JMSchattke wrote:Well, now, Arnold says "conjunction"; he denies Enoch has any bearing, because that says "when light first enters". The Jews say sightable sliver, yet a third choice.
So, yeah, I'm at a loss. I honestly do not know for certain that I'm not a day late - or maybe a day early. I know for a fact that going and adding "postponements" is unscriptural, though. So I don't delay a month's start because it might be inconvenient.
At this point, the ONLY place in any sort of writing is Enoch, so I'm going by that. But if that means I would not fellowship with other believers, I ALSO will celebrate on whatever day they use, because that way I can encourage and discuss with them.
RESPONSE; I am not denying Enoch has any bearing, if he says "when light first enters" because that is what I believe the Scripture teaches but I don't believe the Scripture teaches you have to see when the light first enters. It is more important to know when the light will first enter and the only way to do this is know when the old light goes away, at conjunction, and the new light enters at that same moment that the moon starts to rebuild. I believe this is why they taught in the schools, how to know how to determine the conjunction, according to Philo. So I am not at odds with Enoch.
Enoch is NOT At this point, the ONLY place in any sort of writing. Philo teaches the new moon begins at conjunction and he lived at the time of our Saviour and the other Jews/apostles. According to Philo when the new moon goes away another one begins and he said the same is true with the day.
Philo of Alexandria [tr. by F H Colson (Harvard University Press, Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, MA, 1937); The Special Laws, II, XI,41] writes: "The third [feast] is the new moon which follows the conjunction of the moon with the sun". And in II, XXVI,140: "This is the New Moon, or beginning of the lunar month, namely the period between one conjunction and the next, the length of which has been accurately calculated in the astronomical schools". It should be noted that the popular Hendrickson Publishers edition (1993) of C D Yonge’s 1854 translation does not have the same information that the Colson translation gives. The indications are that the conjunctions were the determining factors in deciding the first day of the month.
When I get time I will give you some more quotes from Philo.
Brother Arnold[color=black][/color][/color]