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This article is a rebuttal to the article 'Philo' from a Lunar Sabbatarian website lunarsabbath.info All my quotes of Philo are taken from 'The Writings of Philo Judaeus of Alexandria'. The Philo article appears in blue and is indented.
Also,WHY ARE THE WRITING’S OF PHILO THE JEW SO IMPORTANT??? ??
In the quest for historical evidence as it relates to this subject
(LUNAR SABBATHS), we have noticed that Philo is not often mentioned by
those who support the tradional Saturday Sabbaths.
For the simple reason that unlike the Lunar Sabbath, the Torah is not lacking 7th day Sabbath information so that we would have to seek out other sources for our faith and practice. Unlike the Lunar Sabbath, the 7th day Sabbath is not a new invention that needs to prove itself. However, as you will see, Philo only supports a 7th day Torah Sabbath.
The writings of
Philo are very important for establishing Jewish practice and belief
both before and during the Messiah’s time here on earth. Philo lived
from approximately 20 BCE until about 50 CE. Thus, his lifetime spanned
not only the years prior to the Messiah’s birth, but also the years
following His resurrection (not to mention the years in between).
No, in reality Philo is totally unnecessary, as the Torah establishes all essential Jewish practice and belief.
We know from Philo’s writings that he did {observed} "Lunar
Sabbaths." If normative Judaism had practiced "Saturday Sabbaths" while
Philo rebelliously observed "Lunar weeks and Sabbaths," would this
detail have affected their decision to select him to lead a delegation
to Rome?
Philo only mentions the lunar sabbath once in all his writings, and that was just to say that Jews do not follow it, rather that it is a practice of gentiles.
Philo clearly refutes using the new moon in
reckoning the sabbath but
instead reaffirms the standard Jewish uninterrupted independent cycle
of every 7 days. No mention of skipping days, nor waiting for the new
moon. It is just every consecutive 7 days.
The Decalogue ch. 26
"The fourth commandment has reference to the sacred seventh day, that it may be passed in a sacred and holy manner. 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; and there is an account of events recorded in the history of the creation of the world, comprising a sufficient relation of the cause of this ordinance; for the sacred historian says, that the world was created in six days, and that on the seventh day God desisted from his works, and began to contemplate what he had so beautifully created; therefore, he commanded the beings also who were destined to live in this state, to imitate God in this particular also, as well as in all others, applying themselves to their works for six days, but desisting from them and philosophising on the seventh day,"
The simple beauty of the truth is captured here. Philo makes the point that if you are going to use the moon to determine the sabbath, then you ought to only be observing one sabbath per moon, since there is only one 7th day each moon of 30 days. PERFECT! The only way to get a consecutive 7 day cycle is to ignore the moon in this regard - just as he and the nation of Jews do "after each interval of six days". Philo has closed the case.
For Philo to have "gone against the grain" of Judaism with regard to
Sabbath observance would have signaled a break with Judaism. We can
thus discern that if Philo observed the lunar weeks and Sabbath by the
phases of the moon each week, so did the rest of his fellow Jews,
"including our Savior" because there were "no" controversy between our
Savior and the Jews concerning the weekly Sabbath because many
scriptures prove that He kept the "same" weekly Sabbath day as they
did.
So when did the great controversy begin? Who signaled this break with Judaism, and where is it recorded? Surely if all of Judaism switched midstream to a 7th day Sabbath after the first century, it must have been noted somewhere. But it isn't, because it never happened. Only today we note a small group of Christians and proselytes attempting to introduce a lunar sabbath because they have misinterpreted the scriptures.
We believe Philo did a pretty decent job of explaining how, the weeks
are connected to the moon, which are covered in his book.
Where? Quotes please.
We feel that a major blow to Sat- sabbatarian theology involves that
which Philo “left out” of his writings pertaining to any Saturday
Sabbaths.
How incredibly ignorant to attach the Sabbath to Saturday! There is no connection, only a coincidence. But for the weak Roman minded person I will take advantage of that perceived connection in dispelling the lunar sabbath. I would be disappointed if Philo did connect the two. On the other hand Philo never considers the 15th of every month to be the sabbath. He also fails to mention the 21st or 22nd Sabbath. This too is because there is no connection.
Not once did Philo mention another week other than the "lunar" cycle in
determining the Sabbath day.
Again, where did he ever say the moon determines the Sabbath day? I have searched all his writings and found no such connection.
In fact, the word "Saturday or Saturn’s
day" isn’t mentioned even “once” in Philo’s entire book. This is
significant, as elsewhere in Philo’s writings, he devotes much space to
discussing the cycle of the moon and the #7. In fact, the day of the
new moon is listed as one of the majour Feasts and was not counted when
counting out the 4 Lunar weeks each month, and he never counted the new
moon when counting the 28 days of the 4 weeks or 4 Sabbaths each
month/moon.
References please. I insist.
We find it to be very interesting that Philo mentioned the "moon" and
it’s phases of waxing and waning in his commentary regarding the
Sabbath. In his writings, Philo distinguishes new moon observance as a
separate feast from the weekly Sabbath, and that is why he never
includes the new moon in counting out the weeks.
Some lunar sabbatarians count it, some don't. That is really an internal argument.
In order to have a lunar Sabbath, you must have a lunar “week”, did
Philo link the Sabbath or the “week” with the phases of the moon or
not???
The answer is yes in fact the lunar week and lunar Sabbath is the only
week or Sabbath mentioned in Philo’s writings. Let us begin in his
writings.
ON MATING WITH THE PRELIMINARY STUDIES, X1X (102) it says,
"For it is said in the Scripture: On the tenth day of this month let
each of them take a sheep according to his house; in order that from
the tenth, there may be consecrated to the tenth, that is to God, the
sacrifices which have been preserved in the soul, which is illuminated
in two portions out of the three, until it is entirely changed in every
part, and becomes a heavenly brilliancy like a full moon, at the height
of its increase at the end of the second “week”…
Please let what Philo just said sink in. His readers and fellow Jews 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.
This statement needs no interpretation. The people understood that the
weeks were by the moon, same as the Jews in the Scriptures. If this is
so then the sacred seventh day of the week, which comes at the end of
the second week must be a full moon Sabbath (Psalms 81:3-6). Why?
Because in many places Philo speaks of the weekly seventh day, and we
all know that the seventh day comes at the end of the week. People
If the statement "needs no interpretation", then why provide one?
Now ask yourself this. Why did Philo say at the end of the second "week" (shabua) instead of at the end of the second sabbath (shabat)? Lunar sabbatarians pay no attention to the different Hebrew terms. Weeks are not only descriptive of the calendar week, but of any consecutive number of seven days, things, or even years. Here are some examples.
For the lunar sabbatarians to score a point here, they must also believe that Jewish women only give birth on the sabbath!
"But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days." - Leviticus 12:5
So as you can see, their ship is already sunk and at the bottom of the sea.
"In the first, in the fourteenth day of the moon, you shall have the passover, a feast for a week of days; unleavened bread shall be eaten." - Ezekiel 45:21
So here we have a week of days, as opposed to a week of weeks, or a week of years. Stating this way allows for the feast to begin on any day of the calendar week.
"I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled, and in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;" - Daniel 10:3-4
Apparently three whole weeks ends on the 24th day of the moon and not the 21st or 22nd.
This can only be true if "weeks" can refer to any consecutive 7 days without any relationship to the lunar cycle. So when Philo says the end of the second week, he is saying nothing different than 14 days after the new moon appeared.
Philo did not count the new moon when counting out the weeks as these
calendars do today. This statement is very easily proven from the
writings of Philo because he states in other places thought his book
that the full moon is on the 15th each month and he also separates the
new moon as a separate feast day, from the weeks.
References please.
Writers today would instead count the new moon day in counting their weeks, but it is
obvious from Philo that he did not count the new moon day when counting
out the weeks. This is because at the end of the second week the full
moon would be on the 14th instead of the 15th as Philo plainly declares
many times.
Lunar sabbatarians like to boast that they can simply look into the sky at any time during the month and tell us exactly what day it is. However when tested they fail to demonstrate this remarkable ability. The moon's fullness on the 14th, 15th, 16th, and sometimes earlier and later can not be consistently distinguished by the naked the eye. The same is true of the conjunction. There are 3 or 4 days of no visible moon. When shown photographs of these entirely different days they could not tell accurately what day it was. The precision the lunar sabbatarians are assuming is not possible.
If the new moon was ever counted in counting
out the weeks in Scripture, there would be pinpointed weekly Sabbaths
on the 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th etc. Yet, you cannot find these days
pinpointed anywhere in Scripture because these days are always
preparation days for the weekly Sabbath.
"But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. " - Exodus 20:10-11 KJV
How's that for a pinpoint? And only the 7th is called the sabbath, because it is a repeating cycle that is independent of the moon. That is why you will never hear the sabbath referred to as being on the 14th, 21st, or 28, unless it happens to coincide with those lunar days, which it does about 1/7th of the time.
Continuing on with Philo:
THE DECALOGUE XXX (159)
”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 and autumnal in each year; appointing two
festivals for thse two epochs, each lasting seven days; the one which
teakes place in the spring being for the perfection of what is being
sown, and the one which falls in autumn being a feast of thanksgiving
for the bringing home of all the fruits which the trees have produced”…
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 and we know from scripture that the 15th begins both of these
Festival and lasts for seven days. Philo just calls it the 7th day of
the week. We know both of these seven day feasts begin on the 15th
(Sabbath). Each of them lasts for seven days, and each one of these 7
day events were assigned to the seventh day of the week (15th) or
weekly Sabbath which begins the Feast and it lasts seven days.
This whole passage is being totally misinterpreted with "in other words". Philo is simply saying that there are only 2 festivals, which happen to be the longest, that always include the sabbath, which makes them special since other festivals do not necessarily include it. He says nothing whatsoever about these festivals always beginning on the sabbath.
To prove the seventh day of the week is the same as the
15th, elsewhere Philo states,
"Again the beginning of this feast is appointed for the fifteenth day
of the month (or 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." {THE TENTH
FESTIVAL XXXIII. (210) In other words, Philo is saying the weekly
Sabbath begins these feasts, and is on the 15th. This proves the
Sabbaths by the lunar calendar because there is no way the weekly
Sabbath (15th) can begin these two festivals on the 15th in the 1st and
7th month each year, on a continuous seven day cycle by the calendar of
today.
Let's remember that the words (in brackets) are not Philos words at all. This is false logic since no matter what day the festival began on, it would contain "one sacred day" the sabbath during the 7 day festival. Reading the entire passage, Philo makes no mention of the Sabbath. As you will see the lunar sabbatarian version has been radically altered. There is an obvious grammatic splice in the quote above, between the words "season" & "might". Here is another translation of the same passage.
"Again, the beginning of this festival is appointed for the fifteenth day of the month, on account of the reason which has already been mentioned respecting the spring season, also that the world may be full, not by day only but also by night, of the most beautiful light, the sun and moon on their rising opposite to one another with uninterrupted light, without any darkness interposing itself between so as to divide them."
Philo had every opportunity in his list of 10 festivals, to connect Unleavened Bread and Tabernacles with the Sabbath and vice versa, but he does not. Neither does he connect the third festival (the new moon) in any way shape or form to the sabbath. Talk about missed opportunities!
"The second festival is the seventh day, which the Hebrews in their native language call the sabbath. "
LetE2s continue:
F.H. Colson’s translation of THE DECALOGUE XXX (159) reads,
”The fourth, which treats of the seventh day, must be regarded as
nothing less than a gathering under one "head" of the feasts and the
purifications ordained for each feasts, the proper lustrations and the
acceptable prayers and flawless sacrifices with which the ritual was
carried out. By the seventh I mean both the seventh which "includes"
the most creative of numbers, six, and that which does "not include" it
but takes precedence of "it" and "resembles" the unit. "Both" these are
employed by Him in reckoning the feast-times.” (Colson’s translation of
Philo.)
What can be plainer than that? Let's analyze it. "The fourth, which
treats of the seventh day, must be regarded as nothing less than a
gathering under one "head" of the feasts." How can the weekly Sabbath
day be regarded as a gathering under one head of the feasts unless it
heads these feast i.e. begins them each year? This also proves Lunar
Sabbaths.
This is not what Philo meant. Rather he simply is saying that the sabbath is a superior and model to the festivals. It may be clearer in another translation that doesn't cut off the next few words.
"And the fourth commandment, the one about the seventh day, we must not look upon in any other light than as a summary of all the laws relating to festivals, and of all the purificatory rites enjoined to be observed on each of them. But the service appointed for them was one of holy ablutions, and prayers deserving to be heard, and perfect sacrifices. And in speaking of the seventh here, I mean both that which is combined with the number six, the most generative of all numbers, and also that which, without being combined with the number six, is added to it, being made to resemble the unit, each of which numbers is reckoned among the festivals;"
Philo continues by saying,
“by the seventh I mean “both” the seventh which "includes" the most
creative of numbers, six, and that which does "not include" it but
takes precedence of it and "resembles" the unit."
The word precedence means it comes before the number six during the
feasts, i.e. one of the sevenths comes before the number six during the
7 day feast and the other seventh comes after it and is combined with
it. This is impossible if he used the count for the Sabbath as the
people of today.
Philo is speaking of two occurrences of seventh days during the festival. The first seventh, which comes after the 6th day of the week, is the regular sabbath. The second one is the 7th and last day of the festival. The statement by Philo actually works against the lunar sabbath because it implies that the seventh day of the feast is not necessarily the 7th day of the week, but that the two are independent. This only works for the Torah sabbath because for the two sevenths to align otherwise, the festival would have to end with the sabbath, not begin on it. Read again. It is impossible for the 7th day of the festival to be on the seventh day of the week in a lunar sabbath system. Their whole argument thus far has been that the 1st day of the festival must begin on the 7th day of the week. This would mean the 7th monadal day of the festival, the day "without being combined with the number 6", would actually fall on the 6th day of the week. This totally contradicts what Philo describes.
This seventh is the weekly seventh and is in front of the six days
during the feasts because to the weekly seventh day he has assigned
these feasts. The footnote that says "…here the idea may be that the
unit or monad does not need six to make it equivalent to seven…" This
is because this single unit or monad does not need six to make it
equivalent to seven because it is a seventh and both Yonge's and
Colson’s translation says it is made to resemble the unit/first or
number one.
"resemble the unit" is another way of saying the monad, the total, or sum of days. This 7th is the seven total days of the festival, not the regular weekly sabbath. The "precedence" means that this 7th day is not tied to the 6th day of the week, it can supercede any weekly numbered day. Precedence here is speaking of hierarchy over chronology. The only way for the last day of the festival to NOT be tied to the 6th day of the week is in the Torah sabbath system - not the lunar which permanently ties it to the 6th day of the week. Philo plainly states the last day of the festival is not tied to the 6th day of the week! Bye bye lunar sabbath.
Last but not least it says, "Both” these are "employed" by Him in
reckoning the feast-“times." You cannot reckon feast-times with a
seventh that jumps around during the 7 day feast, on a man-made
calendar.
But Philo says nothing about "reckoning" the feast times according to the sabbath.
Both the sevens have to be fixed not just the one that is on
the 21st or last day of the feast because He employed both sevens in
reckoning the feast-times. If one of the sevenths could move it
would also fall on the 21st at times and would also be combined with the
number six and then there would be only one seventh.
The 21st is the 6th day of the week. Philo says the last day of the feast, the resemblance of unit, that is the day in summation, is NOT tied to the 6th day of the week. Read, comprehend, "and also that which, without being combined with the number six, is added to it, being made to resemble the unit,". I think what we have here is a literacy crisis.
I am going to draw it out a bit.
"without being combined with the number six" = not tied to the day of the week numbered as 6 or let's just say Friday for the Roman minded.
"is added to it" = meaning that the 7th and last day of the festival is added to the previous six days and thus independent and superior to it (call this literary recycling)
"being made to resemble the unit" = so that seven in this context represents the total of festival days rather than the 7th day (Saturday) of the regular week
Altogether now this means that this 7th is the 7th regardless if it coincides with Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday (again for the convenience of the Roman minded) It takes precedence over the numbered day of the week. It is remarkable that the lunar sabbatarian can not see the self-contradiction. Their 7th day of the feast DOES combine with the 6th day of the week every year. Count with me.
15th is the 1st day of festival and the weekly lunar sabbath.
16th = 2nd day of festival and 1st day of the lunar week
17th = 3rd day of festival and 2nd day of the lunar week
18th = 4th day of festival and 3rd day of the lunar week
19th = 5th day of festival and 4th day of the lunar week
20th = 6th day of festival and 5th day of the lunar week
21st = 7th day of festival and 6th day of the lunar week >>COMBINED<<
Now you might have figured out, "combined," as in concurrent, is a poor interpretation, as Philo meant "tied" or "connected" however the point is made as he allows no room for a lunar sabbath doctrine.
I will finish with this.
"from the new moon to the end of the month there are thirty days, we are including in our enumeration both the first hour and the day of the new moon." - Book 12, Philo
Philo says that the moon has 30 days including the new moon day itself. Lunar Sabbatarians say the moon has 28 days not including the new moon day. That leaves one whole day left over. So what happens with the 29th, or should I say the 30th?
The final nail in the coffin of the Lunar Sabbatarian is Philo's own clear statement that the new moon is a visible illuminated crescent, not an invisible object void of light. For the lunar scheme to work, the astronomical conjunction must be the first day of that month
THE THIRD FESTIVAL
"Following the order which we have adopted, we proceed to speak of the third festival, that of the new moon. First of all, because it is the beginning of the month, and the beginning, whether of number or of time, is honourable. Secondly, because at this time there is nothing in the whole of heaven destitute of light. Thirdly, because at that period the more powerful and important body gives a portion of necessary assistance to the less important and weaker body; for, at the time of the new moon, the sun begins to illuminate the moon with a light which is visible to the outward senses, and then she displays her own beauty to the beholders. And this is, as it seems, an evident lesson of kindness and humanity to men, to teach them that they should never grudge to impart their own good things to others, but, imitating the heavenly bodies, should drive envy away and banish it from the Soul. The fourth reason is that of all the bodies in the heaven, the moon traverses the zodiac in the least appointed time: it accomplishes its orbit in a monthly interval. For this reason the law has honored the end of its orbit, the point when the moon has finished at the beginning point from which it began to travel, by having called that day a feast so that it might again teach us an excellent lesson that in the affairs of life we should make the ends harmonious with the beginnings. This will happen if we hold the reins on our first impulses with the power of reason and do not permit them to refuse the reins and to run free like animals without anyone in charge of the herd. With regard to the benefits which the moon provides to all on earth, why is it necessary to run through and detail them? Their proofs are obvious. Or isn't it by its waxings that rivers and springs overflow, and again by its wanings that they diminish; that seas sometimes retreat and are drawn down through their ebb and flow, and at other times suddenly run full through the tide; that the air experiences all sorts of shifts in the form of clear weather, cloudy weather, and other changes? Don't the fruits of cultivated crops and trees grow and come to maturity through the orbits of the moon which nurses and ripens each of the growing crops through dew-laden and very gentle breezes? But this is not the appropriate occasion, as I said, to speak at length about the praise of the moon by running through and enumerating the benefits which it provides to animals and to all on the earth. For these reasons and others similar to them, the new moon has been honored and taken its place among the feasts." - Book 28: Philo, The Special Laws, II