“Two calendars” theory to explain Crucifixion date discrepancy

[BartholomewB]

Two different Hebrew calendars in use at the same time — Has anyone here at Christian Chat ever heard of this theory? On the discrepancy between the Synoptics and John on the date of the Crucifixion, some adherents to a strict form of Biblical inerrancy claim that two different calendars were in use in Judea at that time, the official Sadducee calendar and a slightly different Pharisee calendar. This would mean that all four evangelists are correct: the Last Supper was a Passover meal according to one of the two calendars, while in the other calendar it was still the day before Passover (references below).

Frankly this makes no sense to me. The city of Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims every year, bringing their Passover lambs to the Temple to be sacrificed. The Sadducees were in charge of the Temple. Were the Sadducees sufficiently open-minded, sufficiently ecumenical, to conduct their sacrifices twice over, first on one day and then again, for a dissident group of pilgrims, on the next day?

And even if the Passover celebrations in Jerusalem had really followed that rule, surely we would have heard about it by now. It’s something we’d see mentioned in commentaries and even in internet discussions from time to time. But we don’t see anything of that kind, do we? I believe the question is discussed in a book by Roger Beckwith, who was a reputable NT scholar, called Calendar and Chronology, Jewish and Christian, but it doesn’t seem to be available anywhere online.

What we do see mentioned from time to time is something signficantly different. At that time, the beginning of each month was proclaimed after the chief priest had sent an observer (to Mount Scopus, I think, but I’m not sure about that) to watch for the first sliver of the new moon. Of course it would take time for the information to be disseminated among the whole diaspora, with the result that diaspora communities, at least in some places, would observe the holy days twice over, to make sure they weren’t missing out.

That wouldn’t happen every month. There were certain known facts, such as that every calendar month lasts either 29 or 30 days and there can never be three 30-day months in a row nor three 29-day months in a row.

In any case, the argument falls down if someone tries to apply it to the Last Supper question. Pilgrims visiting Jerusalem would always know exactly what day it was. The precaution they took back home in Corinth or Ephesus could be dispensed with in Jerusalem.

Last Supper, references:

Matt 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:7-15, John 18:28, 19:14



https://www.amazon.com/Calendar-Chronology-Jewish-Christian-Intertestamental/dp/0391041231

 

[frederickdoc]

I think there was a thread on date day etc.All the matters is that it did happened and Jesus son of man fillfill all the Laws and the prophets. Then to His Seed of Son if man Glorified,a New Creation Nation Quickened RUACH Parah . that's like the love commandment As
God Is. Love

 

[Lovette]

There were always two calenders, one had a fixed 30 days a month, every 6th and 40th year were leap years with an additional month, so you get about 365.25 days a year on average, and every 40 years were a cycle; this calendar was already in use during Noah's time, the great flood lasted exactly 150 days of 5 months; the other had about 29.5 days a month on average, the first day of the month was determined on the sighting of a new moon in Judea, so it was not fixed; every 2 or 3 years was a leap year with an additional month, and every 19 years were a cycle. This calendar was issued by God at the beginning of Exodus, in Exodus 12.

 

[frederickdoc]

Here lets chang e venue
Their Destiny is Downward Because They Are Barren
Jesus does not condemn the goats on His left because they committed massive, high-profile crimes. He condemns them for their utter lack of fruit.

• He tells them: "I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink..." (Matthew 25:42).
• Their lives completely failed to parah—they did not multiply or produce the fruit of love. Because they refused to let God's love flow through them to the "least of these," they proved they were never actually connected to the True Vine. A branch with no fruit is already dead and pointing down toward the fire.

This return Old Salem king comes where Jerusalem with jesus facing West the goat kind of sheep are too good but left or right what you can figure out a time of the year when the girls are facing down already toward hell remember the days are shortened I have a day and not year and it's not absolute it's just according To Jesus coming positioning I posted a thread but it never went through so basically all my info I have to start over for you All lmk

 

[frederickdoc]

Here lets chang e venue
Their Destiny is Downward Because They Are Barren
Jesus does not condemn the goats on His left because they committed massive, high-profile crimes. He condemns them for their utter lack of fruit.

• He tells them: "I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink..." (Matthew 25:42).
• Their lives completely failed to parah—they did not multiply or produce the fruit of love. Because they refused to let God's love flow through them to the "least of these," they proved they were never actually connected to the True Vine. A branch with no fruit is already dead and pointing down toward the fire.

This return Old Salem The king comes To Jerusalem jesus facing West the goats are on the left side already heading down but

what can be figured out is a time of the year when the goats are facing down already toward Hell . Remember the days are shortened I have a day and not year and it's not absolute it's just according To Jesus coming Positioning I posted a thread but it never went through so basically all my info I have to start over for you All lmk

 

[Bible_Locket]

It’s a lot easier to understand why the timeline in John’s Gospel looks different from the other Gospels if we look at how different Jewish groups kept time back then.

The Sadducees ran the Temple and watched the moon phases so to set the dates.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees used a different system that often put them a day ahead or behind the Temple's schedule.

Because of this, Jesus and his disciples probably used the Pharisaic calendar, which let them eat the Last Supper together on Thursday night. The Synoptic Gospels show that this meal was explicitly treated as the Passover feast , Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12, Luke 22:7-8.

On the other side of things, the Jewish leaders in the Sanhedrin were following the Temple's schedule.

This explains why John mentions that these leaders still hadn't eaten their Passover meal by Friday morning, as they wanted to avoid defilement before the feast John 18:28.

When you put it all together, it means Jesus died at the exact moment the Passover lambs were being sacrificed.

John refers to this by telling us that Jesus's trial concluded around the "Preparation Day of the Passover"
John 19:14.

It perfectly matches the Bible's description of Jesus as the spotless lamb sacrificed for the world, mirroring the imagery of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world Revelation 13:8.

 

[BartholomewB]

It’s a lot easier to understand why the timeline in John’s Gospel looks different from the other Gospels if we look at how different Jewish groups kept time back then.

The Sadducees ran the Temple and watched the moon phases so to set the dates.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees used a different system that often put them a day ahead or behind the Temple's schedule.

Because of this, Jesus and his disciples probably used the Pharisaic calendar, which let them eat the Last Supper together on Thursday night. The Synoptic Gospels show that this meal was explicitly treated as the Passover feast , Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:12, Luke 22:7-8.

On the other side of things, the Jewish leaders in the Sanhedrin were following the Temple's schedule.

This explains why John mentions that these leaders still hadn't eaten their Passover meal by Friday morning, as they wanted to avoid defilement before the feast John 18:28.

When you put it all together, it means Jesus died at the exact moment the Passover lambs were being sacrificed.

John refers to this by telling us that Jesus's trial concluded around the "Preparation Day of the Passover"
John 19:14.

It perfectly matches the Bible's description of Jesus as the spotless lamb sacrificed for the world, mirroring the imagery of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world Revelation 13:8.

Can you please quote a source for your information that the Pharisees used a different calendar? Preferably, of course, a chapter and verse in the NT but, if not, then another author who was living at around the same time. Thank you!

 

[Bible_Locket]

Can you please quote a source for your information that the Pharisees used a different calendar? Preferably, of course, a chapter and verse in the NT but, if not, then another author who was living at around the same time. Thank you!

Extrabiblical historical texts and Rabbinic literature, are sources. The Mishnah,the written record of the Pharisees' oral traditions, and the writings of Jewish historian Josephus, for example.

The Mishnah Menachot 10 provides a well known example of the calendar variances.

Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sou...aw3Vekw7lcrYq8IkiKnN-dNO&ust=1784526300776000

"Leviticus 23:15-16 states that the countdown to Pentecost (Shavuot) must begin on "the morrow after the Sabbath."

• The Sadducees interpreted "Sabbath" literally as Saturday, meaning Pentecost always fell on a Sunday.
• The Pharisees interpreted "Sabbath" to mean the first day of Passover, regardless of what day of the week it fell on. This meant their festival dates routinely drifted away from the Temple's weekly tracking." (End)

There are foundational laws and supporting texts in the Bible also.

CJB) Psalm 104:9
You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.

Numbers 10 & Numbers 28 refer to burnt offerings to be offered at the start of every month, the new Moon.
The Sadducees ruled the Temple activities,as we know.

Which is likely why there was a conflict or discord between the two sects, the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Acts 5 & Acts 23, are examples. So calendar variations would not be unusual.

Remember in John 18:28 when the Priests of the Temple refused to meet with Pilate because they had not yet partaken of Passover .
But in Matthew 26:17 Jesus and His Disciples had already partaken of the meal the night before.
The Sadducees were the elite of the Temple.
That Jesus and His fellows observed Passover the night before the Sadducees would makes it appear as though Jesus followed the Pharisaic calendar.
Because the elite class followed a day behind.

"Pharisees believed Sabbath was to mean the first day of Passover, regardless of what day of the week it fell on. This meant their festival dates routinely drifted away from the Temple's weekly tracking." (See source linked above)

 

[BartholomewB]

Extrabiblical historical texts and Rabbinic literature, are sources. The Mishnah,the written record of the Pharisees' oral traditions, and the writings of Jewish historian Josephus, for example.

The Mishnah Menachot 10 provides a well known example of the calendar variances.

View attachment 292220Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sou...aw3Vekw7lcrYq8IkiKnN-dNO&ust=1784526300776000

"Leviticus 23:15-16 states that the countdown to Pentecost (Shavuot) must begin on "the morrow after the Sabbath."

• The Sadducees interpreted "Sabbath" literally as Saturday, meaning Pentecost always fell on a Sunday.
• The Pharisees interpreted "Sabbath" to mean the first day of Passover, regardless of what day of the week it fell on. This meant their festival dates routinely drifted away from the Temple's weekly tracking." (End)

There are foundational laws and supporting texts in the Bible also.

CJB) Psalm 104:9
You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.

Numbers 10 & Numbers 28 refer to burnt offerings to be offered at the start of every month, the new Moon.
The Sadducees ruled the Temple activities,as we know.

Which is likely why there was a conflict or discord between the two sects, the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Acts 5 & Acts 23, are examples. So calendar variations would not be unusual.

Remember in John 18:28 when the Priests of the Temple refused to meet with Pilate because they had not yet partaken of Passover .
But in Matthew 26:17 Jesus and His Disciples had already partaken of the meal the night before.
The Sadducees were the elite of the Temple.
That Jesus and His fellows observed Passover the night before the Sadducees would makes it appear as though Jesus followed the Pharisaic calendar.
Because the elite class followed a day behind.

"Pharisees believed Sabbath was to mean the first day of Passover, regardless of what day of the week it fell on. This meant their festival dates routinely drifted away from the Temple's weekly tracking." (See source linked above)

Thank you, @Bible_Locket . That COJS link is very interesting. The information about the calendar is new to me, but I note that it doesn’t expressly say anything about different dates for Passover. The question that remains unanswered is this: If the Last Supper was indeed a Passover meal (which I believe it was), then Jesus and the Twelve would have eaten a Passover lamb, and the lamb would have been duly slaughtered by the priests or Levites at the Temple. And that, as far as I can see, must mean that they took their lamb to be slaughtered on the same day as everyone else.

Another question: What did the Pharisees call Saturday?

The index to the Loeb Josephus lists only a single reference for the word “calendar’’: Antiquities 1:81. You can read what he says here (link below), on pp. 37-39. There is an interesting footnote, running to more than a full page. The text describes changes that Moses made to the calendar and later changes arising from the Babylonian exile, but I see no mention of two different calendars in use at the same time by the Pharisees and Sadducees. Josephus was writing after the destruction of the Temple in 70, but not all that much later, probably in the nineties. If there had been a difference of that kind, surely he would have known about it.

https://ryanfb.xyz/loebolus-data/L242.pdf

 

[BartholomewB]

Extrabiblical historical texts and Rabbinic literature, are sources. The Mishnah,the written record of the Pharisees' oral traditions, and the writings of Jewish historian Josephus, for example.

The Mishnah Menachot 10 provides a well known example of the calendar variances.

View attachment 292220Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sou...aw3Vekw7lcrYq8IkiKnN-dNO&ust=1784526300776000

"Leviticus 23:15-16 states that the countdown to Pentecost (Shavuot) must begin on "the morrow after the Sabbath."

• The Sadducees interpreted "Sabbath" literally as Saturday, meaning Pentecost always fell on a Sunday.
• The Pharisees interpreted "Sabbath" to mean the first day of Passover, regardless of what day of the week it fell on. This meant their festival dates routinely drifted away from the Temple's weekly tracking." (End)

There are foundational laws and supporting texts in the Bible also.

CJB) Psalm 104:9
You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.

Numbers 10 & Numbers 28 refer to burnt offerings to be offered at the start of every month, the new Moon.
The Sadducees ruled the Temple activities,as we know.

Which is likely why there was a conflict or discord between the two sects, the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Acts 5 & Acts 23, are examples. So calendar variations would not be unusual.

Remember in John 18:28 when the Priests of the Temple refused to meet with Pilate because they had not yet partaken of Passover .
But in Matthew 26:17 Jesus and His Disciples had already partaken of the meal the night before.
The Sadducees were the elite of the Temple.
That Jesus and His fellows observed Passover the night before the Sadducees would makes it appear as though Jesus followed the Pharisaic calendar.
Because the elite class followed a day behind.

"Pharisees believed Sabbath was to mean the first day of Passover, regardless of what day of the week it fell on. This meant their festival dates routinely drifted away from the Temple's weekly tracking." (See source linked above)

I have now read Menachot 10 (link below) and I need to ask, Are you sure that’s the right chapter? There’s a lot in it about disagreements between the rabbis, but only concerning what actions, in connection with harvesting grains and preparing food, are allowed on the Sabbath and on certain other holy days. I see nothing there at all about different calendars.

Similarly, there is nothing at all, not a single word, about calendars in either of the two chapters in Acts that you mention. In Chap. 23 there are a few verses about a noisy dispute between Pharisees and Sadducees, but their disagreement has nothing to do with calendrical matters. It’s about Paul and whether or not he had committed an offense deserving death.

https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Menachot.10?lang=bi

 

[Bible_Locket]

I have now read Menachot 10 (link below) and I need to ask, Are you sure that’s the right chapter?

Did you read 10:3?

English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot 10:3:1 | Sefaria Library

How would they do it [reap the omer]?The agents of the court used to go out on the day before the festival and tie the unreaped grain in bunches to make it the...

www.sefaria.org

There’s a lot in it about disagreements between the rabbis, but only concerning what actions, in connection with harvesting grains and preparing food, are allowed on the Sabbath and on certain other holy days. I see nothing there at all about different calendars.

Similarly, there is nothing at all, not a single word, about calendars in either of the two chapters in Acts that you mention.

In Chap. 23 there are a few verses about a noisy dispute between Pharisees and Sadducees, but their disagreement has nothing to do with calendrical matters.

I think if you read my post again you'll see I did not say the disputes in chapter 23,exampled by verses 6 thru 10, were calendar disputes. They were disputes between the sects. Pharisees and Sadducees.

It’s about Paul and whether or not he had committed an offense deserving death.

https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Menachot.10?lang=bi

 

[BartholomewB]

Did you read 10:3?

English Explanation of Mishnah Menachot 10:3:1 | Sefaria Library

How would they do it [reap the omer]?The agents of the court used to go out on the day before the festival and tie the unreaped grain in bunches to make it the...

www.sefaria.org

I think if you read my post again you'll see I did not say the disputes in chapter 23,exampled by verses 6 thru 10, were calendar disputes. They were disputes between the sects. Pharisees and Sadducees.

Yes, I read the whole of Menachot 10. As I said in my post #10, all the disputes mentioned there focus on what kind of work can or cannot be done on a Sabbath or another holy day. There is no mention at all of such a thing as two different calendars in use by different Jewish communities at the same time.

@Bible_Locket, allow me to remind you what this discussion is about. My view can be summarized as follows: If the Last Supper was indeed a Passover meal (which I believe it was), then Jesus and the Twelve would have eaten a Passover lamb, and the lamb would have been slaughtered by the priests or Levites at the Temple. And that, as far as I can see, must mean that they took their lamb to be slaughtered on the same day as everyone else.

Your view, as I understand it, is that they did not eat it on the same day as everyone else, but a day earlier. In support of that view you cited a variant form of the “two calendars” hypothesis. When I asked you to name your sources for your “two calendars” theory, you posted a reading list featuring several books of the OT and NT and, in addition, non-Biblical sources ranging from Josephus to the Mishnah and to present-day scholarship from the Center for Online Judaic Studies. Now you’re saying you knew all along that some of those sources make no mention of your hypothetical “two calendars.”

If we are to continue this conversation, I must ask you to give me your assurance that, from now on, you will name no sources other than those that are strictly relevant to the question under discussion, which ― let me remind you again ― is whether or not everyone in Jerusalem ate their Passover lambs on the same evening. Thank you.

 

[rewriter]

That there were two different calendars is supported by the DSS. Eusebius, citing the 2nd century historian Hegissipus, makes it clear that holy days were celebrated on different days by different groups of Jews also. Eusebius notes that James, the brother of Jesus had callouses on his knees from praying so much for the people in the Holy of Holies. The only problem being, only the high priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies and even then, only one day a year. James was never officially the high priest, so how could Eusebius be correct, unless there was an unofficial high priest, accepted by a significant portion of the Jewish people, and operating on a different calendar? Likewise, our only clear source for the Essenes not sacrificing in the Jerusalem Temple is Josephus, a source that has been shown to get inventive with his facts. Recent studies at Masada using drone technology and ancient Roman records indicate that the siege likely lasted far closer to 3 months then the 3 years Josephus claims. Josephus also blames the Jewish uprising in 64 to the death of James at the hands of the Jewish authorities in 62, which contradicts Eusebius's claim of what would have had to have been cooperation with the official high priest and also makes no sense if the Jewish War began as a result of the death of James two years before. But if James was killed by Romans in 64 (cannot admit that in the aftermath of the Roman victory, the Romans would do no wrong) then the Jewish takeover of the Antonia fortress in 64, and assassination of all troops except the two that reportedly accepted circumcision and conversion, would make sense.

When the official versions of an event do not make sense, it can beneficial to dig deeper and learn who benefits from a changed version of the facts. Recent events around the USA also support this concept that the official version might not always be the truth.

 

[Bible_Locket]

Yes, I read the whole of Menachot 10. As I said in my post #10, all the disputes mentioned there focus on what kind of work can or cannot be done on a Sabbath or another holy day.

That's correct.

There is no mention at all of such a thing as two different calendars in use by different Jewish communities at the same time.

This may help you understand the Menachot.

Tractate Menachot

Tractate Menachot is a section of the Talmud that primarily discusses meal offerings, but also contains the main discussions on the laws of mezuzah, tzitzit, and tefillin. The Talmud in Menachot specifically addresses the protective nature of the mezuzah, including a famous parable by Rabbi Hanina contrasting a mortal king with God. This protective quality is considered a spiritual safeguard, though some authorities, like Maimonides, emphasize its role as a reminder of religious obligations rather than a physical amulet.


"Tractate Menachot, particularly chapter 10 (starting on page 65a), highlights a massive calendrical dispute between the Pharisees (the Rabbinic Sages) and the Boethusians/Sadducees regarding how to calculate the dates of the festivals. While the text does not outline two fully functioning calendars side-by-side, the underlying argument exposes how these rival sects utilized completely different theological rules to structure their tracking of holy days."

Redirect Notice

@Bible_Locket, allow me to remind you what this discussion is about.

I'm aware,thank you.

My view can be summarized as follows: If the Last Supper was indeed a Passover meal (which I believe it was), then Jesus and the Twelve would have eaten a Passover lamb, and the lamb would have been slaughtered by the priests or Levites at the Temple. And that, as far as I can see, must mean that they took their lamb to be slaughtered on the same day as everyone else.

Your view, as I understand it, is that they did not eat it on the same day as everyone else, but a day earlier. In support of that view you cited a variant form of the “two calendars” hypothesis. When I asked you to name your sources for your “two calendars” theory, you posted a reading list featuring several books of the OT and NT and, in addition, non-Biblical sources ranging from Josephus to the Mishnah and to present-day scholarship from the Center for Online Judaic Studies. Now you’re saying you knew all along that some of those sources make no mention of your hypothetical “two calendars.”

If we are to continue this conversation, I must ask you to give me your assurance that, from now on, you will name no sources other than those that are strictly relevant to the question under discussion, which ― let me remind you again ― is whether or not everyone in Jerusalem ate their Passover lambs on the same evening. Thank you.

I think if you wish to negotiate a Yes Man thread,you might consider a different community.

People arrive here to discuss,share,learn.


You're most welcome.

 

[BartholomewB]

That's correct.


This may help you understand the Menachot.

Tractate Menachot

Tractate Menachot is a section of the Talmud that primarily discusses meal offerings, but also contains the main discussions on the laws of mezuzah, tzitzit, and tefillin. The Talmud in Menachot specifically addresses the protective nature of the mezuzah, including a famous parable by Rabbi Hanina contrasting a mortal king with God. This protective quality is considered a spiritual safeguard, though some authorities, like Maimonides, emphasize its role as a reminder of religious obligations rather than a physical amulet.


"Tractate Menachot, particularly chapter 10 (starting on page 65a), highlights a massive calendrical dispute between the Pharisees (the Rabbinic Sages) and the Boethusians/Sadducees regarding how to calculate the dates of the festivals. While the text does not outline two fully functioning calendars side-by-side, the underlying argument exposes how these rival sects utilized completely different theological rules to structure their tracking of holy days."

Redirect Notice

I'm aware,thank you.

I think if you wish to negotiate a Yes Man thread,you might consider a different community.

People arrive here to discuss,share,learn.


You're most welcome.

Me too, just the same. Most of all to learn. I’m glad, for instance, that I read those pages in Josephus about the calendar. At the same time, it was frustrating to find there was nothing in them that might have helped to move our discussion forward. Are you really interested in the Passover/ Last Supper question?

 

[Bible_Locket]

Me too, just the same. Most of all to learn. I’m glad, for instance, that I read those pages in Josephus about the calendar. At the same time, it was frustrating to find there was nothing in them that might have helped to move our discussion forward.

Really?

Josephus wrote extensively about the 1st-century Jewish calendars and temple traditions.

Historians and Theologians,as well as astronomers utilized his writings to calculate the exact calendar dates of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion.

Josephus provides those seeming missing pieces that help resolve what often occurs in discussions here.

Debates regarding contradictions within the Gospels.

Are you really interested in the Passover/ Last Supper question?

Are you?

You don't appear to know very much about Josephus or the Menachot.

Josephus.org - The Flavius Josephus Primer Home Page

 

[BartholomewB]

Really?

Josephus wrote extensively about the 1st-century Jewish calendars and temple traditions.

Historians and Theologians,as well as astronomers utilized his writings to calculate the exact calendar dates of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion.

Josephus provides those seeming missing pieces that help resolve what often occurs in discussions here.

Debates regarding contradictions within the Gospels.



Are you?

You don't appear to know very much about Josephus or the Menachot.

Josephus.org - The Flavius Josephus Primer Home Page

I freely admit that about the Talmud in general I know very little. I have always found the Tractates pretty impenetrable.

About Josephus: I'd say I'm fully familiar with Book 18 of the Antiquities and fairly familiar with Books 19 & 20. The earlier books, much less.The War I read many years ago but I still have it on my shelf. Yes, NT and OT scholars and historians in general have found Josephus very helpful in sorting out dating problems, but that doesn't mean he wrote a lot about alternative Hebrew calendars. As I said, the index at the back of the last volume (vol. 10 before they changed the numbering) gives only that one single reference for the word "calendar."

 

[Bible_Locket]

I freely admit that about the Talmud in general I know very little. I have always found the Tractates pretty impenetrable.

About Josephus: I'd say I'm fully familiar with Book 18 of the Antiquities and fairly familiar with Books 19 & 20. The earlier books, much less.The War I read many years ago but I still have it on my shelf. Yes, NT and OT scholars and historians in general have found Josephus very helpful in sorting out dating problems, but that doesn't mean he wrote a lot about alternative Hebrew calendars. As I said, the index at the back of the last volume (vol. 10 before they changed the numbering) gives only that one single reference for the word "calendar."

You have ignored my posts and are fixated on a word, calendar.
And this is why you don't understand.


I'll leave you to it.

 

[BartholomewB]

In this discussion my focus is on calendars for one reason only. As I have said several times, my belief is that the Last Supper was a Passover meal held on the same evening as everyone else's Passover meals in Jerusalem. Those who disagree with that view, seeing a one-day gap between the two events, base that claim on one argument only, the "two calendars" theory. I remain unconvinced.

Leaving the "two calendars" aside, what other argument is there to back up the claim that the Passover meals in Jerusalem, in the Herodian period, were held on two different days? Whatever that argument is, let's discuss that instead.

 

[rewriter]

In this discussion my focus is on calendars for one reason only. As I have said several times, my belief is that the Last Supper was a Passover meal held on the same evening as everyone else's Passover meals in Jerusalem. Those who disagree with that view, seeing a one-day gap between the two events, base that claim on one argument only, the "two calendars" theory. I remain unconvinced.

Leaving the "two calendars" aside, what other argument is there to back up the claim that the Passover meals in Jerusalem, in the Herodian period, were held on two different days? Whatever that argument is, let's discuss that instead.

To discuss that we must first admit that there is no direct evidence beyond that the DSS clearly show a different calendar existing. However, when we look at indirect evidence, Eusebius claims that James the Just, the brother of Jesus, functioned as a high priest, even though he does not appear on the list of official high priests. That leaves us with two options, is Eusebius lying, and if so why, or he is telling the truth that there were two functioning high priests at the same time

Now given the existence of the Essene movement and their apparent dissatisfaction with the official priesthood, and Acts claim that Jewish priests were early believers, a second priesthood seems plausible. A second high priest would explain Eusebius's claims but also support two differing dates for Passover to allow for a lack of interference between the two high priests.

Thus, the theory of two different Passover feasts fits with the available evidence while claiming just one Passover requires an explanation of inconsistencies. Occam's Razor then favors there being two Passovers, keeping Rome happy, especially given the anti-Roman nature of some of the DSS, would encourage concealment of a second Passover enacted by the Essene supported movement, especially if the official Jewish temple authorities cooperated with the unofficial ones.