THE MOSAIC CALENDAR." 



155 



The succession in the Jubilee cycle would run : — • 



3 6 8 11 14 16 19 22 25 

 27 30 33 35 38 41 44 46 49 



In a period of 931 years the Metonic cycle would indicate 343 

 intercalary months and the Jubilee cycle 342, i.e. one month 

 in defect. For a period not exceeding one Jubilee cycle the two 

 xjycles would give the same result. 



The prediction of the date of the conjunction of the mean moon 

 ' — the assumed moon, moving regularly — with the sun, derived 

 from the Metonic cycle, is subject to a number of rules 

 by which the adoption of the first day of the year, and, 

 indeed, of the first day of each month, is controlled, and in many 

 instances diverted from the exact date of predicted conjunction. 

 The chief reason for most of these rules is connected with the 

 sacred observances of the " seventh month," now known as the 

 month Tishri, and the first month of the Jewish year. This 

 month contains, as we have seen, four days of holy convocation 

 beside the weekly sabbaths. But in so hot a climate as Pales- 

 tine it would be impossible to fulfil the observances of the 

 sabbath for two consecutive days. Therefore, as the weekly 

 sabbath cannot be altered, the holy days must be so arranged 

 that no one of them falls immediately before, or immediately 

 after, the day of the weekly rest. If we may translate this 

 regulation into our Gentile nomenclature, it y\^ould amount to 

 saying that neither Friday nor Sunday could be made a hoh' 

 day, because Friday precedes and Sunday follows the sabbath. 



The years of the Jewish calendar are of six kinds : there 

 are three common years of twelve months each ; three 

 embolismic years of thirteen months each. Both common and em- 

 bolismic years may be " deficient," " regular," or " abundant." 

 That is, the common year, if regular, will contain 354 days, but 

 if deficient 353, if abundant 355. Similarly the embolismic 

 year, if regular, will contain 384 days, but 383 if deficient, 385 if 

 abundant. 



The first of Tishri, New Year's Day, the Feast of Trumpets, 

 can only fall on one of four days — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 

 or Saturday, hi a regular year, if common, it can only fall on 

 Tuesday or Thursday, if emboHsmic only on Tuesday. 



The seventh month of the Mosaic Calendar was not only pre- 

 -eminently the month of worship : it was, as we have seen, thf 

 *mly month of which the first day was not fi:xed by direct and 



