Newmarket, an English market-town, situated in the county of Suffolk, is noted in English ecclesias- tical history as the seat of a Church council which is re- ported to have been held there in July, llGl, by Henry II, king of England, and is denominated Concilium ajmd Novum Mercatum. This ecclesiastical gathering is said to have recognised the papal authority of Alexander HI (q. v.), and to have declared against the antipope Victor. Binius and others call this an English council, but Labbe {Concil. x, 1-106) contends tJiat the Novum Mercatum is the Neufranche in Normandy, in the diocese of Rouen. Inett, in his History of the English Church, ignores this council altogether.
Ne"W Moon (O'ln, cho'desh, strictly neieness; fully Cin OXT, beginning of the month [as in Numb, x, 10; xxviii, 11], since ^"in stands likewise for "a month" [q. V.]; Sept. veofirivia or vovfi-qviai; Vulg. calendcc, neomeni), Fkstival of, a regular observance among the Jews. Many ancient nations celebrated the return- ing light of the moon with festivities (Isidor. Orig, v, 33; Macrob. Sat. i, 15, p. 273, Bip. ed.; Tacitus, Germ. vol. ii) — offered sacritices (Snid. s. v. civaaTaroi ; Meursii Grcecia Feriul.v, 211 sq.) and prayers (Demosth. In A ristog. i, 799 ; Horace, Odes, iii, 23, 1 sq.), feasted (Hon Oi\ iii, 19, 9 sq. ; comp. Concil. Trul. can. 62 ; Mansi, x, 974), and made merry (Theophr. Char. 5; Doughtaei Anncd. ii, 133 ; Spencer, Legg. rit. iii, 4, p. 1045 sq.). In the following account of this usage we chiefly follow Ginsburg in Kitto's Cyclopcedia.
1. Celebration and Sanctity of this Festiiml. — All that the Mosaic code says on the subject is contained in the two passages enjoining that two young bullocks, a ram and seven lambs of the first j'ear as a burnt-offering, with the appropriate meat-offerings and drink-offerings, and a kid as a sin-offering, are to be offered on every new moon in addition to the ordinary daily sacrifice, and that the trumpets are to be blown at the offering of these special sacrifices, just as on the days of rejoicing and solemn festivals (Numb, x, 10; xxviii, 11-15). It is, however, evident from the writings of the prophets, and from post-exilian documents, that the new moon wag an important national festival. It is placed by the side of the Sabbath (Isa. i, 13 ; Ezek. xlvi, 1 ; Hos. ii, 3), and was a day on wliich the people neither traded nor en- gaged in any handicraft-work (Amos viii, 5), but had social gatherings and feastings (I Sam. xx, 5-24), re- sorted for public instruction either to the Temple (Isa. i, 13 ; Ixvi, 23 ; Ezek. xlvi, 1, 3), or to the houses of the prophets and other men of God (2 Kings iv, 23); and no national or private fasts were permitted to take place, so as not to mar the festivities of the dav (Judith viii, G ; Mishna, Taanith, ii, 10). The Halld (q. v.) was chanted in the Temple by the Levites while the special sacrifices were offered ; and to this day the Jews cele- brate new moon as a minor festival. The day previous to it, i. e. the 29th of the month, which is called i"i" Tyin OX1, New Moon Ere, i) npovovia]via (Judg. viii, C), is kept by the orthodox Jews, in consequence of a remark in the Mishna (Shebaoth, i, 4, 5), as the minor day of atonement, and is devoted to fasting, repentance, and prayer, both for forgiveness of the sins committed during the expiring month, and for a happy new month. Itisfor this reason denominated "-p "ilS'^D QTi, since they say that, just as the great day of atonement is ap- pointed for the forgiveness of sins committed during the year, this minor day of atonement is ordained for the remission of sins committed during each month. They resort to the synagogue, put on the fringed wrapper, or Tallith [see Fringe], and the phylacteries; whereupon the leader of the service recites Psa. cii, offers a peni- tential prayer (nt DT^), after which he recites Psa. viii, the praj'er called Ashre ("^"iTyS), and the half Kadish. The scroll of the Law (Iniin ^BD) is then taken out of the ark, and ilT'l, or Exod. xxxii, 11-15 ; xxxiv, 1- 10, with the Haphtarah (q. v.), Isa. Iv, 6 ; Ivi, 1-8, are read, being the appointed lesson for fasts, after which other appointed penitential prayers, together with the ordinary daily afternoon service, conclude the vespers and the fast, when the Feast of the New Moon is pro- claimed, which, like all the feasts and fasts, begins on the previous evening. On the morning of the new moon they resort to the synagogues in festive garments, offer the usual morning prayer (n^inD), inserting, however. Numb, xxviii, 11-15 in the recital of the daily sacrifices, and the prayer X13''1 n^"i in the eighteen benedictions. The phylacteries which are worn at the ordinary daily morning service are then put off, and the
NEW MOON
NEW MOON
Hallel, with its appropriate beiiodictioii, is recited, all the congregation standuig; after which the scroll of the Law (irnn "SO) is taken out of the ark, and Numb, xxviii, 1-15 is read in four sections: the first section (i. e. ver. 1-3) being assigned to the priest ; the second (ver. 3-5) to the Levite ; the third (ver. C-10) to an Is- raelite ; and the fourth (ver. 11-15) to any one. If new moon happens on a Sabbath, two scrolls of the Law are taken out of the ark, from the first of which the ordinary Sabbatic lesson is read, and from the other Numb, xxviii, 9-15, or Maphtir; and if it happens on a Sunday, 1 Sam. XX, 18-42 is read as the llaplitarah instead of the ordinary lesson from tlie prophets. Unlike their breth- ren in the time of the prophets (Amos viii, 5), the Jews of the present da}- work and trade on new moon.