How did the ancient Hebrews calculate a person's age?

[Willa]

I studied cultural anthorpology back in the '60s. In that class I was told that the Hebrew people were the only ancient culture that calculated a person's age from the time of conception. Can anyone verify this? (Therefore theirs was the only culture that clearly understood that people are born from that union.)

The teacher, whose hobby also was anthropology, also mentioned that the Hebrew culture is the only one that is patriarchal but matrilineal, which we know is true.

Just curious.

Blessings,

Willa

[Tinky]

I don't know if this helps, but it says here that they consider the baby "mere fluid" until 40 days after conception. And they don't consider it a person until birth. 

 

Link: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Issues/Bioethics/Abortion/Fetus_in_Jewish_Law.shtml

 

 

So it seems they don't start counting until the baby is born.

[FreeinChrist]

If I understand right in today's age, the Jews consider a person soul to start at conception, but life is not until the baby is separated from the mother's womb, but not real sure.

[Guest shiloh357]

In ancient Israel, a baby was considered one year old at birth.  They counted the 9 months in the womb as a whole year.   Today, modern Judaism is different. For one thing, Judaism isn't a monolith there are different forms of Judaism and a diversity of theological positions just like we have in Christianity.  Reformed Judaism tends to follow social liberalism whereas Orthodox Judaism are far more conservative.

[Littlelambseativy]

Strangely, my parents said that, Shiloh, but we are not Jewish. Hummm!!

[FreeinChrist]

In ancient Israel, a baby was considered one year old at birth.  They counted the 9 months in the womb as a whole year.   Today, modern Judaism is different. For one thing, Judaism isn't a monolith there are different forms of Judaism and a diversity of theological positions just like we have in Christianity.  Reformed Judaism tends to follow social liberalism whereas Orthodox Judaism are far more conservative.

 

Thanks for the insight Shiloh; that is very interesting, great question Willa.

 

[Willa]

In ancient Israel, a baby was considered one year old at birth.  They counted the 9 months in the womb as a whole year.   Today, modern Judaism is different. For one thing, Judaism isn't a monolith there are different forms of Judaism and a diversity of theological positions just like we have in Christianity.  Reformed Judaism tends to follow social liberalism whereas Orthodox Judaism are far more conservative.

Thanks, Shiloh.

[WilliamL]

I studied cultural anthorpology back in the '60s. In that class I was told that the Hebrew people were the only ancient culture that calculated a person's age from the time of conception. Can anyone verify this? (Therefore theirs was the only culture that clearly understood that people are born from that union.)

The teacher, whose hobby also was anthropology, also mentioned that the Hebrew culture is the only one that is patriarchal but matrilineal, which we know is true.

Never heard of the first belief. In the most ancient times, before Moses, everyone added one year to their age on the first day of the year.

 

Unfortunately, the first day of the year changed over time. For example, after Moses there were two first days of the year: 1 Abib/Nisan and 1 Ethanim/Tishri. 1 Tishri began in the Autumn. The religious year was changed to begin in the Spring/Abib, which was also the date of the regnal years of Jewish kings. However, the civil year still began in the Autumn. This was still when everyone added a year to their age. Confused yet? Read Josephus, Antiquities I:iii:3, and Tractate Roshanah (of the Talmud) 1:1; 3a-b if you want more of the dirty details.

 

The Bible and Book of Jasher have records of the ages of Joshua and Caleb that show that they increased their ages in the Autumn. Here is a partial quote of the evidence from one of my books about biblical chronology and history:

 

"Caleb was 40 years old when he went on the 40-day expedition to search out Canaan, in the 2nd year, 3rd - 5th months of the Exodus. Joshua 14:7 ... He was 85 years old when he received his inheritance in Canaan. Joshua 14:10 The division of the land into inheritances took place in the 46th year of the Exodus, the 7th month = Autumn. ... Subtraction yields: 46th - 2nd = 44 years; and 85 - 40 = 45 years. Therefore, it is evident that in the 7th month of the 46th year of the Exodus, the count of Caleb's age was increased by one year, from 84 to 85."

 

As to "the Hebrew culture is the only one that is patriarchal but matrilineal," I don't think that is accurate. Some American Indian tribes followed this practice, I believe.

[SimonB]

This is a question that I have recently been considering, which also lead me to find this site in the first place.

As a corollary may I also note that this practice is the norm for traditional Chinese societies. If you ever go to a museum with some ancient Chinese exhibits, check the dates. It generally goes unnoticed until pointed out that some person was born in 1530 and somehow died in 1590 aged 61 years.

On the subject of the Hebrews... I understand the addition of the extra year as mentioned and that the age was adjusted on new years not on the persons birthday (which in essence isn't a birthday but rather the anniversary of a birthday) but I also wonder about the usage of the syntax itself in the ancient writings.

So, we nowadays tend to think of a person being x years old, perhaps in part because we focus on the "anniversary" of birth.

But the old texts seem to say more that a person has/had lived for x years.

So if a person was born in the last month of year 100, in the first month of year 101 we would still say he/she is 0 years old but would the ancients say he/she had lived for 1 year, since one new year had passed, or would they wait until one full year had passed before saying that, ie- year 102 in my example.

Also If it was saying Mr A (lets give him a name) lived 50 years and  went to a new place to live, would that be in year 150 or year 151?

 

[SimonB]

Actually, maybe the answer to part of that is in Gen 7.