2019 Sky Event #3

The New Moon

Considering that astronomy lists last night, January 6, as the new moon, it may seem odd for me to be writing a blog about the new moon today. Isn't this a day late?

Actually, in Bible times (and the old ways are the right ways - Jeremiah 6:16) the new moon was determined by the sighting of the first visible crescent, after the dark phase of the moon was over. 

The reckoning of the month is governed by observing the lunar cycle. The new month begins when the first sliver of the new moon is sighted. The Biblical definition of “new moon” is different from the modern astronomical term which pinpoints the instant that the earth, moon and sun are all in alignment – which is called the conjunction.  The precise conjunction is a mathematical moment in time that cannot be observed from earth, only calculated.

But what does the Bible say about the new moon? The biblical definition of the term NEW MOON comes from the Hebrew word khodesh, which literally means “renewed”. Khodesh refers to the light of the moon being renewed after a period of darkness.

The moon is always 50% illuminated from space, unless it is eclipsed by the shadow of the earth passing between the sun and the moon, but from our vantage point on earth, the illumination of the moon is observed in a continuous cycle. That cycle is approximately 29.530587 days from one new moon to the next.

This basically means that each lunar month, from the sighting of the first sliver of one new moon to the next, will be either 29 or 30 days. 

From Bible times, if the moon is not sighted at the end of the 29th day it is, by default, a full 30-day month. 

The Biblical new moon and the new month are based on the observation of the celestial bodies. In other words, following the conjunction (when the moon is completely dark) the first visible sliver of the crescent moon is the original and Biblical new moon.

Because this evening's sunset will be the time of the sighting of the biblical new moon, tomorrow is actually the biblical day of the New Moon. Why? When God created the day, He designed for it to begin with the evening. For this reason, days all begin and end with the sunset. To show this, biblically, notice how Scripture states that the "evening" preceded the "morning" in Genesis 1:5:

"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." Genesis 1:5

Since all days begin with sunset (the evening), it is no surprise that the Bible says that Sabbaths  also begin with the "evening":

"...From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." Leviticus 23:32. 

Of course, this is very different from how days begin in our modern calendar calculations. The Gregorian day ends and begins at midnight. Consider the following chart which shows how God designed days to begin and end, as compared with the modern (midnight) way, which originated by paganism.

New moons are another demonstration that God reckons a day from sunset to sunset. The first visible crescent of the new moon will only be sighted at sunset! 

If you go out to try to sight the new moon after dark, it will be too late. On the new moon eve (the night of the sighting) the new moon crescent chases the sun downwards as it sets. The moon follows the setting sun, also setting within a short time of the sunset.

God is consistent in how He ends and starts a day. All days-whether regular days, Sabbath days, or new moon days-begin with the sunset. And just as the sunset on Friday evening starts the seventh-day Sabbath, so the sunset sighting of the crescent new moon starts the day of the New Moon (which continues until the next sunset).

There is much controversy among believers about the timing of Sabbath, and the start of the biblical day. For this reason, I will add only one more detail to today's blog - the demonstration of how Yahshua (the Hebrew name for Christ) our Messiah kept the Sabbath and observed the day. 

Many say that it is not possible to know which day is the Sabbath from the week of Creation if you are going by counting seventh-days from the beginning. Calendar changes, over time, have obscured this date, long ago. At first, this argument seems right. How can we know what day is God's right day, considering all the changes to the calendar?

But the good news is that we don't have to track Sabbath all the way back to Creation - or even to the Flood or Mount Sinai...  We only need to track Sabbath back to the time of Yahshua. The days He kept as Sabbaths, and new moons, were the right, Heaven-ordained days. 

How can we know? Because Yahshua was the Creator (John 1:1-14), because He was sinless (1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5 - which means He never broke the Law of God even once - for sin is defined as the transgression of the Law - 1 John 3:4 - and keeping Sabbath is part of God's Law - Exodus 20:8-11), and because we can safely follow His Pattern, doing everything just like He did - for He is our Example in all things (1 Peter 2:21-22).

In Hebrews 4:4-11, we find that the Bible actually comes out and states that if the Jews were keeping the Sabbath day wrong, Yahshua would have said something to correct it - yes! its that important. The fact that He didn't say anything, but rather kept the same Sabbath as the Jews were keeping is the most powerful confirmation that the Jews had the Sabbaths and day calculations correct, in the time of Christ. Hebrews 4 concludes with this powerful statement, "There remaineth therefore a rest (Sabbath) to the people of God."

Notably, from the time of Christ, no calendar changes (Julian, Gregorian, or any other) have changed the order of the days of the week or effecting the timing of Sabbath. Thus, just as Hebrews says, "the Sabbath remains". And Yahshua would have "spoken of another day" if the Jews had it wrong. 

So how did the Jews reckon new moons in Yahshua's time?

We know from historical sources that the Jewish calendar, or Hillel II calendar, was only instituted between the year 359 to 500 AD; so what was used before this?

Our first historical source tells us about how the new moon was announced in the time of Herod’s Temple. Herod here, refers to Herod the Great and for those who don’t know, Herod the Great was the King at the time of Yahshua’s birth. 

“The accurate determination of the new Moon was always of the utmost importance to the Hebrews, because if they were not precise with the exact time of the new moon it would upset their whole calendar, and the Lord of the calendar would be sought on the wrong days. If the Lord is indeed the Lord of times and seasons and designed a calendar, then it was their duty to observe it with accuracy and heart-felt passion.During the time of Herod’s Temple the high priest was the one chosen to announce the New Moon from the Temple, based upon the testimony of two trustworthy witnesses. Once the announcement was made torches were lit on the Mount of Olives, which was a signal to those waiting upon other hills, even distant hills, that the New Moon had appeared over Jerusalem and to celebrate the New Moon with those even of the dispersion.” (www.bible-history.com/jewishyear/jewishyear_new_moon.html)

“Originally, the New Moon was not fixed by astronomical calculation, but was solemnly proclaimed after witnesses had testified to the reappearance of the crescent of the moon.”(Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol. 12, p. 1039)

“The Hebrew calendar has evolved over time. For example, until the Tannaitic period (approximately 10–220 AD) the months were set by observation of a new crescent moon… and the relation of the date to the tekufah.” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar)

Then we have Philo of Alexandria. He was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, during the Roman Empire. He was a contemporary of Yahshua (20BC – c. 50AD). 

Philo wrote about the observance of the festivals by the Jews of his time and here is a quote from The Works of Philo about the festival of the new moon. Here he describes in a very colorful, philosophical way how the new month was determined.

“XXVI. (140) Following the order which we have adopted, we proceed to speak of the third festival, that of the New Moon. First of all, because it is the beginning of the month, and the beginning, whether of number or of time, is honorable. Secondly, because at this time there is nothing in the whole of heaven destitute of light. (141) Thirdly, because at that period the more powerful and important body gives a portion of necessary assistance to the less important and weaker body; for, at the time of the new moon, the sun begins to illuminate the moon with a light which is visible to the outward senses, and then she displays her own beauty to the beholders.” (Yonge, C. D. with Philo of Alexandria. (1995). The works of Philo: complete and unabridged (p. 581). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.)

In the time of Christ, the Jews counted the new moon by the first visible crescent, following the conjunction:

“During the period of the Sanhedrin, a committee of the Sanhedrin met to evaluate reports of sightings of the LUNAR CRESCENT..." (Calendars, by I. E. Doggett).

"Each lunar month began with the New Moon Sanctification by recognition of the Sanhedrin. Policy dictated that two witnesses in two different locations, IN OR NEAR JERUSALEM, must testify to sighting the NEW MOON CRESCENT. A vote by the Sanhedrin was then required to officially reckon a new month beginning" (Christian Era Calendars, by Clark K. Nelson).

"The Sanhedrin originally determined the new moon by actually observing the FIRST FAINT CRESCENT (or young moon) in the western sky" (Postponements: Another Mystery of the Ages)

"...in postexilic times the Mishnah (Rosh Ha-Shanah 1:3-2:7) states that the Jewish Sanhedrin met early in the morning on the 30th day of each of seven months in the year to determine the time of the new moon. Watchmen were posted on high vantage points around Jerusalem and carried immediate report to the Jewish court after sighting the new moon.

Upon receiving sufficient testimony, the court announced, 'It is consecrated,' officially marking the start of a new moon. If cloudy skies or fog caused poor visibility, then the preceding month was declared to have had 30 days, and the new month began on the day following the court assembly.

It is also said that further announcement was made by a signal fire lit on the Mount of Olives, which was then repeated on other high points throughout the country. This method was evidently replaced later by the dispatching of messengers to carry the news." (The Bible encyclopedia Insight On the Scriptures)

Clearly, the sighting of the new moon is the start of the biblical new moon now, just as it was in Yahshua's time...  And that sighting is at sunset tonight...  So, if you can, go out there and sight it. Enjoy!

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