Counting Time: The Dead Sea Scroll Essene Calendar Explained

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This lecture lays out the varied calendrical systems used in ancient Judaism. Calendars are complex things and lie at the core of our lives, as well as how most religious traditions function. How to count time was one of the most contentious issues between various ancient Jewish groups and sects--whether Pharisees, Sadducees, or Essenes. The issues involved the marking of the Jewish festivals, months, years, and Jubilee cycles, all of which were absolutely vital to the function of core religious observances. We now have the Dead Sea Scrolls, which propose a solar-lunar calendar. In this lecture Dr. Tabor attempts to "simplify" this most complex subject,, which remains controversial among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim groups today.

This lecture was part a Biblical Archaeology Society seminar, publishers of the premiere archaeology magazine, Biblical Archaeology Review. It is used with permission.

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