~ 13 ~
rate of some months, were days on which certain things were forbidden to the King[1]. But I will not dwell on this partly because I have already pointed out the vital difference between this 'lunar' week and the Jewish continuous week, and also because we are not really concerned with the origin[2] of the Jewish week or Sabbath, but with the part which it has played in the establishment of our own week.
To deal with this we must pass on to the time of our own era. What the Jews themselves thought of the Sabbath is most clearly shewn by the Gospels and the picture which they present of the indignation which our Lord's supposed unorthodoxy roused among the Pharisees. But it is more important to note that the ordinance had attracted widespread interest and perhaps
- ↑ Some discussion of the bearing of these facts on the origin of the Jewish Sabbath will be found in any recent article or essay on the subject. My impression is that the tendency of recent scholarship is to discount the reality of the connexion.
- ↑ It seems strange to me that Biblical scholars, who appear to cling to the idea that the planetary week is of immemorial antiquity, generally, I believe, reject the idea that the Hebrew week was originally planetary. Their conclusion is quite agreeable to me, since, as will appear, I do not believe in the early origin of the planetary week. But if I saw reason to believe in it, it would seem to me a very plausible hypothesis that the Sabbath began as an abstention from activity in view of the maleficent influence of Saturn and afterwards under Jehovism received a different explanation. Amos v, 26 seems to be generally understood as an allusion to an early adoration of the planet by Israel.
