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"Rabbinical sources...indicate that the weekly Sabbath was called a "high day" when it COIN-
CIDED WITH PASSOVER, because, as well stated by Charles C. Torrey, 'its inherent solemnity
was greatly heightened by the celebration of the foremost feast of the year.'" (The Time of the
Crucifixion and Resurrection, chapter 3). "This information," continues Bacchiocchi, "is impor-
tant because it disproves the claim that the weekly Sabbath was never called or referred to as a
'high day.'"

H.L. Strack and P. Billerbec, in their book Kommentar zum Neuen Testament aus Tal-
mud und Midrash (Munich, 1922-1928) state that in later Rabbinic literature the seventh-day
Sabbath is regarded as a "high day" if it falls on Nisan 15, and they show numerous examples in
support of this.

Bo Reicke, author of The New Testament Era: The World of the Bible From 500 B.C.
to A.D. 100 understood this when he wrote --

Since a holy day was approaching (Mark 15:42), the Jews asked the procurator to have
the bodies taken away (John 19:31-37). Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the
Council, saw to Jesus' burial in a tomb that belonged to him...Immediately after the subse-
quent Sabbath came the morning of the Day of First Fruits, which had to be observed by
the presentation of a sheaf (Hebrew, omer) in the Temple (Lev. 23:11) and which was
also the day [Nisan 16] from which the Feast of Weeks, celebrated fifty days later, was
calculated. On this morning some women sought to show their respect to the Lord by
bringing spices and perfumes, but found that he was no longer in the tomb (Matt. 28:6;
John 20:2). -- Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1981, pp. 187-188.

The plural form of the word "Sabbath" is also found in Matthew 28:1: "After the sabbath,
when it was growing light on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came
to view the grave" (The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures). If correctly
translated this verse should read -- "After the sabbaths [plural], when it was growing light on the
first day of the week..." Also, the phrase "when it was growing light on the first day of the week" is
translated from the original Greek, which literally says "to the [day] lighting up into one [first] of
sabbaths" -- notice the plural form once again.

The phrase "into one [first] of sabbaths" is a reference to the first day from which the omer
count starts in the count to Pentecost -- which count is made up of seven Sabbaths or weeks. This
count always begins on Nisan 16.

The exact same thing is found in Mark 16:2 where the Greek literally says: "And exceed-
ingly early to the one [first] [day] of the sabbaths they are coming upon the memorial tomb..."
which in English usage reads "And very early on the first day of the week they came to the memo-
rial tomb..." (The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures).

The word "sabbath" is also in the PLURAL in Luke 24:1 and John 20:1, showing that this
particular weekly Sabbath was also a high day.

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