Journal: Bible and Spade (Second Run)
Volume: BSPADE 14:1 (Winter 2001)
Article: For Young Archaeologists: Another Millennium
Author: Anonymous

For Young Archaeologists:
Another Millennium

By now you probably know that the new millennium actually began on January 1, 2001. Our 365-day year is based on the time it takes the earth to completely circle the sun. The Jewish calendar was based on lunar cycles; thus the Bible frequently speaks of the new moon. The Hebrew word for moon is also translated month because a new month occurs every 30 days, with every new moon). Counting from Creation, they believe this is the year 5761. In fact, they date Creation to October 7, 3761 BC.

Most ancient cultures used the moon’s 30-day cycle for their calendars. The Egyptians are considered the first to use solar cycles. Of particular importance to them was the appearance of the star Sirius in the sky in conjunction with the Nile River’s annual flooding.

Romans used a solar calendar of 10 months, including the Latin words September (“seven”), October (“eight”), November (“nine”) and December (“ten”). In 46 BC, Roman Emperor Julius Caesar officially corrected their calendar, dividing the year into 12 months of 30 and 31 days, except for February. The month of July was named in honor of Julius Caesar, and the revised calendar became known as the Julian Calendar.

In the sixth century AD, the Julian Calendar was tied to the time of Christ’s birth. Unfortunately, their calculations were about 6 years off.

In AD 1582, Pope Gregory XII fine-tuned the Julian Calendar. Popularly called the Gregorian Calendar, it is the one most of the world follows today.

The Gezer Calendar is a Hebrew inscription. Its name comes from the place where it was found. Gezer (in 1908), and what was written on it—the ancient Jewish farming calendar. Scholars date the shape of the letters from the Hebrew alphabet to about the tenth century BC. The way it is written also suggests it may have been a student’s writing lesson.

New Moon in the Bible