Greetings Doves;

     A Few Months Ago There was some discussion on the Doves Site regarding the exact time of year when NOAH boarded the Ark and when the Flood Occurred. Mrs. Marilyn Agee claimed "to the effect" that the 'First Month' associated with Noah was linked to the Jewish "Civil year -- Tishrei". She went on to "prove" her claim through a series of sky charts showing positions of constellations in the sky.

     I took the opposite position that the Torah (Pentateuch) was internally consistent and the designation of Abib (Nisan) in Exodus as the First Month retro-applied to Genesis as the same author (Moses) was the writer and would not lend Himself to confusion -- The use of a Civil calendar coming almost 1,000 year AFTER Moses -- Thus Moses was unaware of any such calendar.

     There are several insurmountable problems with Mrs. Agee's claim. First most "sky chart software programs' are not nearly sufficiently rigorous in their spatial algorithms to give an accurate sky chart picture in excess of about 2,000 years.

      I have a "phases of the Moon" software program written by Dr Meese (M.I.T.) in which I can see the algorithms; the one for the New Moon Phase is 1/2 page with precision out to the 12 significant digit! Unless her sky chart programs are "NASA quality", then the required accuracy and precision is absent.

     Secondly, the Masoretic Text from which virtually all Protestant translations are rendered, is a diplomatic text; stemming from Aharon ben Moshe Ben Asher from Tiberius in the 9th/10th century AD.

     The Biblia Rabbinica, in the 16th century made emendations to Ben Asher MSS, however inconsistencies, errors and incomprehensivities still exist in the MT text employed today.

     No scholar has ever been able to conclusively demonstrate that the Ben Asher MSS is “THE INSPIRED TEXT”! Thus other text traditions are recognized and employed by Bible Scholars to render translations.

 

     Among the other available texts from which translations (eclectic texts) derive is the Aramaic Bible. Sky Charts notwithstanding the Aramaic texts provide the indisputable time references for Noah and the Flood. Targum P. Jonathan shows The names of the months in Genesis 7:10, 7:11, 8:4, 8:5, 8:12,14:4-5, ; Exodus 12:18, 16:1,  40:2, 40:17, Leviticus 16:29,  23:5, 23:24,  Numbers 1:1, 1:18, 9:10, 10:11, 29:1, 29:7 etc where the first month is clearly spelled out as Abib (Nisan), the Second month Iyyar, the 7th month spelled out as Tishri, the 10th month is spelled out as Tammuz and the eleventh month is Shevat.

     ^These manuscripts of the Palestinian Torah PRECEED the 9th/10 century AD BY AT LEAST 600 years!

     Thus without hesitation the “First month “in the Flood account is ABIB. The 27th day of the second month corresponds exactly to “Ascension Day” of our LORD 40 days after Bikkurim. I hope these notes prove of value to you.

 

Y’va reh-ch’cha Adonai v’yeesh-m’reh-cha,

Ya-air Adonai pa-nahv ay-leh-cha vee-choo-neh-ka,

Yee-sa Adonai pa-nahv ay-leh-cha v’ya-same l’cha Shalom

   TEFE