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. ...
... 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.
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.