Page 66 - BV4

Upon close inspection, it can be recognized that Scroll 4Q317 -- as shown above -- repre-
sents an extremely intriguing interpretation of the lunar month cycle in that the lunar circuit is
shown to possess exactly formal stages.

This completely eye-opening interpretation shows the Moon to wax in exactly 14 ascending
stages -- and then to wane in exactly 14 descending stages.

Notice carefully that at the middle of the month, a peculiar ½ stage is listed, and again at
new month, the same peculiar ½ stage is also listed.

Based upon this formalized progression (of repeating stages of 14 ½ intervals) its easy to
recognize an important reason for the peculiar appearance of the ½ stage. Obviously, the ½ stage
which appears following 14 stages of the waxing Moon is equivalent to the very evening of the
full-phase of the Moon (or when the whole Moon is only visible all-night long in the evening sky.
The last ½ stage which appears following 14 stages of the waning Moon is equivalent to the time
of the new-phase of the Moon (or to when 'the Moon rules all the day in the midst of the sky'). On
only this day the Moon is completely absent from the night sky.

Based upon information shown on Scroll 4Q317, it can be recognized that the Moon was
once very formally tracked in stages or increments which equate to parts of either daytime or
nighttime, and not in specific whole-day units.

Thus, according to this very significant ancient interpretation, the lunar circuit progresses
through 14 increments of waxing to the time of the reverse of the month (when 'the Moon enters the
night'). The reverse of the lunar cycle is seemingly significant because it specifically marks the
nighttime of the full-phase of Moon (a ½ stage when the whole Moon is uniquely visible in the
night sky all evening). After this specific lunar-phase (the ½ stage on the night of the whole Moon),
the lunar cycle can be counted through 14 specific increments of waning, and the cycle ultimately
arrives at the other reverse of the month (a ½ stage when 'the Moon enters the day'). The latter re-
verse is also seemingly significant and it matches the day (the daylight portion) of the new-phase
of Moon (the ½ stage on the daylight when Moon is completely invisible in the night sky).

From this ancient method of reversed month reckoning, it is ultimately elementary to quite
simply count a formalized sequence of evenings and daylights across 14 remarkable stages to the
special evening of the whole Moon. Following the evening of the whole Moon, a reversed se-
quence of daylights and evenings can be counted in 14 stages to the special daylight of new Moon.

Thus, it is extremely significant that the Moon Cycle can be formally counted in 14 incre-
ments of waxing (consisting of evenings + daylights) up to a mid-month reverse of the lunar cycle-
and then subsequently formally counted in 14 reversed increments of waning (consisting of day-
lights + evenings).

This formal lunar cycle arrangement -- consisting of waxing and waning stages of the Moon
(in intriguing interplay with daylights and evenings) -- is quite remarkable (from both mathematical
and logical viewpoints).

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