Many argue that the Zadok calendar cannot be proved using scripture alone. Well lets look at that claim a little deeper and see what scripture actually tells us.

I do not want to offend anyone here as I have many friends and acquaintances that follow different calendar methods, but I will say that generally speaking the same people that claim that the Zadok calendar has no scriptural support will also make that claim while clinging to the notion that they are to search the hills of Judea for ripe barley (which is absolutely never mentioned in scripture).  Yah only commanded that we “Observe” (שָׁמַר shâmar) the month of Abib. see Deut 16:1.

The word shâmar that is often translated as observe actually means to hedge about (as with thorns), that is to guard; generally to protect, or attend to.  It has absolutely nothing to do with searching for heads of barley.  That notion comes from a very lose interpretation of that verse, and is a clear misunderstanding of the context which has been perpetuated over the last several decades by some notable “teachers” in the messianic movement (which I will not mention).  Not to mention there is absolutely zero evidence in scripture or elsewhere that proves the people of ancient Judea were using this method to begin their year.

What the word shâmar indicates is that we are to be careful to observe it in its correct time.  Why? Because it establishes the rest of the yearly biblical calendar, its as simple as that.  We are not commanded to observe or shâmar the beginning of any additional month which also throws a wrench into the works for those keeping the lunar calendar and those that make adjustment to the calendar based upon the solstices and the fall equinox.  The truth is that if we just go about starting the year whenever it seems right for us, the timing of everything else will be off and thus making a holy day common and a common day holy which is an abomination.  This is why understanding Yah’s calendar is so important and it is why I have spent the last 4 years studying and researching it.

So where is the biblical proof for the Zadok calendar you ask… Lets begin.

The following examples were originally compiled by Butch Fausset

Biblical Weekly Sabbaths mentioned in Scripture

Example #1

Numbers 10:11-12 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.

 Numbers 10:33 And they departed from the mount of the YHWH three days‘ journey: and the ark of the covenant of YHWH went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.

In this passage of scripture we that the children of Israel began to travel on the 20th, and went three day until they came to a resting place. According to the Zabdok calendar, the 23rd day of the 2nd month is a weekly sabbath.  So it stands to reason that Yah would not have His people traveling on a Sabbath.

Further support from Jasher

Jasher 83:17-18. And in the second month, on the first day thereof, the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Number the heads of all the males of the children of Israel from twenty years old and upward, thou and thy brother Aaron and the twelve princes of Israel.

Jasher 83:25-26. And on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was taken away from the tabernacle of testimony. At that time the children of Israel continued their journey from the wilderness of Sinai, and they took a journey of three days, and the cloud rested upon the wilderness of Paran; there the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, for they had provoked the Lord in asking him for meat, that they might eat.

Example #2

Zechariah 1:7-8 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.

Verse 8, “I saw by night”, this is past tense. (The 23rd is the day before)

Zechariah 1:11 And they answered the angel of YHWH that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

The 23rd day of the 11th month, is a weekly sabbath

Example #3

Jeremiah 52:12-14 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, And burned the house of YHWH, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

The Jewish Mishnah tells us, “Solomon’s temple was destroyed on the day after a sabbath day”. On a sabbath year.

Well it just so happens that the 9th day of the 5th month is a weekly sabbath so the account in the Mishnah appears to be accurate.

Example #4

1 Samuel 20:5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the chôdesh, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.

1 Samuel 20:12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;

1 Samuel 20:18-19 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the chôdesh: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.

1 Samuel 20:24-27 So David hid himself in the field: and when the chôdesh was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty. Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?

1 Samuel 20:34-35 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.

1 Samuel 20:41-42 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of YHWH, saying, YHWH be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

The chôdesh or renewing mentioned here isn’t just the beginning of any random month or “new moon” as it is often translated.  Furthermore, there is no scriptural evidence to support a feast being held at the beginning of any month other than the 1st month Abib which is the beginning of the year and the 7th month Aytanīym also known as Tishrei which would be Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets.

Even though there is no evidence given thus far in the account to help us determine which of these two months are being referenced, it is interesting to note that on the Zadok calendar they both begin on the 4th day of the week or Wednesday on our modern calendars.  That will be a very important fact to keep in mind as we continue.

1 Samuel 21:1-6 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before YHWH, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

According to the Torah the shewbread was to be replaced every sabbath.

1 Chronicles 9:32 And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.

So we see that David was absent on the first day of the month (Wednesday) and hid himself until the third day (Friday). After which he flees to the city where on the following day (The Sabbath) he enters the Tabernacle and asks the priest for the old shewbread which had been replaced. This proves that this was in fact the weekly Sabbath, and most likely the 4th day of the 1st month of Abib.

Example #5

Esther 9:16-17 But the other Jews that were in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey, On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

The 14th day of the 12th month, is a weekly sabbath.

Example #6

AFTER THREE DAYS

Luke 2:41-52 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

His parents would have stayed in Yerushalayim until the end of Unleavened Bread, which according to the Zadok calendar is on the 21th day of the First Month and the 3rd day of the week. The next day, the 22nd (the 4th day of the week), they leave for home. That evening they notice that Yahusha is not with them, so the next day the 23rd (the 5rd day of the week) they go back to Yerushalayim, then they spend an additional day on the 24th (the 6th day of the week) looking for Him. Finally, after the third day of their search they find him in the Temple courts on the 7th day which would be the weekly Sabbath.

The weekly Sabbath in the Zadok calendar lands on the 25th day of the 1st month.

If Yahusha was the Temple on the weekly Sabbath, then His parents were keeping the Zadok Calendar—- just saying…

Example #7

Witness to another weekly Sabbath date that matches the calendar outlined in the Dead Sea Scrolls

PIRKE DE RABBI ELIEZER (circa 1st century AD)

chapter 52

The sixth wonder (was) : From the day when the heavens and earth were created, the sun, the moon, and the stars and the constellations were ascending to give light upon the earth, and they did not come into contact with one another until Joshua came and fought the battles of Israel. It was the eve of the Sabbath, (7) and he saw the plight of Israel lest they might desecrate the Sabbath, and further, he saw the magicians of Egypt compelling the constellations to come against Israel. What did he do ? He stretched forth his hand to the light of the sun and to the light of the moon, and he invoked upon them the || (Divine) Name, and each one stood for thirty-six hours in its place until the termination of the Sabbath day, as it is said, ” And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed ” (Josh. x. 13). All the kings of the earth heard thereof and they wondered, because there had been none like him from the day when the world had been created, as it is said, ” And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man”.

Footnotes:

7 According to Seder ‘Olam Rab. xi. it was the 3rd of Tammuz, (fourth month) the day of the ” Tefcuphah.”

<<<[[[ Jewish commentaries always use the Babylonian monthly names ]]]>>>

Jasher 88:63. And when they were smiting, the day was declining toward evening, and Joshua said in the sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall have revenged itself upon its enemies. 64. And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Joshua, and the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens, and it stood still six and thirty moments, and the moon also stood still and hastened not to go down a whole day.

The 3rd day of the 4th month is the day before the weekly sabbath which verifies this account.

Another interesting fact: The “Tefcuphah” (a coming round, circuit) of the 4th month is very closely aligned with the summer solstice.

The Latin word for “Solstice” is: “SOLSTITIAL” – From “sol” meaning “sun”, and “stit”/“stes” meaning “stand still”.

 Joshua 10:12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

Conclusion

So with these examples taken straight from scripture and with another taken from an outside source, it is clear that it is either a wild coincidence that the years and days mentioned in these accounts just so happen to align with both the ever shifting lunar calendar and the Zadok calendar which is nearly impossible. The odds of seven separate events spanning several centuries falling on the same days of 2 different calendars which are reckoned by two vastly different methods is hard to even fathom.

The simplest conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the pattern given in the Zadok calendar and outlined in the Dead Sea Scrolls, is in fact the correct calendar. And as the first example illustrates, this method has been in use since the days of Moshe, being ordained by Yah Himself at Sinai. And as we see in Luke chapter 2 and by overlaying the Passion accounts in the Gospels, it is clear that it was still in use in Yahusha’s day and kept by him and his disciples.

The question remains, will you keep it?

Shalom!