In an attempt to establish the biblical date of creation, it is logical to initially turn to the year in the Jewish calendar. This is a lunisolar calendar, with each month beginning with a new moon (lunar) and periodical adjustments to ensure that the festivals continue to fall at the correct season of year (solar). These adjustments are more complex[1] than those used by the priesthood in Old Testament times when an occasional extra month was simply added for the same reason. Some scholars believe that the calendar changes date from the time of Antiochus Epiphanes IV.[2] It is even hypothesised by Dr. Rachel Elior[3] that the change may be traced back to the Greek ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes IV, who determined to Hellenise the Jews during his reign from 175 to 163 BC.[4] Dr Elior suggests that he mandated the same lunar calendar over his entire kingdom in order to facilitate the collection of taxes and that, in time, the Jewish leadership acceded to these demands and adapted their calendar accordingly[5],[6]...
[1] “A leap year in the Jewish calendar has 13 months and occurs 7 times in a 19-year cycle,” timeanddate.com/date/jewish-leap-year.html
[2] For example: James C. VanderKam, 2 Maccabees 6–7a and Calendrical Change, jstor.org/stable. Michał Klukowski, The Tradition of the 364-Day Calendar versus the Calendar Polemic in Second Temple Judaism, researchgate.net
[3] Professor of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls and why were they forgotten? prophecyvine.com
[4] A Bold Blend of News and Ideas: Antiochus IV Epiphanes: The ‘Little Horn’ of the Jewish Revolt, 165-164 BCE, brewminate.com, also: Yahweh’s Calendar,
trumpeter.wordpress.com
[5] The Calendar’s Relationship To Set-Apart Time, prophecyvine.com
[6] Rosh Hashanah: The Politics and Theology Behind Jewish Time,
anumuseum.org.il
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.