Frank W. Nelte
Jewish Calendar Tutorial Worksheet 3 (515BC Changed Sequence)
YEAR BEING CALCULATED: 515 B.C. CHANGED SEQUENCE
PART III: CHECKING THE MOLAD AGAINST THE POSTPONEMENT RULES AND THEN DETERMINING THE KEY DATES FOR THE WHOLE YEAR IN ROMAN CALENDAR TERMS
1.
DATE AND TIME OF THE MOLAD: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 at H12 P248, this being 6:13:47 a.m.
2.
EVALUATING THIS AGAINST RULE #1: noon or later? NO!
3.
RESULT: RETAIN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
4.
EVALUATING THE RESULT AGAINST RULE #2:
Is this a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday? YES!
5.
RESULT: POSTPONE TO SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1
6.
IF RULES #1 AND #2 DID NOT APPLY, EVALUATE THE MOLAD AGAINST RULE #3:
Rule #2 did apply. Therefore rules #3 and #4 are excluded.
7.
RESULT: We have our final result for Tishri 1 in 515 B.C.
8.
IF RULES #1 AND #2 AND #3 DID NOT APPLY, EVALUATE THE MOLAD AGAINST RULE #4:
9.
RESULT: Not applicable for this year.
10.
ASSESSING THE RESULTS OF ALL 4 RULES AGAINST THIS MOLAD: Rule #2 caused a 1-day postponement away from the day of the molad.
11.
NOW DETERMINE THE DATE FOR TRUMPETS: DAY OF TRUMPETS IN 515 B.C. = SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1
12.
NOW EVALUATE TRUMPETS AGAINST THE REAL ASTRONOMICAL NEW MOON DATA:
The real new moon conjunction was on September 29 at 6:00 p.m. Even though the molad was already almost 12 hours AFTER the actual conjunction in 515 B.C., the start of the month (i.e. Tishri 1) was still postponed to the next day.
WITH TISHRI 1 ESTABLISHED, WE NOW DETERMINE THE REST OF THE YEAR AS FOLLOWS:
STARTING WITH THE DATE FOR TRUMPETS, WE PUT TOGETHER ALL THE RELEVANT DATES FOR THIS PARTICULAR YEAR:
A. ATONEMENT = TISHRI 1 + 9 DAYS = OCTOBER 10
B. FIRST DAY OF TABERNACLES = TISHRI 1 + 14 DAYS = OCTOBER 15
C. LAST GREAT DAY = TISHRI 1 + 21 DAYS = OCTOBER 22
D. DATE FOR NISAN 1 = TISHRI 1 - 177 DAYS = APRIL 7
E. EVALUATING NISAN 1 AGAINST THE ASTRONOMICAL NEW MOON FOR THE FIRST MONTH: NEW MOON CONJUNCTION = APRIL 6, at 8:44 a.m.
Thus Nisan 1 was on the day after the new moon conjunction day. So both, Nisan and Tishri would theoretically have started one day after the new moon conjunction days.
F. PASSOVER DATE = NISAN 1 + 13 DAYS :
APRIL 20 (Observed the previous evening after sunset)
G. FIRST DAY OF UNLEAVENED BREAD = NISAN 1 + 14 DAYS: APRIL 21
H. SEVENTH DAY OF UNLEAVENED BREAD = NISAN 1 + 20 DAYS: APRIL 27
I. PENTECOST = SUNDAY (in the period from Nisan 15 to 21) + 7 WEEKS: SUNDAY, JUNE 12
THAT CONCLUDES ALL THE CALCULATIONS FOR THE JEWISH CALENDAR FOR THIS PARTICULAR YEAR. NOW LET'S EXAMINE THIS YEAR AS A WHOLE.
FINAL EVALUATION OF THE JEWISH CALENDAR FOR THIS PARTICULAR YEAR:
The calculation of the molad of Tishri resulted in a time that was almost 12 hours after the actual new moon conjunction in 515 B.C..
As can be seen, the results achieved with this changed sequence of leap years are MUCH MORE ACCEPTABLE than the results achieved with the present sequence of leap years.
Instead of having the Last Great Day on September 16 Gregorian, with this changed sequence the Last Great Day would theoretically have been on October 16, thus well into the season of autumn. All the other dates in the year (except Pentecost) are likewise 30 days later than with today's sequence.
This example should illustrate quite clearly WHY some people have opted to use a different sequence of leap years for B.C. dates. The results they achieve don't look so obviously at odds with God's intentions for the calendar.
If you have not yet done the Tutorial for the year 515 B.C. with Today's Sequence of leap years, why not also go through that Tutorial, so you can then see for yourself the differences achieved by a change in the sequence of leap years?
ARE YOU READY TO TRY CALCULATING THE JEWISH CALENDAR DATES FOR ANOTHER YEAR?
Frank W. Nelte