S8 — A fast for the death of the prophet Samuel 0. Sam.
v,l).
8IVAN.
The third eaered, or ninth etvU month; thtrty day$; the moon of Mat or Jcms.
Day 1. — New moon.
0.— Pentecost, the fifUeth dav after the Passover— called abo the Feast of Weeks, because it happened seven weeks after the Passover. We do not find that it had any octave.
16, 10.— A feast to celebrate the victory of the Maccabees over the people of Bethsan (1 Maoc v, 62 ; xil, 40, 41; Ue^ Taanith).
17.— A feast for the taking of OBBsarea by the Asmonseana, who drove the pagans fhxn thence, and settled the Jews there (Megm. TaanUh\
22.- A flist m memory of the prohlUtioa by Jeroboam, son of Nebat, to his subjects, forbidding them to carry thdr first-fruits to Jerusalem (1 Kings xii, 27).
26.— A fiist in commemoration of the death of the rabUns Simeon, son of Gamaliel; Isfamael, son of EUsha; and Chanina, the h^-priest*s deputy.
A feast In honor of the solemn judgment pronounced in favor of the Jews by Alexander the Great against the IshmaelHes, who, by virtue of their birthright, maintain a possession of the land of Canaan; against the Canaanites, who claimed the same as being the original possessors; and against the Egyptians, who demanded restitution of the vessels and other things borrowed by the Hebrews when they left Egypt (see MegitkUh Taa- nith); but the Gemara of Bat^lon {Sanhedrim^ c 11) puts the day of thla sentence on MIsan 14 (oomn. Oma. LKcr 21).
27.— A fast, because Rabbi Chanina, the son of Thardloo, was burnt with the book c^ the law.
80.— Alternate of the first new moon of the foUowingmontb.
TAMJiUZ.
The fourth eaered, tenth oivd month; twenty-mine daye; moo}i of JuNB or July. Day 1.— New moon.
14.— A feast for the abolition of a pemidoos book of the Sadducees and Bethusians, by which they endeavored to subvert the oral law and all the traditions ^egiVL Taan^m. 17.— A fast in memory of the tables c^ the law broken by Moses (Exod. xxxil, 19).
On this day the city of Jerusalem was taken ; the perpetual evening and morning sacrifice was suspended during the sieee of Jerusalem by Titus. E|)istemon tore the book of the law, and set up an idol in the Tem- I^e ; It is not said whether this happened under Nebn- chadneszar, Antlochus Eplphanea, or the Bomans.
AB. The fifth Miered^ eleventh eivU month; thirty daye; noon
qf JXTLY or AVQVWt.
Day 1.— New moon ; a foat for the death of Aaron, the high- priest. 6.— A commemoration of the children of Jethnel, of the race of Judah, who, after the return from the captivity, fomished wood to the temple (MegiU. Taanith). 9.— A fast of the fifth month in memory of God's deo> laration to Moses, on this day, that none of the mur- muring Israelites should enter the land of promise (Num. xlv, 20, 81).
On tiie same day the Temple waa taken and burnt: 8olomon*8 Temple first by the Chaldnans ; Herod's Tem- ple afterward by the Romans.
18.— A fast, because in the Ume of Ahaz the evening lamp went out.
21 Xylophoria; a feast on which they stored up the
necessary wood in the Temple (Selden; see Joeephus, IFor, 11,17). Scallger places this festtval on the nd of the next month.
24.— A feast in memory of the abolition of a law by the Asmonseans, or Maccabees, which had been introduced by the Sadducees, enacting that both sons and daugh- ters should alike inherit the estates of their parents (Meaill. Taanith).
80.— Alternate of the first new moon of the following month.
CALENDAR 22
ELUL. Tht dxth miortd, twelfth eivU vumth; tteenty^fu daya; moon qf Auonvr or 8spnifim. Day L—New moon.
T.— Dedication of the ▼alia of Jenualem bjr Nehemiah (Eum zii,27). We read in Neh. vi, 15, that theae walla were finished Qui 95; but as there still remained many things to be done to complete this work, the dedication might have been deferred to the 7th of Klul of the year foUowing {MegUl Taanith; Seld.). 17.— A fast fbr the death of the spies who brought an m report of the land of promise (Num. xiv, 86).
A feast in remembrance oi the expulsion of the Ro- mans [rather the Greeks], who would have prevented the Hebrews from marrying, and who dishonored the daughters of Israel. When thej intended to use vio- lence toward Judith, the only daughter of Mattathiaiu he, with the assistance of his sons^ overcame them, and ddivered his country from their yoke ; in commemora- tion of which deliverance this festival was appointed. 91.— Xylophorla; a feast in which they brought to the Temple the necessary provision of wood for keeping up the ilre of the altar of burnt-sacrifices. The calendar of Scallg«r places this feast on the 28d (see the 2l8t of the foregoing month). S8.— A feast in memory of the punishment inflicted on the wicked Israelites, whose insolence could not be other- wise restrained than by putting them to death ; for then Judsaa was in the possession dt the Gentiles. They al- lowed these wicked Isradites three days to reform ; but as they showed no signs of repentance, they were con- demned to death (M^l Taanith).
[]<>om the beginning to the end of this month, the comet is sounded to warn of the approaching new dvil year.] Bee Ymam.