The
Pentecost Apostolic Church Council in
When
exactly did it take place?
Paul’s intention to be, if possible, in
The pertinent chapters to study in order to find the specifics necessary
for answering the above question are Acts 19 through Acts 25. Once the correct
years of reign pertaining to Claudius Lysias (cf. Acts 23:26; 24:7, 22,) Felix
(cf. Acts 23:24, 26; 24:3, 22, 24 25, 27; 25:14,) Festus (cf. Acts 24:27; 25:1,
4, 9, 12-14, 22-25, 32,) and Agrippa (cf. Acts 25:13, 22-26; 26:1, 2, 7, 19,
27, 28, 32) are known the range of possible years for the Apostolic Church
Meeting in Jerusalem is quite limited.
I find no reference to Claudius Lysias in the complete works of Josephus
and have no references thus far as to Lysias’ exact years of reign.
Felix,
however, is referenced by Josephus in his work Antiquities, XX:7:1. Felix’s
years of reign as procurator of
Festus
did not begin his reign as procurator over
Agrippa
jr succeeded Herod’s
kingship as governor starting in the year
beginning with Tishri 1, 33 CE. Adding to his prior responsibilities Agrippa jr
became responsible for “a certain part of
Based upon the obvious fact that Acts chapters 21-23 all relate events
closely surrounding the time of that same Pentecost which is being referenced
also in Acts 20:16, and upon the above reference re Felix’s reign from some
point in 37 CE until some point in 40 CE, we may determine that the extreme
limits of possibility re the timing of the Pentecost Apostolic Church Council
in Jerusalem are also those same years, i.e. 37 CE and 40 CE, respectively.
However, Acts 24:27 (KJV) tells us “But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to show the Jews a
pleasure, left Paul bound.” This translation apparently introduces a two year
span between the Pentecost we are focusing upon and the coming of Festus.
However, let’s 1. compare KJV with the Textus Receptus text and then 2.
consider its likely Hebrew counterpart and predecessor, before finally 3.
considering the possible applications of these text passages in real life
history in the light of what the calendar allows when applying also the NASA
Phases of the Moon tables and the specifics identified by Paul in Acts 20:6-7:
Acts 24:27 But1161 after two years4137, 1333...
Acts 24:27 διετιας1333 N-GSF δε1161 CONJ πληρωθεισης4137 V-APP-GSF ...
Acts 24:27 ...ולשׁנתים ימים
2Sa
2Sa
2Ch
2Ch
As I have shown elsewhere,
biblical translations of these words are generally misunderstood and therefore
mistranslated. What is consistently the case in these texts is that the time
span translated as “two years,” “two full years,” etc., do instead reference a
time span such that it has spilled over into the second of two years, i.e.
“more than one year,” “in the second year,” etc..
The Greek text of Textus Receptus, re Acts 20:6-7, makes it clear that,
in the year of the Pentecost that we are focusing upon in this study, the Seventh
Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the weekly Shabbat coincided:
Every KJV
translation in the New Testament using the words “the first day of the week” is
a mistranslation of Greek words in the Textus Receptus which are specifying a
very special day in the biblical calendar, namely the Seventh Day of the Feast
of Unleavened Bread. So also in Acts 20:7.
In contradistinction
to the extra Shabbat called “the Seventh Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread”
the weekly Shabbat is sometimes referenced in the New Testament as “Day number
Seven,” or “the Seventh Day.” So also at the end of Acts 20:6 where the Greek
words of Textus Receptus may be grammatically translated as either “seven
days,” as in KJV, or as “Day Seven,” i.e. “the Seventh Day.” Without knowing
the details of the actual calendar, or else without recognizing the further
time constraints provided within the context of the Greek text given in the
Textus Receptus text of Acts 20:6-7, the translators would have no way of
knowing which of the two grammatical translations to use. Evidently the KJV
translators did not make the best choice when translating Acts 20:6.
Having thus laid the groundwork, by specifying
additional characteristics and constraints upon the years 37 CE through 40 CE,
we are ready to exactly identify which year at the time of Pentecost the
Apostolic Church Council in Jerusalem took place:
First, we may notice that any attempt to place
“two [full] years” between said Pentecost and the coming of Festus will bring
us into the first two year period of Felix’s reign during which I find no way
of having the weekly Shabbat coincide with the Seventh Day of the Feast of
Tabernacles. Thus, once again, my prior finding of the words “two years,” when
used in the KJV, is always referencing a time period spilling over into a
second year.
Second, what “second year” is being here
referenced? Or, else what exactly do the Greek words of Textus Receptus Acts
24:27 really say? Is this a reference to Paul, or perhaps to the reign of
Felix? It clearly is not a reference to either Agrippa Jr, nor to Caesar
Claudius.
Below are found the pertinent calendars from 36
CE through 42 CE necessary to determine which years, within a given range, that
may be considered possible for satisfying the criteria required by Acts 20:6-7
within the Greek text of the Textus Receptus manuscripts, from which text it is
necessary to conclude that the 7th Day of the Feast of Unleavened
Breads of that year fell upon the 7th Day weekly Shabbat. [Blue digits in the calendars below represent the Biblical days of the lunar month. Black digits
pertain to the Julian calendar. The days of interest for our purposes here are
highlighted in bold
red font. Every month including a potential Aviv 1 is included, i.e. per the
criteria given at this link
as applied to the NASA Phases
of the Moon tables unto which I have added in blue font the numbers of possible
the biblical lunar moon numbers. Likewise every potential Aviv 1
of interest within each of said months is included below as is also every Aviv 15
and Aviv 21 since
these are the 1st and 7th Days of the Feast of Unleavened
Breads.]
As may be seen below neither 37 CE, 38 CE, or
41 CE allow for a concurrent weekly Shabbat and 7th Day of the Feast
of Unleavened Breads. Saturday April 7th 36 CE, Saturday April 4th 39
CE, Saturday April 23rd 40 CE, and Saturday March 31st 42
CE are all potentially possible candidates meeting said criteria,
however.
March
36 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2
3 4
5
6 7 8 9 10
11
1 - Possible Aviv
1.
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
?
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
April
36 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
15
1
? 21 ?
2
3 4 5
6 7
8 Saturday
April 7th is a possible candidate.
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
April 37 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2 Either by
default or by 1st possibly visible crescent!
1
2 3 4
5 6 7
3 4
5 6 7 8 9
8
9 10 11 12 13 14
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 No go!
24 25
29 30
March
38 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2
3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
1
1 Possible Aviv 1.
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
April 38 CE
Mo Tu We
Th Fr Sa Su
1 2
3 4 5 6
15 15
7 8 9 10
11 12 13
21 21
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 No go!
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
March 39 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1
2
3 4 5
6 7 8
1 1
Possible Aviv 1.
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
15 15
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31
April 39 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
21 21 23
1 2
3 4
5 Saturday April 4th is very possible, even likely!
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
6
7 8 9 10 11 12
30 1
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30
21 No go!
2nd or
April 40 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 1 Possible Aviv 1.
1
2 3
4
5 6 7
8 9 10
15 15
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
21 21
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Saturday April 23rd possible, even likely!
25 26 27 28 29 30
22nd or
March 41 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2
3 4 5
6
7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
1
1
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
April
41 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2
15 15
3
4 5 6
7 8 9
21 21
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 No go!
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
March 42 CE
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1 2
3 4
1 Aviv 1.
5
6 7 8 9 10
11
? Not an interesting option
even if possible…
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
15
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
?
21
26 27 28 29 30 31 Saturday March 31st possible.