Reader-provided example 1
One reader of this book shares with us his own rendering of the Lunar months for 4990 BC. These he has expressed in terms of a version of the Gregorian calendar that has been adjusted for long-term calendar-drift (a concept not recommended by this website).
Here is what the reader states (blue box):
Interpretation of the reader-supplied data of Example 1
Given Given
Lunar | Gregorian |Given Actual| 17th
month #| month-spans |count count | day=
-------|---------------|------ ------|--------
i | 3-31 - 4-29 | 29 29 | 4-16
ii 2nd| 4-29 - 5-29 | 30 30 | 5-15 [A]
iii | 5-29 - 6-27 | 29 29 | 6-14
iv | 6-27 - 7-27 | 30 30 | 7-13
v | 7-27 - 8-25 | 29 29 | 8-12
vi | 8-25 - 9-24 | 30 30 | 9-10
vii 7th| 9-24 - 10-23 | 29 29 | 10-10 [B]
viii | 10-23 - 11-22 | 30 30 | --
ix | 11-22 - 12-22 | 30 30 | --
x | 12-22 - 1-20 | 29 29 | --
xi | 1-20 - 2-19 | *29* *30* | --
xii | 2-19 - -- | -- -- | --
By the chart above,
[A] ii-17 '2nd mo, 17th day' = 5-15
[B] vii-17 '7th mo, 17th day' = 10-10
Using the Bible-calculator's dayspan counter– which adheres strictly to all Gregorian rules– we find that for the two dates [5-15] and [10-10] , in any given year ...
Dayspan = Days from Start-date to End-date ....... = 148 days
0 1 2 146 147 148
|-------->|-------->|---- ... --->|-------->|-------->|
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5- | | 5- | | 5- | ... | 10- | | 10- | | 10- |
| 15 | | 16 | | 17 | | 8 | | 9 | | 10 |
|_______| |_______| |_______| |_______| |_______| |_______|
Dayspan inclusive = Days from First minute to Last ... = 149 days
0 1| 2| 3| 147| 148| 149|
|------>| ------>| ------>| ... ------>| ----->| ----->|
|_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
0 2 | | | | | | | | | 2
0 5- 3 | 5- | | 5- | ... | 10- | | 10- | | 10- 3
0 15 5 | 16 | | 17 | | 8 | | 9 | | 10 5
1_______9 |_______| |_______| |_______| |_______| |_______9
Thus the most generous pattern for [five lunar months], {30 29 30 29 30}, falls short of spanning [150 days],
using either counting method:
Dayspan: (148 < 150)
Dayspan incl.: (149 < 150)
Illusory extra day?
This questioner claims to have discovered a way in which 149 Hebrew days can be understood as "150 days", after the terminology of Genesis 7 & 8. Closer scrutiny of his Observations 1, 2 & 3 above may indicate a resourceful origin for this apparent 150th day.
The core of this suspected accounting method stems from a well-known discrepancy:
Gregorian days stretch from Midnight to Midnight.
Hebrew days stretch from Sunset to Sunset (referred to Biblically as "evening-mornings").
True, he seems to have found a "150th day" in his Hebrew-calendar version of the Flood story. However, he does this by counting Gregorian-calendar dates.
The underlying logic here reduces to this: It takes a canvas of 150 Gregorian "dates" (not days) upon which to paint the entire Flood-storyboard of 149 evening-mornings.
For the simplest illustration of this extra-day-'trick', visualize one single Hebrew day, spanning 24 hours from (for example): [sunset May 15] to [sunset May 16].
The (Hebrew) span of days: = 0
Hebrew daycount: = 1
Gregorian dayspan: = 1
Gregorian daycount: = 2
Though only one day (24 hours) exists, this one Hebrew day by necessity occupies parts of two Gregorian "dates". Thus an extra day seems to materialize, yet not one extra minute has been added to the period under measurement.
Below is a diagram of how the questioner turns 149 days into 150:
150 Gregorian calendar days-------------------------|
149 Hebrew evening-mornings--------------|
_________________________________________
| |
| |
______| ii-17 ...ii-18 - vii-16... vii-17 |___
| | | |
| |_________________________________________| |
| May 15 | | Oct 10 |
| | | |
|__________| |__________|
|\\\\\\| |\\\|
0.75 days, <- Biblically 0.25 days,
pre-ii-17 disallowed -> post-vii-17
Biblical conflict
While 150 Gregorian dates can be argued, the addition of any extra Gregorian "padding" time (partial days) at either end is not justifiable Biblically.
Partial day, left
The first 3/4 of Gregorian-Day-1 (0001-1800), before Hebrew-Day-1 exists. The Hebrew date is still ii-16.
Per Genesis 7:11, no rain or flooding is reported on ii-16:
Genesis 7:11(b) ...in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Partial day, right
Partial day, right: The last 1/4 of Gregorian Day 150 (1800-2359), after Hebrew Day 150 ceases to exist. The Hebrew date here is ii-18.
In Genesis, the 150 days seems to stretch no longer than vii-17:
Genesis 7:24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
Genesis 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
Genesis 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Reader-provided example 2
A reader of this book claims to have a modern-day example of five Hebrew months equalling 150 days, adding that such examples are in fact quite common.
Here is what the reader states (blue box):
|
"Example of 150 days over five lunar months:
AD 1988
17th day of the 2nd month began on May 3
The Astronomical New Moon was on Apr 16 at 15:01 Jerusalem time.
The following day, April 17 at sunset, was the beginning of this Biblical month.
This month began one day + ~3 hours after the astronomical event.
17th day of the 7th month began on Sept 28 and ended on Sept 29
The Astronomical New Moon was on Sep 11 at 06:50 Jerusalem time.
The following day, Sept 12 at sunset, was the beginning of this Biblical month.
This month began one day + ~11 hours after the astronomical event.
→ From [May 3] to [September 29], 1988 are 150 days inclusive."
|
Interpretation of the reader-supplied data of Example 2
Approach
Plot times given for [Start ii-17], [End vii-17], and New-moons
Display [Gregorian date] and [Hebrew date] side-by-side
Follow count day-by-day to [vii-17] and/or [Day 150]
__________________________________
Greg. Hebrew day-of-the-month,
date shown at each 1/4 day
---- -------
0001-0600
| 0600-1200
| | 1200-1800
| | | 1800-2359
| | | |
4-16 -,-,-,N N = "astronomical New moon"
4-17 N,N,N,ii-1
4-18 ii-1,1,1,2
4-19 2,2,2,3
4-20 3,3,3,4
4-21 4,4,4,5
4-22 5,5,5,6
4-23 6,6,6,7
4-24 7,7,7,8
4-25 8,8,8,9
4-26 9,9,9,10
4-27 10,10,10,11
4-28 11,11,11,12
4-29 12,12,12,13
4-30 13,13,13,14
5-1 14,14,14,15
5-2 15,15,15,16
5-3 ii-16,16,16,17
1* --> Start 17th - to - 17th
daycount (inclusive*).
5-4 17,17,17,18
1** 1 1 1 2 * Each number in this count
(1, 2, 3, etc.) says that
5-5 18,18,18,19 there are This many Hebrew
2 2 2 2 3 days touched by this
17th-to-17th span, so far.
5-6 19,19,19,20 As soon as the span touches
3 3 3 3 4 another Hebrew day, one more
whole day is added to the
5-7 20,20,20,21 count inclusive... no matter
4 4 4 4 5 how much of that Hebrew-day
is spent before stopping
5-8 21,21,21,22 the clock. This records the
5 5 5 5 6 maximum amount of time which
the span can claim.
5-9 22,22,22,23
6 6 6 6 7 ** Inclusive count, at nearest
Greg. date, which starts 1/4-
5-10 23,23,23,24 day after Hebrew date starts.
7 7 7 7 8 Shown as a reference scale to
the adjacent Hebrew dates.
5-11 24,24,24,25
8 8 8 8 9
5-12 25,25,25,26
9 9 9 9 10
5-13 26,26,26,27
10 10 10 10 11
5-14 27,27,27,28
11 11 11 11 12
5-15 28,28,28,29
12 12 12 12 13
5-16 29,29,29,30
13 13 13 13 14
NEW MOON: ends a 30-day month
5-17 30,30,30,iii-1
14 14 14 14 15
5-18 iii-1, 1, 1, 2
15 15 15 15 16
5-19 2, 2, 2, 3
16 16 16 16 17
5-20 3, 3, 3, 4
17 17 17 17 18
5-21 4, 4, 4, 5
18 18 18 18 19
5-22 5, 5, 5, 6
19 19 19 19 20
5-23 6, 6, 6, 7
20 20 20 20 21
5-24 7, 7, 7, 8
21 21 21 21 22
5-25 8, 8, 8, 9
22 22 22 22 23
5-26 9, 9, 9,10
23 23 23 23 24
5-27 10,10,10,11
24 24 24 24 25
5-28 11,11,11,12
25 25 25 25 26
5-29 12,12,12,13
26 26 26 26 27
5-30 13,13,13,14
27 27 27 27 28
5-31 14,14,14,15
28 28 28 28 29
6-1 15,15,15,16
29 29 29 29 30
6-2 16,16,16,17
30 30 30 30 31
6-3 17,17,17,18
31 31 31 31 32
6-4 18,18,18,19
32 32 32 32 33
6-5 19,19,19,20
33 33 33 33 34
...* ...*|The pattern being established,|
6-12 26,26,26,27 |accelerate the count to weekly|
40 40 40 40 41
NEW MOON: ends a 29-day month
6-19 iv-4, 4, 4, 5
47 47 47 47 48
...
6-26 11,11,11,12
54 54 54 54 55
...
7-3 18,18,18,19
61 61 61 61 62
...
7-10 25,25,25,26
68 68 68 68 69
... NEW MOON: ends a 30-day month
7-17 v-2, 2, 2, 3
75 75 75 75 76
...
7-24 9, 9, 9,10
82 82 82 82 83
...
7-31 16,16,16,17
89 89 89 89 90
...
8-7 23,23,23,24
96 96 96 96 97
... NEW MOON: ends a 29-day month
8-14 vi-1, 1, 1, 2
103 103 103 103 104
...
8-21 8, 8, 8, 9
110 110 110 110 111
...
8-28 15, 15, 15, 16
117 117 117 117 118
...
9-4 22, 22, 22, 23
124 124 124 124 125
...
9-11 29, 29, 29, 30
131 131 131 131 132
... NEW MOON: ends a 30-day month
9-18 vii-6, 6, 6, 7
138 138 138 138 139
...
9-25 13, 13, 13, 14
145 145 145 145 146
...
9-27 15, 15, 15, 16
147 147 147 147 148
9-28 vii-16, 16, 16, 17
148 148 148 148 149
Note: vii-17 ends with:
9-29 vii-17, 17, 17, 18
149 149 149 149 150 Total days (incl) = 149
Dayspan = (149 - 1) = 148
9-30 18, 18, 18, 19
150 150 150 150 151
10-1 19, 19, 19, 20
151 151,151,151,152
10-2 20, 20, 20, 21
152 152,152,152,153
Day 149 does 'touch' Day 150. But the days-timer ended when the 17th ended. No part of Day 150 (vii-18) belongs to the span [ii-17 - vii-17] (incl).
Conclusion
The lunar-based (or Hebrew) calendar fails to provide a five-month span encompassing 150 days, even when optimal conditions are provided.
This agrees with the assertions made in the first chapter of this book (Seeking an Actual Date for the Flood), which were the focus of the above questions.
Thanks go to the readers who supplied these valuable questions.