Philo and the Lunar Sabbath:
Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH)
Page 2
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It is evident that Philo did a good job of explaining how the weeks are connected to the moon -- which is covered in his book.
It is a major blow to Saturday-sabbatarian theology to realize that Philo LEFT OUT of his writings anything pertaining to Saturday Sabbaths. Not once did Philo mention another week other than the LUNAR cycle in determining the Sabbath day. In fact, the word SATURDAY or SATURN’S DAY isn’t mentioned even ONCE in Philo’s entire book. This is significant, as elsewhere in Philo’s writings, he devotes much space to discussing the cycle of the moon and the #7. In fact, the day of the New Moon is listed separate from the weeks as one of the major feasts, and he never counted the New Moon when counting the 28 days of the 4 weeks or 4 Sabbaths each month/moon.
It is very interesting that Philo mentioned the MOON and it’s phases of waxing and waning in his commentary regarding the Sabbath. In his writings, Philo distinguishes New Moon observance as a separate feast from the weekly Sabbath, and that is why he never includes the New Moon in counting out the weeks.
Study Philo carefully and prayerfully because Philo was an “eye witness” of how things were done by the Judeans in the Messiah’s day, including when a week begins and ends. We should not ignore the testimony of eye witnesses when searching for the truth. Here are a few of the many proofs of how the Judeans in Yeshua’s day understood weeks and Sabbaths.
In order to have a lunar Sabbath, you must have a lunar WEEK -- did Philo link the Sabbath or the WEEK with the phases of the moon? The answer is YES -- in fact the lunar week and lunar Sabbath is the only week or Sabbath mentioned in Philo’s entire writings. Let us begin in his writings.
ON MATING WITH THE PRELIMINARY STUDIES, X1X (102) it says,
“For it is said in the Scripture: On the tenth day of this month let each of them take a
sheep according to his house; in order that from the tenth, there may be consecrated
to the tenth, that is to God, the sacrifices which have been preserved in the soul,
which is illuminated in two portions out of the three, until it is entirely changed in
every part, and becomes a heavenly brilliancy like a full moon, at the height of its
increase at the end of the second WEEK. . . .”
Stop for a moment and let what Philo just said sink in. His readers and fellow Judeans of that era, or in those days, understood that the weeks were by the moon, and that at the end of the second week there would be a full moon. This statement needs no interpretation. The people understood that the weeks were by the moon, same as in the Bible. If this is so, then the sacred seventh day of the week, which comes at the end of the second week must be a FULL MOON SABBATH (Psalms 81:3-6). Why? Because in many places Philo speaks of the weekly seventh day, and we all know that the seventh day comes at the end of the week. Many uninformed people would like for us to believe that the months were originally by the moon but the weeks were not!
Philo was making an observation of how a person can be spiritually illuminated to a full brilliance just like a full moon at the height of its increase at the END of the second week.
Philo did not count the New Moon when counting out the weeks -- like some churches do today. This statement is very easily proven from Philo’s writings because he states in other places throughout his book that THE FULL MOON IS ON THE 15th EACH MONTH! He also separates the New Moon from the weeks. Unfortunately, many writers today would include the New Moon day in counting their weeks, but it is obvious from Philo that he DID NOT count the New Moon day when counting out the weeks. If the New Moon was included in the count, the full moon at the end of the second week would fall on the 14th instead of the 15th as Philo plainly declares many times. In other words you have your New Moon worship day, then six workdays and then the weekly Sabbath on the 8th day of the moon (Ezekiel 46:1). You then have six more workdays and a full moon on day 15 or at the end of the second week or second seven, i.e. at the end of 14 days after the New Moon worship day.
Gael Bataman
Originally Entered: 17 February 2008
Latest Update: 17 February 2008
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