OF THE NATIVITY WAS 8 B.C. 



203 



(1 Chron. xxiv, 10), began its duties during any of the years 

 which could possibly have been the one just before the 

 Nativity. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, belonged 

 to the course of Abijah (Luke i, 5). 



Table I states the dates of the first days of the course of 

 Abijah during the years 10 B.C. to 7 B.C. ; in other words it gives 

 possible dates for the vision of Zacharias in the Temple (Luke 

 i, 5-22). 



Table I. 



B.C. 





Dates 



for the vision of Zacharias 





10 



[A] 



25 February 





B] 12 August .... 







9 





•2~ January .... 





D] 13 July 





28 December. 



8 







F] 14 June 





29 November, 



7 









H] 16 May 





31 October. 



Each recurrence being 29 days earlier on each succeeding year, because 

 365 — 168 X 2 = 29 days (30 days earlier when a leap year intervenes.) 



After the vision Zacharias fulfilled his ministrations, and then 

 departed to his house, when his wife Elizabeth conceived (Luke 

 i, 23, 24) ; this would be on the seventh day from the beginning 

 of the course of Abijah, or from the vision. 



The Annunciation took place "in the sixth month" of 

 Elizabeth's pregnancy (Luke i, 26-o.S). In Hel)rew* usage, 

 in one instance, this expression indicates the Mrst day of the 

 month. In Xew Testament Greek, a like meaning is probable.. 

 The mention of the sixth month in Luke i, 26, just after the 

 record of the completion of five months, supports this supposition. 



(An extra day being added on every fourth (leap) year.) 

 The whole of one cvcle of the twenty-four courses lasted for 24 x 7 = 

 168 days. 



If we divide the 28,489 days by 168 days we get a result of 169 com- 

 plete repetitions of the courses with a remainder of 97 days. 



If we had subtracted 97 from the 28,489 before the division by 168, 

 we should, of course, have obtained a result without remainder. If there- 

 fore we subtract 97 days from the interval of 78 years taking it otf the 

 earlier end, i.e., counting from 22nd Sept., 9 B.C., we reach a date 28th Dec, 

 9 B.C., which mast also have been a first day of a course of Abijah, 

 Another first of Abijah was 168 days earlier, on the 13th July, 9 B.C. 

 Hence all the other dates in Table I are readily found. 



* The Portable Commerdan] on Exodas xic, 1, p. 48, Eev. R, 

 Jamieson, D.D. 



