Page 52 - BV10

Thus, it is very clear that a diverse version of the month-unit (not lunar-based) was advo-
cated by -- or possibly was actually observed by -- the Jewish sect who resided at Qumran. It is
also possible in the late Second-Temple Era that other Jewish groups might have also advocated a
change of the priesthood (and possibly also a change in the religious calendar).

An analysis of the 52 week religious calendar -- advocated at Qumran -- seems to show
that the Sabbath week (actually a seasonal subdivision) may have been determined very differently
than was the lunar-Sabbath determined by the priesthood who served during the early-part of the
Second-Temple Era.

From the indicated count of 52 weeks, it can be concluded that -- in opposition to the Tem-
ple system -- a diverse religious calendar was promulgated by the residents of Qumran. The oppo-
sition calendar was based upon a seasonal count of 13-weeks, or 91 days (while the annual count
contained 52-weeks, or 364 days).

A delineation between the two different methods of determining the Sabbath (either by a
lunar-based count, or by a seasonal count of 13-weeks) can seemingly be recognized from an
early-written document called The War Scroll. The War Scroll (recovered at Qumran) refers to
52 heads of the congregation -- as if the number count of the leaders should correspond to each of
the 52 weeks in the annual calendar. The so-called War Scroll also shows that the ideal
configuration of the priesthood (as perhaps subscribed to by the very last residents at Qumran)
should be divided into 26 divisions.

The 26 divisions (subscribed to by the residents of Qumran) are seemingly significant in
the regard that only 24 courses of priests are indicated to have served under the late Second-
Temple. Each of the priestly courses are indicated to have served in office for one week at a time.
This means that all 24 courses of the Temple priests would have been rotated into office
throughout a cycle of 6-lunar-months (or each lunar-year). Thus, it is reasonable to further sus-
pect that the very last residents at Qumran were adhering to a Sabbath schedule of 13 weeks in
each seasonal cycle (or 26 weeks in each half-year-cycle).

The seasonal count of 26 weeks in each half-year-cycle may have been performed in op-
position to the Temple priests (who are indicated to have rotated their offices according to a
lunar-based schedule of 24 lunar-weeks in each half-year-cycle -- as cited).

It is of related significance that a pentecontad cycle was actually advocated at Qumran, but
at Qumran, the pentecontad cycle seems to have only been partially counted. A number of the Dead
Sea Scrolls indicate that the respective pentecontad count first began after a special barley offer-
ing. The barley count was fulfilled by a new-grain offering after 7-weeks. The indicated pentecon-
tad count continued -- and a new-wine offering was ultimately presented. The final count of the
pentecontad resulted in a new-oil offering.

What is most unusual from what must be later-written scrolls is the peculiar omission of
the 50th day from the ongoing 7-weeks count. Essentially, the 7 weeks count -- as advocated by
the presumed late residents of Qumran -- did not contain the additional count of a specific 50th
day. The 7-Sabbath count performed by modern Falasha Jews is likewise a looped count in which

52