Once again, remember that in Pharisaic and Second Temple times, two different festival calendars were operationally running side by side.
- The Pharisaic and Sadducean traditional sighted moon calendar. One day always advances to the next day, beginning with sunset.
- The House of Tzadok priestly calculated sevens’ solar calendar. One day always advances to the next day, beginning with sunrise.
Typically, Matthew 28:1 is interpreted and read precisely as the NKJV presents it: “Now, after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn…she (Miriam) came to see the tomb.”
This said, let’s look at what I think is likely being expressed, at least according to the redactor of the Greek text: “But now, at a late hour of the Sabbaths…she (Miriam) was coming to see the tomb.” This is speaking about the arrival time of the women at a late hour while it was still Sabbath, which can only mean one thing; their arrival was according to the Tzadok sunrise-to-sunrise reckoning.
Then, we read: “…the dawning (of the morning light) was toward the First of the Sabbaths.”
Writing the narrative this way strongly mirrors how the Pharisees understood Leviticus 23:15. “And you shall count to yourselves, from the morrow of the sabbath, from the gathering in of your harvest – an Omer, seven sabbaths, complete!” This is about when to start the count of the Omer AND ALSO when to start the count of the seven sabbaths leading up to the Feast of Weeks, called Shavuot or Pentecost.
Ultimately, Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-2, Luke 24;1, and John 20:1 all embrace a kind of dual timestamp from two different points of view: Pharisaic AND House of Tzadok chronology. But why? I will show you and speak of much more related to Yeshua’s last Passover Week timeline of events on today’s Real Israel Talk Radio episode, Episode 134, and Part 21.
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