Priestly Service On New Year’s Day

Qumran, Cave 4, fragment 4Q330

The information below is contained in A New Translation The Dead Sea Scrolls by Wise, Abegg, and Cook, page 407

Synopsis

The initial section of this work documents the name of the priestly course serving in the Temple on New Year’s Day. According to the Qumran calendar, New Year’s Day occurred on the first day of Abib, which corresponds roughly to March 20th or 21st in the modern calendar. This day marked the vernal equinox. The proper observance of New Year’s Day was a contentious issue among Second Temple Jews, as some believed the year should start on the first day of the seventh month.

Fragment 1

[In the third year,] Col. 2 Mijamin on the first of the f[irst] month […] in the sixth week. In the [fourth] year, [Shecaniah on the first of the first month…] In the {second year} f[ifth] year, Jeshebeab on the [first of the first month …] –Martin G. Abegg Jr.