Chapter Three: The Biblical Month- Scripture Reveals the Names & Order of Biblical Months

cripture reveals the names and order of Biblical months, however, none of the customary names of months and names of days found in the Gregorian calendar can be found anywhere in the Bible.  On the contrary, a little research shows us that the name of the months and days in the Gregorian calendar are names of pagan sun gods and goddesses.  How do we rectify that our Heavenly Father explicitly tells us in Exodus 23:13 (KJV), "Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth."  In Psalm 81:9 (NKJV) it is written, "There shall be no foreign god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god."  The first of the Ten Commandments is, "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3 NIV). 

If no other gods are to be mentioned or their names be heard why do we run our lives according to a calendar that uses the names of these pagan sun gods and goddesses?  The traditional Jewish calendar is no exception.  The Gregorian calendar is used throughout the world.  There are many good resources to research the pagan origins of our calendar.  Here are two resources on the web, www.toolong.com and www.fossilizedcustoms.com.

Our current month, May was named after the Italic fertility deity MAIA.  April is the month of Venus, also called Aprilis, from Etruscan Apru, from Greek Aphro, a short form of Aphrodite, the Greek fertility deity.  Next month, June, was the month dedicated to JUNO, an important Roman female deity, the wife and sister of Jupiter.  August is named after "Augustus Caesar."  He had his name used for this month after becoming emperor.  He did this to honor himself, just as Julius did for the month of July.³ 

The fourth month of the Jewish calendar is named Tamuz, another pagan god of Biblical times.  Even the traditional Jewish calendar continues to use this name despite the strong language against it's use in Ezekiel 8:13-14 (KJV), "He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.  14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat a women weeping for Tammuz."

We are keeping Pentecost on Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday was the Greco-Roman Day of Saturn.  Sunday is from Latin dies Solis, the Day-of-the-Sun.  Since Babylon was established, pagans have worshipped the sun.  One more for the record, Thursday, is named after the Celtic Thor's Day, the deity of thunder and son of Woden and Freya.⁴  Most of us who were teenagers in the 70's and 80' probably remember the popular cartoon series, "Thor: The God of Thunder."⁵ 

It takes no scholar to realize that our Heavenly Father is not the author of our Gregorian calendar.  Let us take a look at where the scriptures name the Biblical months. 

The general roots of our Gregorian calendar have been established.  The the names of the Biblical months in scripture have been identified.  We know the Bible identifies twelve different named and numbered months.  We also know how a lunar month generally works. 

Let's now take a look at the current traditional Jewish calendar for the month of May 2005.  Notice it is the month of May with the month Nisan (Abib) and Iyar combined into it.  So the question really is which month is the month of May according to the scriptures?  If a month is anywhere from 28 to 31 days in Gregorian timekeeping, we have three months mixed into one.  Another way to look at it is we have one month, May mixed into two Hebrew months.  Who decided that May 2005 starts with Nisan 22? and ends with Iyar 22?  I assert this is circumstantial based on the overlapping of a solar month on two lunar months.

If we were to take away the pagan name of the month "May" and all the days related to this month, the resulting calendar we have will look like the month below.  So what month is it according the the Bible's definition?  Nisan (Abib) or Iyar?  Where does the first day of the month begin now?  Where is the 7th day of the month now?  If Iyar 7 is the 7th day; then the 7th, 14th, 21st are now on some day in this nebulous "month."  To view an animated calendar transition click on either calendar.

The true Biblical month is simple and well defined in scripture.  The Bible only defines twelve months and an additional month of Adar for a 13th month for some years.  The scriptures do not define a conglomeration of three separate months where one is a pagan named month into a single nebulous month.  The concept of Adar as an additional 13th month in some years will be covered in a later chapter.

The days of the month are numbered based on sighting of the first crescent moon.  The days of the week in Biblical and Hebrew reckoning are numbered as day one, day two, day three, day four, day five, day six and day 7.  Most importantly, the Sabbaths of the week are accounted for in this context.  In the next chapter, we will examine how all this works.