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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Thera quote

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: MarianneLuban AT aol.com
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Thera quote
  • Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2004 11:49:46 +0100

On 28/08/2004 00:26, MarianneLuban AT aol.com wrote:

In a message dated 8/27/2004 2:09:29 PM Pacific Daylight Time, kwrandolph AT email.com writes:



What did Josephus know about the Hebrew calandar? We have indication that it had ceased to be used 500 years before Josephus. Even in Tanakh, the post-exilic writings named the months according to Aramaic names, indicating that the Hebrew calandar was already then not being used, let alone centuries later. That will also explain why for your claim that most historical mentions of Hebrew religious feasts don’t coincide with the first and seventh months.


This is easily answered. The Torah does not mention any months by names--only numbers, just as the ancient Egyptians did until quite late. ...


This is not true. See for example Exodus 13:4, 23:15, 34:18, verses which I referred to before, which mention the month of Abib by name. I suppose you might claim that this is not a name, but even though XODE$ HF)FBIYB probably means "the month of barley ears" (or even if it does mean "the month of the spring solstice"), it is still a conventional designation and so a name.

... However, Josephus can have known that the month once known by a number came to be called "Pharmouti" and the new calendar of the Hebrews, which was both a lunar and a solar one, had a month with a number that later came to be called "Nisan". "Aviv" perhaps refers to the spring soltice, although I have nothing firm to say about that subject.




--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/






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