too, going into much greater detail as to one peril the Holy Family is said to have faced. [185] And the holiday on the following day (Purim, which see) seems tailormade for showcasing that ordeal.
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Purim
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Commonly known as: The Festival of Lots
Observance Type: A major Festival
Date: 14 Adar (15 Adar in walled cities, like Jerusalem)
Scriptural References: Esther 9:17-23.
Origin: 4th century BC
Description: Purim commemorates the day all the Jews residing in the Persian Empire were saved from complete annihilation by the courage of one woman, Esther, with the aid of her cousin / foster father, Mordecai.
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As the story goes, Esther was a beautiful Jewish girl living in Persia during the age of the Persian Empire who had caught the eye of the King, Ahasuerus. So he took her to be one of his many wives. But, given her beauty, she quickly became his favorite. He didn’t know at the time that she was Jewish. But there is no indication in the story he would have cared if he did.
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This situation drastically changed, however, when an older Jewish man in the King’s court named Mordecai offended the King’s vizier, Haman, by not bowing down to him. Mordecai refused to do it out of a sense of it being unfaithful to God. But this so enraged Haman, he decided to take out his anger on not just Mordecai but on all the Jews of the Empire (which amounted at the time to basically the entire world Jewish population). So he met with the king, told him lies about the Jewish religion and got him to decree a day to wipe them all out. The day of the proposed genocide was chosen, by lot, to be 14 Adar (hence the name, Festival of Lots).
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And this is where Esther gets involved. Having been told of the plot by Mordecai, she is asked to intervene with the king and hopefully talk him out of it. Esther consents but there is a hitch in that no one is allowed to approach the King without being first invited to do so. And the penalty for violating that law could be death. So she asks Mordecai and all the other Jews in the city to fast and pray for her for three days and nights and she does the same. (See Ta’anit Esther for more on that).
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And at the end of those three days, she approached the king (who let her slide on the infraction) and asked that he and Haman attend a feast she is preparing for them. They both accept and, to sum things up, over a couple of days she exposes Haman’s lies and treachery and convinces the king to save her people.
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Unfortunately he cannot, by law, reverse an official decree, so he issues another ordering that the Jews should be allowed to defend themselves on the day of the proposed attack. And thus, by this, the original decre is basically nullified.​​ The holiday of Purim was, therefore, proposed and set to 14 Adar to celebrate this turn of events. And it has been a day of celebration ever since, one of the most festive on the Hebrew calendar.
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Christian Relevance: There are two connections found to the holiday of Purim in the life of Christ, one from His childhood and the other from His ministerial years. Starting, then, with the first, the tradition that Mary was a teen-aged, consecrated virgin married off to a middle-aged, widower several years her senior, comes to us from the ancient texts, most notably The Protevangelion of James. [186] And this age difference is also corroborated in several ways by the 2/3rds Rule. But those ancient sources go into much greater detail, telling us the reason for the marriage and the type of marriage it was intended to be.
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As Jesus's stepbrother, James (presumedly), tell it, the Blessed Virgin was consecrated to the Jerusalem Temple as a baby (just like Samuel, the Old Testament Judge). [187] But she had to leave once she became a teen because, by the rules laid down in the book of Leviticus, her monthly flow made her ritually unclean. [188] So they gathered together several righteous older men from the city, and chose from that group the widower, St. Joseph. He was to marry her to be her guardian and protector. And that's all, given that she was a consecrated virgin.
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For this reason it must have been quite scandalous for her to be found with child even after they were married. And Scripture says as much. [189] It was, in fact, more than scandalous. And for the Blessed Virgin, in particular, if she was found to have been unfaithful to her vows it was a crime punishable by stoning. So after St. Joseph was told in a dream not to reject her, [190] they most likely tried to hide it.
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But toward the end of her pregnancy that apparently proved to be impossible. So after they are found out, they are forced to stand trial before the Sanhedrin, where they plead innocent, throwing themselves on the mercy of the court. And to sum things up, after surviving unscathed from drinking a scriptural prescription that should have killed them both had they been lying, [191] the Sanhedrin acquitted them.
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Now this story is not found in Scripture so there is no assurance as to its truth. But it would be very much in keeping with the holiday of Mary’s birth, Rosh HaShanah La’Behemot (which see), as in that observance it was foretold of her being forced to offer herself up to the Temple after two weeks of years had transpired. And she was 14 years old at the Annunciation when she agreed to bear this burden, knowing full well when she did what it might lead to.
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So there is a very strong hint in Scripture that something of this sort might happen. And as it pertains to Purim, with Mary and Joseph being so closely foreshadowed by Esther and Mordecai and the trials they went through, it would be odd if the holiday did not play into their lives somehow. But the timing is also appropriate, being just one day after Ta’anit Esther, which was shown (under that heading) to be connected mathematically to the Nativity.
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In summary then of all the clues in this first Christian encounter with Purim, there is ample evidence to conclude that the Holy Family faced some sort of ordeal during this holiday (something akin to a trial where their lives were in jeopardy) but like Esther and Mordecai, through their heroic virtue they survived and saved, not just themselves, but, the entire world in the process.
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As to the second encounter with the holiday, it is found to be tied in with Christ's raising of Lazarus, which occurred just a few weeks prior to the start of Holy Week. The actual observance associated with this great miracle has been determined to be the Special Sabbath, Shabbat Parah (which see). And it happened on March 7, 33 AD. But Scripture tells us Lazarus was 4 days dead when he was raised. [192] So when you back calculate to find the day he died it takes you to March 3, which was also the day Purim fell on that year. [193]
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On the surface, however, it sounds odd that a day that brings such sorrow as the death of a loved one might be connected to such a festive holiday. But a moment's reflection, reveals how appropriate it is. Purim after all is a holiday that celebrates the defeat of death. And Jesus basically reiterated that sentiment to His apostles when He was first told that Lazarus was ill.
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This illness [He said] is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it. (John 11:4, NABRE).
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In other words, and according to Jesus, Lazarus never really died (at least not permanently). And that makes Purim a perfect holiday to commemorate what ultimately happened to him. He was as good as dead and then rescued from it, just like the Jews of Persia in the days of Esther.​​​​​​
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Shabbat Parah
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of the Ashes of the Red Heifer
Observance Type: One of 10 Special Sabbaths of the Hebrew calendar
Date: The Sabbath just prior to Shabbat HaChodesh
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: Of all the Special Sabbaths, Shabbat Parah is maybe the most unusual. Its focus is on God’s instructions for purifying oneself after coming into contact with a dead body. The prescription was to wash in water mixed with the ashes of an immolated red heifer that had been sacrificed and specially prepared for this service. And there are a lot of rituals involved with the preparation, too.
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But it gives pause to wonder how this remedy from Scripture became elevated to the status of a Special Sabbath. Its location on the calendar and its association with Passover, however, may have had something to do with it. For one thing, it is the first of three Special Sabbaths leading up to Passover. And all are calls to purification (of oneself and one’s household) for the upcoming holiday. So that fits well with the theme of this Sabbath. But a description of the rituals involved in preparing the ashes of the red heifer may shed some additional light.
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As explained in the Torah, [194] during the time of Moses in the wilderness, a red heifer without blemish was to be selected, when needed, and taken outside of the encampment to be slaughtered by the priests. The priest would then dip his hand in the heifer’s blood 7 times and fling the blood each time in the direction of the Holy of Holies in the Tent of Meeting. The heifer was then burned with cedar wood, hyssop and a scarlet thread. And the ashes were then mixed with springwater to become the waters of lustration.
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These are the waters by which you could be purified after coming into contact with a dead body. But it was a prescription that required two applications over seven days before you could be made clean. So Shabbat Parah’s placement one week prior to Shabbat HaChodesh makes sense by that standard, too. But it wasn’t a situation where a red heifer was slaughtered on this day every year. Given its size, a heifer’s ashes would last a long time. So from the time of Moses to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, it is believed there were only nine such sacrifices.
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But by the time of the Second Temple there were a few refinements made to the ritual. And maybe the biggest is that of a stone walkway built for the ritual that proceeded out of the Temple (and the walled city) to the Mount of Olives. So on the relatively rare occasions that a new red heifer was needed, once selected, it would be led out via the walkway to a site prepared for it on the Mount of Olives, to be slaughtered, as prescribed, in sight of the Temple. [195]
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And this is where we start to see a parallel forming between the rituals of this Sabbath and Yom Kippur (which see) as there are a lot of similarities. Primarily, they both involve the sacrifice of animal outside of the Temple. And these are the only two times Scripture required that this happen. On Yom Kippur, it involved the scapegoat, which was led out of the Temple (and the city) on that same special walkway built for the red heifer. But there is also a scarlet thread involved in both sacrifices, to make this connection even clearer.
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So, from this, the rationale for making Shabbat Parah the first Sabbath leading up to Passover becomes fairly obvious. Yom Kippur and Pesach, being the two most important holidays on the Jewish Liturgical calendar, by this placement they both can be seen as festivals involving the sacrifice of two types of animals. One of these types: the atonement sacrifice of Yom Kippur and the Paschal Lambs on Pesach are sacrificed on the altar of the Temple, whereas the red heifer and the scapegoat are sacrificed outside the Temple.
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So that is one big mystery involving this Sabbath seemingly resolved. But there is one other that needs to be mentioned, and it, too, dates back to biblical times. Tradition holds, in fact, that it is a question so perplexing, even Solomon, in all his wisdom, couldn’t answer it.
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It has to do with a curious quality of the waters of lustration, which, according to the Torah, the priests that prepare them and those that administer them are made unclean in the process. [196] And the ancient rabbis could not wrap their heads around how it might be possible that one substance could make someone clean and at the very same time make another unclean. But this mystery, as do so many others, has a resolution. And it is found in New Testament times, where the Holy Spirit has more to tell us of the timing for this Sabbath, as well.
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Christian Relevance: The theme of this Sabbath (which involves being in contact with corpses) and its timing just before Passover is highly suggestive of it being the day Christ raised Lazarus (4 days dead) from the tomb. This would have occurred on March 7, 33 AD, while Jesus was in the last week of His 40-day Lenten fast. The Beatitudes suggest He embarked on this fast for the purpose of encouraging the Jewish authorities to show Him mercy (that they too might receive mercy). [197] And with this great miracle being designed to make it seemingly impossible for them to reject Him, their negative response on the day after Shabbat HaChodesh (which see) is hard to fathom.
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Scripture also speaks of Christ delaying His trip two days, presumedly to tell us that He was working in accord with a time schedule. So with that understanding and given also how well it fits in with other events in His life at this time, there seems very little reason to doubt that He did raise Lazarus on this particular Sabbath. But if that is not enough, there is also the recognition that by assigning the raising of a man, four days dead, to Shabbat Parah it also sets his death that year to Purim (which see). And that should pretty much settle the matter.
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As to the great mystery that was stumping all the rabbis, its resolution has long been understood to be Christ. He is the living water. [198] And although He was sinless, He makes us clean by taking on our sin at Calvary. [199] Christ can be seen to be many things depending on the context. He is the Third Temple. [200] He is the priest that offers sacrifice in that Temple. [201] He is the altar of sacrifice. [202] He is the sacrifice of the altar. [203] And, in this context, He is the living embodiment of the red heifer, a symbology that has been understood from the dawn of Christendom.
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Shabbat HaChodesh
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Commonly known as: The Sabbath of the Month of Nisan
Observance Type: One of 10 Special Sabbaths of the Hebrew calendar
Date: The Sabbath on or just prior to Rosh Chodesh Nisan
Scriptural References: none
Origin: unknown
Description: In the Book of Exodus we read of God instructing Moses and Aaron on the rules and regulations of the month of Nisan. He told them that it was to be the head of all the months. And He told them what they needed to do to prepare for the 10th plague of Egypt, the Passover. It does not, however, say exactly when God told them these things. But it is traditionally assumed it happened just prior to the month of Nisan.
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So the Sabbath that occurred on, or just prior to, Rosh Chodesh Nisan naturally became a Special Sabbath as the second of three calls to the people that the holiday of Passover was coming. Its purpose was also to serve as an annual reminder of the rules of the holiday to help the people prepare for it. And the readings for the Sabbath are the same instruction God gave Moses in Exodus 12:1-20.
Christian Relevance: Christ’s 40-day fast for the city of Jerusalem (that they might show Him mercy and thus also receive it) is completed on this day. It is March 14, 33 AD making it the start of the 5th Period of Creation Level 5. Jesus has put everything He has into helping them make the right decision. He has even raised a man, 4 days dead, from the tomb to make it seemingly impossible for them to reject Him. And all he can do now is wait on their response as He observes the theme for this Sabbath and prepares Himself mentally for the Passover.
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He does not have to wait long. Their infamous response will be issued the following day, a day the Romans know as the Ides of March (which see).
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NOTABLE US SECULAR HOLIDAYS
Observance: New Year’s Day
Date: January 1
Christian Relevance: none known
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Observance: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Date: The third Monday in January
Christian Relevance: none known
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Observance: President’s Day (Originally George Washington’s Birthday)
Date: The third Monday in February (originally observed as Washington’s birthday on February 22)
Christian Relevance: none known
​​​
Observance: April Fool’s Day
Date: April 1
Christian Relevance: With Jesus being crucified on April 3rd and Judas betraying Jesus by making his deal with the Sanhedrin two days earlier, [204] it should have occurred on this date. In other words, although he had seen all of Christ’s miracles, April Fool’s Day in 33 AD is the day Judas invested all that he had in a bet against God.
​​​​​​
Observance: Mother’s Day
Date: Second Sunday in May
Christian Relevance: From a Christian perspective an argument could be made to move this holiday to the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av (whenever that may occur each year) in honor of the Blessed Virgin being elevated to be the Queen Mother of the Church on that day in 53 AD.
​​​​​​
Observance: Memorial Day
Date: Last Monday in May
Christian Relevance: none known
​​​​​
Observance: Father’s Day
Date: Third Sunday in June
Christian Relevance: From a Christian perspective an argument could be made to move this holiday to the 15th of the Hebrew month of Elul (whenever that may occur each year) in honor of the St. Joseph’s Yahrzeit in 19 AD.
​​​​​
Observance: Independence Day
Date: July 4
Christian Relevance: The Annunciation took place on this date in 9 BC. And it is also exactly 1,500 years prior to the discovery of the New World in 1492. But with that being roughly 9 months of years prior to the countries birthyear (1776) we see that the conception and birth of the United States have both been prefigured by the arrival of our savior into our universe. And from this we can discern two very important things. It tells us that, in spite of what her detractors these days are saying, the US truly is an exceptional country. And, maybe more importantly, it tells us how we should be celebrating the Annunciation each year, with fireworks and parades.
​​​​​​
Observance: Labor Day
Date: First Monday in September
Christian Relevance: This holiday, the brainchild of a 19th century, Catholic, Irish-American, carpenter, [205] and devoted to honoring all the unsung heroes who labor tirelessly for the welfare of the country and their families, seems tailormade to honor St Joseph who also died on this date in 19 AD.
​​​​​​
Observance: Patriot Day
Date: September 11
Christian Relevance: St. Joseph was circumcised on Shabbat Shuvah (the Sabbath of Return) in 62 BC. It is a Sabbath that calls people to retrospection. And, it may be just coincidental, but it does, nevertheless, seem appropriate that, in 62 BC, this Sabbath should also occur on September 11, a modern commemoration calling us to do the same.
​​​​​
Observance: Columbus Day
Date: October 12
Christian Relevance: none known
​​​​​​
Observance: Halloween
Date: October 31
Christian Relevance: Halloween's origin as the eve of All Saints Day has been largely forgotten. So its connections to Christianity are today, dubious at best. It has become a Christian holiday, in name only.
​​​​​​
Observance: Veteran’s Day
Date: November 11
Christian Relevance: none known
​​​​​​
Observance: Thanksgiving
Date: Last Thursday in November
Christian Relevance: This one is kind of a stretch, and it may or may not be true, but it is worthwhile to mention it, nevertheless. In the oral traditions of the Church it is claimed that, like Jesus, Mary was also presented to the Temple as an infant. And this belief is taken so seriously that Mary’s Presentation is observed annually by the Roman and Orthodox Catholic Churches. Its Feast Day is November 21. [206]
​​​​​​​
If true, in keeping with the precedents set by Jesus’s Presentation, this should have happened for Mary on the day her mother was required by law to make a sin offering to the Temple for her ritual uncleanness after giving birth. In Leviticus the timing for this sin offering is 40 days after giving birth to a boy and 80 days after giving birth to a girl. [207]
​​​​​​​
The source from which we hear of this Presentation tells us, however, that Mary’s parents being an otherwise childless couple, had difficulty letting her go, even though they had vowed to consecrate her to the Temple if their prayer for a child was ever answered. So they put it off for a few years in order to enjoy her company. And it is understandable. The Protevangelion of James reports that they waited until after she turned three. [208] And in keeping with the day they know they should have done it, it is reasonable to assume they did it 80 days after her birthday.
​​​​​​
Getting to the point then, there is no correlation to anything if Mary was presented to the Temple at the age of three. If, however, she was four it is another matter, because in the year this would have happened (20 BC) her 15 Elul birthday would have landed on September 2. [209] And 80 days after that is November 21, the same day that the Church was inspired to honor Mary’s Presentation.
​​​​​
November 21 was also the third Thursday of November that year, making it one week prior to Thanksgiving. And although this is not the actual day of the holiday, it maybe should be, because the actual date of the first Thanksgiving is lost. And the date of the only other really memorable event associated with the Plymouth Bay Colony pilgrims is known. It is the November 21, 1620 signing of the first set of laws issued to govern America, the Mayflower Compact.
​​​
Again, this one is extremely speculative. But it is, nevertheless, included in Figure C1 and for two reasons. For one, it makes sense of God requiring mothers who've had a female baby having to wait twice as long before making a sin offering, because by this understanding God didn't do it for chauvinistic reasons. He did it for scheduling purposes. And this will be seen to play a much bigger role in the next book in this series.
As to the other reason this connection is being highlighted, its just nice to see a secular holiday devoted to giving thanks to God being honoered somehow in this study. And it would seem a lttle odd, too, that there would be connections to two other equally virtuous US holidays (Independence Day and Labor Day) and nothing for Thanksgiving. But by this connection we now have a major US Holiday being attached to each member of the Holy Family. And that alone is sufficient reason to include it.
​​​​
Observance: Pearl Harbor Day
Date: December 7
Christian Relevance: St. Joseph was conceived on this date in 63 BC. But the significance here may simply be coincidental, as the day of St. Joseph’s conception should certainly not be thought of as a day that will live in infamy. That is, unless, of course, you are looking at it from Satan's point of view.
​​​
SELECTED PAGAN HOLIDAYS
​​​
Observance: Imbolc (Celtic: The first day of spring)
Date: February 1
Christian Relevance: As discussed on Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot (which see) Jesus is said to have begun a 40-day fast on this date in 33 AD in anticipation of Calvary. It is a corroboration of Church intuition regarding Lent. And an interesting sidelight to this is that with this being the claimed New Year’s Day for Trees, if counting months from this date, it makes April the 3rd month, not the 4th. So, by that minor tweak, the focal point of all of Creation, Christ’s sacrificial death at Calvary, is set to 3 PM on 3/3/33 AD when the moon was in the middle of a 333 minute eclipse.
​​​
Observance: The Ides of March (Roman)
Date: March 15
Christian Relevance: Jesus’s final 40-day fast for the city of Jerusalem ended the day prior in 33 AD. And with the Ides being legendary as a day of betrayal it highly suggests that this is the day Caiaphas issued his famous response that it is better that one man die … than that a whole nation perish (John 11:50, NIV).
​​​
Observance: Veneralia (Roman)
Date: April 1
Christian Relevance: Judas’s betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday is commemorated by two other very telling observances. April Fool’s Day (which see) is one. The other is Veneralia, which the Romans established to honor their goddess, Venus Verticordia (the changer of hearts) and her companion deity, Fortuna Virilis (the fortunes of men).
​​​​
Observance: Decennalia (Roman)
Date: Floating
Christian Relevance: Decennalia is a week-long festival celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Roman emperor. In pagan times it was celebrated with circuses, gladiatorial contests and all the obligatory associated bloodshed. And the Emperor, Nero’s, Decennalia, in 64 AD, was no exception. It was also distinguished for being the first Roman persecution of Christians. Sts. Peter and Paul (among many others) are traditionally believed to have been martyred in this persecution. And the 2/3rds Rule, together with the timing of the Decennalia, which would have coincided, that year, with the beginning and end of Sukkot (which see), suggests this, as well.
​
​
REFERENCES
Del Rey, Michelle and Ashley May 2025. “What is Yom Kippur? Everything you need to know
about the Jewish holiday” USA TODAY website. Available at
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/10/01/yom-kippur-2025-meaning
/86454254007/ Last accessed October 15, 2025.​
Espenak, Fred. December 21, 2014. "Six Millennium Catalog of the Phases of the Moon."
Astropixels.com. Accessed September 17, 2017. http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/phasescat
First, Mitchell, 2011. “The Origin of Ta’anit Esther” The Seforim Blog. March 03, 2011.
Available at https://seforimblog.com/?s=the+origin+of+ta%27anit+esther​
Guarducci, Margherita 1968. “La data del martirio di san Pietro (The Date of Peter’s
Martyrdom)” in Words from the Past. Antiquity Studies Review No. 267, Naples.
Referenced at https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=5861​
Holweck, Frederick. 1911. "Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Available at http://www
.newadvent.org/cathen/10712b.htm.​
"Human development of the unborn child." 2017. Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.
Accessed September 25, 2017. https://www.spuc.org.uk/abortion/human-development-of-
Joffre, Tzvi 2023. “Guide to Jewish Holidays: How to celebrate Tu B’Av, the Jewish day of
love” Unpacked website. Available at https://unpacked.media/tu-bav-the-jewish-day-of-love/
Last accessed October 14, 2025.​
Kitov, Eliyahu 1979, The Book of Our Heritage, Feldheim Publishers: Spring Valley, NY.
Excepted as “Shabbat Hagadol” in Chabad.org. Available at https://www.chabad.org
/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1692/jewish/Shabbat-Hagadol.htm.
And as “Why Rosh HaShanah is Two Days” in Chabad.org. Available at
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4381/jewish/Why-Rosh-Hashanah-Is-Two-
Days.htm.​
Taragin, Rav Moshe, 2014. “Halakhot of Yom Kippur, Lesson 7: The Mitzva to Eat on Erev Yom
Kippur” in etzion.org. Available at https://www.etzion.org.il/en/halakha/orach-chaim
/holidays /mitzva-eat-erev-yom-kippur.​
Walker, Alexander (transl.) 1886 from Ante-Nicene Fathers: translations of the writings of the
Fathers down to A.D. 325. Vol. 8. Edited by Roberts, A., Donaldson, J. and Coxe, A. C.
Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co. Revised and edited for New Advent by
Knight, K. Available online at https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0847.htm.
Zander, Pietro 2023. The Tomb of St. Peter. Papal Basilica of Saint Peter website. Available at
https://www.basilicasanpietro.va/en/saint-peters/the-tomb-of-saint-peter.html.
ENDNOTES
​​​
[1] And a few selected holidays from the US and other calendars.
[2] Ex 40:2, 17.
[3] Ezr 6:15-19.
[4] 1 Kgs 8:65-66, 1 Mc 4:56.
[5] Dn 9:24.
[6] This is seen in the wording of Scripture which speaks of the lamb its upon procurement as
being “a lamb” (Ex 12:3), but when it comes time for its sacrifice it is spoken of as “your
lamb” (Ex 12:5).
[7] See Espenek 2014 or Figure B.25 in Appendix B.
[8] Kitov 1979.
[9] ibid.
[10] Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 58b.
[11] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 11a.
[12] Mal 3:4-24.
[13] Acts 2:17-21.
[14] Jn 12:1-11.
[15] Mt 21:12-17, Mk 11:15-17, Lk 19:45-46 and Jn 2:13-22.
[16] Flavius Josephus (94 AD), Antiquities of the Jews, XV: 380.
[17] Jos 5:9, NABRE.
[18] Jesus praised the woman who anointed Him, saying she would always be remembered
for it (Mt 26:13). And this explains why.
[19] Jn 19:14.
[20] Mt 26:17, Mk 14:12, Lk 22:7.
[21] Ex 23:14.
[22] Described in Ex 12:1-51, 13:17-14:9.
[23] Ex 12:15-20.
[24] This suggests, perhaps, that 15 Nisan was originally just a harvest festival and was later
seen to have been fulfilled by the events of the exodus, with the harvest festival rituals being
moved to the day after the full moon so that the exodus could be the central focus of the
holiday. But to be clear, this theory is not supported by Scripture, It is not, however, in
conflict with it either.
[25] Lk 2:41.
[26] Lk 2:42.
[27] Jn 2:13-21.
[28] Jn 6:4.
[29] Jn 6:53, NIV.
[30] 1 Cor 15:20, Col 1:18.
[31] An Ashkenazi custom that can be dated back to the 7th century AD.
[32] Ez 37:1-14.
[33] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31a.
[34] Mt 27:51, Mk 15:38.
[35] Ex 14:21, 27.
[36] Espenek 2014. But see also Table B25 in Appendix B.
[37] Mt 2:16-18.
[38] Lk 2:41-51.
[39] CCC 1304 and 1317.
[40] Figure 8.2 in chapter 8 looks into this in much greater detail. Suffice it to say here that
the math has a great deal more to say on this than is presented here.
[41] Ex 19:1.
[42] Ex 23:14.
[43] Lv 23:15.
[44] Ex 19:1-24:11.
[45] Lk 2:22 in conjunction with Lv 12:1-8.
[46] 2 Kgs 25:3 in conjunction with Jer 39:2, 59:6.
[47] Mishna, Taanit 4:6.
[48] Ex 24:18.
[49] The smashed tablets, after all, were quickly replaced and restored to the people on Yom
Kippur. And we are not told of God saying anything negative to Moses about smashing them.
As to the idolatry, God had a lot to say, all negative (see Ex 32:7-14, 30-34).
[50] See Ez 8:14.
[51] Jerusalem Talmud, Taanit 4:5.
[52] Flavius Josephus (75 AD) War of the Jews vi, 2, 1.
[53] Seder Olam, Rabah 30.
[54] As per Lk 1:5. But see chapter 1: Part 4 for the details.
[55] Excerpted from the full haftarah, Is 1:1-27.
[56] Jn 2:19-21.
[57] Acts 18:6-11.
[58] The actual prophecy is provided in the discussion on Tzom B' Tammuz (which see).
[59] 2 Kgs 25:8.
[60] Jer 52:12.
[61] Lk 1:39-45.
[62] Is 40:1-26.
[63] As prophesied in Gn 3:15.
[64] Mishna, Ta’anit 4:8.
[65] Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 30b.
[66] Jgs 20:20-21:23.
[67] Jgs 21:22.
[68] Joffre 2023.
[69] Gn 12:1-4.
[70] Rm 5:12.
[71] As reported in The Book of Mary’s Repose from the 3rd century AD, the date was
apparently simply changed to August 15 when the Church adapted to the Julian calendar over
the Hebrew calendar.
[72] Ex 34:28.
[73] Del Rey and May 2025.
[74] Mt 4:1-2, Mk 1:12-13, Lk 4:1-2.
[75] Jn 1:26-2:2.
[76] Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 58b.
[77] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 2a.
[78] Dt 21:17.
[79] Holweck 1911.
[80] Lv 20:10.
[81] Kitov 1979.
[82] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 11b.
[83] Midrash, Vayikra Rabbah 29:1.
[84] 1 Cor 15:45.
[85] The actual prophecy is provided in the discussion on Tzom B' Tammuz (which see).
[86] 2 Kgs 25:1-26.
[87] See also Jer 40:13-43:7 for a more detailed account of the assassination of Gedaliah.
[88] Jer 41:1.
[89] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 18b.
[90] Radak, Commentary on Jeremiah 41:1.
[91] Lk 22:32 in conjunction with Jn 13:13-15.
[92] As is implied in Gn 17:14, Ex 12:48 and Lv 19:23.
[93] This is assuming, that is, that this common custom concerning Bar Mitzvahs was in
effect back then.
[94] Dn 9:24-25.
[95] Taragin 2014.
[96] Mt 14:6, Mk 6:21
[97] Lv 16:29 and Nm 29:7 both speak of humbling oneself as a requirement of the
atonement. And the Hebrew term for this is an idiom understood to include fasting, prayer and
introspection. See note on Lv 16:29 in the NABRE.
[98] Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 39a.
[99] Mt 4:1-2, Mk 1:12-13, & Lk 4:1-2.
[100] Mt 3:14.
[101] In Jn 1:26 John the Baptist speaks of Jesus as someone He hasn’t yet encountered. But
on “the next day” (Jn 1:29-32) He speaks of seeing the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a
dove, which is what the Synoptic Gospels report happened as His Baptism (Mt 3:16, Mk 1:10
& Lk 3:22.
[102] Ex 23:14.
[103] Lv 23:40.
[104] ibid.
[105] Zec 14:16
[106] Is 40:3, Jn 1:23, KJV.
[107] Mk 1:4-6.
[108] Lk 1:26, 36.
[109] Lk 3:1 dates it as being in the 15th year of the Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar, which
translates to 28 AD.
[110] Nm 8:24 points to 25, whereas Nm 4:3, 23). suggests that 30 is the age of ordination.
But either way it would have been on John's 1 Sukkot birthday.
[111] Jn 1:26-2:1.
[112] Gn 3:6-24.
[113] Jn 2:4.
[114] Mt 17:1 places it 6 days after Peter was named the Rock upon which Christ would build
His Church. And with that happening on Erev Yom Kippur (which see), 6 days later puts the
Transfiguration on 1 Sukkot.
[115] Lk 9:33.
[116] Jl 3:4.
[117] Mk 9:9-10.
[118] Jn 21:18-19.
[119] The Acts of Peter (2nd century AD), xxxvii, Tertullian (ca. 200 AD) Prescription
Against Heresy, xxxvi.
[120] Tacitus (116 AD) Annals xv, 44.
[121] Guarducci 1968.
[122] See Espenek 2014 or Table B:23 in Appendix B.
[123] See Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot for that discussion.
[124] Upon this rock [declared Jesus of St. Peter] I will build my Church (Mt 16:18, NAB).
And his grave has been found by archeologists in a crypt hidden deep within the foundation of
St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican (Zander 2023).
[125] It can be assumed that the animal sacrifices of Sukkot began under Moses in 1453 and
continued until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. However, Neh 8:17 speaks of a roughly
835-year gap in observing the holiday (from the days of Joshua until the end of the
Babylonian exile). This calculates to not more than 700 years total when the holiday was
observed and 140,000 animals sacrificed, max.
[126] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31a.
[127] Ez 38:18-39:16.
[128] Rv 20:8.
[129] Zec 14:1-21.
[130] Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a-98b.
[131] Mt 3:2.
[132] Every 7th year was to be a Sabbatical year for the land (per Lv 25:1-7) and like a
Sabbath, this meant that the land should be allowed to rest with nothing sown on it for the
entire year.
[133] Dt 31:10-12 required it. And we see this occurring, too, at the end of the Babylonian
exile when Ezra the Scribe read to the returning exiles from the Torah on the site of the
destroyed Jerusalem Temple (Neh 8:1-9:1).
[134] Lk 1:5-9.
[135] It also calculates to 33 AD, the focal point of all of human history being a Sabbatical
Year, or perhaps even more appropriately a Jubilee Year (see Lv 25:8-22).
[136] Jerusalem Talmud, Sukkah 5:7:3.
[137] Jos 5:1-9.
[138] Lk 1:5-25, 57-66.
[139] Nm 14:10-23.
[140] Lk 1:59-64.
[141] Acts 28:30-31.
[142] Eusebius (early 4th century AD) Church History ii, 22.
[143] Tacitus (116 AD) Annals xv, 44.
[144] Jn 7:37, NABRE.
[145] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31a. But the rationale cited is hard to decipher. It is that
of the dedication of the First Temple, which took place throughout the festival of Sukkot. But
there is no mention of the Torah cycle in the description of that event in 1 Kgs 8:1-66.
[146] Neh 8:1-10:40.
[147] That is the modern scholarly opinion on how the Torah came to be in its present form.
[148] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31b.
[148] Neh 9:1-2.
[150] Ezr 3:1-10 read in conjunction with Neh 8:1-9:1.
[151] Eph 2:19-20.
[152] Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, 21b.
[153] They held to it mainly because 25 Kislev was the date the Greeks defiled the Temple (as
per 1 Mc 4:54 & 2 Mc 10:5). So their desire to rededicate the repurified Temple on the same
date was for the intent of wiping out all memory of the pagan holiday the Greeks had
established.
[154] Jn 10:30.
[155] Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 31a.
[156] Zec 3:1-10.
[157] Zec 4:1-6.
[158] The actual prophecy is provided in the discussion on Tzom B' Tammuz (which see).
[159] 2 Kgs 25:1-26.
[160] 2 Kgs 25:1.
[161] Lk 1:26, 36.
[162] See Espenek 2014 or Table B.8 in Appendix B.
[163] Lk 1:5.
[164] 1 Chr 24:7-19.
[165] Jerusalem Talmud, Taanit 4:5.
[166] Ex 15:1-21.
[167] Jgs 5:1-31.
[168] Nm 13:25.
[169] Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 2a.
[170] Mt 5:6.
[171] 1 Mc 8:1.
[172] Acts 9:1-19.
[173] Mt 17:24-27.
[174] Knowing full well the harsh penalties back then for sexual infidelity, Mary,
nevertheless, assented, without hesitation, to be the mother of our Lord. And it implied that
she would eventually have a life-threatening run in with the religious authorities, as did the
holiday of her birth (Rosh HaShanah La’Behemot, which see).
[175] The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 15-16).
[176] Jn 6:1-15.
[177] Jn 6:16-21.
[178] Jn 6:22-71.
[179] Jn 6:53.
[180] Jn 6:70.
[181] Jn 12:6.
[182] First 2011.
[183] February 23 is another possibility given there is an uncertainty built into the calculation
of 1 day.
[184] This is in accord with the ancient traditions saying that St. Joseph was a widower who
had been tasked to marry the young, consecrated virgin, Mary, to provide for her as would a
guardian, rather than as a husband. See The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 8-9).
[185] The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 15-16).
[186] The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 8-15).
[187] 1 Sm 1:1-28.
[188] The rules are laid out in Lv 15:19-24. But it is interesting to note that God appears here
to have prescribed these seemingly biased rules not out of chauvinism. And it is not because
it was a patriarchal society, either (as some have claimed). It was rather to bring about a
greater good by providing Jesus a stepfather.
[189] Lk 1:34 in conjunction with Lv 20:10.
[190] Mt 1:20.
[191] This scriptural test for adultery is described in Nm 5:11-31.
[192] Jn 11:39.
[193] See Espenek 2014 or Table B19 in Appendix B.
[194] Nm 19:1-22.
[195] See Mishna, Parah for the supplemental regulations in effect in the late Second Temple
period.
[196] Nm 19:7-8, and 21 especially.
[197] … on Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot (which see)
[198] Jn 4:4-14, 7:37-38.
[199] 2 Cor 5:21.
[200] Jn 2:19:21.
[201] Heb 4:14.
[202] 1 Pt 2:4-8.
[203] Jn 1:29.
[204] Mt 26:2, 14-16, Mk 14:1, 10.
[205] US labor leader, Peter J. McGuire.
[206] But this is not an endorsement by the Church of the texts from which this tradition
hails. It is merely an acknowledgement from Scripture (Lk 1:34) that Mary appears to have
been a consecrated virgin. A day to honor her consecration however it may have occurred,
therefore, seems legitimized and laudable.
[207] Lv 12:5.
[208] The Protevangelion of James (Walker 1886, 7).
[209] See Espenek 2014.
​​​​​​
Published: November 25, 2025
Last Update: December 18, 2025​
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