{"id":3611,"date":"2008-07-09T14:11:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-09T14:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar\/"},"modified":"2008-07-09T14:11:00","modified_gmt":"2008-07-09T14:11:00","slug":"the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html","title":{"rendered":"The Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

The Mandaeans<\/a> use a solar calendar<\/a> which consists of 12 months, each consisting of exactly 30 days, with an additional 5 days added at the end of the year which do not belong to any month. Apparently, this same calendar<\/a> was used in ancient Egypt throughout most of its history. An additional day once every 4 years<\/a> was added to the calendar<\/a> before the first century C.E. The Jews down the ages have used a lunar calendar for the most part, and advocates of a solar calendar took an approach not entirely unlike that of the Egyptians, but aiming for a 364-day year, as in the case of the calendar advocated in the Book of Jubilees<\/a>. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Does this evidence show a connection<\/a> between the Mandaeans and Egypt which goes back earlier than the first century B.C.E.? Could the Mandaeans have adopted the calendar without ever having lived in Egypt, just through reading or hearing about it? The latter seems unlikely. Other minor details of Mandaean belief (e.g. the name Ptahil, which resembles that of the Egyptian deity Ptah<\/a>) might also make a connection with Egypt plausible. This need not mean actually living in Egypt proper, since Egypt\u2019s territorial holdings reached much further. Would living in the vicinity of the Jordan during the Ptolemaic era have been enough to account for this similarity? Could the Mandaeans simply have come up with the same solution to the problem of the calendar independently of the Egyptians? <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
The question I\u2019m most interested in is whether the Mandaean calendar allows us to figure out anything at all about the origin and history of the Mandaeans.<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Mandaeans use a solar calendar which consists of 12 months, each consisting of exactly 30 days, with an additional 5 days added at the end of the year which do not belong to any month. Apparently, this same calendar was used in ancient Egypt throughout most of its history. An additional day once every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Mandaeans use a solar calendar which consists of 12 months, each consisting of exactly 30 days, with an additional 5 days added at the end of the year\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Mandaeans use a solar calendar which consists of 12 months, each consisting of exactly 30 days, with an additional 5 days added at the end of the year\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/religionprof\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-07-09T14:11:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/bazaarinegypt.com\/catalog\/images\/EgyptianAstrologicalCalendar.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James F. McGrath\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ReligionProf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James F. McGrath\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html\",\"name\":\"The Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2008-07-09T14:11:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2008-07-09T14:11:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/78342576667b872e3d259c153ce4c5bf\"},\"description\":\"The Mandaeans use a solar calendar which consists of 12 months, each consisting of exactly 30 days, with an additional 5 days added at the end of the year\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/\",\"name\":\"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath\",\"description\":\"The Blog of Dr. James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, Indianapolis\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/78342576667b872e3d259c153ce4c5bf\",\"name\":\"James F. McGrath\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88ca096942acd474313f7ef4227a49da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88ca096942acd474313f7ef4227a49da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"James F. McGrath\"},\"description\":\"Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. BD University of London, PhD Durham University. Author of John's Apologetic Christology, The Only True God, Theology and Science Fiction, and The Burial of Jesus, as well as (with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) the two-volume Mandaean Book of John critical edition, translation, and commentary. Also author of numerous articles (and a few science fiction short stories) and the editor or co-editor of several volumes.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Ge8ul5\",\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/religionprof\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jamesfmcgrath\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jfmcgrat\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ReligionProf\",\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/religionprof\",\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/religionprof\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_F._McGrath\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/author\/james-f-mcgrath\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar","description":"The Mandaeans use a solar calendar which consists of 12 months, each consisting of exactly 30 days, with an additional 5 days added at the end of the year","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar","og_description":"The Mandaeans use a solar calendar which consists of 12 months, each consisting of exactly 30 days, with an additional 5 days added at the end of the year","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html","og_site_name":"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath","article_author":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/religionprof\/","article_published_time":"2008-07-09T14:11:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/bazaarinegypt.com\/catalog\/images\/EgyptianAstrologicalCalendar.jpg"}],"author":"James F. McGrath","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ReligionProf","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James F. McGrath","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html","name":"The Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-07-09T14:11:00+00:00","dateModified":"2008-07-09T14:11:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/78342576667b872e3d259c153ce4c5bf"},"description":"The Mandaeans use a solar calendar which consists of 12 months, each consisting of exactly 30 days, with an additional 5 days added at the end of the year","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2008\/07\/the-mandaean-calendar-and-the-egyptian-calendar.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Mandaean Calendar and the Egyptian Calendar"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/","name":"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath","description":"The Blog of Dr. James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, Indianapolis","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/78342576667b872e3d259c153ce4c5bf","name":"James F. McGrath","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88ca096942acd474313f7ef4227a49da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88ca096942acd474313f7ef4227a49da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"James F. McGrath"},"description":"Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. BD University of London, PhD Durham University. Author of John's Apologetic Christology, The Only True God, Theology and Science Fiction, and The Burial of Jesus, as well as (with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) the two-volume Mandaean Book of John critical edition, translation, and commentary. Also author of numerous articles (and a few science fiction short stories) and the editor or co-editor of several volumes.","sameAs":["https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Ge8ul5","http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/religionprof\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jamesfmcgrath\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jfmcgrat\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/ReligionProf","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/religionprof","https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/religionprof","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_F._McGrath"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/author\/james-f-mcgrath"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3611\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}