The Great Calendar Comparison: Biblical vs. Secular

Have you ever wondered why our New Year is celebrated in January, while the Biblical “Sacred” New Year begins in the Spring? In this study, we compare the Jewish Civil and Sacred calendars against our modern Gregorian system.

The Argument: Where is the Biblical Basis?

We currently follow the Philippine Government’s calendar—a system rooted in the ancient Pagan Julian Calendar, later revised by Pope Gregory.

The Bible offers no direct command to follow these government-decreed dates, yet we celebrate a New Year that is foreign to the biblical Jewish lunar calendar. How do we reconcile this?

• Submission to Authority: The transition is often justified through Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2:13-16, which call for believers to respect the ordinances of the governing authorities.

📝 Technical Study Notes

• The Leap Month: The Hebrew year is 354 days. To stay aligned with the seasons, they add a month called Veadar roughly every 3 years. We add one day to February every 4 years.

• The Watches: Biblical days begin at sunset.

  • Night Watches:

    • 6pm-9pm (1st)

    • 9pm-12am (2nd)

    • 12am-3am (3rd)

    • 3am-6am (4th)

  • Day Watches:

    • Sunrise-9am (1st)

    • 9am-12pm (2nd)

    • 12pm-3pm (3rd)

    • 3pm-Sunset (4th)