A Look at the Biblical Calendar

In Mark 14: 5 some disciples were complaining about Jesus being anointed with a “bottle” of pure nard.  The complaint was it could be sold for a year’s wage or three hundred denarii.  According to Matthew 20, a denarius was a day’s wage.  The year in the Bible was twelve months or lunar cycles (29 ½ days). (Some years had thirteen months to make up the eleven-day difference and that would keep the season in line with the calendar.)  So why only 300 denarii?

They were to rest on the Sabbath, so there are forty-eight days (four weeks times 12 months).  For the missing days, we need to look to the feast days, I will use Leviticus 23.  These had a “no work” or “no regular work” day associated with them, which means they would not be paid on these days.

• Unleavened Bread – one at the beginning and the end
• Pentecost – one day
• Feast of Trumpets – one day
• Day of Atonement – one day
• Feast of Tabernacles – one at the beginning and the end
• This is seven no work days.

That totals to 299 days – I guess we can round off one day or it is more than a year’s worth of wages.