A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Did Yom Kippur fell on October 22, 1844 as Adventists Claim? They claimed it was based on the Kararite Calendar not the Rabbinic Calendar.

But Nehemia Gordon, a prominent Karaite Jew and biblical Hebrew scholar, has indeed disputed that October 22, 1844 was Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) according to the Karaite calendar, whereas Seventh-day Adventists claim it was.

This disagreement is rooted in different calendar calculations and interpretive methods. Here’s an explanation of both positions:

1 The Millerite/Adventist Position (Using Karaite Calendar – Their Understanding)

The Millerites (precursors to Seventh-day Adventists) believed that:

Jesus would return on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Based on Karaite reckoning (which they claimed as more biblical than the Rabbinic method), Yom Kippur in 1844 fell on October 22.

This was calculated using the observational method of determining months (i.e., visible new moon and ripening barley – aviv), supposedly following Karaite methodology.

When Christ did not return, they later reinterpreted the event as the beginning of His heavenly ministry in the Most Holy Place, still assigning prophetic significance to the date.

2 Nehemia Gordon’s Position (Actual Karaite Practice)

Nehemia Gordon argues that the Millerites misapplied Karaite methods. He explains:

The Karaite calendar in 1844 would not have placed Yom Kippur on October 22.

Karaite reckoning is based on actual sighting of the new moon and agricultural observation (aviv barley in Israel).

According to his reconstruction of the actual Karaite calendar in 1844, Yom Kippur likely occurred in September, not late October.

Gordon has emphasized that no Karaite at the time of 1844, or in history, would have calculated Yom Kippur as falling on October 22.

Here is a reconstruction of the 1844 Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) dates based on two different calendar methods:

Calendar 1st Day of 7th Month Yom Kippur (10th Day) for year 1844
Millerite 1844-10-13 1844-10-22 Based on assumed visible new moon + barley (aviv) method (USA-based)
Karaite (Gordon) 1844-09-14 1844-09-23 Based on actual or estimated new moon sighting + early aviv barley

Interpretation:

Millerites believed October 22, 1844 was Yom Kippur, based on a retrocalculated Karaite-style calendar.

Nehemia Gordon contends that if you apply the true Karaite method (with actual moon sightings and barley conditions in Israel), Yom Kippur was September 23, not October 22.

The Rabbinic calendar, still used by mainstream Jews today, placed Yom Kippur on September 23 in 1844.

So, while Adventists used the Karaite approach in principle, their application—due to being remote from Israel and lacking real-time agricultural/moon data—led to a misalignment with how modern Karaite Jews like Nehemia Gordon understand the calendar.

Conclusion

Yom Kippur (10 Tishrei 5605) was on September 23, 1844, according to the Rabbinic calendar.

October 22, 1844 fell on 9 Cheshvan, the ninth day of the eighth month — not Yom Kippur.

The Millerite calculation did not align with the Rabbinic date, and even less so with Karaite reckoning according to Nehemia Gordon.

~~~ and finally a Q for ChatGPT ~~~

Q for ChatGPT: Where is the evidence where Karaites established or admitted that October 22, 1844 was their Yom Kippur?

Answer: There is no evidence that Karaite Jews ever established or admitted that October 22, 1844, was Yom Kippur. In fact, Karaite sources, including scholar Nehemia Gordon, affirm that Yom Kippur in 1844 occurred in September, not October.

In a 1998 communication from the Karaite Korner, it was clarified that the Day of Atonement in 1844, according to Karaite reckoning, coincided with the Rabbinic date in late September. This conclusion was based on the Karaite practice of determining months through the actual sighting of the new moon and the state of the barley harvest (aviv) in Israel. gospeloutreach.net

The Millerites, a 19th-century Adventist movement, adopted what they believed to be the Karaite calendar to calculate prophetic dates. However, their methodology was based on assumptions and calculations made from the United States, without access to real-time observations from Israel. Consequently, they concluded that Yom Kippur fell on October 22, 1844, a date not recognized by actual Karaite practice.

Therefore, the claim that October 22, 1844, was Yom Kippur is not supported by Karaite Jewish sources or historical practice.

~~~

Given that both Rabbinic and Karaite Jews observed Yom Kippur on September 23, 1844, and considering the potential for the Samaritan observance, from Mount Gerizim, to occur occasionally one month later, it’s plausible that the Samaritan Day of Atonement in 1844 may have fallen on October 22 for the year 1844. However there’s no historical record indicating that Samaritans observed Yom Kippur on October 22, 1844.

But the Samaritans are a pretentious people who falsely make claims to have the truth!

When asked about the Samaritans, Jesus replied, “Ye worship ye know not what; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews,” John 4:22

~ by Joel on June 16, 2025.

Posted in Doctrines, Judiasm, Scriptures Studies, Sects & Cults