Anyone have a plausible date for the 1st year in the 19 year metonic cycle of the Macedonian lunar calendar?

[anastasis888]

Presumably it would be 432 BC when Meton first began the cycle, but I'm wanting to know if anyone has some other dates.

 

The revised Hebrew calendar began its metonic cycle in 16 BC. The reasoning behind this is pretty well hidden at this time. We know this wasn't the cycle Josephus was using, though, to synchronize the Macedonian and Hebrew/Babylonian calendar of the Jews in the 1st century.

 

If you have a hint, please feel free to drop it. A solid start date for the Parthian Syro-Macedonian metonic cycle in the middle of the first century BC would be very helpful. 

[anastasis888]

I think G.R.F. Assar has offered the best solution I've found. In his article Parthian Calendars in Babylon and Seleucia on the Tigris, he makes a compelling case for the metonic cycle of the regressed Macedonian calendar beginning in 48 B.C.

That would be 4th century revised Hebrew calendar year 3714 instead of 3744 as it currently is. Why go to this trouble? Because the 4th century revised Hebrew calendar simply does not provide accurate 1st century feast dates for the ministry of Jesus and Acts of the Apostles. I'm wanting to recode a calendar app that is much more in line with Luke's Syro-Macedonian calendar he appears to use throughout Luke-Acts for his dates.

Assar has the Macedonian metonic year order (which began in the autumn as opposed to the Babylonian year that began in the vernum) as follows: 1, 4, 7, 10, 12, 15, 18. This corresponds well with the metonic cycle of Babylon which was years 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 17. 

Edited November 8, 2022 by anastasis888

[anastasis888]

I would just add that although technically the Macedonian calendar was restored from the regressed Macedonian calendar in AD 67, Josephus uses the regressed Macedonian calendar for all his dates. You might think of it as his proleptic Macedonian calendar much like we may employ a proleptic Gregorian calendar for dates earlier than 1582 even though technically only the pure Julian count was used then.

Josephus places his regressed Macedonian lunar calendar along side the Hebrew calendar of his generation making no difference in the two, which tells me that Jews in the 1st century were still on the same Macedonian lunar cycle they had been on since Alexander. In fact, I'm convinced that Jews did not start keeping an autumn new year (Rosh Hashanah in Tishri) until after the time of Alexander. There was no autumn new year before that time. Before the Hellenistic era, they only used the Babylonian cycle of spring to spring to mark new years in Nisan.

This proleptic Macedonian lunar calendar appears to be exactly what Luke employs for his dates as well. That would make sense since it was Luke who was first in the Macedonian call.

Edited November 10, 2022 by anastasis888

[anastasis888]

And the point of all this? Well, first I believe that Luke-Acts is nothing less than Luke's apology of the Gospel of Jesus Christ before king Agrippa II. Yes, I believe that Agrippa is 'Theophilus'. It means something more like 'lover of divinity studies' in address to Agrippa. And even Caesar stated of Agrippa II that he was a man of great piety and matters of religion. Luke is writing the first Christian apology on Christ and the beginning of his Church. Since Agrippa had given an interested hearing of Paul at Paul's trial before Agrippa, I see that Luke felt that Agrippa might have Caesar's ear in being merciful on Paul.

Of course, we know that Caesar Nero was not merciful on Paul and Paul was martyred with the Roman sword in AD 68 just as Christ had shown him how his 'drink offering' would come to pass. Agrippa was a Jew by religion, but a Syrian by ethnicity. He had a great curiosity and knowledge about all things religious and regarding the Law. Even Paul acknowledges Agrippa to be something of a theologian in saying, "I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently." (Acts 26:2-3)

Luke, in Gospel of Luke 23:54, specifies to Agrippa that the Passion came about upon the Day of Preparation before the high Sabbath of Passover. This is important and only one date in the Babylonian/Macedonian cycle would fit that description -- AD 30. I believe Dionysius Exiguus  did in fact make the four year error he is known to have made and so we have to push back our date of the Passion four years to AD 30. When we do so, the Passover day of Preparation is indeed that Friday April 7, AD 30. And the 14th of Nisan begins that Sabbath evening. So, it all fits if we use the Babylonian/Macedonian cycle. It does not at all fit if we use the 4th century modified Hebrew calendar, however.

I hold that Jesus is born in 6 BC and he is a little over 30 years old in the year of Jubilee (AD 26-27) when he proclaims the 'Year of the Lord's favor' in Nazareth, is rejected in Nazareth, and makes that fateful move to Capernaum that late winter around Imbolc/winter crossquarter in our old Anglo-Saxon calendar when the sun starts the upswing of the year toward spring to begin the first Galilean ministry. 

Quote

And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matt. 4:13-17)

That would be a 3 and 1/2 year ministry and the Passion would have been in his 33rd year.

Edited November 11, 2022 by anastasis888

[anastasis888]

The Babylonian/Macedonian cycle used to arrive at Friday April 7, AD 30 for the Day of Preparation in Luke is from The Tables of the Babylonian Calendar by Parker & Dubberstein (1971). The tables are based directly upon cuneiform tablets and are those dates between 626 BC to AD 75 that can be archaeologically verified. 

https://webspace.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/babylon/babycal_converter.htm