How did People Tell Time in Jesus’ Time?

The modern person, especially in the West, thinks of time in a very mechanistic way. We watch the clock, which is in itself a mechanical device without intrinsic meaning. We look to the clock rather than watch the sun, or watch our children grow, or look to the crops, or even more broadly to the rise and fall of nations. For most of us, time is not the unfolding of eternity, or the cycle of life, time is simply a neutral span or period, to be reckoned by it’s length, by the number ticks on a device we have invented. We also tend to reckon time by what we can do with it. If we have a lot of time, we can get a lot done, if we don’t have much time, we can’t get things done.

Further, the modern, Western mind controls by measuring. And we love to measure time. And having measured it, we somehow think we control it. We assign money values to it (time is money!) and hang many expectations on it, as in “you’re taking too long to do that… the deadline has passed….etc”

For ancient peoples, including the ancient Jews, such precision about time was unknown, and to some degree impossible. Surely, for them, the measurement of time was of divine origin. God set forth the sun to rule the day, the moon and the stars by night (cf Ps 135:8-9).

The cycle of the sun set forth the day. Another lengthier cycle of Sun, its rising and falling in the horizon, marked the year. So too, “seasons” could be noted by this cycle. There was the longest and shortest day of the year known as a solstice. And then twice more in the year there was the equinox when the night in the day were almost exactly the same length.

As for the months, the moon declared these. The very name “month” in English is but a mispronunciation of the word moon, as in, “What moonth are we in?”

There were different systems among the ancient peoples to demarcate time, some of them solar calendars, others lunar. At the time of Jesus, it is clear that there was a lunar year 354 days in use. The lunar year has the serious disadvantage of being some 11 days behind the solar year, which quickly causes there to be a discordance between the months and the seasons. Thus, from time to time, these differences had to be caught up, otherwise the declared summer months would eventually have opened in midwinter etc.

The Jewish people generally speaking waited until the error of the lunar calendar amounted to about a whole month and then inserted an extra month called Veadar, between the months of a Adar and Nisan. A year with this extra month amounted to almost 400 days instead of the usual 354 days of the Jewish lunar calendars.

When exactly to insert this extra month was made in a very empirical manner. Thus farmers might note to Rabbinic official that “the lambs are still too young…” or, “The grain is not ripe.” When consensus built that the Veadar month needed to be inserted, it was ordered to be done. Decisions of this sort were usually made by a Beth Din – A legal council of Rabbis, which follow a complex procedure. Witnesses were examined as to the problem of a lagging clock in relation to the season. Chosen observers of the sun and moon were asked with scrupulous as to where they had seen the moon, the size of its crescent, and its height above the horizon. And when the necessary evidence was collected the Veadar month was declared. This would happen approximately every three years.

Generally, a month was said to begin in the evening of the 29th day, at the moment when the thin sliver of the new moon appeared in the sky. When all the seven Beth Din court members agreed to the new month, it legally began and fires were lit on the hilltops to announce that the new month and legally begun.

In ordinary years, without a Veadar, there were 12 months. But frankly the Anceint Jews told time more by their feasts than by the name of the month. Thus, the Jews thought of yearly time in this manner:

Months, i.e. the moon cycle, and the festivals were the essential division of the year. The four seasons which have a lot of important for us, were less significant for the ancient Jews, who lived in a climate that did not really fall into four distinct periods. For them there was only a cool and wet months of october to March and a hot and dry period from April to September, and the intermediate stages between these two seasons were very brief. But, as noted, the chief points of the year were known relation to the feasts. For an ancient Jew to hear of the Feasts of Passover, of Tabernacles, or the Day of Atonement gave them very clear time references.

But despite all these reference points, the honest truth about telling time at the time of Jesus was that it was murky. Frankly there were any number of different calendars used in Palestine at the time. The Jews had an official calendar, but were even divided among themselves as to the details. This difference find its way into the Scriptures, wherein the three synoptic gospels seem to date Passover one day, but John’s Gospel another. The reason is likely rooted in two different calendars in use among the Jews of Jesus’ day. There is strong evidence that the Essene Community used a calendar from the Book of Jubilees, which was a solar calendar of 364 days rather than the lunar calendar of many other Jews. So even in the significant feasts like Passover, different groups of Jews sometimes had strong differences about how to enumerate the exact days of Passover and other feasts. Add to this complexity the fact that the Romans had a completely different calendar, as did the Samaritans. The Greek cities of the Decapolis also use the Macedonian calendar, yet still others made reference to as many as four calendars: the Jewish, the Syrian, Egyptian, and the Roman.

We who live in more certain parameters about time, will marvel and wonder how anyone knew what time to show up anywhere. Yet, from day to day it must be said that the ancient Jews lived in greater conformity the natural cycles of the day. They got up when the sun rose and generally follow the cycle of the day, closing work before dusk and enjoying a few evening hours perhaps around oil lamps or by moonlight. But generally their lives were synchronized with the sun and the seasons, while our notions of the day are often artificial, and in some ways unhealthy.

One of the greater mysteries in terms of telling time is the seven-day week. Most of the other increments make sense based on the cycles of the moon and the sun. But there seems to be no obvious reference in the natural order to explain a week being seven days. Surely the book of Genesis is the theological source for this practice. God worked for six days and creating the heavens and the earth, and rested on the seventh. Thus man, made in God’s image, did the same. And yet it seems clear most cultures throughout human history seem to reset the clock every seven days. Where exactly this comes from naturally is not clear. It is possible that the influence of the Jewish scriptures had some role. Yet the seven-day cycle seems common even where Jewish faith could not of had much influence. Perhaps there is some inner circadian rhythm in human person? It is not clear. But for the Jews of Jesus’ time, it is clear enough that God had set this forth and it was to be followed.

Weeks went from one sabbath to the next. There is no evidence of the Jews named each day. Of course the Sabbath was named, and the day before the Sabbath was called the Day Preparation (e.g. Mk 15:42). However, other days were simply called the First Day of the Week (e.g. Mk 16:2), the second day, and so forth. Romans and Greeks had named each day off after a god or planet, but there is no evidence the Jews did this.

The day for the ancient Jews began at sundown. And that was also the moment when the day before finished. In larger towns, and especially in Jerusalem, the end of the day was marked with the sound of trumpets. This pattern is of course very different for us who mark the beginning of the new day, literally at midnight, and practically at sunrise. We work then rest, they rested and then worked.

The division of the day and hours was a comparatively recent phenomenon Jesus time. The very word “hour” is not found in the Old Testament, except perhaps once in the book of Daniel. But by the time the Jesus, the division of the day into 12 hours was commonly accepted. This fact is referenced in many places in the New Testament. For example there is a parable of the laborers were hired at the 11th hour (Mt 20:9). There are references to Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well at the six hour (Jn 4:6). St. Mark says Jesus was let out for crucifixion of third hour and died at the ninth hour (Mk 15:25,33). Jesus admonished the disciples to watch and pray even for one hour.

Exactly how a hour was reckoned was obviously more vague than today. There was a general sense of the position of the sun, and there were sundials etc. especially among the Greeks. But there was a general vagueness and reckoning the exact time of the day in Israel time of Jesus. As already noted, our modern mania for promptness and exactitude with time was utterly unknown at the time of Jesus, and even in many places in the world today. Time was a much more flexible phenomenon. In Jesus time it would’ve been meaningless to set an appointment for 10:30 AM, or 6 o’clock. One would have to be content to speak of meeting in the early evening, or mid-afternoon etc. To us moderns this would seem infuriating. But life was slower then and people were rarely in a hurry.

As for the night hours, things are even more vague. For those who were up at night and cared, the night was divided into watches. It would seem there were four of them. St. Matthew for example states that it was in the fourth watch of the night when Jesus walked on the water to join his disciples (Mat 14:25). The last watch of the night would also featured the cockcrow as dawn came close.

Imagine how lost and infuriated many of us moderns would be in a world where time was not of the essence, it was on the periphery. For us who are ruled by the clock, the whole experience might be quite disorienting. On the other hand it might also be liberating as we looked not slavishly to some artificial and unrelenting time piece, but to the gentler and cyclical rhythms of God’s design. We might actually slow down to the pace of life intended for us. As for most of us now, we could well say, “I’m so busy I met myself coming back.” But somewhere, even in the world today there are still those who, by the glow of gentle oil lamps wait patiently until the day dawns and the morning star rises (2 Peter 1:19).

Our Heavenly Father gave us His timekeeping with the sun, moon and stars..

And the world is run off the sun only calendars today.. not unlike the ancient sun worshippers- nothing new under the sun.

Jews and muslims will break out the moon for calculations through the year at times convenient.

The stars get ignored in the timekeeping.

And the world major religions each get a pope gregory appointed sun based sabbath day in the counterfeit greco roman latin week.

Time has been counterfeited..and there is one master counterfeiter..

One year my son was performing in Godspell during Holy Week. The whole family came to see him on Good Friday (this show was in a public school and the director was unaware that it was Holy Week but said it was his favorite musical.) So we all decided to observe Good Friday starting the evening of Holy Thursday (the fasting etc.) so we could go out for pie after the show. I later found out that is actually the most appropriate thing to do.

The early monks used hour glasses and candles to mark the passing of the hours so that they could sing the liturgy of the hours. Lauds, 6:00 a.m.; Terce, 9:00 a.m.; Sext, noon; None -2:00 p.m.; Vespers, 6 p.m.; Compline 9 p.m.; and Invitatory - usually at 3:00 a.m. but also sung before the first prayer of the day. Bells rang for each. This system also measured the year since different psalms were sung throughout the year with I think the goal being that all the psalms would be read in a year’s time and the rest of the Bible in three years time.

There was a significant drive in the nautical industry for accurate time measurements which drove much of the advance. Without the ability it was impossible to determine longitude.

Latitude could be determined by the position of celesitial objects position to the north/south horizon, but longitude could only be determined in transit once there were accurate time pieces.

Oil drops were actually one of the first means to more accuratelly demark the time if I recall correctly.

A couple of related observations from this interesting article.

The fact that the Arabs and the Jews both use Lunar reckoned calendars but the Arabic / Islamic calendar makes no adjustments to the astronomical year. This means that their important dates and religious festivals cycle throughout the common astronomical year. My informed guess is that this is the difference between an agricultural people (Jews) and a sub-Equitorial nomadic herding culture (Arabs) where intra-year changes (day lengths and seasonal variations) were minimal.

As for close time measurements common in our modern world, that necessity got its big boost from oceanic navigation in the European late Middle Ages. When most commerce was conducted by land travel and coastal shipping, accurate time measuring was an option. Once the “Age of Exploration” came to Europe, the need for time measurement grew in importance. While magnetic compasses, speed measurements and latitude following were well known tools of ocean navigation, only time measurement could resolve the ‘Y’ coordinate of travel on the trackless seas. Read Dava Sobel’s excellent book “Longitude” for the story of the successful development of an accurate non-pendulum clock needed for time-keeping at sea. From there to our modern GPS and telecommunication systems is a logical path that our star-following ancestors would marvel at just as we marvel at their abilities for that skill!

From The Iliad:

Now when Dawn in robe of saffron was hastening from the streams of Oceanus, to bring light to mortals and immortals, Thetis reached the ships with the armor that the god had given her.
—Iliad xix.1

But soon as early Dawn appeared, the rosy-fingered, then gathered the folk about the pyre of glorious Hector.
—Iliad xxiv.776

Homer mentions the rosy-fingered dawn many times, obviously not a late sleeper like us later clock obsessed idiots.

Hey, glad to oblige ;)

Speaking of other celestial time references, the current "Dog Days" of Summer were so named by many cultures b/c they coincided with the dates when the Dog Star (Sirius) rises along with the Sun.

Another time tidbit RE Alpha Canis Majoris is that the star situated is due South at local midnight on New Years Day... Siriusly!

Frankly there were any number of different calendars used in Palestine at the time.

Frankly, there was no "Palestine" yet; the Romans named the land Palestina after the conclusion of the second Jewish-Roman war circa 138. Why call the land after the Philistines instead of its proper biblical names ("land of Israel" etc.) unless one is a Philistine ?

Jesus called it Israel, which should be good enough for any of his disciples. 23But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 24The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.

Yep - Sunset to sunset is the general rule for fasting - then comes the feasting. Pie is a good way to feast. :)

Was the show good? I think the director may have been pulling a sneaky - you know how religion in schools is viewed and has been viewed for a few years now. I know my kids school invariably put on three performances of Jesus Christ, Superstar during Holy Week. I am sure the timing was purely coincidental. ;)

The show was amazing. He cast a Jewish kid named Joshua as Jesus. His parents were a bit concerned. Mark also produced JCSS. Our younger son was Pilot. He was offered Judas which is of course the biggest part but didn’t want to work that hard. My favorite role in that musical is Herod.

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Jewish Month	Corresponding Western Equivalent	Cycle of Feasts
Nissan	March–April	Passover
Iyar	April–May	Lag B’Omer
Sivan	May–June	Shavuot
Tammuz	June–July
Menachem Av	July–August	Tisha B’Av
Elul	August–September
Tishrei	September–October	Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Succoth, Shmini Atzeret, andSimchat Torah
Marcheshvan	October–November
Kislev	November–December	Chanukah
Tevet	December–January	Conclusion of Chanukah
Shevat	January–February	Tu B’Shvat
Adar	February–March	Purim