Posted by Steven Benjamin on April 11, 2009, 5:07 pm, in reply to "Happy Sabbath"
Ok I was going to address the Luna-solar calendar observed by various groups of Hebrews.
It is however a VERY lengthy subject. And I have several days in composition of a study of the matter. So, for now, I am going to post a brief summation of the matter. And I am going to then place a study Clive pointed me to in this very matter by Victor Houteff.
As to the Begginning of ABIB or NISSAN, it has to do with more than one factor. FIRST OF ALL..."ABIB" is a term which applies to the RIPENESS of the Barley to be used for the WAIV SHEAF offering. IF this Barley is not ready, an entire month is added, and the year becomes a Hebrew Leap year, having 13 months rather than 12. If however in the end of the 12th month, the Barely is at a certain stage of ripeness known as ABIB, then THE VERY NEXT NEW MOON begins the new month, the 1st month of ABIB or NISSAN.
The name NISSAN came about during the Babylonian captivity. The Hebrews after being freed, kept the name to commemorate the lands they had been captive in to remind them of thier having fell from G-d's grace.
You have more than one group making a reckoning for when this month actually begins. ONE group, actually uses a mathematical computation, which calcualates the MONTHS EXACTLY so that the 1st of NISSAN will begin on a particular day whether or NOT ANY MOON is present at all, Half, full, new or otherwise. This is due to the fact that the luna-solar calendar is not EXACTLY 28 days long. It is actually a little shorter, 27 point something, like 27.3. And A TOTALLY PURE LUNAR calendar is 29.5 days approx. The Babylonians used a LUNAR calendar. THE ONLY ones using such today are those nations in ISLAM. ISLAM, originated in BABYLON or PERSIA.
Now to the present confusion, add the fact that various groups observe different factors for OBSERVING THE NEW MOON. Some wait until seeing the first CRESCENT MOON, or the WAXING CRESCENT of the NEW MOON, which in fact is NOT THE NEW MOON but the one on the night FOLLOWING, or second night following.
I am unclear yet on "SIGHTING" the New Moon, as in are we to wait to see this WAXING CRESCENT.
What I am clear on is that Scripture notes that the NEW MOON indicates the begginning of the Month.
There are 3 consecutive days in which NO MOON Is visible in the Night sky during the month. The second is THE NEW MOON. The night will have a moon which I believe has a sliver of a crescent veiwable about sunset to dusk, but not at NIGHT.
I have found MANY different CONFLICTING calendars to the official onset of NISSAN, as well to just when the NEW MOON occurred.
BY OFFICIAL NASA reports, and US NAVAL reports it began on MARCH 26, not MARCH 27 by the Greogorian calendar. It is entirely possible that NIGHTFALL on THURSDAY MARCH 26, ALSO being the beginning of the Hebrew day MARCH 27th, could account for some of these reports. But some very clearly note the event of the New MOON to be FRIDAY March 27th, again, they are observing what is officially called the WAXING CRESCENT of the NEW MOON, which occurs the evening following the actual NEW MOON.
In the next post, I will place US NAVAL reports and links to sites showing the moon phases during MARCH and you can try to determing for yourselves, then I will in a short post, cover the actual RESSURECTION day of Christ. Following that, I will place the Study by Victor Houteff on here that you may consider his discussion of the various Ressurection and the FIRST Fruits and Second Fruits as related to believers and prophecy.
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