Biblical Sabbatical Years

Biblical Sabbatical Years Abstract/Intro: In what follows, I outline a chronology of the activities of Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Post-exilic life in Judah has a distinctly Sabbatical rhythm, which aligns with the known observances of Sabbatical years in Israel’s intertestamental years. In particular, post-exilic life in Judah is punctuated by a number of important events when the people gather in a public square and God’s word is ministered in a public manner.1 Key Words: Sabbatical years, Sabbatical cycle, dates, week, chronology, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, post-exilic, Second Temple, observances, feast of Tabernacles The neo-Babylonian backbone Unlike its pre-exilic narrative, the OT’s post-exilic narrative is non-continuous, and is dated with reference to Persia’s as opposed to Israel’s rulers. As a result, our chronological ‘backbone’ must be derived from neo-Babylonian records. Happily, those records are able to provide us with a robust chronology. Over the period 539-333 BC, ten distinct Medo-Persian rulers rose and fell in Babylon. The details of their reigns are tabulated below. (Documentation and discussion is provided in the related footnotes.) The column entitled “Ptolemy’s” is an estimation of the 1st (non-acc.) year of each king’s reign based on Ptolemy’s Canon—a king list compiled by an Egyptian astronomer (named Ptolemy) in order to provide astronomers with a common chronological framework.2 The other columns derive from the standard reference work on Babylon’s kings (Parker and Dubberstein’s Babylonian Chronology). The column entitled “earliest” provides the date of the latest item of evidence for the predecessor of each king, while the column entitled “latest” provides the date of the first item of evidence of the king in question’s reign. Finally, the column “1st Nisan” notes 1 The notation (say) 587n /586n denotes the period from 1st Nisan 587 BC to the last day of Adar (the last month in the year) 586 BC. ‘n’ denotes a Nisan-to-Nisan year, while ‘t’ denotes a Tishri-to-Tishri year. All translations are, for better or worse, my own. 2 The list contained in Ptolemy’s Canon can be cross-checked for accuracy against various inscriptions. Consider, for instance, one of Artaxerxes III’s better-known inscriptions: “I am the son (of) Artaxerxes [II] the King, (of) Artaxerxes (who was) the son (of) Darius [II] the King, (of) Darius (who was) the son (of) Artaxerxes [I] the King, (of) Artaxerxes (who was) the son (of) Xerxes the King, (of) Xerxes (who was) the son (of) Darius [I] the King, ...(who was) the son of Hystaspes by name” (ARI A3Pa). As will be seen, the order to rulers listed by Artaxerxes III is identical to those listed in Ptolemy’s Canon. 1 my best guess as to the start-date of each king’s 1st year given the state of the available evidence. In each case, my proposed date agrees with both Ptolemy’s Canon, with the exception of Darius I’s, for details of which see the relevant footnotes. King Ptolemy’s Earliest Latest 1st Nis. 1. Cyrus the Great 540n /539n 12 Oct. 539 12 Oct. 539 538 2. Cambyses 530n /529n 12 Aug. 530 31 Aug. 530 529 3. Darius I Hystaspes (the Great) 522n /521n 11 Mar. 5223 22 Dec. 522 5224 4. Xerxes (aka Ahasuerus)5 486n /485n 7 Nov. 486 1 Dec. 486 485 5. Artaxerxes I Longimanus 465n /464n 18 Aug. 465 11 Jun. 464 4646 3 The reign of an apparent impostor (Pseudo-Smerdis) is evidenced in Mar. 522 (in Babylon), which Darius’s reign could have been backdated in order to ‘overwrite’. In 522, 1st Nis. fell on 27th March. 4 Exactly when different cultures would have reckon Darius’s reign from is unclear. Darius managed to extinguish a number of revolts in his early years, the first of which predated Nis. 522 and the last of which postdated Nis. 521 (PDBC 16). Consistency would therefore exhort us either to backdate Darius’s accession to cover all of these revolts (i.e., to designate 522n /521n as Darius’s 1st year) or not to cover any of them (i.e., to designate 520n /519n as Darius’s 1st year, as per PDBC). I personally take the Heb. Bible to be predicated on the former approach, since (as we will see) it is most consistent with the available Biblical data. Whether or not the Persians adopted the same convention (as PDBC proposes) is unknown. To interpret at least some of Babylon’s tablets in light of a 522n /521n 1st year would seem desirable, since one tablet refers to Darius’s 36th year, which PDBC must treat as a ‘notional date’ (i.e., a statement of a delivery date for a prospective order: PDBC 17), since, if Darius’s 1st year began in 520n , the last year of his reign would have been his 35th . 5 That Ahasuerus (Aram. pronounciation, Achash-verosh) and Artaxerxes (Aram. pronounciation, Artach-shashta) are the Aram. equivalents of Xerxes and Artaxerxes seems very likely, as Schaeder (1930) demonstrates on the basis of their philology. 6 Horn & Wood are of the same view (Horn & Wood 1953:36, 1954:9). Xerxes appears to have died some time in the summer of 465 (or therebouts), at which point his throne was temporarily held by Artabanus, a powerful courtier (so also Neuffer 1968:64-73). Artaxerxes then acceded to the throne towards the end of 465 BC (post-Tishri), which made 464n /463n Artaxerxes’s 1st Nisan-year and 464t /463t his 1st Tishri-year (so also Neuffer [1968:82-83], Owusu-Antwi [1993:328-334]). The exact details of Xerxes and Artaxerxes’ transfer of power are unclear. Two ancient witnesses (Thucydides and Charon of Lampsacus, both 5th cent. Gr. historians) imply a different version of events. Acc. to Thucydides and Charon, a politician named Themistocles fled to Persia soon after the siege of Naxos (c. 470), and found Artaxerxes (in my view, 464n -424n ) on the throne, which would necessitate an accession date long before 465 (as is maintained by Jones 1993:241-255). But to dismiss Ptolemy’s Canon—which (as shown above) is corroborated by Babylon’s economic and legal tablets—in favour of Thucydides and Charon’s version of events seems a doubtful practice. The majority of Gr. historians say Themistocles did not meet Artaxerxes in Persia but Xerxes (Neuffer 1968:60-73), and a 465 accession date is implied by other accounts of history. (“Diodorus places the death of Xerxes, after a reign of more than 20 years, in the Athenian year of the archonship of Lysitheus (which ran from mid-summer 465 to midsummer 464) and in the Roman year (January-December) of the consulship of Lucius Valerius Publicola and Titus Aemilius Mamercus (465)”: Neuffer 1968:65.) That Artaxerxes entered into a co-regency with Xerxes in c. 475 is, of course, a real possibility, but, even if he did, it would still seem preferable to read Nehemiah and Ezra’s record in light of Artaxerxes’ sole regency given its coherence with the Sabbatical cycle (discussed below). 2 King Ptolemy’s Earliest Latest 1st Nis. 6. Darius II Ochus 424n /423n 24 Dec. 4247 13 Feb. 423 423 7. Artaxerxes II Mnemon 405n /404n 20 Sep. 408 3 June 404 404 8. Artaxerxes III Ochus 359n /358n 25 Nov. 359 358 The OT data-points Below, I have enumerated (in chronological order) every time-stamped data-point which relates to the OT’s post-exilic era. These data-points stem primarily from the OT, though they include two data-points from Josephus as well as two from Rabbinic tradition. As before, documentation and interpretative comments are footnoted. [1.] In the summer of 587 BC, Israel is led into exile.8 [2.] In the aftermath of the exile, Israel’s land is abandoned for 52 years.9 [3.] Babylon falls in 539 BC.10 [4.] In the 1st year of his reign (and the aftermath of Babylon’s fall), Cyrus issues a decree. The decree allows the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem complete with a commission to rebuild God’s temple.11 [5.] The exiles return to an uncultivated and war-torn land,12 and promptly get to work. In the 7th month of the year of their return, they reinstitute the sacrificial system and observe the feast of Tabernacles.13 [6.] And, in the year after their return, the exiles rebuild the foundations of the Temple.14 [7.] But, soon afterwards, things take a turn for the worse: the Judean’s enemies give them a bad name with the Persian authorities, and work on the Temple grinds to a halt soon afterwards.15 The Temple therefore lies abandoned “all the days of King Cyrus of Persia”,16 and the land returns only very meagre harvests.17 7 One tablet appears to have Darius II still on the throne on 26 Feb. 423, but the evidence is disputed and has not, therefore, been included here. 8 as has been shown conclusively by Young (2004) 9 b. Yoma 54a; so also “the Fall of Jerusalem” (SO 33-34) and “Ezra and Esther” (SO 37-38). 10 ABC 7 (Nabonidus Chronicle) cf. PDBC 11-12. 11 2 Chr. 36.22-23, Ezra 1.1-11. 12 Jer. 4.23-31, Hagg. 2.15-16. 13 Ezra 3.1+ (cf. 3.8). 14 Ezra 3.8-13. 15 Ezra 4. 16 Ezra 4 cf. 4.5. 17 Hagg. 1.6, 1.10-11. 3 [8.] In the 2nd year of Darius, Haggai and Zechariah arise and exhort the people to resume work on the Temple.18 The recent run of meagre harvests, Haggai says, is not a result of bad luck or a bad climate; it is a result of God’s explicit displeasure.19 [9.] On the 21st day of the 7th month, Haggai proclaims God’s word a second time. His message is more positive than before: if the people return to the work on the Temple with courage and commitment, God will bless their endeavours.20 [10.] In the 9th month, Haggai speaks to the people again: ‘Isn’t the seed still in the barn?’, he asks them (to which the implicit answer is ‘Yes’). ‘Yet from this day forward’, Haggai says, ‘the LORD will bless you’.21 [11.] The Israelites return to work, which prompts the Samaritans to complain to Darius, but Darius rejects their complaint and instead reinforces Cyrus’s initial decree.22 [12.] For the first time in many years, the LORD blesses Israel with a plentiful harvest.23 [12.] In Darius’s 6th year, the major part of the work on the Temple is complete.24 [13.] In Darius’s 9th year, further work on the Temple’s courts is carried out, and the Temple is officially dedicated to the LORD.25 [14.] In Artaxerxes’ 7th year, Ezra leads a detachment of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem. In the 5th month of the year, Ezra arrives in Jerusalem, where he begins to teach and proclaim God’s word in public.26 In the 7th month, Ezra inaugurates a new Sabbatical and Jubilee cycle.27 In the 9th month, we find the people gathered before Ezra in a public square just outside the Temple. They have intermarried with worshippers of other gods, and confess their sin with 18 Ezra 4.24-5.1, Hagg. 1.1, Zech. 1.1. Hagg. 1.1-11. 20 Hagg. 2.1-9. 21 Hagg. 2.10-19. 22 Ezra 5.2-6.14. 23 Zech. 8.11-13 cf. 7.1. 24 Ezra 6.15. 25 Ant. 11.4.7. 26 Ezra 7. 27 a fact not stated explicitly in Scripture, but a memory of which is preserved in Rabbinic tradition: “Just as, at their ‘arrival’ in the time of Joshua, [the Israelites] became subject to tithes, Sabbatical years, and Jubilees,...so too at their ‘arrival’ in the time of Ezra” (SO 30.31-37). And, of course, the logical time to inaugurate a new Sabbatical and Jubilee cycle would have been in the 7th month at the start of an agricultural year, when Jubilees are declared (Lev. 25.8-11). Note: In SO 30, the writer’s burden is to explain how the Israelites could possibly have failed to ‘live in tabernacles’ (at the feast of Tabernacles) throughout the entire period from Joshua’s day and Nehemiah’s, as Nehemiah claims in 8.2-17. His solution is to restrict Nehemiah’s comment to a new ‘era’ of observances, which, he claims, began when Ezra and his fellows first arrived in Judah. The writer seems to identify “the [arrival] in the time of Ezra” with the events of Neh. 8, which do not in fact describe Ezra’s ‘arrival’ (Ezra arrived much earlier, in 458t /457t ), nor, for that matter, the arrival of anyone else. Perhaps, then, we are not meant to directly equate Ezra’s arrival with Neh. 8, but simply to draw a parallel between the joy of Joshua’s day and the joy of Nehemiah’s (cf. SO 30’s discussion of Neh. 8.17). Either way, the primary memory behind the text of SO 30 seems to be how Ezra’s arrival in Judah officially inaugurated a new era of Sabbatical and Jubilee observances, as well as of tithes and festivals. 19 4 grief and sincerity.28 [15.] In the 9th month of Artaxerxes’ 20th (Tishri) year, Nehemiah receives bad news from Jerusalem, which grieves him.29 In Nisan of Artaxerxes’ 20th (Tishri) year, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem, and, by the 25th of the 6th month, he has restored the city walls.30 [16.] In the 7th month (of Artaxerxes’ 21st Tishri year31 ), the Israelites gather in Jerusalem, where, led by Ezra, they observe the feast of Tabernacles. They publicly confess their sins, renew their vows to God, and agree never again to plant crops or to exact debts from one another in a Sabbatical year.32 (Nehemiah’s story is not yet over, but its remainder is not explicitly dated.) These, then, are our data-points. But, before we seek to arrange them in a chronology, we should pause to note a common feature of a number of them, namely their emphasis on the 7th month of the Hebrew calendar. In Darius’s 2nd year, Haggai prophesies to the assembled Israelites in the 7th month on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles and exhorts them to get back to work; in Artaxerxes’ 7th year, Ezra arrives in Jerusalem and inaugurates a new Jubilee cycle in the 7th month, which is followed by public repentance in the 9th month; and, in Artaxerxes’ 21st Tishri year, Nehemiah again gathers the people together in the public square, where Ezra reads the book of the Law to them and the feast of Tabernacles is observed. Why such an emphasis? The answer is twofold. First, the 7th month is seen as the climax of the Hebrew year. It is the month in which the harvest is gathered in and three important feast-days are remembered: the Day of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles.33 (Today, its advent is celebrated by the New Year festival, i.e., Rosh Hashanah, lit. ‘the head of the year’.) Second, on certain years (namely Sabbatical years), the 7th month takes on a even more notable significance. Just as the 7th month of every year is seen as a kind of climax in the calendar, so every 7th year is seen as a climax.34 It is the culmination of a ‘week of years’, known as a ‘Sabbatical’ year, when, on the 7th month, at the very mid-point of the month, as the feast of 28 Ezra 9-10. The book of Nehemiah opens in the 9th month (Kislev) of “the 20th year” (Neh. 1.1), at which point Nehemiah receives news of a recent invasion. In ch. 2, Nehemiah is sad because of the news he has received, yet the events of ch. 2 are set in the 1st month of Artaxerxes’ 20th year (2.1). Nehemiah therefore appears to reckon on the basis of Tishri years (though other interpretations are possible, since, oddly, Nehemiah does not explicitly mentioned Artaxerxes’ reign in 1.1, but simply refers to “the 20th year”). 30 Neh. 2-6. 31 since Neh. 7 describes the aftermath of Elul’s activities, which is the 6th month of Artaxerxes’ 20th Tishri year 32 Neh. 8.1-10.39. 33 Lev. 16.29, 23.23-36. 34 Like the weekly Sabbath, the Sabbatical year it is characterised by rest. It is a time when the land is to ‘rest’ and ‘lie fallow’ (Exod. 23.10-11), and whatever crops arise are said to have arisen ‘by 29 5 Tabernacles begins, Israel are to assemble and read the book of the Law,35 which, of course, contains a reminder of Israel’s Sabbatical duties, namely to release their people from their financial obligations and their land from its agricultural obligations. As can be seen, then, the events mentioned above hints at the occurence of Sabbatical years: each of them involves the assembly of the people in a public place and the proclamation of God’s word at the time of the feast of Tabernacles; and an important part of the subject matter of the events of Artaxerxes’ 21st (Nisan) year is the people’s commitment to observe Israel’s Sabbatical years.36 So, do the years in question coincide with Sabbatical years? Given the scenario proposed below, they do indeed. Furthermore, the Sabbatical cycle established in the OT synchronises with the known occurrences of Sabbatical years in the intertestamental period; that is to say, it passes through years such as 38t /37t (when Herod laid siege to Jerusalem) and 68t /69t (the year before Jerusalem fell).37 The details of my proposed chronology are tabulated below. The years in which Sabbatical years begin (in Tishri) are marked with an asterisk. Year Year counts Events 588n /587n 587n /586n 1 586n /585n 2 ... ... 540n /539n 48 539n /538n 49 538n /537n 50 1 537n /536n 51 2 536n /535n 52 3 The Temple is destroyed, and Israel is led into exile ... ... Cyrus accedes to the throne. Cyrus pronounces a decree which allows the Jews to return to their land. The exiles set out for Judah in Nisan, and arrive a few months later. In the 7th month, they rebuild the altar and observe the feast of Tabernacles; afterwards, they plant crops in their newly-resettled land. themselves’, i.e., by ‘natural’ rather than agricultural means (Lev. 25.5, 25.11). It is a ‘mini Jubilee’ insofar as it ushers in a great year of Jubilee ‘release’. 35 Deut. 31.10-14. 36 Neh. 10.28-33. 37 as discussed in my Sabbatical Years (2018) 6 Year Year counts Events 535n /534n * 4 In the first half of the year, the Israelites harvest their crops, and, in the 7th month, they announce a Sabbatical year. The Israelites have been exiled because of their failure to observe Sabbatical years. They are naturally, therefore, anxious not to make the same mistake twice, hence their decision to observe a Sabbatical year at the first available opportunity. The people’s observance of the Sabbath allows them to focus greater attention on the Temple, and consequently, later that year, they complete the restoration of its foundations. 534n /533n 5 Opposition arises, and work on the Temple grinds to a halt.38 533n /532n 6 532n /531n 7 531n /530n 8 530n /529n 9 Cambyses accedes to the throne. 529n /528n 528n /527n * 527n /526n 526n /525n 525n /524n 524n /523n 523n /522n Darius accedes to the throne. 522n /521n 1 Darius’s 1st Nisan year begins. 521n /520n * 2 In the 7th month of the year, Israel gather together to observe the feast of Tabernacles, on the last day of which Haggai speaks to them about the poverty of their present state and God’s offer of a better future. In the 9th month of the year, Haggai speaks to his people again, and exhorts them to recommence the work on the Temple. Israel’s seed, he says, may still be in its barns (as one would expect, since it is a Sabbatical year), and Israel’s past harvests may have yielded paltry results, but, if the Israelites renew their commitment to the LORD and his work, then God will bless their endeavours, which is exactly what happens. 520n /519n 3 In Tishri, the Israelites plant a new crop. 519n /518n 4 38 In light of the text of Ezra 4, where opposition to the Jews’ work is said to last “all the days of King Cyrus”, the opposition to the Jews’ work arises at about the right time. It is long enough since Cyrus’ original decree for problems to be caused, and far enough away from the end of Cyrus’ reign (c. 530) for the phrase “all the days of King Cyrus” to make sense (so Steinmann 2008:513-514 cf. 2008:522). 7 Year Year counts Events 518n /517n 5 517n /516n 6 516n /515n 7 515n /514n 8 514n /513n * 9 In the 9th month, once the Sabbatical year has begun, further work is carried out in the Temple courts and the Temple is officially dedicated. ... ... ... ... In the 12th month of the year, Israel’s restoration of the Temple is complete. 466n /465n 465n /464n * Artaxerxes accedes to the throne. 464n /463n 1 463n /462n 2 462n /461n 3 461n /460n 4 460n /459n 5 459n /458n 6 458n /457n * 7 457n /456n 8 456n /455n 9 455n /454n 10 454n /453n 11 453n /452n 12 452n /451n 13 451n /450n * 14 450n /449n 15 449n /448n 16 448n /447n 17 447n /446n 18 In Artaxerxes’ 7th (Nisan) year, Ezra sets out for Jerusalem, complete with a mandate to teach and enforce Mosaic law in Judah. He arrives in the 5th month, inaugurates a new Sabbatical and Jubilee cycle in the 7th month, and, in the 9th month, his endeavours are met with repentance from the people of Judah. 8 Year Year counts Events 446n /445n 19 445n /444n 20 In the 9th month of Artaxerxes’ 20th Tishri year, Nehemiah receives bad news from Judah. 444n /443n * 21 In Nisan (the 1st month) of Artaxerxes’ 20th Tishri year, Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem. By the 6th month, he has restored the city wall to a good state of repair. Afterwards, as a Sabbatical year begins, the people gather in the public square, where Ezra reads the book of the Law to them, as the Law itself requires. Conclusion As can be seen, baked into the OT’s post-exilic record—and independently attested by the data of Josephus and Rabbinic literature—is a clear pattern. Israel’s history is underlain by a regular Sabbatical rhythm, which synchronises seamlessly with the record of Sabbatical years subsequent to the post-exilic era.39 To put the point another way, the OT—while apparently uninterested in the establishment of a chronology—exhibits a deep and unified coherence, which allows a precisely chronology of its narrative to be constructed. Moreover, its chronology involves and facilitates the harmonisation of an impressive number of disparate data sources. A further point of interest in the Biblical text can also be noted, namely the significance of the latter half of the 9th month. Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem is met by repentance on the 17th day of the 9th month as the people gather in a public square in Jerusalem;40 Haggai prophesies to Israel on the 24th day of the 9th month, presumably to a gathered assembly;41 and Jeremiah refers to the 9th month as if it is a time when many Judeans visit Jerusalem.42 Furthermore, the events of Hanukkah will be set against the backdrop of the 9th month in the inter-testamental years. Why such a pattern exists is not clear to me at present, but it strikes me as worthy of further investigation. 39 as discussed in my Extra-Biblical Sabbatical Years (2018) Ezra 10. 41 Hagg. 2.10. 42 Jer. 36.9: “Now in the 5th year of Jehoiakim,...in the 9th month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who had come from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the LORD”. 40 9 Bibliography Horn, S. H. & Wood, L. H., 1954. “The Fifth-Century Jewish Calendar at Elephantine” in JNES, Vol. XIII, No. 1 (Jan. 1954), pp. 1-20. || Horn, S. H. & Wood, L. H., 1953. The Chronology of Ezra 7: A Report of the Historical Research Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C. «www.sabbathofthebible.com/pdf/SDA_TheChronologyofEzra.pdf» acc. 2018. || Jones, F. N., 2002. Chronology of the Old Testament: A Return to the Basics, 15th Ed., KingsWord Press. || Neuffer, J., 1968. “The Accession Year of Artaxerxes I” in AUSS, Vol. 6, pp. 60-87. || OwusuAntwi, B., 1993. “An Investigation of the Chronology of Daniel 9:24-27” in Dissertations, Paper 120. || Owusu-Antwi, B., 1995. The Chronology of Dan 9:24-27, Adventist Theological Society Dissertation Series, Vol. 2, Berrien Springs, MI: Adventist Theological Society Publications. || Schaeder, H. H., 1930. “Zandik — Zindiq” in Iranische Beitrtäge I, Schriften der Königsberger Gelehrten Gesellschaft, 6.5, Halle, pp. 274-291. || Steinmann, A. E., 2008. “A Chronological Note: The Return of the Exiles Under Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (Ezra 1–2)” in JETS, Vol. 51, No. 3 (Sep. 2008), pp. 513-522. || Steinmann, A. E., 2009. “When Did Herod the Great Reign?” in Novum Testamentum, Vol. 51 (2009), pp. 1-29. || Steinmann, A. E., 2011. From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology, St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House. || Young, R. C., 2004. “When Did Jerusalem Fall?” in JETS, Vol. 47, No. 1 (2004), pp. 21-38. || Young, R. C., 2005. “Tables of Reign Lengths from the Hebrew Court Recorders” in JETS, Vol. 48, No. 2 (2005), pp. 225-248. || Young, R. C., 2006a. “Ezekiel 40:1 as a Corrective for Seven Wrong Ideas in Biblical Interpretation” in Andrews University Seminary Studies, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 265-283. || Young, R. C., 2006b. “The Talmud’s Two Jubilees and Their Relevance to the Date of the Exodus” in Westminster Theological Journal, Vol. 68 (2006), pp. 71-83. || Young, R. C., 2008. “Evidence for Inerrancy from a Second Unexpected Source: The Jubilee and Sabbatical Cycles” in Bible And Spade, Vol. 21, No. 4 (2008). «http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/07/25/Evidence-for-Inerrancy-from-a-SecondUnexpected-Source-The-Jubilee-and-Sabbatical-Cycles.aspx» acc. 2017. 10