--_We are the watchers of the moon._ The feast of
the New Moon is one of the most important festivals of the Hebrews.
'Our year,' says the learned author of the 'Rites and Ceremonies,' 'is
divided into twelve lunar months, some of which consist of twenty-nine,
others of thirty days, which difference is occasioned by the various
appearance of the new moon, in point of time: for if it appeared on the
30th day, the 29th was the last day of the precedent month; but if it
did not appear till the 31st day, the 30th was the last day, and the
31st the first of the subsequent month; and that was an intercalary
moon, of all which take the following account.
'Our nation heretofore, not only observing the rules of some fixed
calculation, also celebrated the feast of the New Moon, according to
the phasis or first appearance of the moon, which was done in compliance
with God's command, as our received traditions inform us.
'Hence it came to pass that the first appearance was not to be
determined only by rules of art, but also by the testimony of such
persons as deposed before the Sanhedrim, or Great Senate, that they had
seen the New Moon. So a committee of three were appointed from among the
said Sanhedrim to receive the deposition of the parties aforesaid,
who, after having calculated what time the moon might possibly appear,
despatched some persons _into high and mountainous places, to observe
and give their evidence accordingly, concerning the first appearance of
the moon.
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