SEYFFARTH — ON THE THEORY OF THE MOON S MOTIONS. 413 



hence the Olympian games were in — 353 celebrated from June 

 5th to 9th. Thus Alexander was born on the 2d day of the Olym- 

 pian games in — 353, and not in — 355, as Petavius brought out. 

 All these astronomical certainties concur in demonstrating that 

 Petavius has antedated all events of Greek history, all Olympian 

 years, and all archons. from — 4S9 to — 407, by one, thence by 

 two years, as the archonship of Nicodorus and Alexander's birth 

 evidence. 



The latter is confirmed by the lunar eclipse preceding the bat- 

 tle at Arbela ; for Arrianus (Al. iii. 7, 6) and Cicero {De div. i. 

 53) report that this small eclipse, 11 days prior to the battle at 

 Arbela, happened in Pyanepsion (Aug. 31 to Sept. 30) "a short 

 time before sunrise, whilst the sun stood in Leo." About that 

 time only one lunar eclipse occurred in August and a short 

 time previous to sunrise, viz. that in — 328, Aug; 31,5 hrs. after 

 midnight in Arbela (ft 1 2° west of the sun). Consequently the 

 battle at Arbela belongs to the year — 32S, and not, as Petavius 

 imagined, to — 330. 



3. The Solar Calendars of the Hebrews. — Formerly it was 

 universally believed that the Hebrews used only lunar months, 

 but the contrary has come to light. See the author's "Chronolo- 

 gia Sacra," etc. p. 26-6S, and "Zeitschrift der Deut. Morg. Ges." 

 1848, p. 344, and "Berichtigungen," etc. p. 14. There the matter 

 having been discussed in extenso, we only briefly mention the 

 principal proofs. Josephus parallels very often the Greek solar 

 months with the Hebrew months. The Hebrew months were 

 solar ones in Syria, Arabia, Ascalon, Gaza, etc. Greek and Ro- 

 man authors, especially Josephus, the Books of the Maccabees, 

 and the New Testament, refer Saturdays to certain days of He- 

 brew months, which would have been impossible provided the 

 latter were lunar months. Even the Talmud bears witness that 

 the Hebrews, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, used 

 onlv both solar months and a tropic year. Moreover, the Old 

 and New Testaments — especially Josephus, Philo, and Hebrew 

 inscriptions — demonstrate that the Hebrews celebrated their 

 feasts according to their ecclesiastic year, commencing 17 days 

 prior to their civil year (Minjan Shtaroth). The commencement 

 of the ecclesiastic year is, apart from other arguments, fixed by 



