<h3>Start Here: The Calendar at a Glance</h3>

An introduction to the rhythm of time as preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Long before calendars were printed on glossy paper or synced with satellites, time was marked by light.

The calendar I share here is based on the system preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls—a calendar that aligns with the sun, moon, and stars and reflects the priestly order of service, agricultural cycles, and fixed feast days.

Here’s what you need to know to begin:

A 364-Day Year

• The year is made of 12 months of 30 days
• At the end of every quarter, a "marked" day is added, bringing the total to 364 days
• These 364 days divide evenly into 52 weeks, keeping every feast on the same day of the week each year

The Year Begins Before the Spring Equinox

• The calendar begins in the dark—about half a month before the spring equinox, just as a day begins before sunrise
• The spring and fall equinox align with the week-long feasts of Passover and Sukkot

Weekly and Priestly Cycles

• The priestly divisions (like Gamul, Immer, Maaziah) serve in rotating weekly order
• Every priestly course appears again in the cycle twice per year, and aligns with feast days over a six-year cycle
• Each quarter of the year is “hosted” by a specific priestly family

The Moon Still Has a Role

While this calendar is not lunar-based, the Dead Sea Scrolls do acknowledge a three-year lunar cycle that “slips” across the solar structure. Each year, the moon drifts about ten days further out of sync, until a full month has accumulated by the end of the third year. This pattern is noted in priestly assignments and may serve as a marker—especially in relation to tithes and offerings in the third year.

So the moon is not erased—it’s understood. Its cycle operates in the background, but the framework is solar, seasonal, and anchored to the lights set in the firmament on the fourth day.

Fixed Feast Days

• Passover always falls on the 3rd day of the week (Tuesday)
• First Fruits is always the Sunday after Unleavened Bread ends
• Shavuot (Pentecost) always lands on the 15th day of the 3rd month
• Fall feasts like Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur also fall on the same weekday every year

Why It Matters

This calendar is more than a timeline—it’s a testimony. A testimony that time can be re-aligned with heaven. That the days are not arbitrary. That every appointed time was placed with purpose.

I believe this structure reflects God’s original rhythm—one we’ve forgotten but can still rediscover.

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” —Ecclesiastes 3:1

“And God said, Let there be lights… and let them be for signs and appointed times.” —Genesis 1:14

Next up: I’ll walk through each feast and show how they appear in this fixed calendar. But for now, welcome to the rhythm.

Want the visual version?
Check out the calendar charts under [Downloads].