The Jewish Annotated New Testament (171 page)

THIRD GENERATION

Students of Akiva

Meir (2nd century)
Shimeon bar Yoḥai (2nd century)
Yose ben Ḥala a (2nd century)
Yehudah bar Ilai (2nd century)
Shimeon ben Gamaliel II (2nd century)

FOURTH GENERATION

Judah ha-Nasi (“Rabbi”; ca. 135–220)
Eleazar bar Shimeon (2nd century; son of Shimeon bar Yoḥai)

FIFTH GENERATION

Gamaliel III (2nd century).

SOME AMORAIC RABBIS

CALENDAR

The Jewish year was composed of twelve lunar months (beginning on the day of the new moon), with an intercalary month added periodically (see perhaps 1 Kings 12.33). In some traditions, and perhaps originally, the year began in the fall, at the autumnal equinox (see Ex 23.16; 34.22). In others, following Babylonian practice, the new year was celebrated in the spring. The fall new year became standard in postbiblical Judaism.

Months in the Bible are usually identified by ordinal numbers, beginning with the spring new year. Some months (in boldface in the following list) are also designated with names derived either from a Canaanite calendar or, in postexilic texts, from a Babylonian one; the names of months not found in the Bible are known from other ancient sources.

The Jewish calendar is based on the lunar month, which is a bit longer than 29½ days, so Jewish lunar months are 29 or 30 days long. Twelve lunar months usually amount to 354 days, 11 days short of a solar year. In order for the festivals to stay in the correct season in relation to the solar year, an extra month is added every few years. Following ancient Babylonian models, the calendar runs on a 19-year cycle: years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19 of the cycle are intercalated or “leap” years, containing an extra month of Adar, sometimes called
Adar Sheni
(second Adar). Adar was chosen for intercalation because it is the last month of the Babylonian year and of the biblical year beginning in Nisan (an alternate calendar, the one now in use, begins the year in Tishri with Rosh Ha- Shanah). The previous 19-year intercalation cycle began in 5768 (2007–2008 CE).

Observances fall within the calendar as follows:

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

The modern equivalents for New Testament measures and weights are presented in the following tables.

WEIGHTS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

MEASURES OF LENGTH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

MEASURES OF CAPACITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

PARALLEL TEXTS

NEW TESTAMENT

A majority of scholars think that the Gospel of Mark was independently used as a source by Matthew and Luke.

A majority of scholars think that Matthew and Luke used a source that has not survived (known as “Q”).

CHAPTER/VERSE DIFFERENCES

Chapter/verse differences between standard English numbering and Hebrew text numbering. Books are listed in Hebrew canonical order.

CANONS OF THE HEBREW BIBLE/OLD TESTAMENT WITH ADDITIONS