]48 E. WALTER MArXDER. ESQ., F.K.A.S., OX 



on its proper day, but could not see it on the next evening 

 of the intercalary day,' and E. GamaKel received them : 

 when R. Dosah son of Arkenas said, ' They are false witnesses, 

 for how can they testify of a woman being dehvered, when on 

 the next day she still appears with every sign of pregnancy ? ' 

 Then E. Joshua said unto hjm, ' I approve your opinion.' 

 Upon this Eabbon Gamahel sent him word, saying, ' I 

 order you to appear before me on the Day of Atonement, 

 according to your computation, with your staff and money 

 in your hand.' E. Akivah went to him and found him 

 orrie^-ing. He said then to him, ' I can prove that all Eabbon 

 Gamahel has done is well done, for it is said, " These are 

 the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations, which ye sha]] 

 proclaim," either at their proper time, or not at their 

 proper time. tJieir convocations are to be considered as holy 

 festivals.' VThen he [R. Joshua] came to E. Dosah ben 

 Arkenas, the latter told him. If we are to reinvestigate 

 the decisions of the tribunal of Eabbon Gamahel, we must 

 also reinvestigate the decisions of all the tribunals of justice 

 which have existed from the time of Moses till the present 

 day. for it is said (Exodus xxiv, 2), Moses, Aaron, Nadab, 

 Abihu, and seventy elders went up [to the Moimt]." Why 

 were not the names of the elders also specified ? To inform 

 us that every three men in Israel that form a Beth D'in 

 [tribunal of justice] are to be respected in an equal degree 

 with the tribtmal of Moses.' Then did E. Joshua take his 

 staff and money, and went to Jamnia, to Eabbon Gamahel, 

 on the very day on which the Atonement would have been 

 according to his computation ; when Eabbon Gamahel 

 arose, and kissed him on his [fore] head, saying, ' Enter 

 in peace, my master and disciple ! My master — in know- 

 ledge, and mv disciple — since thou didst obev mv injunc- 

 tion.'"* 



There are several points in the above that call for comment : 

 first of all, that thirty years after the destruction of the Temple 

 by Titus, the beginning of the month was determined by observa- 

 tion of the crescent. 



* Mishna Rosh-ha-Shanah ii. 8, 9. De Sola and Raphael's translation, 

 1845, The above quotation was kindly supplied to me by Dr. J. 

 ro;heringham. 



