Q: Some people say it’s wrong to follow the January to December calendar, calling it a pagan Roman calendar. They say we must follow the “Bible calendar,” which indicates that the first month of the year is the month of Abib, also known as Nisan (Exodus 12:2, Esther 3:7), which generally falls in our month of April. What does the Bible say about this? — Edinio
A: The Bible is silent when it comes to yearly calendars. However, in the creation story recorded in Genesis, we read about the creation of 24-hour days, identified as the “evening and the morning” as the first day, the second day, and so on, and the seven-day cycle that we know as the week, culminating with the seventh-day Sabbath (Gen. 2:2, 3).
Regarding yearly calendars, Dr. Gerhard Pfandl, from the Biblical Research Institute writes:
“Calendars are based on the motions of the sun or the moon. The Israelite calendar in the Old Testament was based on the motions of the moon. Therefore, every two to three years they had to add a thirteenth month to keep in step with the seasons. Their religious year began in the spring, their civil year in the autumn.
“The Roman calendar, known as the Julian calendar, goes back to 46 BC. It was based on the sun and was used by Jesus, the apostles, and Christians for 2000 years.
“Just because the Romans established it does not mean it is pagan. The Romans also built roads, that does not make the roads pagan.
“There is no biblical reason to go back to a lunar calendar. To agitate this issue will only divert attention from the business of the church to preach the gospel and prepare the world for the Second Advent. Satan would love nothing more than to have the church being diverted from this task.”