PhilosopherJay

It is reasonably certain the the Exodus is a myth and it seems probable that Genesis did not speak about a seventh day of rest, (see post #5861131)

How, when and why did the Jewish observance of a Sabbath day begin? Are there any other Middle Eastern Cultures that had a weekly observance in antiquity that is compatible?

There is an interesting article online called the Lunar Sabbath. Ignoring the religious tone of the article, it does make the interesting point that Philo and first century Judaism seems to have observed the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days after the full moon as Sabbath days, but that some Jews at the time only celebrated that first Sabbath after the full moon (the eight day of the month if we count the full moon as the 1st day of the month). We probably can assume that celebrating just the one Sabbath a month was the older tradition. Celebrating the four Sabbaths after every new moon may have been a very recent tradition, stemming from the rule of the Hasmoneans in the mid Second century B.C.E.

The relationship of the Sabbath to Babylonian evil days also needs to be taken into account.


Warmly,

Philosopher Jay

Toto

Oo - And a sparkly background!

spin

Clue: who were the first on record to take military advantage of the Jews based on the sabbath?


spin

PhilosopherJay

Hi Spin,

Perhaps 1 Maccabees:

[27] And Mattathias cried throughout the city with a loud voice, saying, Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me.
[28] So he and his sons fled into the mountains, and left all that ever they had in the city.
[29] Then many that sought after justice and judgment went down into the wilderness, to dwell there:
[30] Both they, and their children, and their wives; and their cattle; because afflictions increased sore upon them.
[31] Now when it was told the king's servants, and the host that was at Jerusalem, in the city of David, that certain men, who had broken the king's commandment, were gone down into the secret places in the wilderness,
[32] They pursued after them a great number, and having overtaken them, they camped against them, and made war against them on the sabbath day.
[33] And they said unto them, Let that which ye have done hitherto suffice; come forth, and do according to the commandment of the king, and ye shall live.
[34] But they said, We will not come forth, neither will we do the king's commandment, to profane the sabbath day.
[35] So then they gave them the battle with all speed.
[36] Howbeit they answered them not, neither cast they a stone at them, nor stopped the places where they lay hid;
[37] But said, Let us die all in our innocency: heaven and earth will testify for us, that ye put us to death wrongfully.
[38] So they rose up against them in battle on the sabbath, and they slew them, with their wives and children and their cattle, to the number of a thousand people.
[39] Now when Mattathias and his friends understood hereof, they mourned for them right sore.
[40] And one of them said to another, If we all do as our brethren have done, and fight not for our lives and laws against the heathen, they will now quickly root us out of the earth.
[41] At that time therefore they decreed, saying, Whosoever shall come to make battle with us on the sabbath day, we will fight against him; neither will we die all, as our brethren that were murdered im the secret places.
[42] Then came there unto him a company of Assideans who were mighty men of Israel, even all such as were voluntarily devoted unto the law.
[43] Also all they that fled for persecution joined themselves unto them, and were a stay unto them.
[44] So they joined their forces, and smote sinful men in their anger, and wicked men in their wrath: but the rest fled to the heathen for succour.
[45] Then Mattathias and his friends went round about, and pulled down the altars:
[46] And what children soever they found within the coast of Israel uncircumcised, those they circumcised valiantly.
[47] They pursued also after the proud men, and the work prospered in their hand.
[48] So they recovered the law out of the hand of the Gentiles,

Warmly

Philosopher Jay

PhilosopherJay

Hi all,

In considering all the references in the Hebrew scriptures and other sources, it appears that originally the Sabbath festival was only to be celebrated once a month, on the 22nd, one week after the full moon which came on the 15th.

This is confirmed by what are probably the two oldest references to the Sabbath, Exodus 16, which mentions only celebrating the Sabbath on the 22nd and Leviticus 23. Note this about the Feast of Tabernacles:

23:39 " 'So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. 40 On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.

If there was a weekly celebration of the Sabbath, then there would be no point in stating that the first and eight days are Sabbaths. Only in the case that the 15th was not celebrated as a Sabbath would it be necessary to put in that it should be celebrated as a Sabbath. If we assume that the Sabbath was held not on the 22nd of every month, but the Hebrews had access to a non-lunar weekly calendar, then on average, once every Seven years this feast would fall on a Friday, thus meaning that the Hebrews would have to celebrate two Sabbaths at the beginning Friday and Saturday, and two Sabbaths at the end of the festival (Friday and Saturday). This is absurd, as they are instructed to gather fruits, i.e. work on the second day of the festival, which would be Sabbath day once every seven years. Thus it would be a commandment to break the Sabbath. Actually, the Sabbath would also be violated if the 15th fell on a Sunday, again there would be two days of rest, twice in two weeks, and the Hebrews would be working on the first Sabbath to prepare for the following day Sabbath, thus breaking their own laws. So, in fact, two out of every seven years they would be breaking their Sabbath rules during this Feast time.

Only if we assume that the Sabbath was only observed on the 22nd of every month (seven days after the full moon) does this instruction to celebrate the Sabbath on the 15th and 22nd of the Seventh Month make sense.

Philo is the first to note a weekly celebration of the Sabbath saying, "Now 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 days" (Decalogue, 96).

It is also absurd to think that the Jews were able to observe a weekly Sabbath, a day they could not fight upon, before the time of the Maccabees and still fight any successful battles. It is only post 168 B.C.E. that it appears to be any sort of a military problem for them. We must assume that it was only because the Sabbaths were observed one day a month, that it presented no major problems before this time.

Perhaps to atone for fighting on the monthly Sabbath day, after 168 B.C.E., the Hasmonean Priests made it into a weekly affair, where it would be more frequent and thus less important.

The relating of the Sabbath to the creation of the Earth, probably also came during this period. Exodus 16 clearly relates it to a feeding miracle during the exodus from Egypt. We may suspect that the changes in the Hebrew Scriptures in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus were made post 168 B.C.E..

Thus both the reason for Sabbath and the days of celebration of the Sabbath were changed. Instead of a once-a-month, seven days after the full moon day of rest to remember the Exodus from Egypt, we have a weekly day of rest to reflect God's resting on the seventh day of creation.

Warmly,

Philosopher Jay