On Dec 13, 5:55 pm, Theda <
thedahor...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The circuit of the sun defines a year. It begins and ends at the Vernal Equinox.
>
> Since the Feasts of the Lord are assigned to the first month...
>
> The first moon cycle of spring can only be after the Vernal Equinox.
>
> Are we trying to identify the first month (complete moon phase) of the new solar year?
>
> Remember that days and months and years are defined by God's lights in the firmament of heaven, not by the abib of barley.
>
> Theda
Hi Theda,
I'm glad that you care and are are fully convinced of your belief, but
I have to say two things. If you're going to publish a calendar
telling people when to observe God's holy days, than you should be
sure to be in agreement with what God said to do. You don't want to be
telling people to go by ANY man's opinions if they are contrary to
what God said.
The second thing is that you are fully convinced that you are supposed
to be going by the vernal equinox and not by abib, but what the bible
says about it says we are to go by abib. The scriptures tell us that's
a stage of ripeness of barley.
The Karaite Jews have addressed this so I'm going to paste their
answer from
http://www.karaite-korner.org/abib_faq.shtml#gen_1_14
Q: Doesn't Genesis 1:14 show that the Vernal Equinox, not the barley,
determine the holy day seasons?
We read in Gen 1,14:
"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, to
divide between the day and the night and they will be for signs and
for times (Moedim) and for days and for years."
From this verse it is not clear what is dependent on what. Certainly
no mention of the Vernal Equinox is made. Perhaps the year is
dependent on the moon or the stars? If the year is dependent on the
sun, then what about the sun effects the beginning of the year? Gen
1,14 does not specify these things and we must turn to other Biblical
passages to get a more precise understanding of the Biblical calendar.
In Dt 16,1 we read:
"Keep the month of the Abib and make the Passover (sacrifice) to YHWH
your God at night, because in the month of Abib YHWH your God took you
out of Egypt"
Similarly we read:
"You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you will eat
unleavened bread, as have I commanded you, at the time of the month of
the Abib, because in the month of the Abib you went out of Egypt." (Ex
34,18)
The word "Abib" refers to barley which has reached a certain stage in
its development. This meaning of Abib is preserved in the verse:
"And the flax and the barley were smitten, because the barley was Abib
and the flax was Giv'ol. And the wheat and the spelt were not smitten
because they were dark (Afilot)." (Ex 9,31-32)
To keep the Passover Sacrifice in the Month of the Abib requires
taking the Abib (ripening barley) as an indicator of the beginning of
the year. This is entirely consistent with Gen 1,14, for the ripening
of the barley is dependent on the seasons of the year and therefore
indirectly is controlled by the sun. Central factors, which cause the
barley to ripen, are the lengthening of the days and the increasing
sunlight, changes in humidity, and other factors which affect the
environment. Therefore, it is the sun, which indirectly causes the
barley to ripen, and thereby acts as an indicator of years. It is this
indirect effect which causes the barley to become Abib which Gen 1,14
is referring to when it says the sun and moon will be for years.
It should be noted that the equinox is never mentioned in the entire
Hebrew Bible. Gen 1,14, which has often been cited as proof of the
equinox theory, does not mention the equinox either.
>
>
Also, all the Jews on both sides of the new moon issue will tell you
that no Jew ever went by the dark moon being the new moon until Rabbis
made this change centuries after the time of Christ. All the Jews will
tell you that Moses and Jesus went by the first visible light, not the
conjunction or dark moon. The majority of Jews today have accepted,
adopted, and follow the rabbinical changes of Hillel II in the 4th
century AD, but a minority refused. They came to be called
"Scripturalists" which is what Karaite means. They felt like we do
about the change to Sunday, that men do not have the authority to
override and change what God commanded.
Which side of this do you want to be on? Which side do you want to
tell people to follow? Be careful, teachers will be judged more
harshly, Jas.3:1 "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we
shall receive the greater condemnation." At least take a good look at
what the bible says about abib before you reject it. Perhaps you are
counting the holy days yourself and have not adopted the Rabbis
postponements, and that's good! So why adopt any of their changes?
Because modern science has made the same change in definition of "new
moon" shouldn't be a reason to depart from the way Moses and Jesus did
it.
The Hebrew word that is translated abib is translated more than one
way: Abib 6, in the ear 1, green ears of corn 1.
Here's a link to a page shows all 8 instances of this word:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H24&t=KJV&sstr=1
If you can read that and say we aren't supposed to go by abib, I'll be
surprised.
Pat