414 TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



Eusebius (Hist. Ecc. iii. 4), Chrysostomus (L. iv. De sacerdot. 

 i. 7), and others, who report that Dionysius Areopagita, while 

 travelling in Ethiopia, perceived, a.d. 33, an eclipse of the sun 

 on the 14th day of Nisan, which eclipse, by the way, was invisi- 

 ble in Palestine, and it differed from the obscuration of the sun 

 during the crucifixion of Christ. Further, the commencement of 

 the civil year is fixed by Josephus, who reports that the civil 

 months began in the midst of the ecclesiastic months {xara 

 as.X'rjWju\ for (TZAYjUTj signifies very often the full of the moon, 

 especially the 17th day after the astronomical new moon, and, in 

 general, the middle day of all months of the tropic year. This is 

 confirmed by the adS8aT0i> dsuTSpoTrfnoroi^, that is to say, the 

 second first day of the year, the newyears day of the civil year (Ev. 

 Luke, vi. i), which day is still celebrated among the Jews like 

 the Sabbath at the beginning of the ecclesiastic year. Hence 

 the months of the Hebrews, since the Babylonian captivity, com- 

 menced on the days of the Julian Calendar, as follows. It is, 

 however, to be remembered that the Hebrews commenced the 

 day six hours prior to the beginning of our days. 



Ecclesiastic Year. Civil Year. Julian Year. 



1. Nisan March 6. 



' Nisan March 22 



2. Ijar April 5. 



Ijar April 21 



3. Sivan May 5. 



bivan May 21 



4. Thammuz June 4. 



Thammiiz June 20 



5- Ab July 4. 



Ab July 20 



6. Elul August 3. 



Elul August 19 



7. Thishri September 2. 



Thishri September iS 



8. Marcheshvan October 2. 



Marcheshvan October 18 



9. Kislev November i . 



Kislev November 17 



10. Tebeth December i . 



Tebeth December 17 



1 1 . Shebat December 31. 



Shebat January 16 



12. Adar January 29. 



Adar February 14 



Intercalary days ....March i. 



Intercalary days March 17 



