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WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?: M. M. NINAN<br />
“On the ninth of Ab . . . the Temple <strong>was</strong> destroyed the first and second<br />
time.” (Mishna, Ta'anith 4:6; BT, Ta'anith 26b, quoted Kenneth F.<br />
Doig, New Testament Chronology).<br />
“Good things come to pass on an auspicious day, and bad things on an<br />
unlucky day. It is reported that the day on which the First Temple <strong>was</strong><br />
destroyed <strong>was</strong> the eve of the ninth of Ab, a Sunday, and in the year<br />
following the Sabbatical year, and the Mishmar of the family of<br />
Jehoiarib were on duty and the Levites were chanting the Psalms<br />
standing on their Duchan (platform)...And hardly had they time to say,<br />
`The Lord our God will cut them off,' when the heathens came and<br />
captured them. The same thing too happened in the Second Temple."<br />
(Ta'anith 29a)<br />
"It is said, The day on which the first Temple <strong>was</strong> destroyed <strong>was</strong> the<br />
ninth of Ab, and it <strong>was</strong> at the going out of the Sabbath, and the end of<br />
the seventh [Sabbatical] year. The [priestly] guard <strong>was</strong> that of<br />
Jehoiarib, the priests and Levites were standing on their platform<br />
singing the song...They had no time to complete `The Lord our God<br />
will cut them off,' before the enemies came and overwhelmed them.<br />
The same happened the second time." (Arakin 11b) quoted Kenneth F.<br />
Doig, New Testament Chronology.<br />
We can easily calculate backwards to the weeks when the courses of<br />
Abijah <strong>was</strong> in temple service starting from 70 A.D week of August 4<br />
to August 11 by the course of Jehoiarib.<br />
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