Date Messiah Resurrection

8/8/2019 Date Messiah Resurrection

1/30

Establishment

of the Correct Date and Timeline

for the Last Passover, Death,

Burial and Resurrection

of Messiah

Restoring an Hebraic Understanding

to the Concluding Events of Messiah's Ministry

David Ison and Gilit Bock

Copyright 2007, Shma-Israel.org. First Released 2007-12-03


2/30

ABSTRACT

Using reliable astronomical models, appealing to all the relevant Hebraic

cultural norms applicable to this period in history, and giving faithful

attention to the details of the Biblical calendar, we unveil a detailed

reconstruction of the chronology of events, show the precise day of

week, and provide proof that the actual date in history of the last

Passover, followed by the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua was

Tuesday, 27 March, year AD 31 of the Julian calendar.

2007 Shma-Israel.org page 2


3/30

NAMESAND TERMINOLOGYDue to the Hebraic frame of reference necessary to comprehend the vital points of this report, we have employed anumber of terms in their original, pre-anglicised spelling or a form that is more historically accurate.

CASTOF CHARACTERSElohim ~ the Hebrew word translated as God in English

Mashiach ~ Hebrew for Messiah (ha Mashiach, the Messiah)Miryam ~ Mary

Sanhedrin ~ Assembly of Jewish judges who constituted the supreme court and legislative body ofancient Israel.

Yehuda~ Judas

Yeshua~ Jesus

Yochanan Ben Zacharyah ~ John, son of Zecharias ( John the Baptist)

EVENTS, THINGSAND PLACES

Aviv~ First month of the Biblical calendar (Nisan); also means ripe barleyBible ~ rough the end the 4th century, the Hebrew Tenach. e New Testament was added by decreein the early 5th century.

Chag ha Matzot~ Feast of Unleavened Bread

Haggadah ~ a retelling; a narrative of the Exodus from Egypt done on Passover

New Testament ~ e collection of apostolic writings given final approval by the ird Council ofCatholic Bishops at Carthage, AD 397, and confirmed as being canonical in Consulenti Tibi by PopeInnocent I, AD 405. Upon approval by the Pope, this collection was deemed to be the inspired, in-errant

word of God. e Canon of Hebrew scriptures was afterward designated as the Old Testament, and thiscollection began to be known as the the New Testament. (Our purpose here is to give an historically-authentic definition.)

Rosh haShana~ literally head of the year; the first day of the New Year

Seder~ Passover meal

Shabbat~ Sabbath

Sukkot~ Feast of Tabernacles

Tenach ~ the Hebrew Scriptures (Torah, Prophets, and Writings)

Tishri ~ Seventh month of the Biblical Calendar

Torah ~ e books of Moses; the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. In Hebrew, Torah means eInstruction(s) of Elohim. (e word Pentateuch is often used to refer to these books, but lacks theHebraic sense ofinstruction.)

Because it has gained widespread acceptance in modern usage, the more familiar term Passover shall be utilised.Similarly, we employ the term Gospel instead of Besorah; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the designated,traditional names of the Gospels; and English names for the books of the Tenach and the New Testament. Finally,due to grammatical constraints, we shall call upon the traditional English form, rather than the Hebrew, when

forming plurals and adjectives.

1. Bruce, F. F. e Canon of Scripture. InterVarsity Press, 1988; Graham, Right Rev. Henry G.Where We Got the Bible:Our Debt to the Catholic Church, Tan Books & Publishers,1994. Concerning the New Testament canon, Consulenti Tibidoes not mention the book of Hebrews; however, the Churchs decision to include it is not disputed.



4/30

INTRODUCTION

THE EARTHLY MINISTRY of Yeshua concluded in a series of events that, in their broadest details, are mostfamiliar to every Christian. e portrayal begins at evening of the last Passover meal , and moves to thenight in the Garden of Gethsemane where also he is betrayed by Yehuda. It unfolds as he is condemnedbefore the Priests and Rulers, and the following day he stands before Pilate the Roman governor. Itconcludes in his execution by the Romans, his burial, the prophesied three days and three nights that he

was in the grave, and with his resurrection.

For a long time, many centuries indeed, it has been taught that these events started on Friday (GoodFriday, as it is called) and concluded on Sunday; thus, the Christian disposition to worship on Sunday and

to celebrate Easter.

e problem with this commonly accepted view is that in several critical points itcannot be reconciled to historical facts. As we shall see, the gospel writers, more conspicuously in theGreek than in translation, recorded numerous details which are in conflict with this idea. ese detailsform an intricate mosaic of calendar and culture, of the life and times of people, and of events that are allinextricably woven into the deeply Hebraic perspective and frame of reference of a covenant nation.

Turning for a moment to those texts, we ask, why is it that Yeshua and his disciples are noted as observingPassover a day earlier than the Jewish leaders and the rest of the people? Alternatively, if it were possi-ble by some means to explain that they did observe Passover at the same time as Mashiach, then thatplaces the moment of Yeshua's arrest into the unsettling status of being on a Sabbath day. Of course, thisis problematic because the Pharisees had made their doctrine perfectly clear that a Sabbath day is to beuniformly and strictly observed. How could it be that the women have sufficient time to perform the

laborious task of preparing oils to anoint his body during the dark hours following the Saturday Shabbatand before dawn on Sunday morning? e process of extracting essential oils or ointments from spiceswould have taken a minimum of eight hours. Are there in fact three days and three nights in the gravebetween Friday afternoon and Sunday sunrise? is is not so.ere are with the most flexible of defini-tions at most three days and two nights.

Many hypotheses have been developed over the years to overcome these objections. Regrettably, most ofthese proposed scenarios have only solved certain problems, while producing other, equally disconcerting,difficulties. Nevertheless, a correct date must exist: one that, if all the events are placed into a propertimeline, would result in all of the following conditions to be met.

2. Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:16, Luke 22:15, John 13:1.

3. Matthew 12:2, 12:10; Mark 2:24, 3:2, Luke 6:2, 6:7, 13:14; John 5:10, 5:16, 5:18, 9:16. For clarification, refer to the sectione Sabbaths of Passover.

4. Concerning the ancient process of making ointments and essential oils, see www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/useful/essentialoils.php and www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Perfume.html

Establishment of the Correct Date for the Last Passover



5/30

1. Characteristics of the Proper Date

It will fulfil completely the Prophecy of Jonah 1:17

It will commence on the proper Biblical calendar date for Passover, which is 14 Aviv, as definedby the commandment of Elohim.

e reconstructed date will be supported by sound astronomical reckoning.

It will affirm that Yeshua followed the Torah precisely as it is written.

It will reconcile a known peculiarity of the New Testament, namely that the Passover mealYeshua shared with the twelve and others is observed on a different day than that of the religiousauthorities.

It will correlate with all the events as recounted in the four gospels.

TO DETERMINE this date has been the quest of many great minds throughout the centuries. We knowIsaac Newton did considerable work on this, and him we credit in part for our finding. What we have

done would not be possible without his work in using the laws of astronomy and physics to reconstructthe first century calendar with precise dates for Passover in a range of years that he considered most likely.is enables us to establish with confidence the day of the week on which Passover occurred. Othershave attempted to ascertain the date as well, but thus far no one has been able to go back into time andidentify exactly the calendar dates on which these events took place, meeting all these requirements.

Doctrine typically follows theological premise, and the impact of a presumed Friday crucifixion upon ourculture is both indisputable and pervasive. e principal difficulty we see with the efforts of those intend-ing to solve this problem in the past is this presumption, coupled with only a superficial degree of under-standing of Hebraic culture together with its Biblical calendar and annual cycle of appointed times. Wesee this as being primarily due to this erroneous, yet prevalent theological premise: that the basis of theChristian faith is viewed through mainly Hellenistic, or Greek-centric thought, and consequently operates

independently of the Hebraic. is unfortunate disseverance is not difficult to explain when we considerthat Hebraic thought is relegated to the OldTestament, whereas the part which is designated as New ,being all written in Greek, suggests to us that western culture should now prevail because the former ispassed away.

By contrast, we have approached the problem assuming none of these inherited traditions, but haveinstead taken the gospel accounts at face value, or literally, and reconstructed the event chronology fromthem. We have also been careful to maintain faithful harmony with the Hebrew scriptures, in fulfilmentof which these events glean their very purpose. In this communication, we give a clear representation thatfits all the eyewitness and historical accounts and, at the same time, possesses an elegant simplicity ofdetail. We respectfully present the correct date in history and show the timeline of events that meets all

the aforementioned conditions.

5. Matthew 12:39-41, 16:4, Luke 11:29-32.

6. Leviticus 23:5, Numbers 9:5, 28:16 Deuteronomy 16:1, Joshua 5:10, 2 Chronicles 35:1, Ezra 6:19, Ezekiel 45:18.

7. is can be ascertained in the general case when a second month of Adar (Adar II) is not required. See Section: HebraicReckoning of Time.

8. New Testament




6/30

2.e Biblical Calendar and the Hebraic Reckoning of Time

IN ORDER TO fully appreciate the dynamics of these recorded events, one must comprehend an entirely

different method of perceiving and measuring time. As westerners, owing to the universal acceptance of

the Gregorian calendar, we are accustomed to its seamless, silent and transparent operation as it

systematically counts each moment and each day that passes. By it, we are able to plan many months, oreven years ahead and know that the days we are thinking of will fall right into place with no further

involvement on our part. In effect, the calendar runs on a sort of auto-pilot. And, this happens because

it was designed to be that way.

By way of contrast, the Biblical calendar, being based on lunar cycles instead of solar years that are pre-determined, works exclusively by observation of lunar phase , and lacks this auto-pilot feature. edifference is far-reaching. e characteristic that puts nearly a universe of difference between them is thatit relies upon direct human observation to advance the months. is means that, on the Biblical calendar, themonth does not advance until there is an observation of the lunar phase as it changes from darknessduring the new moon to the smallest reflected light at the beginning of its next cycle. Of course, there

was imposed a limit of 30 days per month, so that the month would by default advance if the countreached 30. (e actual lunar month is 29.53 days on the average.) Another characteristic of the Biblicalcalendar is that it contained a mechanism to realign to the solar year because there are fewer days on thelunar calendar than the earth's orbit around the sun. On the Biblical calendar, the year end was duringthe springtime. is way, an observation of the fields could be made to determine if the crop maturitycorresponded properly to the month. If not, an additional month was appended to the year. is wouldbe the month called Adar II .

As a result, there is a particular variability to ascertaining any historical Passover date because, althoughthe astronomically calculated dates for the month in which Passover takes place are known, what is notknown is the condition of the barley crop in the fields, localised to this proximity, and the possibility existsthat the real the date of Passover did not take place on the astronomical date, but rather 29-30 days later,in the next lunar cycle, due to the added month of Adar II. For certain years, this would happen andresult in a relatively late Passover date. We have accounted for this uncertainty.

3. Sanhedrin Oversight of Calendar

B Y THE Second Temple period, it had become the practice of the Sanhedrin and the Jewish leaders tooversee the monthly formality of observing the moon's phase change, then to record it and to administrateits announcement. In his calculations, Newton makes note of this historical practice. According to astrictly Biblical interpretation, the start of the month begins upon initial observation. However, there

9. e term lunar phase refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer.

10. According to Exodus 9:31-32, during the plagues, the barley and flax crops were destroyed. e state of the barley crop isgiven as (aviv), meaning mature, whereas the crops not destroyed, wheat and rye, are said to be not ripe. us themeaning of Aviv (the name of the first month) corresponds to mature, harvestable. Likewise we know that the barley mustbe in a harvestable condition prior to Passover. (Exodus 23:14-19, Deuteronomy 16:16) In these passages, the men arecommanded to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem, as it indicates, not empty. ey were to bring with them the (tenufah, or wave offering, Leviticus 23:10-14) that corresponded to that festival. In spring this was barley. erefore, interms of the calendar, the fields would be inspected in the last month of the year (Adar) and if the barley was not harvestable,then the month Adar II was added to the end of the year.

11. e historical name of this month is uncertain.

12. Pratt, John P.Newton's Date for the Crucifixion. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1991), 32, p. 303.




7/30

were circumstances under which the leaders deemed it expedient to disregard what was visible of the newlunar phase, and to delay the start of the month until the following day. ey reasoned that even thoughsomeone could physically see it, if it were near the threshold of perception or if in their judgement it wasfaint enough that perhaps the average person did not see it, or weather factors impeded visibility, thenthey believed it was at their discretion to delay the month by a day. e important thing to note is thatthey maintained control over whether the announcement was immediate or delayed by a day.

CALCULATING THE DATE

In this section, we analyse various indicators of date and season of year given in the four gospels, and correlate with knowndates in history to arrive at the best possible candidate year in which the last Passover took place.

1. Determining the Start of Yeshuas Ministry

A. Deductive Proof

THE YEARYeshuas ministry began can be objectively determined; however, it requires a bit of deduction to

do this, and there are factors which obfuscate the otherwise simple process of arithmetic that one wouldlike to employ. While we are told clearly by Luke's gospel the year of the beginning of Yochanan'sministry, the exact month remains unspecified. Further complicating this is that the counting of yearsdepends upon which calendar system one uses. We shall examine both of these in detail and show howthe correct year can be deduced.

e Year Yochanans Ministry Began

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign ofTiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor ofJudaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and ofthe region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the

high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And hecame into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission ofsins; ... Now when all the people were baptised, it came to pass, thatJesus also being baptised,and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like adove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, ou art my beloved Son; in thee Iam well pleased. (Luke 3:1,2,21,22; KJV)

Here we have several dating clues, all of which can be objectively determined. To deduce the year inwhich Yeshuas ministry started, we will apply the historical dates mentioned in this passage, in considera-tion of the separate calendars (Hebrew and Julian) that are known to have been utilised during this period,to calculate the theoretical upper and lower range of dates in which Yochanans ministry would havebegun.

Historians place the starting date of the reign of Tiberias Caesar at 19 August, AD 14, as he was successorto Augustus Caesar. Although this ascertains the first year of his reign, what constitutes the second, andsuccessive years depends upon ones frame of reference in calculating the passage of time. Western mindscalculate years based on anniversary dates; therefore, calculating the 15th year of Tiberius would produce arange of dates between August, AD 28 and August, AD 29 (see Table 1, page 9). In contrast, by Hebraicthinking, years are based strictly upon the Biblical calendar, measured from the month of Aviv (or, in

13. Yochanan ben Zacharyah (John the Baptist)




8/30

modern nomenclature, Nisan), which occurs in the Spring of the year. erefore, calculating the 15th yearof Tiberius would produce a range of dates between Aviv, AD 28 and Aviv, AD 29. (On this calendar, apartial year is still called a year.)

Accounting for both of these calendar systems, we have now determined that Yochanans ministry musthave begun between the Spring of AD 28 (1 Aviv) and, at the latest, 19 August, AD 29. At this point, to

validate our claim, we compare our dates to the known periods of the historical figures mentioned in Luke3:1. e reign of Herod (4 BC to AD 39), Philip (4 BC to AD 34) and Lysanias (AD 14-29) all corre-late to our range of dates, and both Roman and Jewish history place Caiaphas as high priest during thisperiod (AD 18-37).

e Season Yochanans Ministry Began

AS STATED earlier, we are not told explicitly the beginning month of Yochanans ministry. However, thereis sufficient mention of points in time, together with certain events of known duration given in Johnsgospel, that enables us to determine when these events took place. In the first chapter, verses 19-28, Johnpresents Yochanans ministry and his testimony concerning Yeshua. It can be established from the otherthree gospels that this took place after Yeshuas return from the 40 days in the wilderness, following his

baptism. The next day (1:29) he sees Yeshua coming toward him and says Behold, the Lamb of God whotakes away the sin of the world!. The next day (1:35), he sees Yeshua again and repeats the declaration,Behold the Lamb of God! The next day (1:43), Yeshua purposes to go into Galilee. On the third day (2:1),there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. After this (2:12), he went to Capernaum and stayed there not manydays. en, in the subsequent verse (2:13) we read, the Passover of the Jews was near, and Yeshua went up to

Jerusalem. e account of these days is consecutive. Hence, it is clear that the ministry of Yochanan

14. Archaeological evidence supports the existence of a younger Lysanias who was Tetrarch of Abila, near Damascus, in AD 29.(Wikipedia. Lysanias)

15. ere was a nexus during this period between the Jewish religious hierarchy and the Roman political jurisdiction, becausethe high priests were appointedby the Roman government. (is inevitably produced a torpidity of service owing to theircompliant deference to Rome with only feigned obedience to Elohim.) Annas was high priest from AD 6 or 7 untildeposed in AD 15 by the procurator Valerius Gratus (Josephus, Antiquities. XVIII, ii, 1,2, in Hastings, James; Selbie, DavidsonDriver, and Swete. Dictionary of the Bible: Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents, Including the Biblicaleology,Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.) Caiaphas was high-priest AD 18-36 (Freedman, David N., Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.Grand Rapids: 1990., p. 208) Annas still exercised paramount influence during the high priesthood of his son-in-law,Caiaphas (Wright, Arthur. e Biblical World, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct., 1893), pp. 275-282.); thus, the reference to Annas andCaiaphas as high priests.

16. Yochanan ben Zacharyah recognises Yeshua from a distance ( John 1:29, 35) and then testifies (vs. 31-34) that he had notknown him until the moment that Yeshua was baptised. erefore the events of verses 1:29-51 necessarily must take placeafter the baptism of Yeshua. In the other gospels, we are told that after his baptism,immediately the Spirit impelled him togo out into the wilderness (Mark 1:12; see also Matt 4:1) for the 40 days of testing. us, he would not have been walkingfor these two days in the vicinity of Yochanan ben Zacharyah until after the 40 days of testing. We are told in verse 43 thatthe next day he purposed to go to Galilee, and in verse 2:1 (the third day) that he had arrived in that region. Luke tells usthat after his testing, Yeshua returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14). Taken together, these serve toplace this account in John 1:19-28 within the period just after Yeshuas baptism and testing in the wilderness, and just priorto his departure to Galilee, which took place shortly before the first Passover of his ministry.




9/30

began in the early Spring. Indeed, the proximity of the beginning of his ministry to the baptism ofYeshua is corroborated by the other three gospels.

e conclusion to all these facts is thus: Yochanan started his ministry at least 40 days prior to Passover.is rules out the lower boundary of our date range, 1 Aviv, AD 28, because that is only 13 days beforePassover, not allowing enough time for Yeshua's baptism and testing in the wilderness. erefore the only

eligible point in time for the start of Yochanan's ministry is the period immediately before Passover of thefollowing year, in the early Spring of year 29.

Table 1. Calculation of the Year of the First Passover of Yeshuas Ministry

Hebraic Reckoning(Rosh haShana based)

Western Reckoning(Anniversary based)

1st year of Tiberias Reign August, AD 14 1 Aviv, AD 15 August, AD 14 August, AD 15

2nd year of Tiberias Reign 1 Aviv, AD 15 1 Aviv, AD 16 August, AD 15 August, AD 16

15th year of Tiberias Reign

(start of Ministry of Yochananben Zecharyah)

1 Aviv, AD 28 1 Aviv, AD 29 August, AD 28 August, AD 29

First Passover ofYeshuas Ministry

(confirmed) 14 Aviv, AD 29

(ruled out) 14 Aviv, AD 28

April, AD 29 (14 Aviv)

e First Passover of Yeshuas Ministry

CONCERNING THIS chronology, it is an elementary point among theological authorities, and one withwhich we concur, that Yeshua started his ministry immediately after having returned f rom the temptationin the wilderness. e events of John 1:292:12 follow one another in close succession and reach theirclimax as Yeshua travels up to Jerusalem for the Passover ( John 2:13). e events which unfold there give

vibrant testimony to the ministry of Mashiach. He overturns the tables of the moneychangers, displayinghis zeal for the Beit ha Mikdash , which John interprets as fulfilment of the Messianic prophecy of Psalm69:9 (John 2:1417). He teaches Nicodemus there the hallowed words, Except a man be born again, he cannotsee the kingdom of God. ( John 3:3, KJV), and he follows his teaching with many signs and wonders ( John2:23). We conclude, therefore, by means of this narrative that the Passover of John 2:13 is the Passover in

which Yeshua commences his ministry, 14 Aviv, AD 29.

17. e tradition of Teshuvah (repentance) at Rosh haShana is long-standing. e Mikveh, or immersion for cleansing andpurification purposes, in Christian parlance is called baptism. ose being immersed by Yochanan were in fact undergoingpurification rituals associated with the Rosh haShana period. is is also because no one unclean is permitted to participatein the Passover (Numbers 9:1-14, 2 Chronicles 30:18, John 18:28) Note that on the Biblical calendar, Rosh haShana takesplace 13 days prior to Passover, easily identifying the precise time of year these baptisms would have taken place. After this,final selection of the Passover lamb is done four days prior to Passover, on the 10th of Aviv. During this seasonal context

Yochanan is announcing on multiple occasions, Behold the Lamb of God, hence this announcement should be seen ashappening during a season of repentance, as well as in anticipation of the high feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread.

18. Matthew 3:1-17, Mark 1:1-12, Luke 3:1-38

19. e House of Elohim in Jerusalem (also known as the Temple).




10/30

B. Empirical Proof

THERE EXISTS an independent confirmation, chronicled in the gospel of John, that fixes the starting pointof Yeshuas ministry. During this first recorded Passover of Yeshuas ministry, the Jewish leaders questionhim, saying, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?(John 2:20,KJV). ey were referring to theBeit ha Mikdash, known also as the Second, or Herods Temple. Histori-

cal records place the beginning of construction of this Temple in the year 19 BC. Given that the 46thyear from 19 BC is the year 28 (there is no year zero); it follows that, only in the year 29 could it be saidthat the temple was forty-six years in the making.

Our deductive proof eliminated the year 28, and, if this had been the Passover of AD 30, these leaderswould have needed to say that the temple was forty and seven years in construction. erefore, the startof Yeshuas ministry is precisely identified as the Passover of AD 29.

2. e Length of Yeshuas Ministry

JOHNS GOSPEL clearly indicates three Passovers within the time span of Yeshuas ministry. Having takencare to indicate these, an omission of a third or subsequent Passover scarcely seems possible. erefore, a

literal interpretation establishes a ministry duration of two years, beginning with Passover of the year 29,including an interim Passover of year 30, and concluding with the final Passover of year 31.

3. On What Day Did the Passover Occur in AD 31 ?

NOW THAT we have reckoned 14 Aviv, AD 31 as the third and final Passover of Yeshuas ministry, we mustprove that the day of the week entirely accords with the material events of the gospels, and remains true tothe Biblical calendar of appointed times (high feast days) as prescribed by the Mosaic Law, or Torah. Inreference to which precise date this Passover took place,modern astronomy provides us the necessary toolsto reconstruct it. is is because the lunar cycles on which the Biblical calendar is based are known andpredictable, and it is a fundamental tenant of science that the natural laws governing the moon's orbit andits phases are unchanging.

One of the most notable astronomers and scientists to address this problem was Isaac Newton, who iscredited with the invention of the scientific laws of motion and gravity, the branch of mathematics knownas calculus, and the reflecting telescope; as well as having authored many important books and articlesconcerning physics and science. Drawing upon these extraordinary talents, he made mathematical calcu-lations to reconstruct the lunar phases, adjusting for astronomical and human factors affecting the actualsightings of them, and also taking into account the Hebraic definition of a day, to determine the Romancalendar dates on which the Biblically-defined Passover would have occurred each year. ese are given inthe Table below, which indicates Tuesday, March 27 as the scientifically-calculated date of 14 Aviv(Passover) for the year 31.

In order to ascertain the actualdate for Passover of AD 31, all that remains is to determine whether or not

the thirteenth month of Adar II was added to the end of the previous year before the announcement of1 Aviv. If Adar II was not appended this year, then March 27 is the actual date. Alternatively, if it wasappended, then Passover occurred 29-30 days later. What follows is an unambiguous elimination of thatpossibility.




11/30

Table 2. Newtonian Calculation of the Julian Calendar Dates of 14 Aviv for Years 31 36

Year AD According to Biblical Commandment Postponement Date due toRabbinical Accommodation

31 Tuesday, March 27 Wednesday, March 28

32 Sunday, April 13 Monday, April 14

33 Friday, April 3 N/A

34 Wednesday, March 24

(or, assuming Adar II) Thursday, April 22 Friday, April 23

35 Tuesday, April 12 Wed, April 13

36 Saturday, March 31 N/A

During the year of Yeshuas crucifixion, a significant indicator is related by the gospel of Mark that placesthe Passover relatively early in the Spring, meaning that no additional month was added. e fig tree isdescribed in Mark 11:13 as having leaves only, but no figs, because the time of the figs was not yet. InIsrael, green figs appear on the trees about the second week of April. erefore, it is determined that inthe year 31 the Passover fell prior to mid-April, much too soon to accommodate an Adar II month,confirming the scientifically-calculated date of March 27.

In summary, we have demonstrated that the chronological indicators in the gospel accounts and thehistorical, astronomical data establish Tuesday, 27 March, AD 31 as the date of the last Passover of Yeshuaha Mashiach.

TESTINGTHE DATE

To test the date, we analyse all the details recorded in the Gospel accounts, proceeding in view of the culturalframework in which they occurred, and note the important rle played by the interaction and conflict of two dis-tinct standards for following the Biblical calendar.

1. Postponement Accommodation

AS WE RELATED in the section entitled Sanhedrin Oversight of Calendar, there were certain circum-stances under which the Jewish leaders chose to delay the announcement of the new month by one or

more days. Of particular interest to our study are the special Sabbath days associated with both Passoverand Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). e mechanics of these postponements are complex, but in theirsimplest terms, if the first day of Tishri, the seventh month, fell on the first, fourth, or sixth day of the

week, it was necessary to delay one day because falling on those days produced a month that contained

20. Pratt, John P. Newton's Date for the Crucifixion. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1991), 32, p. 303.Excerpts from Newtons text are found in the Appendix to this paper.




12/30

double Sabbaths. is was seen as an inconvenience, presumably arising from their imposing strict rulesfor Sabbath observance and, again, the leaders believed they had the right to prevent this from occurring.Likewise, this accommodation also necessitated delaying by a full day the official announcement of 1 Aviv,even if the sighting of the lunar phase clearly corresponded to the day prior. e practice of delaying a dayto avoid double Sabbaths was known as Postponement Accommodation.

Newton fully accounts for these Rabbinical adjustments. His calculations show that the year in question,AD 31, was in fact a year in which these Accommodation Rules did alter the date of Passover, making itone day later than that which was determined by sighting of the moon. is explains why Yeshua and hisdisciples, all of whom would have upheld the purity of following the actual sightings of nature as preferable to thearbitrary dictates of the Sanhedrin, and who, it is sure, would have known how to observe the first of themonth Biblically, ate their Passover with Yeshua a full day sooner than the leaders and the rest of thepeople.

2. Passover and Chag ha Matzot

To appreciate the dynamics of these events, one must understand the Passover. Passover, together with itsaccompanying observation, Chag ha Matzot(Feast of Unleavened Bread) is an eight day event in total.

Four days prior to the observance, a lamb is selected to be eaten by the extended family and is kept untilthe day of slaughter. If we turn our attention to what was taking place at the moment Yochanan said,Behold the Lamb of God, we see he is prophesying concerning the ministry of Messiah in terms that

were pertinent to the upcoming eight-day festival, because during that time all would have been thinkingabout the lamb to be selected and the upcoming Passover.

e day of the preparation (14 Aviv) is spent in anticipation of the Passover event, which draws familiestogether for a festive meal that starts in the late afternoon. A unique blend of gala yet sober reflectionsurrounds the celebration as the invitation to the Passover meal is extended to relatives, friends and,

21. ese postponements are said to be ritually convenient. In addition to preventing these double Sabbaths, the Talmudstates that excluding Wednesday and Friday for the first of Tishri is to prevent Yom Kippur f rom occurring on either side of

Shabbat and that excluding Sunday also prevents Hoshannah Rabbah (the last great day of Sukkot) from occurring onShabbat (See Talmud Bavli Rosh HaShanah 20a, Talmud Bavli Sukkah 43a, and Talmud Yerushalmi Sukkah 4:5).

22. Although it is technically an oversimplification to limit our discussion of Rabbinical influences on the calendar toPostponement Accommodation rules alone, this is the only subset of those rules affecting the calendar for the date in question. Inthe second temple period there existed an undocumented system of calendar calculations whereby the Jewish leaders alteredthe Biblical calendar for the sake of convenience. (References to Talmud are given above in note #21) In the fourth century,Hillel II made public this system of calendar calculation, which is the basis of the modern Jewish calendar. (Spier, Arthur.e Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar (1982); quoted in Historical Remarks on the Jewish Calendar, http://www.judaism.com/calendar/history.asp). We emphasise that, although superficially similar to the Biblical Calendar, the modern Jewish calendaris not the same as the ancient Hebrew calendar as described in the section entitled e Biblical Calendar and the HebraicReckoning of Time.

23. e heavenly endorsement for individual utilisation of the moon and celestial bodies for chronometrical purposes is firstgiven in Genesis 1:14. It is implied as having been used by Noah in Genesis 7:11, 8:4, 5, 13, & 14; by the children of Israelin Egypt, Exodus 12:2, 3, 6 & 18; as well as several other instances before there ever was a Sanhedrin body ruling over thecalendar. One instance appears in Deuteronomy 4:19, wherein Moses proclaims that Elohim has allocated these heavenlybodies to all nations under heaven (i.e., even those without a Sanhedrin) for their intended purposes given in Genesis 1:14.Moses' declaration further suggests that the involvement of the Sanhedrin was not only spurious, but also counter to theDivine plan. Accordingly, Messiah frequently reprimanded these leaders for their hypocrisy (Matt 15:1-9; 16:12; 21:42-45;23:2-7, 13-28, 29-32, 33-36; Mark 2:24-27; 7:5-13; 8:15; Luke 11:42-53; 12:1; 13:14-16).

24. It is notable that in two of the three gospel accounts that mention it, the disciples approach Yeshua and announce thePassover without being directed to do so. Due to the one-day difference in the start of the month, they would have had two

weeks notice that their Passover was to be a day earlier than that of the rest of the community.

25. Exodus 12:3-6

26. Leviticus 23:5; means literally between the evenings; at dusk, between sunset and darkness.




13/30

according to tradition, the poor and needy. During this meal, an informal program is followed which isknown as the (Haggadah), meaning the recounting. It is a re-telling of the Exodus from Egyptand slavery, a remarkably Messianic experience for those who have had the happy occasion of participat-ing in one. At a high point during the Haggadah, some moments before the meal is served, it isproclaimed, (avadim hayinu le paroh ba mitzrayim), Slaves we were for Pharaoh inEgypt, but Adonai by his strength and mighty power delivered us. We have included this discussion asfurther elucidation of the vital rle that Passover played in the ministry of Messiah.

3. e Sabbaths of Passover

AFTER THE Passover meal has concluded (after dark), the observance of the Chag ha Matzot begins. Asstated above, the Torah defines an additional type of Shabbat aside from the normal end-of-week Shab-bat. During the seven-dayChag ha Matzot, the Torah indicates that the first day (after the Passover meal)is a Shabbat. And, exactly six days later another Shabbat occurs. e Sabbaths associated with theseven-dayChag ha Matzotcan occur on any day of the week.

ere are two points to note concerning this. First, the occurrence of a mid-week Shabbat was a principlereason for the Postponement Accommodation, i.e., to prevent two Sabbaths from occurring consecutively,

one corresponding to Chag ha Matzot, the other being the normal end-of-week Shabbat. Secondly, theShabbat mentioned as the reason for bringing the bodies down from the cross was actually a Shabbatassociated with Chag ha Matzot, not an end-of-week Shabbat.

At this point, we have sufficient understanding of historical calendar irregularities and the relevant localcustoms and practices to reconstruct the chronology of these events, beginning at the day of preparationfor Passover (14 Aviv) and concluding with the resurrection. is chronology maintains perfect harmony

with all the gospel accounts. (Please refer also to Figures 1 and 2, page 20)

27. Feast of Unleavened Bread

28. Leviticus 23:7

29. Leviticus 23:8

30. On the Rabbinical Calendar (i.e. not the Hebraic, Biblical Calendar), the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) and thethird day of the first month (Aviv) fall on the same day of the week, because the leaders preferred, or rather engineered, a setnumber of days between Passover and Shemini Atzeret (22 Tishri). (e Constant Annual Period, Hebrew Calendar Scienceand Myths, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1584). at is why, even though this Accommodation does not resolve anydouble-sabbaths during Passover ofthis year, it would have been implemented to avoid double-sabbaths in the seventhmonth.




14/30

4. Reconstruction of the Chronology of Events, Passover of AD 31

14 Aviv (Tuesday, March 27) ~e Daylight Hours

Event Comments References

Disciples

Prepare the

Passover

e disciples make the announcement to Yeshua that the time for Passoverhad arrived, although we see later that it was not the day that the rest of thenation was observing it.

is year, by sighting, the day of Passover was March 27, but due to RabbinicalAccommodation it had been delayed to March 28 for the religious leaders andall who followed them. In sum, we have a postponement year, delayingPassover one day, but the disciples are using the real dates. is explains whythere are literally two different Passover and Chag ha Matzotobservancestaking place concurrently.

Matt

26:1719;

Mark

14:1216;

Luke

22:713

14-15 Aviv (Tuesday-Wednesday, March 27-28) ~ Evening to Night-time Hours


Passover

Yeshua &

Disciples

Yeshua, his disciples and guests commence the Passover seder (meal) beginningat evening on the 14th, as specified in Torah. Further affirming that this mealis in fact a Passover, and not some ordinary meal, is the presence of several spe-cific intimations to elements of a Passover hagadah. During the hagadah, the

head of the household breaks the matzah , speaks the blessings and distrib-utes it to all present. is is exactly the picture we are given in the gospelaccounts. e sharing of the cup of (traditionally red) wine takes place fourdistinct times during the meal. At the seder's conclusion there is a recitation orsinging of the Hallel (psalms of praise, Psalm 113-118). Despite centuries oftradition that has mischaracterised this meal as a last supper, i.e. holy commu-nion, Yeshua plainly states that it is a Passover in his words,... I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer(Luke 22:15, KJV)

Matt

26:2030;

Mark

14:1726;

Luke22:1438

31. A piece of unleavened bread.




15/30

Appearance

before Chief

Priests

We find in these passages the first, albeit indirect, indication that there is anactual difference between the calendar that Yeshua and the disciples are fol-lowing and that of the Jewish rulers and general population. Yeshua is broughtbefore the chief priests, where the scribes and elders are assembled. Addition-ally, there are false witnesses that testify against him, other onlookers, and offi-cers and servant girls, who are apparently on duty. If it is, in fact, the case that

all these people are observing Passover this night, they would instead be homewith their families; and the Jewish officers and servant girls would certainly notbe on duty. is is because of the Shabbat of 15 Aviv, which commenced atsundown. It is also not possible that the Sadducees and Pharisees would con-duct a trial on this day in violation of Shabbat. erefore, we conclude thatthey are not observing Passover this night in favour of the next night, thatbeing according to the Postponement Accommodation rules.

Matt

26:5775;

Mark

14:5372;

Luke

22:5465;

John

18:1327

15 Aviv (Wednesday, March 28) ~e Daylight Hours


Trial Before

the Romans

In Johns gospel we are told that the priests and leaders declined to enter thePraetorium to avoid being defiled, so that they could eat the Passover atevening. (18:28). Although we have shown ample evidence already that they

will observe their Passover exactly one day (24 hours) after Yeshua did, this isgiven to us as plain indication that Wednesday, 28 March was their Passover.Finally, to remove any remaining uncertainty, we are told that this day is thepreparation day of the Delayed Rabbinic Passover. ( John 19:14)

Matt

27:132;

Mark

15:121;

Luke

22:66

23:32;

John

18:2819:15




16/30

Crucifixion,

Death, &

Burial

Yeshua dies at the ninth hour (about 3 pm), and Yosef of Arimathea buriesYeshua in the evening. In the Greek original, the word here is (opsios), meaning late in the day, or between 3 and 6 pm. is, coupled withthe fact that there was an urgency to get the bodies removed from the crossesbecause it was the preparation, means that Yeshua was in the grave well beforesundown. Applying the informal definition of (yom, meaning day), asused by the prophet Yonah, this constitutes day one in the grave.

Mark (15:42), Luke (23:54), and John (19:14, 31, 42) tell us that for thoseother than Yeshua and his disciples it was the preparation day before theShabbat, meaning it was the day of preparing the Passover, before the Shabbatof day one ofChag ha Matzot. Also, John tells us (19:31) that this upcomingShabbat was a major or high Shabbat, a reference to the fact that it was not a

weekly Shabbat, but the Shabbat corresponding to the Feast.

Mark tells us that Miryam ha Magdalit (Mary Magdalene) and Miryam themother of Yaakov (Mary the mother of Joses) lingered at the tomb, while theothers had all departed. Interpreting this, it is clear that while the others werediligently hurrying to be home for Passover by late afternoon, these women had

already observed their Passover with Yeshua the prior evening.

eir Shabbat wasnow in progress. Having no responsibility to be at any place special, they werefree to remain and mourn.

Matt

27:3361;

Mark

15:2247;

Luke

23:33

23:55;

John

19:16

19:42

Day One in the Grave

16 Aviv (Wednesday-ursday, March 28-29) ~ Night-time Hours


Night One in the Grave

32. As in common usage, the wordyom, day, can mean either daylight hours, or an entire 24 hour period. e former, informaldefinition, can refer to just a portion of the day (e.g. when someone asks in the afternoon, How was your day?). (CompareGenesis 1:4 and 1:5)




17/30

16 Aviv (ursday, March 29) ~e Daylight Hours


Jewish

Rulers

petition for

a Guard

e events of this day are quiet, because it is the observed Shabbat, accordingto the delayed calendar. However, on this Sabbath day the Jewish rulers doschedule a private meeting with Pilate and petition him for a guard, as it says,until the third day.

is tells us they knew that Yeshua had said he would manifest to them thesign of the Prophet Yonah three days and three nights in the grave. Noticethat they could not have made this request of the governor on the priorevening because, according to their rules, which were stricter than the Torahitself, by going in to approach him they would have become tameh (unclean)and thus not be permitted to eat the Passover.

After Yeshuas burial the previous day, en [the women] returned.... Althoughthis is not a Shabbat for the disciples, it is for the remainder of the community

who are following the delayed calendar, so the women are unable to obtainspices to prepare the oils to anoint Yeshuas body.

Matt

27:6266

Luke

23:56a

Day Two in the Grave

17 Aviv (ursday - Friday, March 29-30) ~ Night-time Hours


Night Two in the Grave




18/30

17 Aviv (Friday, March 30) ~e Daylight Hours


e Women

Disciples

Prepare the

Oils to

Anoint the

Body

When the Sabbath was past, [the women] bought spices, so that they might comeand anoint him.

... and [the women] prepared spices and ointments ...

e detailed timing of these events is of paramount importance:

As stated above, the women had to wait until the end of the delayed Shabbatto purchase the spices needed to prepare the ointments and perfumes (essentialoils) to anoint the body. is day, until sunset when the weekly Shabbatbegins, they go about that arduous task.

According to the traditional view of a Friday crucifixion, followed by theweekly Shabbat, and then by a Sunday resurrection, there is no time for thisbuying and preparing of spices to have occurred. We know that before they

left the tomb the evening of his burial, the others were already hurrying homefor their Passover (because they were following the delayed calendar). ere-fore, the shops would have already been closed by that time. If the resurrectionhappened the morning after this Shabbat (i.e., the first day of the week after aFriday crucifixion), it would not have been possible that the procuring andpreparation of these could have been carried out as Mark and Luke recount.

Mark 16:1

Luke

23:56b

Day Three in the Grave

18 Aviv (Friday - Saturday, March 30-31) ~ Night-time Hours


Women Rest We know the women managed to finish their labour before sunset because itsays, ...and on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.eShabbat begins at sunset and they rest from their physical labours (e.g., prepa-ration of spices).

Luke

23:56b

Night Three in the Grave




19/30

18 Aviv (Saturday, March 30) ~ e Daylight Hours


Women come

to Anoint the

Body

Resurrection

It is a popular misconception that because it was the Shabbat, the women

were not permitted to use the spices they had prepared. However, the Torahmakes no such prohibition. In addition, even the perennially strict Jewishsages permitted it for, according to the Mishna, it was permissible for them todo this on Shabbat.

While yet evening of the Shabbat, as it grew light toward the oneness of theShabbat, Miryam ha Magdalit and the other Miryam came to see the tomb.(Matt 28:1, SHMA, literal from Greek)

And exceedingly early to the oneness of the Shabbat, they came to the grave at therising of the sun. (Mark 16:2, SHMA, literal f rom Greek)

When not yet the oneness of the Shabbat, in the depths of earliness, they came to thetomb carrying the spices which they had prepared. (Luke 24:1, SHMA, literal

from Greek)

When not yet the oneness of the Shabbat, Miryam ha Magdalit came in the dark-ness of the morning to the tomb...( John 20:1, SHMA, literal from Greek)

e literalreading of these verses tells us three important things that are dis-tinct from what is commonly taught. Yeshua rose from the grave on themorning of Shabbat; notthe first day of the week. Also, he rose beforethesunrise, negating the basis for sun adoration that has been associated with thisevent for centuries. (We refer in particular to sunrise services and the unman-dated change of day of rest from the seventh day to the first day.) Finally,the pre-dawn resurrection results in a complete fulfilment of Yonah 1:7,

which could not be accomplished if it had occurred during any other time

period.

Matt

28:17;Mark

16:28

Luke

24:112

John

20:118

Yeshua

appears to

disciples

Being then late the self-same day, the oneness of Shabbat, and the doors havingbeen locked, ... Yeshua came and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you. (John20:19, SHMA, literal from Greek)

e verse reiterates that the day of the resurrection is indeed Shabbat. erepresentation here is that, although it is later in the afternoon, it is stillduring the daylight portion of the day, and therefore the oneness of theShabbat.

John

20:19

33. MISHNA: One may do all that is necessary for a corpse (on Sabbath), anoint and wash it, provided he does not dislocate

its limbs.e pillow may be moved from under its head; the corpse may be put on sand, in order to keep it (from putrefying)the longer; its jaws may be tied, not for the sake of bringing them together more closely, but to prevent them from droppinglower. In like manner, a beam that had been broken may be upheld by a stool or bedstead,not in order to make it erect again,but to keep it from breaking still more. Talmud Bavli, Tractate Shabbat, Chapter 23 (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org)

34. On the first day of the week is an unfortunate mistranslation. Oneness of the Shabbat(literally one of the Shabbat in theGreek) is an Hebraic expression to refer to the daylight hours portion of the day. See the section entitled Yom Echad ande Importance of Day and Nightand the section Does Shabbat Mean Week?.

35. A curious admission concerning the change from Shabbat to Sunday was made by the Bishop of the Archdiocese ofBaltimore, James Cardinal Gibbons. (Gibbons, James Cardinal. e Faith of Our Fathers: Being a Plain Exposition andVindication ofe Church Founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, London: John Murphy & Co., 1891.) See the Appendix forexcerpted text.




20/30




21/30

CONCLUDING REMARKS

WE HAVE at every point during this report been meticulous in reference to both data and logic, in such a

way as to minimise the distractions brought about by uncertainty and ambiguity, in order bring to bear thefull impact of this finding upon the mind of the reader. We did not set forth from the beginning to prove

that the Sabbath day was and is in fact the day in which Messiah resurrected. It began, rather, as a questfor understanding and knowledge borne out of simple curiosity, combined with a probing desire to knowthe inspiration of the pages of these gospel accounts. We reasoned that the date should be discernible,and that with prayer, humble petition for divine aid, as well as sufficient inclusion of the proper Hebraiccontext into the solution, that this long standing uncertainty, and almost mystery, could be solved. Weleave the reader with the responsibility to determine for himself or herself what are the proper conclusionsto be drawn from this finding.

We could naturally point out, as has been the object of our study for years, that the Feast days, as they arecalled in English, will be in full operation during the days that have been prophesied to be ahead of us.Isaiah chapter 66 indicates that the calendar will once again measure new moons. Zechariah 14 tells usthat the nations go, as once did Yeshua, up to Jerusalem, and this time to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot

(Tabernacles) with the Lord. So we see this as a summoning of our attention to God's celestial calendar,in the sense of his plan for all time. To us it is clear, and beyond any doubt, that He has chosen thisgeneration to be the one in which this date and time are revealed. It is with great awe and a distinct senseof Divine Providence that we submit this report.




22/30

POSTLUDE

In these two sections entitledDoes Sabbath Mean Week?, and, Yom Echad and the Importance of Dayand Night, we review the doctrinal implications of our findings and introduce some of the questions that arise from the factthat most Bible translations plainly state the resurrection took place on the first day of the week, Sunday.

Does Shabbat Mean Week?IT IS OF incalculable importance that we should examine the elemental conflict produced by this report

with the most cardinal doctrine retained by nearly every denomination on earth and taught as essentialtruth nearly every place on the globe. How, you may wonder, could this report be reliable if my Bible tellsme that the resurrection occurred on the first day of the week? We have been observing Sunday forcenturies, nearly two millennia in fact, and it is abundantly clear that Christians have from the earliest oftimes revered this first day of the week, all in special recognition of that glorious moment in time: theresurrection.

If this reflects what you feel, then you are certainly not alone, and to an extent we can sympathise. Or, saidanother way, we can understand why you could feel a sense of discomfort or uneasiness with the findings

of this report. We can, however reverse the question, just as legitimately. We know that all Bibles nowa-days are just translations. Suppose we ask, how could the translation of these verses be correct if they arein conflict with all the other facts concerning this narrative, and also internally inconsistent with thecalendar and appointed times of Elohim? It changes things, doesn't it? Now we need to present to youthe following facts concerning the first day of the week.

e Koine Greek words that have been translated, in nearly every language, including even modernGreek, to mean first day of the week are actually words that say, literally, one of the Sabbath. Indeed,the word day is inserted, for there is no word in the texts that correlates to it; this is noted in italics by thetranslators of the KJV. It is true that a legacy has been handed down for generations which teaches thatthese words form the sense, first day of the week. However, as we attempted to trace this contendedmeaning back to its original, historical foundation, we were astonished to learn that there was, in fact, acomplete dearth of external evidence to support the semantic construction, first day of the week. eabsence of proof and the failure to give citations were to us troublesome, to say the least, as we marvelledthat each and every instance of the claim was unaccompanied by reference to a dictionary or any otherobjective source. In effect, we saw nothing that could definitively confirm this meaning and place thelegacy teaching out of the category of pure hearsay.

In the context of definitive and lexicographical sources, we must point out that biblical lexicons are merelya compilation of translational motifs. In that sense, all a biblical lexicon does is simply aggregate howtranslators expressed certain terms; it does notcarry with it the authoritative objectivity of a dictionary. By

way of illustration, and one bearing eminent importance, Strongs lexicon lists the word, another, as a trans-lation of the Hebrew word Shabbat, because it is used as an aid to comprehension in the translation of

Isaiah 66:23 (one Sabbath to another, instead of the literal Hebrewas often as Sabbath is in its Sabbath).erefore, it is axiomatic that connotative devices employed by translators cannot be extrapolated togeneral usage, nor can they be relied upon as if they were authentic definitions. Otherwise, that would makecompletely absurd meanings to be binding on these terms (such as give me another banana couldbecome give me Shabbatbanana). is is without question a matter that takes one rapidly to utter confu-sion. Consequently, one must resist the temptation to declare unqualifiedly that words have certainmeanings merely because translators said that is what they mean. is is why it is actually a form of circularargumentation if one refers to Strong's or any other biblical lexicon as a proof of the meaning of theGreek word (Sabbaton), which is a transliteration of the Hebrew (Shabbat). Regrettably,




23/30

it can be shown by these examples that the usage of a lexicon in the pulpit to expound a passage is, bydefinition, fallacious. is is because translation is, at the end of the day, an art form subject to the samelimitations of hue and shade as the painter whose brush assays to convey a visual panorama. ings arenot perfect in translation, and we can therefore not rely on the translators' sentiments which appear inBiblical lexicons to provide us objective definitions.

Accordingly, we sought to find external evidence to prove the Greek word Sabbaton means week. To havebeen accurately translated as week presupposes that, during this period, a type of colloquialism was used torefer to week. We reasoned, then, that if the word Sabbaton had become a generalised designation for week,it would be available in a classical Greek dictionary; or, failing that, we should be able to document itsusage as such in other contemporaneous Greek literature. e findings, however, were shocking. What

will come as a surprise to most modern readers is that even the conceptof week, as a seven-day period oftime, is almost indiscernible within ancient Greek writings. is is because the delineation of time intoperiods of seven days is entirely Hebraic and consequently foreign to the Greek culture we were research-ing, explaining the concepts absence f rom generalised use.

e Perseus Project at Tufts University enables the search of thousands of Greek texts from the ages. Inthese, the word Sabbaton is used only in the New Testament itself and in the works of the Jewish histo-

rian, Josephus, including his reference collection entitled Antiquities of the Jews. Sabbaton is rendered asweek in the New Testament nine times , yet there is not a single instance appearing in Antiquities that isintended as week. And even in the New Testament, Sabbaton appears an additional 59 times, each ofthese beingtranslated as Sabbath or Sabbath day.

What bears immense significance here is that, with the single exception ofSabbaton that appears in Luke18:12, each of these instances ofSabbaton as week serves to join by artificial means the concept of first day

with week. For these eight verses thusly translated, the correspondence is plenary, that is, from a total of68 appearances ofSabbaton in the entire New Testament, these instances that are related in some way to'first day' are the same eight passages that have been reshaped to project the dubitable sense of week.Such a correlation can occur whenever there is a valid multiplicity of meaning for a particular word. We

have shown, however, that there is no historical nor dictionary basis to a week sense for Sabbaton. Where,then, did they get this meaning? e point of this question is statistically weighty because, while arandom occasion of linguistic variation can and does occur, a consistent pattern of eight instances, whichin turn affect a ninth that we have mentioned (Luke 18:12), and has unarguably vast doctrinal conse-quences, can NOT be attributable to chance alone, but instead must be understood to have taken placefrom the translator's sentiments, i.e., predisposition of dogma or bias.

Further evidence of translators favouring bias over objectivity can be found in this phrase, first day.Whenever Sabbaton is translated as week, it is also joined semantically to first day, as we have discussed.Relevant to this is the supposed meaning of the Greek word mia asfirst. Whilefirstis certainly justifiablein Mark 16:9 due to the presence of the Greekprote( , firstShabbat), a different wordis chosen by the New Testament authors in the remaining seven cases, mia, which according to the dictio-

nary means one. One is an Hebraic idea. erefore, a situation arises that is comparable to our discussionthat Shabbat is not week, because in each of the cases where Sabbaton is said to mean week, mia ispurported to mean first. e difficulty with this is that we could not find any instance of a dictionarygiving a definition offirstto this word. Moreover, and particularly incommodious to this election to join

first day with week is that the word for day, (hemera) does not occur in anyof these verses. We

36. Crane, Gregory R. (ed.)e Perseus Project, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, August, 2007.

37. See Appendix C for listing of verses.




24/30

conclude, therefore, that these verses containing the words mia and Sabbaton (one of the Shabbat) have beensignificantly reshaped to convey the sentiments of the translators.

We are at a loss to explain the widespread acceptance of this translation. To imply that one of the Shab-bat equates to first day of the week depends upon a strict presumption that there was a need, semanti-cally, on the part of the authors to employ an obscure idiom in order to express three simple ideas, first,

day and of the week. Our investigation reveals, however, that if such an idiom ever existed, it wascertainly not in use in any of the other Greek writings during this time period. Furthermore, the Greektexts of Mark 14:12, Acts 20:18, and Philippians 1:5 demonstrate that these writers had the ability to sayfirst day using generally accepted, common Greek words ( , prote hemera; or , protes hemeras). ese witnesses, together with the existence of an ordinary Greek word thatexpresses the idea ofweek , affirm our conclusion that, had the writers intended to express first day ofthe week, there were readily available phrases in the Greek language to do so. It was not necessary to usethe words (mia) and (Sabbaton) in a mysterious, and indeed unnatural manner to expressthe plain idea, first day of the week.

Having given plausible justification that the Greek phrase does notmean first day ofthe week, we turn our attention to what this enigmatic phrase one of the Shabbat does mean, within the

Hebraic context of the gospel writers and the early disciples of Yeshua.

Yom Echad and the Importance of Day and Night

THE GOSPEL writers were all first-century Hebrews (either native-born Israelites or converts) whoseculture and point of reference were Biblical and Hebraic. erefore, to understand what the phrase one ofthe Shabbat meant to them, we must turn our attention to Hebrew. In the same way that (mia) inGreek means one, (echad), in Hebrew, means one. In fact, in the premier instance of this word in allthe Bible, Genesis 1:5, the Septuagint translators used mia for echad, attesting to this semantic identity.Although some translations say the first day here, in Hebraic thought both terms mean one,notfirst, as weshall see. Like Greek, Hebrew has a separate word, (rishon) that means first. e word rishon is

related torosh

, meaning head. It is used in the phraseRosh haShana

, meaning new year (literally,head of the

year). Rishon, analogously, conveys the idea of being at the head orfirst. Echadis different. Echadmeans one.

In Hebrew,Echad has four definitions, all pertaining to one:

(1) One of a set.

In this, the simplest of all the senses for echad, it means one item from a collection of like items: one man,one train, one mountain. For example, Two persons encountered a fork in the road; one took the way tothe left, the other took the right. or, ere were three brothers, and one of them studied to be ascientist.

(2) The one and only, unique

is idea is succinctly expressed by the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4,

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD(KJV)

It is self-evident that the God of the Hebrews is the one God, not one of the gods.

38. For more than two centuries prior to when the Eastern Magi beheld the star that led them to Bethlehem and the shepherds

nearby heard the voice of the angel proclaim that Messiah had come, the term bdodoV (hebdomados) had anestablished precedent of meaning, in Biblical writings, to express the Hebraic idea ofweek. See Appendix D.




25/30

(3) Creating one out of many or multiples

is is the idea expressed in Genesis 2:24,

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

is is also the familiar sense, used in reference to the United States, of the Latin phraseE Pluribus Unum(out of many, one); one nation of many (States).

(4) Coming into existence, becoming an entity, one or complete

is is the most abstract of the four definitions. Before something is formed, or comes into existence, it isnothing, not a thing. But, at the moment it begins to exist, you have one of that thing. is is Hebraicthought, and Genesis 1:5 expresses this idea.

And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (NASB)

Most translations say first day, but the Hebrew would have to be modified to (yom ha rishon)to express that idea. It says (yom echad), one day, or, applying this definition, a day has now beenformed; the day is now a completeentity.

e use of the word in the Septuagint (Greek) translation of this verse perfectly recreates the Hebraicidiom, because in reference to a day, it is definition #3 and #4 of one that apply. is is something thatbecomes evident when the passage is read in Hebrew, but is not readily apparent to the reader of a transla-tion. e Hebrew text uses an expression in Genesis 1:4


26/30

Matthew 28:1 Light rays - at the first morning light

Genesis 1:5 And it was morningand it was morningat the dawn's early light (pinpoints the moment)

Matthew 28:1 One of the Shabbat

Genesis 1:5 One dayFully a day, completed. Yom echad. Daylight portion of the day (of Shabbat)

FULFILMENTOFTHEPROPHESIEDTHREEDAYSANDTHREENIGHTS

Concerning the word of Yonah the prophet, it is evident that each of the Gospel authors intended for us toknow that the resurrection took place not later than dawn of the Shabbat. Attention to detail is requisiteto determining whether or not Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled. e timing of the womens arrival at

the tomb is precisely conveyed by the Greek words when understood with Hebraic meaning. If it hadbeen even moments later, then uncertainty would have been introduced in relation to this prophecy.However, by denoting with consummate precision the exact point in time, all the gospel authors a ffirmthis sign as given by the prophet Yonah: that Messiah would be in the grave three days and three nights.e historical and biblical record affirm that this prophecy was perfectly fulfilled.

FINAL COMMENTS

IT IS PARAMOUNT that we, as believers, comprehend and begin to remedy the consequences of the mischar-acterisation of the events surrounding the resurrection of the Messiah. As our Lord and Saviour, when he

was operating in the office of Teacher, Yeshua always placed the Torah and the Prophets in the position ofpre-eminence. But, in opposition to this, the scriptures that he treasured and from which he taught have

come to be regarded as weak, ineffective, and passed away. is happened by means of anti-Hebraicdoctrines, lofty presentations shrouded by innuendo, and most notably, we think, by calling them theOld Testament. In relation to the resurrection, this anti-Semitic direction has been reinforced by amisrepresentation that presumes to herald a new day of worship, supplanting the day set apart as holy byElohim. is has effectively transformed the resurrection, which was intended as a sign, into an object ofadoration itself. Instead of affirming the words that were meant to be supreme, that is, the Torah, thisdoctrine has made the resurrection itself transcendent. But there was never a directive that it should becommemorated with such curious pomp and festive celebration as is summarily practised at Easter; withlitany and cantata and exquisite apparel. And, this memorial is rehearsed each Sunday because, in the

words of one pre-eminent theologian, Sunday maintains a close connection with the very core of the

39. Second century Latin manuscripts (Vetus Latina) render this as in primam sabbati. Sabbatiis the genitive singular, unlike theGreek, which is plural. However, the ultra-early witness provided by the Vetus Latina text implies a Greek source text thatcontained the singular form, and such a text would have predated even the earliest fragments of our Greek texts by at leastone century. erefore, it is probable that the plural forms in these Greek texts are due to copy errors. (Metzger, Bruce M.e Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. Oxford University Press, 1964. Chapter VII,The Causes of Error in the Transmission of the Text of the New Testament.) Finally, there is a point concerning the grammarians whomight look with disdain at our use of the singular here. It must be conceded that if the plural were correctly indicated herein the Greek, these translators wanting to express the insupportable 'first day of' sense have, if held to the same standard,effectively ignored the Greek grammar by not saying weeks'.




27/30

Christian mystery for it recalls the day of Christ's Resurrection. His denomination's influence on theshaping of this doctrine and guiding its impact on the landscape of Christian history are unarguablyprodigious.

Although we did not plan it to be this way from the outset, we see the establishment of the proper day ofthe resurrection as directing a vital imperative to restore the Tenach to prominence. is resurrection,

which we have endeavoured to present in its right historical context, affirms the Biblical calendar and theannual cycle of Elohims appointed times as given in Leviticus 23. And the precision with which thegospel writers depict the fulfilment of the prophecy of Yonah serves to point us to those scriptures thatforetold, under the inspiration of the Spirit, that a Prophet, like Moshe, would come to once againelevate the word of Elohim, the Tenach, to the highest place of authority.

40. John Paul II. Dies Domini: Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father John Paul II to the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of theCatholic Church on Keeping the Lords Day Holy. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 5 July 1998. www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html

41. Deuteronomy 18:15




28/30

APPENDIX A: EXCERPTFROM NEWTONS PUBLISHED REPORT(italics and capitalisation are as in the original)

I take it for granted that the passion was on friday the 14th day of the month Nisan, the greatfeast of the Passover on saturday the 15th day ofNisan, and the resurrection on the day following.

Now the 14th day ofNisan always fell on the full moon next after the vernal Equinox; and themonth began at the new moon before, not at the true conjunction, but at the first appearance ofthe new moon; for theJews referred all the time of the silent moon, as they phrased it, that is, ofthe moon's disappearing, to the old moon; and because the first appearance might usually beabout 18 h after the true conjunction, they therefore began their month from the sixth hour atevening, that is, at sun set, next after the eighteenth hour from the conjunction. And this rule theycalledJah, designing by the letters and the number 18.

I know thatEpiphanius tells us, if some interpret his words rightly, that theJews used a vicious cy-cle, and thereby anticipated the legal new moons by two days. But this surely he spake not as a

witness, for he neither understoodAstronomy norRabbinicallearning, but as arguing from his erro-

neous hypothesis about the time of the passion. For the Jews did not anticipate, but postponetheir months: they thought it lawful to begin their months a day later than the first appearance ofthe new moon, because the new moon continued for more days than one; but not a day sooner,lest they should celebrate the new moon before there was any. And theJews still keep a traditionin their books, that the Sanhedrin used diligently to define the new moons by sight: sending wit-nesses into mountainous places, and examining them about the moon's appearing, and translatingthe new moon from the day they had agreed on to the day before, as often as witnesses came fromdistant regions, who had seen it a day sooner than it was seen at Jerusalem....

Computing therefore the new moons of the first month according to the course of the moon andthe rule Jah, and thence counting 14 days, I find that the 14th day of this month in the year ofChrist31, fell on tuesdayMarch 27; in the year 32, on sundayApr. 13; in the year 33, on fridayApr.

3; in the year 34, on wednesdayMarch 24, or rather, for avoiding the Equinox which fell on thesame day, and for having a fitter time for harvest, on thursdayApr. 22, also in the year 35, on tues-dayApr. 12, and in the year 36, on saturdayMarch 31.

But because the 15th and 21st days ofNisan, and a day or two ofPentecost, and the 10th, 15th, and22nd ofTisri, were always sabbatical days or days of rest, and it was inconvenient on two sabbathstogether to be prohibited burying their dead and making ready fresh meat, for in that hot regiontheir meat would be apt in two days to corrupt: to avoid these and such like inconveniences, theJews postponed their months a day, as often as the first day of the month Tisri, or which is all one,the third of the monthNisan was sunday, wednesday, or friday: and this rule they calledAdu, by theletters aleph, daleth, waw, signifying the numbers 1, 4, 6, that is, the 1st, 4th, and 6th days of the

week, which days we call sunday, wednesday, and friday. Postponing therefore by this rule themonths found above; the 14th day of the monthNisan will fall in the year ofChrist31 on wednes-dayMarch 28; in the year 32 on mondayApr. 14; in the year 33 on fridayApr. 3; in the year 34, onfridayApr. 23; in the year 35, on wednesdayApr. 13; and in the year 36, on saturdayMarch 31.

By this computation therefore the year 32 is absolutely excluded, because the Passion cannot fallon friday without making it five days after the full moon, or two days before it; whereas it oughtto be upon the day of the full moon, or the next day. For the same reasons the years 31 and 35 areexcluded, because in them the Passion cannot fall on friday, without making it three days after thefull moon or four days before it: errors so enormous, that they would be very conspicuous in the




29/30

heavens even to the vulgar eye.e year 36 is contended for by few or none, and both this and theyear 35 may be thus excluded....

us there remain only the years 33 and 34 to be considered; and the year 33 I exclude by this ar-gument. In the Passover two years before the Passion, then Christwent thro' the corn, and his dis-ciples pluckt the ears, and rubbed them with their hands to eat; this ripeness of the corn shews

that the Passover then fell late: and so did the Passover AC 32, April14, but the Passover AC 31,March 28th, fell very early. It was not therefore two years after the year 31, but two years after 32that Christsuffered.

us all the characters of the Passion agree to the year 34; and that is the only year to which theyall agree.

APPENDIX B: EXCERPTFROM FAITHOF OUR FATHERSby James Cardinal Gibbons

(italics and capitalisation are as in the original, bold emphasis added)

Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe,nordo they explicitly enjoin all the duties which he is obliged to practice. Not to mention otherexamples, is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday, and to abstain on that day fromunnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sa-cred duties? Butyou may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a sin-gle line authorising the sanctification of Sunday. e Scriptures enforce the religious observanceof Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.

e Catholic Church correctly teaches that our Lord and His Apostles inculcated certain impor-tant duties of religion which are not recorded by the inspired writers. For instance, most Chris-tians pray to the Holy Ghost, a practice which nowhere is found in the Bible.

We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures alone cannot be sufficient guide and rule of Faith,because they cannot, at any time be within the reach of every inquirer; because they are not ofthemselves clear and intelligible even in matters of the highest importance, and because they donot contain all the truths necessary for salvation.

42. Newton, Sir Isaac, 1733. Of the Times of the Birth and Passion of Christ, chapter 11 in Observations upon the Prophecies ofDaniel and the Apocalypse of St. John (London: J. Darby and T. Browne), pp. 144-168. (Quoted here from Pratt, John P.

Newton's Date for the Crucifixion. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1991), 32, p. 303.)

43. Gibbons, James Cardinal.e Faith of Our Fathers: Being a Plain Exposition and Vindication ofe Church Founded byOur Lord Jesus Christ, London: John Murphy & Co., 1891, p. 111.




30/30

APPENDIX C: UTILISATIONOF SABBATONINTHE NEW TESTAMENT

Sabbaton translated as week: Matthew 28:1 (but in only 1 of 2 instances); Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 18:12; 24:1;John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2. All but one of these instances have to do with creating thefirst day of the weekdoctrine. For an understanding of what Yeshua meant by I fast twice of the shabbat

in Lk. 18:12, please see our upcoming paper at www.Shma-Israel.org(Neither does it mean week here.).Sabbaton translated as Sabbath orSabbath Day: : Matthew 12:1-2, 5 (2x), 8, 10-12; 24:20; 28:1; Mark1:21; 2:23-24, 27 (2x), 28; 3:2, 4; 6:2; 16:1; Luke 4:16, 31; 6:1-2, 5-7, 9; 13:10, 14 (2x),15-16; 14:1, 3, 5;23:54, 56; John 5:9-10, 16, 18; 7:22, 23 (2x); 9:14, 16; 19:31 (2x); Acts 1:12; 13:14, 27, 42, 44; 15:21;16:13; 17:2; 18:4; Col. 2:16.

Other derivatives of Sabbaton translated as Sabbath: (Strongs 4315), day before theSabbath, Mk. 15:42; (Strongs 4520), rest (KJV) or Sabbath rest (NASB), Hebrews4:9.

APPENDIX D: HEBDOMAINTHE SEPTUAGINT EXPRESSES WEEK

e Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Torah was done between 285 BC and 244 BC, thusestablishing an accepted pattern for how to translate the culturally foreign concept ofweek, as expressed bythe Hebrew word . (hebdoma), together with its related forms , refers to a collection ofseven and hence, by extension, was utilised to mean week. It is used in this manner by the Septuaginttranslators to express week in Genesis 29:27, 28; Exodus 34:22; Numbers 28:26; and Deuteronomy 16:9(2X), 10, 16; 2 Chronicles 8:13; and Daniel 9:27 (2X)

Accordingly, the standard was already more than 250 years old by the time the first New Testament auto-graphs were written. It is a substantial authentication of the linguistic convention that hebdomada wasbeing used to express week, that Roman translators employed the Greek word literally in Latin as ebdo-mada to translate week. is term is used in Latin translations of the Bible until well into the fifth century

AD, and extending even into the present time. is attests to the momentum that the convention musthave gained, in that the Romans did not undertake to form an equivalent meaning from the Latin wordfor seven, septem.

44. Among the forms used are: (hebdoma), (hebdomas), bdodoV(hebdomados),bdodon(hebdomadon)

45. Jerome,e Vulgate; also the pre-Vulgate Latin translations, Vetus Latina; andNova Vulgata (1979)


Date post:	09-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	shirley-pigott-md
View:	215 times
Download:	0 times

Date Messiah Resurrection

Documents