Moses and Aaron

The Third Book Treateth of Daies and Times

Chap. I Days, Hours, Weeks, and Years

Before we treat of their Feasts, it will be needful, by way of Preface, to understand somewhat concerning the divisions of their Days, Hours, Weeks, &c.

Their Day was two-fold; Natural, containing day and night, and consisting of 24 hours; or Artificial, beginning at Sun-rising and ending at Sun-set. Of this is that, Are there not twelve hours in the day? John 11. 9.

The Natural day was again two-fold: Civil, a working-day, which was destined for civil businesses and works: this began at Sun-rising, and held till the next Sun-rising, Mat. 28. 1. or Sacred, a Festival or Holy-day, destined for holy exercises: this began at Sun-set, and continued till the next Sun-set.

Their night was divided into four quarters, or greater hours, termed four Watches, each Watch containing three lesser hours. The first they called Caput vigiliarum, the beginning of the watches, Lam. 2. 19. the second was the middle watch, Judg. 7. 19. not so termed, because there were only three watches, as Drusius237 would perswade, but because it dured till midnight. The third watch, began at midnight, and held till three of the clock in the morning. If he come in the second, or third watch, Luk. 12. 38. The last, called the morning watch, Exod. 14. 24. began at three of the clock, and ended at six in the morning. In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out unto them, Mat. 14. 25. These Watches also were called by other names, according to that part of the night which closed each watch. The first was termed ὀψὲ, the even. The second, μεσονύκτιον Midnight. The third ἀλεκτοροφωνία, Cock-crowing. The fourth πρωῒ, the Dawning. Ye know not when the Master of the house will come, at Even, or at Midnight, or at Cock-crowing, or at the Dawning, Mark 13. 35.

The day was likewise divided into four quarters, as appeareth by the Parable of the Labourers hired into the Vineyard, Mat. 20. The first quarter began at six of the clock in the morning, and held till nine. The second quarter ended at twelve of the clock. The third quarter at three in the after-noon. The fourth quarter at six of the night. The first quarter was called the third hour, vers. 3. The second quarter, the sixth hour, vers. 5. The third quarter, the ninth hour, vers. 5. The last quarter, the eleventh hour, vers. 6.

Where note, that the three first quarters had their names from the hour of the day, which closed the quarter (for they began their count of their lesser hours, from six a clock in the morning, and our 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. was their 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.) only the last was called the eleventh hour, by our Saviour Christ; whereas among the common people, it either was called, or should have been called, by proportion with the rest, the twelfth hour; to intimate unto us, that though God in his mercy accept labourers into his Vineyard eleven hours of the day, yet he seldome calleth any of the twelfth; for that is rather an hour to discharge servants, than to admit new.

Some Expositors finding mention of the dawning of the day, in this Parable, vers. 1.238 They reckon the 4 quarters of the day after this manner. Hora prima, Hora tertia, Hora sexta, Hora nona. Where first they err, in taking the dawning of the day for the first hour of the day; for πρωὶ the dawning, signifieth the last quarter of the night, called the Morning watch. Secondly, they err in making the last quarter of the day to be the ninth hour, for what then shall become of the eleventh hour, mentioned in the same Parable?

By this division of the day into these four quarters, or greater hours, the Evangelists are reconciled touching our Saviour’s Passion. He was crucified at the third hour, Mark 15. 25. S. John intimateth his examination before Pilate, to have been Hora quasi sexta, about the sixth hour, John 19. 14. In the first place, understand by his crucifying, not his hanging on the Cross, which was not till the sixth hour, Luk. 23. 44. nor his expiration, which was not till the ninth hour, Mar. 15. 34. but his examination under Pilate, at which time the people cried out, Crucifie him, Crucifie him; and then the third and sixth hour will easily be reconciled, for these two hours immediately following one another, what was done on the third hour, might truly be said to be done about the sixth.

Lastly, This sheweth that the hours among the Jews were of two sorts; some lesser, of which the day contained twelve: others greater, of which the day contained four, as hath been above shewn: the lesser are termed hours of the day, Are there not twelve hours of the day? John 11. 9. The greater, some term hours of the Temple, or hours of prayer. Peter and John went up into the Temple, at the ninth hour of prayer, Acts 3. 1. But in truth there are but three hours of prayer, the third, the sixth, and the ninth.239 The third instituted by Abraham, the sixth by Isaac, and the ninth by Jacob. The third hour the Holy Gost descended upon the Apostles, Acts 2. 15. About the sixth Peter went up to the house-top to pray, Acts 10. 9. At the ninth, Peter and John went into the Temple, Acts 3. 1.

From these greater hours of the day and night, the Canonical hours,240 in use in the Roman Church, had their beginning; each Canonical hour containeth three lesser hours, so that in the whole night and day there are eight Canonical hours. At six of the clock in the evening began the first, and that is termed Hora vespertina; or vespertinum simply, (officium being understood) their Vespertine. At nine of the clock at night began the second, and that is termed Completorium, their Completory. At midnight began the third, Nocturnum, their Nocturn. At three of the clock in the morning, began their Matutinum, their Matines. The Canonical hours for their day-service were named, Hora prima, tertia, sexta, nona. Their first hour began from six of the clock in the morning, and held till nine: the third from nine till twelve, the sixth from twelve till three, the ninth from three till six at night.

The Dial in use among the ancient Jews, differed from that in use among us: theirs were a kind of stairs; the time of the day was distinguished, not by lines, but by steps, or degrees; the shade of the Sun every half hour moved forward to a new degree. In the Dial of Ahaz, the Sun went back ‎‏מעלות‏‎ Magnoloth, degrees, or steps, not lines, Isai. 38. 8.

Their weeks were two-fold; the one was ordinary consisting of seven daies, the other extraordinary and Prophetical, consisting of seven years. Dan. 9. 24. The first is termed Hebdomas diaria, a week of daies; the second, Hebdomas annalis, a week of years.

The Hebrews at first measured their moneths according to the course of the Sun, whence they are called Menses solares; and then every moneth consisted of thirty daies. The waters prevailed from the seventeenth day of the second moneth, Gen. 17. 13. unto the seventh day of the seven moneth, Gen. 8. 4. that is, full five moneths. If we will number the daies, they were an hundred and fifty, Gen. 7. 24. Whereby it appeareth, that every moneth contained full thirty daies. After the Israelites departure out of Egypt, then they measured their moneths by the course of the Moon; they are termed Menses Lunares: they contained either thirty daies, and then they were called Menses pleni, full moneths: or twenty nine daies, and then they were called Menses cavi, Deficient Moneths.

The Sun exceedeth the Moon in her course eleven daies, hence241 every third or second year, one month was inserted. Now because the twelfth moneth in the Hebrew Kalender was called Adar, hence when a month was inserted, the last was called Ve-adar,the second Adar.

Before their captivity in Babylon, they counted their moneths without any name, according to the number. The First, Second, Third moneth, &c. After their return from Babylon, they called them by these names:

1. Nisan; it was also called ‎‏אביב‏‎ Abib, which signifieth an ear of Corn. in this month Barley began to be eared.	They answered to part of	1	{March. { April.
2. Iiar, it was also called ‎‏זיו‏‎ which signifieth beauty: then the Trees began to be beautified with Buds and Blossoms.		2	{ April. { May.
3. Sivan.		3	{ May. { June.
4. Thamuz.		4	{ June. { July.
5. Ab.		5	{ July. { August.
6. Elul.		6	{ August. { September.
7. Tisri, otherwise called Ethanim.		7	{ September. { October.
8. Marchesuan, it was called Bull.		8	{ October. { November.
9. Chisleu.		9	{ November. { December.
10. Tebeth.		10	{ December. { January.
11. Shebeth.		11	{ January. { February.
12. Adar. Ve-adar.		12	{ February. { March.

Before their coming out of Egypt, they began their year in the moneth of Tisri,242 and thus they continued it always after, for civil affairs, for their date of buying, selling, their Sabbatical years, years of Jubile, &c. After their coming out of Egypt, they began their year in the moneth Nisan, and so continued it for the computation of their greatest Feasts.

Notes

237 Drus. Judic. 7. 19.

238 Erat autem primus ternarius à prima usq; ad tertiam, & dicebatur prima hora, secundus erat à tertia, usq; ad sextam & dicebatur hora tertia, tertius erat à sexta usq; ad nonam, & dicebatur sexta; quartus à nona usq; ad ultimam quæ erat duodecima, & dicebatur nona. Refellit hanc opinionem Toletus, receptam licet à multis recensionem (ut ipse ait) quoniam de undecima cujus meminit parabola, altum apud hos silentium. Jure vapulant à te, Tolete, qui excludunt undecimam constanter tamen asserenda est contra te quadripartita diei divisio, in hoc potissimum illorum error consistit, quod horam primam faciunt, non inveniunt; horam undecimam inveniunt excludunt tamen, nihil à mente Evangelistarum magis alienum, quam ut ὁ πρωιὴ verteretur hora prima diei, quæ in illorum scriptis sonat quartam noctis vigiliam. Vid. Tolet. in Joan. cap. 19. Annot. 8.

239 Drusius in præterit. Act. 3. 1. Non fuisse ultra tres horas precationis in die apud Judæos, clare testatur David Kimchi.

240 Vide Bellarm. de bonis oper. in part. 1. cap. 10.

241 Vide Kalendarium Hebraicum Munsteri pag. 62.

242 Ἐν μηνὶ δευτέρῳ Δὶῳ μὲν ὑπὸ Μακεδόνων λεγομένῳ Μαρσουάνῃ δὲ ὑπὸ Ἑβραίων, οὕτω γὰρ Αἰγύπτιοι τὸν ἐνίαυτον ἦσαν διατεταχότες. Μωυσῆς δὲ τὸν Νισὰν, ὅς ἐστι ξανθικὸς, μήνα πρῶτον ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑορταῖς ὥρισεν. Joseph. Antiq. l. 1. c. 4. Mendose ponitur Μαρσουάνη pro αρχασουὰν qui mensis erat olim secundus apud Hebræos, sicut et Dius apud Macedones.