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Writing about his article, Dwyer asserts that "this new research looks at the Sabbath calen-
dar -- as it would have been known to a MAINSTREAM JEW LIVING IN THE SECOND TEM-
PLE ERA -- and it finds the Sabbath to have been a rather sophisticated interface with the
lunar-solar system. In this earlier time, the Sabbath Cycle -- surprisingly -- WAS DEFINED BY
THE PHASES OF THE MOON, and -- even more surprising than this -- the Sabbath Cycle also
revolved into precise alignment with the annual circuit."

Later on, in the second century A.D., proof that the Jews were still keeping the Sabbath day
according to the lunar week can be found in the writings of Clement of Alexandria (circa 150-215
A.D.): "[Peter] inferred thus: 'Neither worship as the Jews...[for] IF THE MOON IS NOT VISI-
BLE, they do not hold the SABBATH, which is called the first; nor do they hold the NEW MOON,
nor the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, nor the FEAST, nor the GREAT DAY'" (The Stro-
mata, or Miscellanies, chapter 5).

This clearly indicates that at this time the weekly Sabbath was still dictated by the moon's
course. Further, in chapter 16 of The Stromata, Clement plainly writes that "in periods of SEVEN
DAYS the MOON undergoes its changes. In the FIRST WEEK she becomes HALF MOON; in the
SECOND [WEEK], FULL MOON; and in the THIRD [WEEK], in her wane, AGAIN HALF
MOON; and in the FOURTH [WEEK] she DISAPPEARS."

This is about as plain as it can get. Obviously, in Clement's day, the week (as kept by the
Jews) was still tied to the moon's phases and, by extension, the weekly Sabbath was also still tied
to the moon! It appears, however, that by this time (150-215 A.D.) some of the Christians had got-
ten away from a week and Sabbath that was dependent upon the lunar reckoning.

The Christian Divorcement of the Sabbath

In the years following Clement of Alexandria's time, an ominous change started to take
place that was to radically change the Christian concept of the Sabbath. "This intimate connection,"
records the Encyclopedia Biblica, "between the week and the month was soon dissolved. It is cer-
tain that the week soon followed a development of its own, and it became the custom -- without
paying any regard to the days of the month (i.e. the lunar month) -- ...so that THE NEW MOON NO
LONGER COINCIDED WITH THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK" (The MacMillan Company,
1899. P. 5290).

Then, on page 4179 of the same encyclopedia, we read: "The introduction...of the custom
of celebrating the Sabbath every 7th day, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE
DAY TO THE MOON'S PHASES, led to a complete separation from the ancient view of the
Sabbath..."

In the article Shawui Calendar: Ancient Shawui Observance, we find confirmation of
this radical change in God's calendar --

The [lunar]...calendar was used by ALL the original disciples of Yeshua...This original
Nazarene lunar-solar calendar was supplanted by a Roman "planetary week" and calendar
in 135 C.E. -- when the "Bishops of the Circumcision" (i.e. legitimate Nazarene succes-

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