A) INTRODUCTION.

B) THE JULIAN-GREGORIAN CALENDAR.

C) MANMADE NAMES.

 

 

A) INTRODUCTION

 

 

There is no evidence in the ancient world of any established seven-day week calendar, aside from that of the Hebrews, until the rise of the “Planetary Week,” in post Old Testament times.

 

However, as we know, quite early in their history, both the Babylonians and the Greeks took an interest in astronomy.  Since the planetary week has its days named after the sun, moon, and five planets of the solar system, it is obvious that astronomy, or astrology, lies in its background.  Through a rather lengthy process of a study of the heavens by the Babylonians and Greeks, eventually there emerged, somewhere between B.C. 300 and B.C. 150, a sequence of the “seven planets.”  The eventual sequence was:  Saturn-Jupiter-Mars-Sun-Venus-Mercury-Moon.  It was based on the “spatial” distance of each of the heavenly bodies from the earth, as determined through astronomical calculations.

 

The astrology of Hipparchus (B.C. 190-126), in western Asia Minor, influenced astronomical/astrological research in Alexandria, Egypt.  In addition, the Egyptian priests about this time developed a day with 24 sixty-minute hours.  In Alexandria, all the necessary ingredients for the creation of a planetary seven-day week were brought together in about B.C. 150.  These were the concept of planetary gods, originally developed by Babylonian priests; the mathematical and astronomical data produced by the Greeks; the system of 24 hours, an Egyptian innovation; and knowledge of the Hebrew weekly cycle.

 

The most complete information concerning the process involved in this astrological, or planetary week, comes from the Roman historian, Cassius Dio, who wrote in the early Third Century A.D., at a time when this “Planetary Week” had gained universal acceptance in the Roman world.  According to Dio, in his work, “Roman History 37,” pages 18 & 19, the 24 hours of each day were believed to be ruled in sequence by the “seven planets,” of which the Sun and Moon were considered to be part of.  The planet ruling the first hour of a day gave that day its name.  Since Saturn began the seven-planet sequence, Saturn would rule the first day.  The first hour of the second day would be the “Sun’s day,” so that Sunday followed Saturday.  In a similar manner, all seven of the heavenly bodies were given authority over the first hour of a day, and gave their names to their days.

 

As the planetary week developed, Sunday, not Saturday, was given the priority as the first day of the week.  This was because the Sun was by far the brightest celestial body.  In the Biblical pattern for the week, which had been spread widely throughout the then-known world by Jews of the Diaspora, the Seventh-Day would be equivalent to the one called “Saturn’s Day,” in the planetary week.  This was actually attested to by later Roman writers who stated that as early as B.C. 63, the day on which the Jews held their Sabbath, was “Saturn’s day,” “Roman History 37,” 16. 2-4. Thus, we can see that God’s Biblical Sabbath, the seventh-day in the weekly cycle, was not usurped or changed, or rearranged, at this time in history.

 

 

THE JULIAN-GREGORIAN CALENDAR

 

 

In recent discussions it has sometimes been contended that the weekly cycle has been “altered since ancient times,” thus changing the sequence of the days.  The main calendar that is used throughout the world today, called the “Gregorian Calendar,” effected no weekly change from that of its predecessor, the “Julian Calendar,” which was instituted in B.C. 45 by Julius Caesar.  Therefore, it is certain that the days of the week in New Testament times are still the same days of the week at present.

 

It must be observed and noticed however, that in the 12-month year of the “Julian Calendar,” the addition of a leap year every four years finally threw the calendar off by about 11 minutes and 14 seconds annually.  Cumulatively, this amounted to approximately three days in every four Centuries.  Thus, in 1582 A.D., the vernal equinox occurred on March 11 instead of on March 21, the day when it had occurred at the time of the “Council of Nicaea,” in 325 A.D.  To remedy this discrepancy, Pope Gregory XIII decreed in 1582 A.D., that 10 days be dropped out of the reckoning, with the result that Thursday, October 4, was followed by Friday, October 15 (not by October 5).  Notice however, that no adjustment or change was made to the weekly cycle in regards to what day it was; especially in regards to Friday not being the day which followed Thursday.

 

Therefore, we can rest assured that the Biblical occurring weekly Sabbath is the same Sabbath that Jews across the globe still observe today.  And all Jews would have to had fallen asleep for one full day in order for them to have lost track of the weekly Sabbath day, a ridiculous idea, that was and is Blessed by God, Sanctified by God, Observed by God, Created by God, and Commanded by God (see Gen. 2:2-3; Exo. 20:8-11).

 

 

C) MANMADE NAMES

 

 

The days of the week were named after Norse gods and giant objects in the sky.  These names come to us originally from the Greeks and Romans, who named the days of the week after their gods.  The Anglo-Saxons, who invaded Britain hundreds of years ago, adopted this idea but substituted their own gods.

 

Sunday:  Named after the god of the Sun, becoming Sun’s Day.  The Sun gave people light and warmth every day.  They decided to name the first day of the week after the Sun.

 

Monday:  The god of the moon, became Moon’s Day.  The Moon was thought to be very important in the lives of people and their crops.

 

Tuesday:  Tiw’s Day. Tiw, or Tyr, was a Norse god known for his sense of justice.

 

Wednesday: Woden’s Day.  Woden, or Odin, was a Norse god who was one of the most powerful of them all.

 

Thursday:  Thor’s Day.  Thor was a Norse god who wielded a giant hammer.

 

Friday:  Frigg’s Day.  Frigg was a Norse god equal in power to Odin.

 

Saturday:  Seater’s Day or Saturn’s Day.  Named after the planet Saturn and was a Roman god.  The god Saturn was originally a deity known as Cronus.  Cronus was the Greek deity in charge of time.  He was one of the Titans who ruled the world prior to the advent of the gods.  As part of the Greek Pantheon, Cronus was a frequently worshiped deity throughout the Greek city-states in the first millennium B.C.