Philo,
and the other Jews which lived during the New
Testament time understood the weeks and weekly
Sabbaths were by the moon, as were all the other
days of the
month.
This is positive proof
that the true Sabbath was still being kept by the
moon in New testament times. Because none of us were
alive or existed in the
time of the Apostles, except in the loins or D.N.A.
of our ancestors, we are forced to turn to people’s
writings that were there, to see how things
were done,
whether it is in direct contradiction of the Word
of YHWH or not, we simply see how it was done. Philo
was more than just a Jew living in Alexandria Egypt.
He was the most prominent Jew living in Alexandria
Egypt. His fellow Jews chose him aver all other
Jews to represent their people at Rome over the
persecution of Jews in Alexandria. This was a very
serious issue—a matter of life and death for
the Jews of Alexandria. In order to plead their
case before the Roman emperor, they had to select
the man who could best represent them. The question
arises, “would the Jews of Alexandria have
chosen Philo had he not properly represented normative
Jewish practice and belief?”
The
works of Philo is very significant in that
He walked the Earth before and at the same time,
and 20 years after the resurrection of the Chief
Apostle. He was one of the most influential men
of that time, and was chosen to head a delegate
of men to go to Rome to represent the Jewish people
who were being persecuted severely at that time.
He lived in Alexandra Egypt; and read from the
Septuagint Scriptures. (The most quoted from by
our Savior and the Apostles according to Larry
Acheson) (Search the scriptures,
was referring to the LXX or Septuagint). Philo’s
writings, for the most part about the Priesthood
etc., are in harmony with the Scriptures we read
today. He had no need to say something that everybody
already knew like: hey people’s blood is red
or the Sabbaths are counted from the New Moon, but
he did make mention that some states were keeping
only one Sabbath per month counting from the New
Moon where we know all four should be kept after
the six work days regularly.
The
works of Philo by Yonge—Page 526 XX, “The
fourth commandment has reference to the
sacred seventh day that it may be passed in a sacred
and holy manner. Some states keep the holy festival
only once in the month, counting from the new moon,
as a day sacred to God; but the nation of the Jews
keep every seventh day regularly, after each interval
of six (work) days”. Philo understood that
the new moon was a festival all by itself, (See
Philo page 572 XI.) and not one of the six workdays,
as Ezech. 46:1-3. also teaches. The gates were to be
shut the six work days and open on the Sabbath
and
day of the New Moon. Although Philo
didn’t come right out and say the Sabbaths are by
the moon, he did say some were keeping only one
Sabbath per month, counting from the new moon.
In other words from the new moon they counted six
workdays then a Sabbath, which would be on the 8th
day of the moon. The Jews keep the others three
Sabbaths also.
Notice
Philo said that they keep the holy festival
(Sabbath) only once in the month counting from the
new moon, but the Jews more than only once in the
month counting from the new moon. When I looked
under seventh day in the index it said “or
Sabbath” and referred me to page 26 of Philo
which says “and the changes which the moon
works in the air, it perfects chiefly in accordance
with its own configurations on each seventh day
(Sabbath)”.
See
also page 532 (161) “but to the seventh
day of the week he has assigned the greatest
festivals, those of the longest duration, at the
periods of the equinox both vernal and autumnal
in each year; appointing two festivals for these
two epochs, (events) each lasting seven days; the
one which takes place in the spring (unleavened
bread) being for the perfection of what is being
sown, and the one which falls in autumn (tabernacles)
being a feast of thanksgiving for the bringing home
of all the fruits which the trees have produced".
(Both begin on the 15th, a weekly Sabbath).
Let’s
look carefully at what Philo is saying.
But to the seventh day of the week He has
assigned
the greatest festivals, in other words the greatest
(longest) festivals have been assigned to the seventh
day of the week. (15th Sabbath) Which begins the
Festival and lasts for seven days beginning with
the 15th Sabbath? We know both of these feasts begin
on the 15th . (Sabbath) Each lasting seven days;
each one of these two events were assigned a festival
day (15th), or weekly Sabbath to begin the Feast
and it lasted seven days. Philo goes on to say that
each month (1st and 7th) might receive an especial
honor of one sacred day of festival, for the purpose
of refreshing and clearing the mind with its holiday.
Notice he didn’t say they would receive two
holy days of festivals, but one, the 15th. To prove
the Seventh day of the week is the same as the 15th
see page 588 xxx111 (210) of Philo “Again
the beginning of this Feast is appointed for the
15th day of the month, (0r seventh day of the week)
on account of the reason which has already been
mentioned respecting the Spring Season “might
receive special honor of one Sacred day of Festival”.
In other words Philo is saying the weekly Sabbath
begins these Feasts, and is on the 15th.This proves
the Sabbaths by the moon; because there is no way
the weekly Sabbath (15th) can begin these two festivals
on the 15th in the 1st and 7th month, on a continuous
seven day cycle by the calendar of today. Send for
the free book Weekly Sabbaths by the Moon. The book
pinpoints sixty eight (68) weekly Sabbaths in the Old and New
Testaments and all are on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and
29th of the moon without exception, and a $10,000
reward is offered to anyone who can pinpointed a
weekly Sabbath on any other day, than by the moon.
To prove Philo and the people at
the time of the New Testament understood the
Sabbaths are by the moon, all one has to do
is read on page 313 ix of Philo where he is
speaking of how the soul of man can be illuminated
until it is entirely changed, and becomes a heavenly
brilliance like a full moon, at the height of
its increase at the end
of the second week.
What did he just say??? Did
his readers of that era, or in those days
understand that the weeks were by the moon,
and that at the end of the second week they
would be a full moon???
If so
then the Sacred Seventh day, which comes at the end
of the week must be a full moon
Sabbath. Why? Because in many places he
speaks of the weekly seventh day. They had four
Sabbaths per month, and at the end of the first week
you will have a half moon, (first Sabbath) called
the first quarter, and at the end of the second week
you will have a full moon, (second Sabbath) just
like the people that Philo was writing to at the
time period of the Saviors time.
Notice again Philo
on page 532 (161) "But to the Seventh day of the
week He has assigned the greatest (longest)
festivals," Remember these both begin on the 15th,
and on page 551(189) he states the 15th is the full
moon, and it begins these feasts. Can't we see that
they understood that the Sacred Sabbath day began
these feasts and that it was at the full moon, and
that the full moon happened at the
end of the second week making it the Sabbath
or seventh day of the week??? See also
page 550. (177) where he explains how the moon
receives these perfect shapes in periods of seven
days--the half-moon in the first seven day period
after it's conjunction with the sun, full moon in
the second; and when it makes it's return again the
first is to half-moon, then it ceases at its
conjunction with the sun. See also page 26 iv (8)
" And the changes which the moon
works in the air, it prefects chiefly in accordance
with its own configurations on each seventh day".
Must I say more, because there is
more, or is this sufficient to convince the truth
seeker? I Think so. Please remember Philo is simply
relating how his people (Israelites) done things,
and how weeks and Sabbaths were determined.
In
his book from Sabbath to Sunday by Samuel
Bacchicchi, page 246 proves the planetary week before
A.D. 79, from an inscription which reads the 9th
day before the month of June (May 23) the Emperor
… it was the day of the Sun or Sunday, this
proves the 22nd was Sabbath or Saturday after being
named after the plant Saturn. And so was the 8th,
15th, 22nd, and 29th etc. Coincidence?
Let’s
look at another source found on page 239
of his book. A calendar of the time of Augustus
dated before 27 B.C. beside the date of August 9th
reads the native Sun or Sunday which again puts
Sabbath or (Saturday) again on the 8th, 15th, 22nd,
and 29th. This book was given to me to help me see
where I am wrong in keeping Sabbaths on 8, 15, 22,
and 29 of the moon, but nowhere does the findings
in the book do anything but support the moon Sabbaths.
Let’s
look on page 246. A Roman soldier
reports Jerusalem’s fall in A.D. 70 under
Vespasian and it was on the day of Saturn (Saturday).
Well it didn’t pinpoint what day of the moon
(Month) was the day of Saturn, but Josephus does
in Book 6, Chapter 10, verse 1. Page 750 of Wars
of the Jews. “And thus was Jerusalem taken
in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on
the eighth day of the month, (Sabbath) which was
called Saturnday. Coincidence? Let’s keep
looking: In keeping Yahweh’s Appointments
by Jonathan David Brown on Page 66, he tells of
fragments of Lunar days 4 through 25 which were
found at Qumran describing how on the 8th day of
the moon you can see it all day (1st quarter) in
the sky, and after the sun sets and the 9th day
begins it is called the 1st day of the week. If
the 9th is the 1st day of the week each month then
the 8th is always the Sabbath. By the way, it is
written in the oldest Hebrew (Palieo) Wise, Abegg,
and Cook, the Dead Seas Scrolls, A New Translation,
(see Pages 301-303).This is true every month and
the 9th day of the month will be the 1st day of
the week every month, and is in perfect harmony
with the many Sabbaths pinpointed in the Scriptures.
Coincidence? Let’s keep looking: so far every
thing people have given me is in support of the
Sabbaths being on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th
which includes every ancient calendar they mention
along with writing to the emperor which puts the
Sabbaths in that month on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and
29th alone with the recorded history of the destruction
of Jerusalem on the Sabbath again the 8th, 15th,
22nd, and 29th were Sabbaths by the Moon. I am trying
to hit the high spots, but have found nothing to
support a continuous seven day Solar cycle according
to the calendar of today maybe you can help me find
at least one historical record or calendar that
supports the Roman Solar Sabbath. Remember Israel
always kept the Lunar Calendar which includes Months,
weeks, days, and years. Now to another book called
The Seven Day Cycle by Zerubauel (given to me for
the same reason as above) it says on Page 11 “the
first people to establish a weekly cycle that was
entirely independent of the lunar cycle were the
ancient Egyptians. Possibly as a result of being
Sun-Worshipers… that obviously involved dissociating
the week from nature and its rhythms. Only being
based on an entirely artificial mathematical rhythm
could the Sabbath observance became totally independent
of the lunar or any other natural cycle. A continuous
seven day cycle that runs throughout history paying
no attention what so ever to the moon ad its phases
is a distinctively Jewish invention… in creating
the distance between human beings and nature. The
invention of the continuous week … creates
a social world of their own.” This book goes
on and on telling how the continual cycle as we
know it today is phony and is not found in nature
as the day, year, and month and week is , but is
absolutely an artificial man made cycle. There is
too much for me to quote here so get the book and
look on pages 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19. Of
course, this book supports my belief, and the Sabbaths
found in the scriptures. For more information, write
or call.
