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Calendar, Chronology and Worship: Studies in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity
This book takes as its theme the related issues of calendar, chronology and worship, as they were conceived and practised in ancient Jewish and early Christian times. After a general discussion of the way the three issues are related, there follow six chapters on the calendar, first the standard Jewish calendar, then the Qumran calendar (giving particular attention to the Book of Enoch and the Temple Scroll) and finally the Christian calendar - both the standard Christian calendar and that observed by the Montanists. Three chapters on chronology come next, one of them offering a chronological solution to a puzzling calendrical problem in the Dead Sea Scrolls, another relating Jewish eschatological expectations to New Testament teaching, and a third examining the chronological calculations of the Hellenistic Jew Demetrius, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, and the Book of Jubilees. The three concluding chapters, on worship, include an investigation of the historical development of the Psalter and a careful survey of the relationship between ancient Jewish worship and early Christian. The book discusses a variety of issues that arise in modern biblical, intertestamental and patristic study, some neglected, some very controversial, and throws new light upon them.
262 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 10, 2018
Calendar and Chronology is a wonderful if somewhat disjointed review of the calendaring systems used in Scripture and of the origin of important chronological traditions in Christianity today. The first key section is a lengthy discussion of the Sabbath and the Lord's Day (the Christian Sunday) that sets the tone for the rest of the work. The Sabbath as a concept in the Hebrew Bible is reviewed and then a wide array of historical sources are referenced to evaluate the historical development of the seven-day week, the Sabbath day, and "Sabbath" as a concept. There is also a thorough discussion of early Church history to critically evaluate the relationship of the Sabbath and the Lord's Day and how the early Church practiced these days through the first several centuries of the Church.
The next two sections discuss the development of Easter and Christmas as dates.
Mid-way through this work, the author launches into the perpetual calendar systems described in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which has little bearing on modern Christian or Jewish practice but are of great academic interest.
Next, the author discusses the historical development of Judaism during the Second Temple period (Ezra/Nehemiah through A.D. 70). This chapter seemed oddly placed as it had almost nothing to do with calendars and chronology, however, it was informative and interesting. In this chapter, the author breaks down the Second Temple period into four eras, and explains through these the development of modern Judaism (particularly how the pre-Exilic Israelite religion evolved into the Torah-focused religious practice we see today). He describes the initial focus on the law, and earliest formation of the oral law (described at the beginning of m.Avot), then the development of a lay leadership movement, which created the earliest transition from a priest-focused Judaism to a rabbi-focused Judaism. The author then explores how historical developments led to the three great schools of Jewish practice found at the time of Christ: The Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. Understanding these differing schools and their history is relevant to the rest of the book since the conflict points between these groups provided the background for many of the arguments found in the New Testament.
The remaining chapters focus on the chronology of the Messiah, the crucifixion, and the last days. These chapters were interesting but more academic than the earlier portions of the book.
Overall, this is an excellent book that is well-written and well-sourced. The author draws extensively on ancient non-Biblical sources, on the Hebrew Bible, on the Septuagint, on Dead Sea Scrolls, and on extra-Biblical Hebrew sources (such as the Talmud) as well as the writings of early Church Fathers.
The next two sections discuss the development of Easter and Christmas as dates.
Mid-way through this work, the author launches into the perpetual calendar systems described in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which has little bearing on modern Christian or Jewish practice but are of great academic interest.
Next, the author discusses the historical development of Judaism during the Second Temple period (Ezra/Nehemiah through A.D. 70). This chapter seemed oddly placed as it had almost nothing to do with calendars and chronology, however, it was informative and interesting. In this chapter, the author breaks down the Second Temple period into four eras, and explains through these the development of modern Judaism (particularly how the pre-Exilic Israelite religion evolved into the Torah-focused religious practice we see today). He describes the initial focus on the law, and earliest formation of the oral law (described at the beginning of m.Avot), then the development of a lay leadership movement, which created the earliest transition from a priest-focused Judaism to a rabbi-focused Judaism. The author then explores how historical developments led to the three great schools of Jewish practice found at the time of Christ: The Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. Understanding these differing schools and their history is relevant to the rest of the book since the conflict points between these groups provided the background for many of the arguments found in the New Testament.
The remaining chapters focus on the chronology of the Messiah, the crucifixion, and the last days. These chapters were interesting but more academic than the earlier portions of the book.
Overall, this is an excellent book that is well-written and well-sourced. The author draws extensively on ancient non-Biblical sources, on the Hebrew Bible, on the Septuagint, on Dead Sea Scrolls, and on extra-Biblical Hebrew sources (such as the Talmud) as well as the writings of early Church Fathers.
February 22, 2024
A great resource of essays dealing with the calendar in early Christianity from primary sources.
November 21, 2014
This book contains essays on calendar, chronology and worship.
The most interesting were the essays on calendar, and above all ”The Qumran Temple Scroll and its Calendar” and ”The Three Cycles of the Christian Year”. Now I definitely want to learn more about the different calendars.
The most interesting were the essays on calendar, and above all ”The Qumran Temple Scroll and its Calendar” and ”The Three Cycles of the Christian Year”. Now I definitely want to learn more about the different calendars.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews