ADVENTIST HISTORY


Consequently, rabbinic Jews turned to astronomical and mathematical calculations based on the vernal equinox.


Karaite vs. Rabbinic Judaism Karaite Judaism differs from rabbinic Judaism in its view of what constitutes the Jewish canon, as well as its hermeneutic for how to interpret that canon. Karaites consider only the written Jewish “Bible” to be authoritative, whereas rabbinic Judaism considers the oral law, or Talmud, as equally authoritative. Karaites observe the letter of the Torah in all religious issues.


Despite the practical difficulties in determining the new crescent moon and the ripeness of the barley, for many years their calendar remained in sync according to a literal interpretation of the Torah’s commands. It was so critical that in Karaite marriage contracts, the bride and groom had to swear to celebrate the


It is dubious whether a fundamental Adventist doctrine, which the church proclaims the investigative judgment to be, can be grounded in an Old Testament ritual regulated by Judaism.


Jewish feasts according to the visibility of the moon and the appearance of the barley in the land of Israel. Te Millerites recognized in the Karaites a type of Jewish


Protestantism, with a sola scriptura view of authority, in contrast to what seemed the more “papal” approach of relying on oral tradition, as practiced in rabbinic Judaism. Tat distinction became important when the Millerites tried to determine when the Day of Atonement occurred in 1844.


Setting Jesus’ Return William Miller initially expected Jesus to return no later than March 21, 1844, which he calculated to be the last day of the Jewish year 1843, according to rabbinical Jewish calculations. Miller had always admitted that his calculations might be slightly


16 AD VENTIS T T OD A Y


in error. When March 21 had passed and it was apparent that Miller had been wrong, his followers were strongly motivated to find a new time. If they went by Karaite calculations, they gained an additional


month. Te last year of Earth’s history would be from April 1843 to April 1844, rather than Miller’s March-to-March calculation. However, this date also failed. Millerism became rife with speculation, as various factions


proposed more than a dozen different dates, and all failed. Tis created a vacuum and a state of hyper-expectation. Solitary Millerite enthusiasts pursued various hypotheses,


including using Karaite rather than rabbinic dating. Te Ellen G. White Encyclopedia article “Karaite Calendar” cites Nathaniel Whiting, an accomplished Baptist scholar, who became a Millerite leader and editor and who defended the Karaite calendar method. In late April of 1843, writing in the weekly Millerite journal under the pen name of “Philo,”3 Whiting asserted that the date for the first fruits harvest that was originally calculated using rabbinical calculations was impossible, because “barley is not in the ear at Jerusalem until a month later” and noted, “Te accounts of many travellers confirm the position of the Caraites.”4


An Anonymous Report On June 21, 1843, a Millerite claimed to have evidence that Karaite Jews living in the Holy Land observed the Day of Atonement on a different date from rabbinic Judaism.5 Te unsigned article said: “Now there is at dispute between the Rabinical, and the Caraite Jews, as to the correct time of commencing the year. Te former are scattered all over the world, and cannot observe the time of the ripening of that [barley] harvest in Judea. Tey therefore regulate the commencement of the year by astronomical calculations, and commence with the first day of the new moon nearest the vernal equinox, when the sun is in Aries. Te Caraite Jews on the contrary, still adhere to the letter of the Mosaic law, and commence with the new moon nearest the barley harvest in Judea; and which is one month later than the Rabinical year [emphasis added]. Te Jewish year of AD 1843, as the Caraites reckon it in accordance with the Mosaic law, therefore commenced this year with the new moon on the 29th day of April and the Jewish year 1844 will commence with the new moon in next April [1844], when 1843 and the 2300 days, according to their computation, will expire. But according to the Rabinical Jews, it began with the new moon the first of last April [1843], and will expire with the new moon in the month of


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