11. Karaite Jews and October 22, 1844

“As to the dates of the Passover and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) they are the following: according to the Karaite Jews in the year 1843 the Yom Kippur is on Wednesday 4th October, and just the same date according to the Rabbinical. In the year 1844 it is on Monday 23rd September for both the Karaite and Rabbinical.” — Karaite Rabbi Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk, 1939

Seventh-day Adventists agree that, according to Scripture, the Biblical Day of Atonement is the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month:

BIBLE

• “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work —whether native-born or an alien living among you — because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.” — Leviticus 16:29-30 (NIV)

Seventh-day Adventists also agree that Jewish calendars clearly indicate the seventh Jewish month is the month called “Tishri.” To help readers, I have listed the twelve Jewish months, along with the number of days each month has and its approximate counterpart in the Gregorian calendar which has been used by our society for the past 400 years:

1. Nisan (30 days) – March/April
2. Iyyar (29 days) – April/May
3. Sivan (30 days) – May/June
4. Tammuz (29 days) – June/July
5. Av (30 days) – July/August
6. Elul (29 days) – August/September
7. Tishri (30 days) – September/October
8. Cheshvan (29 or 30 days) – October/November
9. Kislev (29 or 30 days) -November/December
10. Tevet (20 days) – December/January
11. Sh’vat (30 days) – January/February
12. Adar (29 days) – February/March

There is no dispute between Seventh-day Adventists, Christians, Rabbinical Jews or Karaite Jews regarding the basic Jewish calendar.

However, Seventh-day Adventists have long taught that in the year 1844, the Jewish Day of Atonement (10th of Tishri) occurred on October 22. Seventh-day Adventists staunchly hold to the October 22,

1844 date primarily because Ellen G. White claimed it was correct:

“Under the Mosaic system the cleansing of the sanctuary, or the great Day of Atonement, occurred on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month. … The tenth day of the seventh month, the great Day of Atonement, the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, which in the year 1844 fell upon the 22d of October….” — The Great Controversy, pp. 400, 457.

The Seventh-day Adventist claim is a direct contradiction of the Jewish date (“Mosaic system”) for the Day of Atonement, which in 1844, was actually September 23. As you discovered in the previous chapter, and will see further in this chapter, Jewish encyclopedias and almanacs of the 19th century, modern computerized calendar programs, astronomical calculations, historical documentation, and even dates on gravestones establish beyond question the Jewish Day of Atonement in 1844 was September 23. As far as the Rabbinical Jews are concerned, October 22 is simply the wrong date.

Modern Seventh-day Adventist scholars were at first stunned by this information, for they had sincerely believed October 22 was the date Rabbinical Jews celebrated the Day of Atonement in 1844. To their credit, some SDAs now admit that in 1844, according to Rabbinical Jews the Day of Atonement (the 10th day of Tishri) was September 23.

Their admission means the October 22, 1844 date is in serious jeopardy both within and without the Church. If October 22 is lost, then Seventh-day Adventism is in an extremely difficult theological position. For then, rather than being at the forefront of “new light” as they have historically claimed, Seventh-day Adventism will be branded as a denomination led astray from Bible truth by an impious woman.

Unfortunately, instead of admitting their errors, and bringing a quick end to the dark business of Ellen G. White, Seventh-day Adventists are attempting to salvage their October 22, 1844 date through two basic schemes:

1. First, SDAs claim Karaite Jews used a different calendar than the Rabbinical Jews. That, they say, is why Karaites celebrated the Day of Atonement on October 22 instead of September 23.
2. Second, SDAs claim a Babylonian calendar enables them to prove October 22 is the true date for the Day of Atonement in 1844.

It must be said before we continue, that these two defenses are simply “smoke and mirrors” – they are theories designed to divert researchers from truth. Remember, Ellen White never spoke of either a Karaite or a Babylonian calendar! She approved of October 22 on the basis of the Mosaic (or Rabbinical) system:

“Under the Mosaic system … the great Day of Atonement, occurred on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month. … The tenth day of the seventh month, the great Day of Atonement, the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, which in the year 1844 fell upon the 22d of October ….” — Great Controversy, page 400, 457

The calendar calculations Ellen White spoke of under the “Mosaic system” were the ones used to calculate the Annual Holy Days that Jesus Himself observed. Those calculations were made by the Rabbinical Jews in harmony with the Mosaic laws. And they are the ones which, in 1844, identified the Jewish Day of Atonement as September 23. It is only Seventh-day Adventism’s last-ditch attempt to divert us from Ellen White’s obvious error in sanctioning October 22 that we graciously consider their Karaite/Babylonian calendar schemes.

Think about this: the crucial Seventh-day Adventist teaching regarding the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, Jesus’ entrance into the Most Holy Place, the Investigative Judgment, and the Great Disappointment now hangs on these last two defenses. With the stakes so high for the Church, one would expect their theories to be supported by utterly compelling evidence. But, as we shall see, that is not the case.

Evaluating the Seventh-day Adventist “Karaite Calendar” Defenses

The first SDA theory has been around since 1844 and involves the small, conservative Jewish Karaite sect dating back to about the 9th century. The name “Karaite” means “Readers of Scripture.” Karaites do not consider post-Biblical commentaries such as the Talmud and Midrash as being Divinely-inspired. Thus, in a sense, Karaites are similar to Protestants who commit to the Bible and the Bible alone as their rule of faith.

SDAs claim that in 1844, Karaites used a calendar that was different from the one Rabbinical Jews used, and thus celebrated the Day of Atonement 29 days later than the Rabbinical Jews. But where did this theory originate?

Samuel S. Snow and the Karaite Calendar

When Seventh-day Adventists are asked to produce hard evidence documenting Karaites celebrated the Day of Atonement (10th of Tishri) on October 22 in 1844, they cannot do so. Instead, they point to an article in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary regarding Samuel S. Snow, indicating he is the originator of the Seventh-day Adventist claim regarding the Karaites:

“SNOW, SAMUEL S. (1806-1870). A Congregationalist, then a skeptic, later a Millerite minister; initiator of the ‘seventh- month movement.’ Beginning with an article written Feb. 16, 1843, he emphasized the tenth day of the Jewish seventh month, Tishri, the Jewish Day of Atonement, as the true ending date of the prophetic 2300 years. Later he set forth the specific day as Oct. 22, 1844, our calendar equivalent of the tenth day of the seventh month in that year according to the old Karaite Jewish calendar. …

“In common with all Adventists, Snow was deeply dis- appointed in the failure of the Bridegroom to descend from heaven on Oct. 22. For a brief time he questioned as to whether a mistake had been made in the prophetic reckoning of the year.

“However, he soon began to preach strange doctrines, and published a paper, the Jubilee Standard, from March to August, 1845. Sharp conflicts developed between him and the Millerites, as he went on into extreme fanaticism and finally proclaimed himself to be Elijah the prophet. He soon separated himself from Adventism in every form.” — The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 10, Encyclopedia, p. 1357

S. S. Snow, whom Seventh-day Adventists regard as being “into extreme fanaticism,” is the source of their claim regarding the Karaites and October 22. But, while SDAs believe Snow’s claim about an “old Karaite Jewish calendar,” they cannot produce one! One would think with so much hanging upon “the old Karaite Jewish calendar” SDAs would have reproduced it and distributed it like the leaves of autumn. While there is an abundance of Rabbinical Jewish calendars demonstrating the 10th of Tishri fell on September 23 in 1844, there is not even one Karaite calendar supporting the SDA claim for October 22!

L. E. Froom and the Karaite Calendar

Lacking hard empirical evidence, SDA’s next refer researchers to L. E. Froom’s Prophetic Faith of our Fathers, p. 792, where Froom attempts to justify the October 22 date in Exhibits E and F. However, like Samuel S. Snow, Froom also cannot offer any Karaite documents to substantiate the SDA claim Karaites celebrated the Day of Atonement on October 22 in 1844.

But there is more. Even many Seventh-day Adventists find it distasteful to look to Froom, for he has a dubious reputation among many of the Church’s scholars. For example, when Spectrum magazine published a review of Froom’s book, Movement of Destiny, it was accompanied by a caution regarding Froom’s accuracy.

Then, in 1986, Dr. Ralph Larson published The Word Was Made Flesh as still another expose of Froom’s penchant for contorting facts. As a young theologian I was warned by Seventh-day Adventist seminary professors not to rely upon Froom’s scholarship, especially his two multi-book series: Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers and Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers.

When it became known Froom destroyed much of his documentation just before he died, more questions were raised regarding his integrity. One can only conclude that if he did destroy documents, his actions were not consistent with the scholarly reputation he sought.

Thus Seventh-day Adventists are left wishfully relying on the claims of Samuel S. Snow — a man they readily admit was a fanatical, untrustworthy character. The passage of time has brought sufficient evidence to light to leave no doubt Samuel S. Snow lied in his claims regarding the existence of an “old Karaite Jewish calendar.”

Consider how modern Jewish scholars repeatedly state that Snow’s “old Karaite calendar” was non-existent, and therefore could not have been the source of his October 22, 1844 date — for example:

“There is, in fact, no such thing as a perpetual Karaite calendar since the actual celebration of festivals has usually been determined by observation.” — Dr. Daniel Frank

“Unlike for the Rabbinic calendar, there is no perpetual Karaite calendar.” — Dr. Philip E. Miller, Librarian, The Klau Library, Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion, New York

Divine “Revelation” and the “Karaite” Date of October 22

Where then shall we look for the source of S. S. Snow’s assertion that October 22 was the Day of Atonement in 1844? L. R. Conradi, another ex-Seventh-day Adventist, records Samuel S. Snow’s claim to have received a Divine “revelation” regarding that date:

“From March 22, until October 22, 1844, S. S. Snow, gradually gaining a mighty influence over all Adventists, … claimed the Father had revealed to him that the 22nd of October, 1844 was the definite date of Christ’s coming to exchange the righteous and to destroy the wicked. … (And) that the great day of delivery was the jubilee year of the Atonement Day. (The fact) that this jubilee year was still years in the future, and that the Jewish Day of Atonement was on the 23rd of day of September, did not matter to him. In order to gain time, he adopted the (supposed) reckoning of the Karaites.” — The Foundation of the SDA Denomination, by L. R. Conradi (former SDA) p. 68, written in 1939.

At the time Conradi wrote this he was not aware that the Karaites celebrated their Day of Atonement in 1844 on the same date the Rabbinical Jews did: September 23. Thus, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, Conradi apparently believed the Seventh-day Adventist claim regarding the “old Karaite Jewish calendar” and October 22.

However, notice Conradi did catch Snow in two errors: first, that Snow wrongly claimed 1844 was the “jubilee year;” second, that Snow contradicted the Rabbinical Jewish (“Mosaic” system’s) calculations. But what makes Conradi’s information so vital to our purpose is that he stripped away the Seventh-day Adventist ruse of a Karaite calendar and went directly to the root of Snow’s claim: a divine “revelation” from the Father!

Since Seventh-day Adventists already had a prophet, Ellen G. White, it is understandable they would look with disfavor on Snow’s claim to a divine “revelation” — even calling it extreme religious “fanaticism.” But by discrediting Snow’s “revelation” SDAs are left with only the mythical, non-existent, “old Karaite Jewish calendar!”

Modern Rabbinical Jews are surprised that Seventh-day Adventists would claim Karaites had a superior calendar for calculating the Biblical Holy Days. And they are even more surprised at the SDA claims that in 1844, October 22 corresponded to the 10th of Tishri:

• “If the (Seventh-day) Adventists want to claim that all the Jewish authorities have been wrong, and only the tiny schismatic sect of Karaim (“Karaites”) had the One True Calendar — well, I would like to see a certificate with God’s signature on it!” — Will Linden
• It’s not possible for Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement/10th of Tishri) to fall as late as October 22 on the Hillel calendar. I think the latest it can fall is some time around October 15.”— Tracey Rich
• “The Day of Atonement has never occurred so late in the year as October 22.” — Professor Susan Prohofsky, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

In the face of this evidence dispelling Samuel Snow’s claim, perhaps you are wondering how Seventh-day Adventists today can hold so strongly to the myth of October 22, 1844. The answer is this: never overlook the underlying influence of Ellen G. White in every aspect of Seventh-day Adventism. Because she placed her stamp of approval upon October 22, Seventh-day Adventists must believe in that date regardless of the mountain of evidence to the contrary! More than anything or anyone else, Ellen White is the source of Seventh-day Adventist belief and practice. That is why Seventh-day Adventists perpetuate even their most crucial doctrines with the “sacred” myths of Ellen G. White!

Examining Karaite Methods for Computing Annual Holy Days

It is important for modern researchers to understand that the Karaites were a very small, very scattered Jewish sect with no central governing body. There was no universally accepted Karaite calendar, and thus it is possible, prior to 1844, that various isolated Karaite communities around the world may have celebrated the Annual Festivals on different days, perhaps varying by as much as a couple of days from other Karaite groups. Consider the research Karaite Nehemia Gorden provides us:

“In the 19th century the Karaites generally set the holidays based on very inexact and primitive calculations and not the actual sighting of the New Moon. Furthermore, in this period different Karaite communities went by different calculation systems and may have varied by a couple of days in their observance.” – Karaite Nehemia Gordon, Jerusalem, Israel

In 1844 the calculation differences between various Karaite communities could have been only “a couple of days,” not a full month. The same is true for calculation differences between Karaite and Rabbinical Jews. For example, consider how similar Karaite and Rabbinical calculations of the phases of the moon are for 1844:

CALCULATIONS of MOON PHASES for 1844

 The phases of the moon govern the months of the Jewish calendar. In September, 1844, Karaites calculated the New Moon two days earlier than Rabbinical Jews, however the calculations for the Full Moon are identical. Now consider how Karaite calculations for the Annual Holy Days in 1998/1999 also differ at most by only two days from those of Rabbinical Jews:

SELECTED HOLY DAYS in 1998/1999

 From these examples one could certainly argue that in any of the years from 1844 through 1999 the Karaites and Rabbinical Jews celebrated the Day of Atonement on the same day, or that one of them might have celebrated it as much as two days earlier or later than their counterpart. But there is no evidence whatsoever to validate a difference of 29 days as Seventh-day Adventist’s require for Samuel S. Snow’s “divinely-revealed” revealed October 22, 1844 date!

Karaite Rabbi Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk

The situation worsens for Seventh-day Adventists when we look at hard evidence from the Karaites themselves. One piece of this evidence comes to us in the form of a letter from highly regarded Karaite scholar and rabbi, Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk. An early skeptic of the Seventh-day Adventist claim regarding Karaites was ex-Seventh-day Adventist researcher, E. S. Ballenger. In his booklet The Gathering Call, May-June, 1941, No. 3, pages 14-15, Ballenger introduced the letter from Rabbi Marzuk with the following comments:

“Oct. 22, 1844 has been a crucial time with S.D.A.’s since their pioneers fixed upon it for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ; and they still stand tenaciously for this date in spite of all facts to the contrary. The Day of Atonement fell on Sept. 23, in 1844 instead of Oct. 22. This can be easily demonstrated by consulting any Jewish almanac of that time, or any orthodox Jewish authority. They celebrated the Day of Atonement in 1844 on Sept. 23.

“The defenders of the creed (SDAs) declare that while the orthodox (Rabbinical) Jews may have celebrated the Day of Atonement on Sept. 23, the Karaite Jews observed it on Oct 22. We have made careful investigation, and we find that this is a false claim. The leading Karaite rabbi of Cairo, Egypt, Youseff (sic) Ibrahim Marzork (sic), in reply to an inquiry as to the day on which they celebrated the atonement in 1844, wrote:

“‘As to the dates of the Passover and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) they are the following: — According to the Karaite Jews in the year 1843 the Yom Kippur is on Wednesday the 4th October, and just the same date according to the Rabbinical. In the year 1844 it is on Monday 23rd September for the Karaite and Rabbinical.”

Who was Rabbi Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk and why was his response to Ballenger’s question absolutely authoritative on this issue?

Karaite Rabbi Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk’s letter to Mr. C. L. Price on March 30, 1939, verifies both Rabbinical and Karaite Jews celebrated the Day of Atonement (the 10th of Tishri) on September 23 in 1844. Thus Snow’s claim that Karaites celebrated the Day of Atonement on October 22, 1844, is false! EGW approved Snow’s October 22 date on the basis of “the Mosaic system” used by Rabbinical Jews. However, both Karaites and Rabbinical Jews celebrated the Day of Atonement on September 23 in 1844. Thus Ellen White looked for the wrong event on the wrong day of the wrong month in the wrong year! SDAs continue to perpetuate the myth on the basis of Ellen White’s so-called “inspiration.”

Again, our friend Nehemia Gordon, a modern Karaite living in Jerusalem, carefully researched Karaite historical records and graciously contributed the following information through Internet e-mail in response to our questions regarding the credibility of Rabbi Marzuk:

“I tend to believe Ballenger’s report …. The seal on the bottom of the Marzouk letter is similar to a seal used by the Karaites of Cairo in that period, and … there was such a person active in the Karaite Community of Cairo in 1941. Mourad el-Kodsi, in his book The Karaite Jews of Egypt refers to Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk as the head of the Karaite Community in this period. … On page 221 el-Kodsi writes:

“Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk (1882-1952): a member of the religious council, then the deputy of the community for many years. At times, especially in the 1930’s, he was the only authority. …”

“On page 59 el-Kodsi states that Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk was “the acting head of the community” in 1940. There can be no doubt that the Yusuf Ibrahim Marzuk mentioned by el-Kodsi is the very same as that referred to by Ballenger.” – Nehemia Gordon, December, 1999

Further confirmation of Nehemia Gordon’s research comes from Dr. Philip E. Miller, who writes:

“Marzuk was a highly learned man, and if he said the dates matched up, then they probably did.” — Dr. Philip E. Miller, Librarian, The Klau Library, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, NY

Notice also that Rabbi Marzuk stated that in both 1843 and 1844 the Karaites Jews celebrated the Day of Atonement on the very same date as Rabbinical Jews. Therefore, if there were any major differences in the calendar computations prior to 1843 they certainly did not exist in 1843, 1844, or anytime afterwards. This we can prove by examining inscriptions on the headstones in Jewish cemeteries.

But first, let us admit it is possible some Karaite calendar computations back a thousand years ago may have been off by more than one or two days. It is possible an isolated community of Karaites may have erred radically and celebrated one of the Annual Holy Days at the wrong time — perhaps even weeks before or after the date celebrated by the remaining Karaite Jews and Rabbinical Jews. Anything is possible, for no Karaite community is immune from mathematical errors any more than a community of Seventh-day Adventists would be. But remember, Ellen White never mentioned a Karaite calendar. She confirmed October 22, 1844, on the basis of the Mosaic Jewish calendar — the one Rabbinical Jews follow — the one that gives September 23 as the 10th of Tishri in 1844. Ellen White was wrong about the date given by the Jewish calendar. That is why SDAs try to hide behind S. S. Snow’s claim of a non–existent Karaite calendar.

Also remember, any mathematical miscalculation by some obscure community of Karaites had to occur in the year 1844, for Ellen White specified that in 1844 the 10th of Tishri fell on October 22. And, that group of Karaites must have been so well known that S. S. Snow would have heard about them, communicated with them and received their miscalculated calendar. More than that, Rabbinical Jews and the great majority of other Karaites would have had documentation of the existence of this supposed Karaite community and would have commented on the miscalculated Karaite date not as being the “one true date,” but as being an obvious miscalculation.

The facts are, none of that happened in 1843, in 1844, or even in 1845. There was no “old Karaite Jewish calendar,” there was no Karaite miscalculation, and there were no Karaites celebrating the Day of Atonement on October 22 in 1844.

How can we be so certain? The evidence which makes us so certain is found in 15th century Karaite histories and on the gravestones of Karaites buried hundreds of years ago in Jewish cemeteries.

15th Century Historians Concur With Marzuk

Marzuk’s letter gives us hard evidence that, prior to 1844, Karaites had united on a basic method of calculating the annual holy days. By researching the dates contained on gravestones in Jewish cemeteries Marzuk’s assertion is corroborated beyond question. Again, Nehemia Gordon presents the evidence for us as he discusses the methods used by both Karaite and Rabbinical Jews to calculate Annual Holy Days:

“In the Middle Ages the Karaites ardently maintained that the Biblical year begins with the ripeness of the Barley crop in Israel (called in the Bible “Abib”). The Rabbinic calendar had originally followed this practice but around the 9th century CE they adopted a 19 year cycle of intercalation (leap years) which approximates the Abib but which is far from accurate. This often caused a difference of a month between the Karaite and Rabbanite calendars. The Seventh Day Adventist tradition seems to have heard of this Karaite practice or perhaps they assumed it was the Karaite practice based on their (correct) assumption that the Karaites strictly follow the Bible.

“The Abib was a central issue to the Karaites and to this day the Karaite marriage contract includes a vow that the marrying couple will celebrate the holidays ‘according to the visibility of themoon andtheappearanceoftheAbibin the land of Israel.’ However, already in the Middle Ages there were Karaite communities who slowly adopted the Rabbinic 19 year cycle. At first it was only Karaites in the distant lands of the Dispersion who followed the Rabbinic 19 year cycle. They claimed that it was difficult to receive reports of the state of the Barley crop in Israel from so far away. Aslate asthe 15thcenturythough, the Karaites of the Holy Land continued to follow the Abib even though their compatriots in the Dispersion accepted the 19 year Rabbinic cycle.

“The 15th century Karaite Hacham Elijah Baschyatchi writes: “‘Having explained that the beginning of the year according to the law of our Torah is according to the Abib which is found in the Land of Israel in the conditions which we have mentioned, because of our great sins we have been distanced from the Holy Land and we do not have the capability of finding the Abib, we have been forced to follow the Calculation of Intercalation like that done by our brothers the Rabbanites…’

“Baschyatchi continues further down the page:

“‘And the Hacham R’ Aharon [ben Elijah] author of the book ‘Etz Haim’ also said “that in the 269th cycle we heard that in the 4th year of the cycle [i.e. 1354/1355 C.E.] what was for us the month of Elul was for the people of the Land of Israel the month of Tishrei…’ … And this has also happened in our [Baschyatchi’s] times in the year 5240 [i.e. 1479/1480 C.E.], the 15th year of the cycle, people went from our community in the Holy City [i.e. Jerusalem] and said that the 14th year of the 276 cycle, which we are in, which was for us an intercalated year [i.e. 13 months] was for them a regular year [i.e. 12 months]. And our faith should not be weakened by this because they [in Israel] go after the observable and we [in the Diaspora] go after approximation.… The end of the matter is, all maintain the legal decision that the inhabitants of the Land of Israel should go according to the Abib in the Land of Israel and those far away should go after the calculation of intercalation of leap years and simple years.” (From “Aderet Eliyahu” by Elijah Baschyatchi, Israel 1966, p.39a (written in the 15th century) [translation from Hebrew by Nehemia Gordon, square brackets added by the translator for clarity]).

“As can be seen, in Baschyatchis’s own time the Karaites of the Dispersion followed the Rabbinic 19 year cycle while those of Israel followed the actual appearance of the Abib and at times this caused a difference of one month in the calendar. Nevertheless, by the 19th century the Karaites universally followed the 19 year Rabbinic cycle both in the Diaspora and in Israel. The 19th century Karaite Hacham Shlomoh ben Afedah Hacohen wrote an abridged paraphrase of Elijah Baschyatchi’s Aderet Eliyahu. In his abridgement, Shlomoh Afedah paraphrases the above quoted passage but adds the following words:

“And for this long time that the quest for the Abib has been abandoned even in the Land of Israel and they [the inhabitants of Israel] intercalate years using the above mentioned system [i.e. the 19 year Rabbinic cycle] like we do outside of Israel, [this is] against the legal decision of the Rav [i.e. Baschyatchi] and the Hachamim [mentioned in the above quoted passage of Aderet Eliyahu] perhaps in order to unite with all the communities and so that we will not have a disagreement between them and us in fixing the year.’ (From “Gefen Ha’Aderet”, Shlomoh ben Afedah Hacohen, Israel 1987, pp.22-23 (written in 1865) [translation from the Hebrew by Nehemia Gordon, square brackets added by translator for clarity.])

“Clearly in the time of Shlomoh ben Efedah Hacohen (c. 1860) all Karaites everywhere had for many years been using the 19 year Rabbinic cycle. Therefore, Yom Kippur must have been celebrated by the Karaites in late September 1844 in accordance with the 19 year Rabbinic cycle and not in late October 1844.

“While late September may or may not have been the ‘correct’ month in which to celebrate Yom Kippur (only a crop report from that year would decide that issue) it was undoubtedly the month actually observed by Karaites everywhere.

Karaite Tomb Stone Inscription

“That Yom Kippur 1844 was celebrated by the Karaites in September and not October is confirmed by a Karaite Tomb Stone inscription cited by Abraham Firkowitz in his book “Avnei Zicharon” (lit. ‘Stones of Remembrance,’ published Vilna 1872).

“It should be noted that while claims have been made that Firkowitz altered some of the inscriptions cited in his book, all of these dubious accusations are in regards to Tomb Stones from the early centuries of the Common Era and there can be no doubt as to the authenticity of the later Tomb Stones, especially those from the 19th century. On page 242 Firkowitz quotes from a Karaite Tomb Stone from the ‘New Cemetery’ in Gozlow which reads:

“‘And Yosef Shlomoh died at seventy five years of age. And all Israel mourned him and cried for him ‘Woe master and woe his glory’. And they buried him in great honor on the 12th day of the month Tevet in the year 605 of the sixth millennium since creation according to our counting, and according to the counting of Rome, the tenth of the month December in their year 1844 here in Gozlow, or Yeupetoria, on the Crimean Peninsula in the reign of the master the great and mighty Czar, King of Russia and the other lands, that is, the Emperor his majesty Nicolai the first Pavelovitz in the twentieth year of his reign, and in the sixty-first year of this Crimean Peninsula being under the rule of the Kings of Russia since the days of the Czarina Catherine the Second who conquered it from the hand of the Tartaric king and Shekhan Gari Khan who was king of Crimea at that time.’” [Translation from the Hebrew by Nehemia Gordon.]

“As can be seen the Karaite date 12 Tevet corresponds to December 10, 1844. Bearing in mind that the Russian Empire used the Julian calendar, December 10 of the Julian year must be understood to refer to December 22 in the Gregorian year (i.e. the system used universally today). If 12 Tevet was equivalent to December 22, 1844 (Gregorian) then Tevet would have begun on December 10 (Gregorian). Bearing in mind that Tevet is the tenth Hebrew month and Tishrei (in which Yom Kippur falls out) is the seventh Hebrew month it becomes clear that Yom Kippur 1844 must have been celebrated in late September and not late October.” – Nehemiah Gordon, December, 1999

Those are the facts. There simply is no possibility that in 1844 Karaite Jews were celebrating the Day of Atonement on October 22. There was no “old Karaite Jewish calendar.” And there was no “divine revelation” giving October 22 as the correct date. Samuel S. Snow did not tell the truth. His entire scheme was hatched up because he wanted to gain control of trusting Adventists — but he was too late, Ellen White was already entrenched in that position.

The Babylonian Calendar Defense

What about the second theory Seventh-day Adventists rely on to defend the October 22 date? Seventh-day Adventists claim that a Babylonian calendar can produce the desired result of October 22 being the Day of Atonement in 1844. But once again we find SDAs grasping at straws.

The Babylonian calendar was not part of the Mosaic Jewish system for determining Annual Holy Days. Neither Rabbinical nor Karaite Jews use a Babylonian calendar, and they never have. The Jewish calendar, set up by God through Moses, had nothing to do with any Babylonian calendar. The entire concept of a Babylonian calendar, as presented by Seventh-day Adventists, is simply a wild goose chase drawing us once again after a phantom in the hope that somehow Ellen White’s prophetic inspiration can be salvaged. It does not merit any further discussion.

Conclusion

The Seventh-day Adventist claim that the Karaites celebrated the Day of Atonement a month later than the Rabbinical Jews is simply a myth. Their date of October 22, 1844, is a non-Biblical, historically bankrupt doctrine supported solely by the writings of their false prophet, Ellen White, and the lies of a religious fanatic, Samuel S. Snow. The time has long passed for Seventh-day Adventist leaders to admit the truth about October 22, 1844: it was not “The Great Disappointment,” it was, in fact, “The Great Lie!”

White Washed. Copyright © 2011 by Sydney Cleveland. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2011. Revised and enlarged 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2011. All Scripture quotations—except where otherwise noted—are from Holy Bible, New International Version, © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved. Life Assurance Ministries, Inc.

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Sydney Cleveland

Sydney Cleveland was an Adventist Pastor for 11 years. During an extensive study of Ellen G. White’s writings, he discovered that she contradicted the Holy Bible, gave many false prophecies, was mean-spirited, and didn’t even follow her own teaching.

White Washed is a comprehensive look at Ellen White’s prophecies, practices and publications. Sydney Cleveland examines her claims of inspiration, her dreams and visions, the doctrines she endorsed, her personal practices which opposed her teachings, and the effects of her claims on the Seventh-day Adventist church. This book is a well-documented overview of the little-known reality about Ellen White and her long service to Adventism.

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