Exploring the history behind the 365th non counted Solar Day!

In Rachel Elior's book, "The Three Temples" I found some interesting insights into the 365 Day Solar year and where the tradition of the non-counted 365th day of the solar year came from.

On page 103 in the first paragraph of Rachel Elior's book she is describing the 364 Day calendar found Qumran. She then adds Her thoughts as to how the 364-day calendar MIGHT HAVE BEEN RECONCILED WITH THE 365 DAY SOLAR YEAR.

Quote: "The 364 days of the year are divided into twelve heavenly 'gates', through which the sun enters and leaves, in parallel to the twelve months of the year (or 365 days, where the added day, the 'Day of the Lord' , is not counted and was probably used to make up the discrepancy between the ritual figure of 364 and the actual figure if the earth's revolution around the sun in 365 1/4 days)." End of Quote

She goes on to describe the 360-day calendar that is based on seven's along with the four days of remembrance totaling 364 days.

If someone was to read only her thoughts of the 365th day they could possibly believe there is a day at the end of each year that is not counted, making the Zadokite calendar 365 days and moving the Sabbath day every year out of its place as the 7th Day. We can see from the six years of recorded history found in the Dead Sea Scrolls that the Zadokite Priest never added a day at the end of each year and the cycle of the 7th day Sabbath was continued throughout all the six years recorded.

When we read Rachel Elior's footnotes she refers the reader to footnote #17 at the bottom of pages 92 & 93 where we find out where this tradition of a non-counted day comes from.

Quote: Footnote #17

"We do not know how the priestly community actually co-ordinated the real ritual numbers, but their cyclic calculation involves a calendar of 364 days and an additional day, not included in the ritual count, which was perhaps added once in four years to compensate for the difference (OR perhaps added as an extra week in the Sabbatical year, once in seven years). The various traditions refer to both numbers and to the additional, uncounted day."

End of Quote

Rachel Elior goes on to list the references for the various traditions where this idea of a non-counted day comes from:

3 Baruch

2 Enoch

Mishnah

Jerusalem Talmud

NOTE: NONE OF THESE WERE FOUND IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS.

I do not believe Rachel Elior is saying the Zadokite Priestly calendar used this non-counted day but is only giving the references on where all the various traditions for both the 364-day and the 365-day year calendars come from and their sources. Let's take a look at the references given to support the 365th non-counted day and see if they agree with the Dead Sea Scrolls and 1 Enoch.

The Mishnah is considered the 1st major work of Rabbinic Judaism oral laws. The Jerusalem Talmud along with its counterpart, the Babylonian Talmud, were a development of Rabbinic Judaism which came after the destruction of the 2nd temple.

Quote: Footnote page 93 from the " The Three Temples"

"Jerusalem Talmud RH 2:5 [58a] 'The Holy One, blessed be He, created 365 windows to be used by the world, 182 in the east, 182 in the west and one in the Centre of the firmament, from which the act of creation first proceeded." End of Quote

History shows 3 Baruch as a pseudepigraphic text written between the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD and the 3rd century AD, later than the period covered by the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is distinct from the Book of Baruch, which is a separate text associated with the Biblical figure Baruch ben Neriah, the scribe of Jeremiah.

In reading 3 Baruch I found it describing a bird called the Phoenix running along before the sun. The bird is described by an angel as the guardian of the world. The Phoenix myth is believed to have originated in ancient Egypt linked to the sun god Ra and associated with rebirth and creation.

2 Enoch is a Slavonic Jewish pseudepigraphal text written in the 1st century AD or even later in the 7th century and has undergone some Christian alterations. With the original written in Greek, likely in Alexandria, and the translated into old Slavonic.

In chapters 13 & 14 the sun is described as going through the gates as follows:

1st gate he comes out for 42 days

2nd gate 35 days

3rd gate 35 days

4th gate 35 days

5th gate 35 days

6th gate 42 days

and then through the 5th gate 35 days

4th gate 35 days

3rd gate 35 days

2nd gate 35 days

So, the days of the whole year are complete, according to the cycle of the four seasons......according to the 365 and 1/4 days.

The footnote in 2nd Enoch by James H. Charlesworth says, Quote: "The scheme of this kind is not known elsewhere, but the system of gates is familiar from 1 Enoch including the astronomical sections of the Aramaic fragments from Qumran. The 364-day year is a certain link with these old treatises. 2nd Enoch is either another solar scheme that has survived, or else a garbled relic." End footnote Quote

After reading 2 Enoch, I can clearly see it has a different system of gates then 1 Enoch which was used by the Zadokite Priest in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

These are only a few interesting facts I found in researching the various traditions listed in Rachel Elior's book, "The Three Temples".

It is quite clear to me that none of these traditions were followed by the writers of The Dead Sea Scrolls knowing that they strictly followed a continual seven-day Sabbath count for six years straight without a non-counted day at the end of the year.