the question I have is whether sabbath is like all the other appointed days in scripture
- determined by the the moon?
is saturday a convention the sanhedrin adopted when the Julian calendar was adopted?
the Hebrew calendar has been preserved correct by the Jews.
Romans 3:1-2: the Jews are entrusted with the oracles of God.
These three—Bible, calendar and week—are all part of the oracles
committed to the Jews for all mankind.
For without the calendar, it would be impossible to fulfill correctly
what is written in the Hebrew Bible about hallowed annual times.
Genesis 1:14 says the sun and moon are for seasons, days and years.
As the sun marks the day, it also marks the year.
It is the Hebrew calendar which combines the lunar months and solar years
to be completely synchronized—enabling God’s people to observe His holy days
(as determined by the moon) in their proper seasons (as determined by the sun).
In this way, God’s calendar is luni-solar, which is consistent with Genesis 1:14. God
appointed both the sun and moon “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”
One year is one orbit of the Earth around the sun. One solar year is 365 days and 6 hours.
The Roman calendar, used by Western civilization today, is based only on this solar cycle,
adding an extra day every fourth year to account for the extra six hours added yearly.
According to God’s calendar, however, months are determined by the moon—called lunar
months. There are 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes in one lunar month. That is how long
it takes for the moon to orbit the Earth. Twelve of these lunar months add up to 354.36
days—10.89 days short of one solar year (365 days, 6 hours).
Following the lunar cycle only (as the Muslims do) would move the calendar forward more
than 32 days every three years. April 1 would be where February 28 was three years earlier.
God has instructed us to observe His holy days on specific days of the month, while
at the same time, during appointed seasons in the year (Leviticus 23:4). The Hebrew
calendar accomplishes this through a 19-year time cycle made up of 12 common years
(with 12 months) and 7 leap years (with 13 months).
The 19-year cycle is significant because that is how the lunar months and the solar
years relate. For every 19 solar years, the moon revolves around the Earth 235 times.
“This remarkable astronomical relationship,” according to John Kossey, author of
The Hebrew Calendar: A Mathematical Introduction, “makes it possible to combine
common years and leap years together within a fundamental pattern that repeats
itself every 19 years.”
Rules of the Calendar
Calculating the Hebrew calendar depends on three relatively simple steps.
First, the precise time the new moon appears must be determined. Anciently, this was
done by sight. Today, it can be figured by simple calculations. Secondly, once the new
moon (or molad) is determined for the month called Tishri (the seventh month), the
Feast of Trumpets (to be observed on the first day of the seventh month) is adjusted
according to certain rules discussed below. And thirdly, a leap year is periodically
introduced into the 19-year cycle in order to keep the calendar in season—in harmony
with the solar year.
Here is the important point: anciently, these steps were calculated and determined
privately by the Sanhedrin. Today, they are fixed according to the Hebrew calendar
finalized by Hillel ii. The new moons can be calculated precisely.
The four postpone-
ment rules are used [not posted]. And the predetermined leap years occur in the 3rd,
6th, 8th,11th, 14th, 17th and 19th years of the cycle.
How do we know the seven-day week has been preserved accurately?
How can we be sure that time has not been lost? Because God said
it would be preserved—through the Jews.