Breviarium chronologicum being a treatise describing the terms and most celebrated characters, periods and epocha's us'd in chronology, by which that useful science may easily be attained to / writ in Latin by Gyles Strauchius ... ; and now done into English from the third edition, with additions.

CHAP. II. Of the Epocha of the Jews.

• 1. This Epocha has the same beginning with the Creation of the World.
• 2. It begins in Autumn in the Month Tisri.
• 3. The years of this Epocha are Lunae-Solar years, containing sometimes twelve, sometimes thirteen Months.
• 4. May consequently be compared to the Julian years.
• 5. The first year of this Epocha was likewise the first in the Sabbatic Cycle.
• 6. From the Beginning of this Epocha to the vulgar Dionysian Aera, are 3760 Years, and about four Months.
• 7. The beginning of this Epocha falls out in the year of the Julian Period 953, in the first Month of Autumn, in the first Cycle of the Sun, and the third of the Moon, according to the Latin Cal∣culation.
• 8. Wherefore if you add to the Jewish Epocha 952 Years and 8 Months, the Sum will be equivalent to the Year of the Julian Period; and if you sub∣tract the said 952 Years and 8 Months from the Year and Month of the Julian Period; the Resi∣due shews the Year of the Jewish Epocha.

§. 1. THIS Epocha is called the Jewish Epocha, because the Jews commonly make use of it in their Records and Writings; sometimes expressing the whole Number of Years; some∣times by leaving out the Thousands; of which more hereafter.

§. 2. The Jews do as little agree in this Epocha, as the Christians in theirs, concerning the Crea∣tion of the World, as is manifestly apparent out of their Chronologies. But as we Christians make use of our vulgar Aera of Christ, notwith∣standing the same is looked upon as erroneous by the Learned, so the Jews use this Epocha of the Beginning of the World in all their Re∣cords.

§. 3. The Jews express this Epocha sometimes by Letters, sometimes by Numbers, and very frequently abbreviated, by leaving out the mil∣lennary Number. As for Instance: The Learn∣ed Jew, Menasseh Ben Israel, when he published the Hebrew Bible in our time at Amsterdam, affix∣ed to it, the Year 395. Whereas, if he had ex∣press'd the whole Number of Years, he must have writ, in the year 5395.

§. 4. Both the Time and Author of this Epo∣cha is unknown as well among the Jews as Chri∣stians. Scaliger refers the Origin of this Epocha to the time of the Seleucides. Christomannus is of Opinion that the Jews did not introduce this Epo∣cha till after their Babylonian Thalmud. There are also others who believe this Epocha to have been received among them in latter Ages; as may be seen in (a) Samuel Petit, and (b) Petavi∣us. It is our Opinion that the Jews cannot shew any sufficient Authority for the Antiquity of this Epocha.

§. 5. We told in the preceding Chapter that the World was created in the year 764 of the Julian Period. And whereas the Jews, according to their Hypothesis, refer it to the year 953 of the Julian Period, it is manifest that betwixt the true Epocha of Scaliger and the Jewish there is a difference of 189 years. Josephus Scaliger,

Henricus Wolffius, Robertus Pontanus, and several others, are of Opinion that this was only an ar∣tificial Epocha among the Jews, not intended to determine the true time of the Creation of the World. But I cannot find any Reason sufficient to induce me to agree with them; because it has always been entituled as such; and the Jews were so careful in maintaining, or at least palliating this Computation of their Epocha of the World, that they have industriously contracted several Intervals into a less Number of Years, especially in what relates to the second Monarchy and the Interval betwixt the Destruction of the first, and the rebuilding of the last Temple, contrary to the ancient and undoubted Monuments of both the Sacred and Prophane History; as is most e∣vident out of the lesser Chronicle of the Jews in the Intervals set down from the Creation of the World to the Destruction of the second Temple.

	Years.
From Adam to the Deluge,	1656
From the Deluge till the Division of Tongues,	340
From thence till the Nativity of Isaac,	52
From thence to the time of their going out of Aegypt,	400
From thence till their Arrival in the Land of Canaan,	40
From thence to the Babylonian Capti∣vity,	850
From thence to the rebuilding of the Temple,	70
From thence to the Destruction of the second Temple,	420
The total Sum from the Creation till the Destruction of the 2d Temple being	3828

From whence it is apparent, that they would not have their Epocha pass for an Invention; but the true Aera of the Creation of the World. But there are not a few, among whom is (c) Isaacus Vossius, who imputes to the Jews that they did thus mutilate their Computations not till after the Destruction of Jerusalem, out of a Hatred to the Christian Name; when besides many other lesser Intervals, they cutt off 1440 years from the true Com∣putation extant in their most ancient Manuscr••p••s, that thus by introducing a Defect of two thou∣sand Years, they might render the Coming of Christ dubious to Posterity.

§. 6. And the Jews did not settle their Annual Computations upon imaginary or fictitious Noti∣ons; but for many Ages past were guided by the Motions of the great Luminaries. Thus Maimonides says, the Months of the Year are the Months of the Moon. Our Years are computed by the Years of the Sun.

§. 7. Yet Scaliger has been very anxious in finding out which of the Astronomical Hypotheses the Jews have followed in their Lunae-Solar Year: But in my Opinion he might have saved himself much Labour and Time, if he would but ha••e considered that the Jews had followed the Foot∣steps of Ptolemy, as is sufficiently demonstrated by Nicholaus Mullerus in his Preface to a Treatise con∣cerning the Lunae-Solar Years of the Jews.

§. 8. The Names Order, and Number of Days of the Jewish Months according to their Political Year (for the Ecclesiastical Year begins with the Month Nisan) are expressed in the following Table.

		Days.
I.	The Autumnal Quarter consisting of
	1. The Month Tisri, containing	30
	2. The Month Marchesvan, containing	29
	3. The Month Casleu, containing	30
II.	The Winter Quarter consisting of
	4. The Month Tabeth, containing	29
	5. The Month Schebhat, containing	30
	6. The Month Adar, containing	29
III.	The Spring Quarter consisting of
	7. The Month Nisan, containing	30
	8. The Month Jiar, containing	29
	9. The Month Sivan. containing	30
IV.	The Summer Quarter consisting of
	10. The Month Tamuz, containing	29
	11. The Month Ab, consisting	30
	12. The Month Elul,	29

§. 9. And because the Jews made use of Solar years, but Lunar Months, they must of necessity, be∣sides the 12 ordinary Months, interpose at cer∣tain times an extraordinary one: From whence it comes that they divided their Years in the com∣mon Years of 12 Months, and the Embolismaean Years. And whereas their Months consisted by turns of 30, and again of 29 Days; the first are called the compleat, the last the defective Months: And to prevent any Confusion which might a∣rise from this alternative Change in the Transla∣tion of the Feria's, they were obliged either to augment or diminish the Number of Days of certain Months; so that the Years of the Jews were divided into six several sorts: For

The Common Year was divided into

	Days.
1. The abounding Year, containing	355
2. The common Year, containing	354
3. The defective Year, containing	353

The Embolismaean Year was likewise divi∣ded into

	Days.
4. The abounding Year, containing	385
5. The common Year, containing	384
6. The defective Year, containing	383

These Varieties of Years proceeding from the Interpolation of Days affected only the three Months Adar, Marchesvan, and Casleu: For in the Embolismaean Year there were two Months of A∣dar, and in the abounding Year the Month Mar∣chesvan was always compleat, as in the defective Year the Month Casleu was always defective: So that in the first there were always three successive compleat Months, in the last always three succes∣sively defective.

Notes

• To find the Year since the begin∣ning of this Epocha.
• The Origin of this Epocha.
• Different Opi∣nions among the Jews con∣cerning this Epocha.
• How the Jews write the years of this Epocha.
• Of the Au∣thor of this Epocha.
• (a)

  Eclog. l. 1. c. 1.
• (b)

  de Doct. Temp. l. 7. c. 17.
• Concerning the difference be∣twixt the Christians and Jews in this Epocha,
• (c)

  Chron p. 237.
• Of the Jewish Years.
• According to which Hypo∣thesis the Jews regulated their Years.
• The Names and Order of the Jewish Months.
• Several sorts of the Jewish Years.