Mixt translation is, when both the Lunary and the Politick meet in the changing of daies. And the translation occasioned by this mixture or meeting of both these two, is twofold. First, Simple. And secondly, Double.
Simple translation is, when the Feast is translated to the next day following. For examples sake, If the Moon changed after noon-tide on Sunday, here the Feast must be translated, for two reasons: the first is Lunary, because the point of the change was after eighteen hours; the second, Politick, because the rule Adu forbids Sunday to be kept: notwithstanding, in as much as the very next day, namely Munday, was observed; I term this translation simple. Of this sort was that translation which they called Batu takphat.
בטו תקפט Batu Takphat,[356] is a word invented for help of memory; each letter is a numeral, and may be thus resolved, ב 2. טו 15. תקפט 589. The meaning is, that in the year following Annum Embolymæum (wherein one whole month was ingrafted) if the point of the change happened upon the second day of the week, that is, Munday not before the fifteenth hour, and the 589 moment, the Feast of the New Moon was translated unto Tuesday. How both the Lunary and Politick translation work in this change, read Scaliger, de emend. temp. lib. 2. pag. 87.
[356] Batu takphat.
Double Translation, is, when the Feast is translated not to the next, but to some further day: as if the first day of the month Tisri should happen upon Saturday; here, if the Moon hath not overpast her conjunction before the afternoon, Lunary translation removeth this Feast till Sunday, because of יח, that is, the eighteen hours: Politick translation removeth it till Munday, as appeareth by the rule Adu, forbidding Sunday; of this sort is Gatrad.
גטרד Gatrad, is a made word, each letter is a numeral, and it may be thus resolved, ג 3. ט 9. רד 204. The meaning thereof is thus: In their common year (when a whole month is not inserted) if the point of the change happen upon the third day of the week, that is, Tuesday, not before the ninth hour, and the 204 moment of an hour, then the New Moon shall be translated to Thursday.
Note in the last place, that 1080 moments make an hour.[357]
[357] Munst. Calend. pag. 45.
The Feast of Tabernacles was observed in the month Tisri, and therefore that could not be observed the morrow after the Sabbath, as appeareth by the rule Adu. The Passover was observed in the month Nisan, and therefore that might be observed the morrow after the Sabbath, as appeareth by the rule Badu. If any ask the reason why the Passover might be observed the next day after the Sabbath, seeing the Feast of Tabernacles might not? I take it to be thus; All the after translations depended upon the first translation of the first New Moon in Tisri; but that could not be so changed, as to prevent all concurrence of two Feasts; and thus to have their Passover sometimes to follow their Sabbath, they thought the most convenientest ordering of the year, because though not all meetings of two Sabbaths, yet most were hereby prevented.
This tract of translation of Feasts, it serveth partly to open the customs of the Jews: partly to give light for the understanding of that great dispute among Divines, whether our Saviour did anticipate the Passover. The Greek Church holds,[358] that he kept a Passover by himself with his Disciples, on the thirteenth day of the month, when unleavened bread was not yet to be used; and thence they do both use and urge a necessity[359] of leavened bread in the Lords supper: But this opinion we reject. First, because it accordeth not with the truth of Evangelical History. Secondly, because it plainly maketh Christ to be a transgressor, not a fulfiller of the Law. Others say,[360] that because that year their Passover fell on Friday, hence the feast was translated unto Saturday by the rule Badu. Their inference is that Christ kept the fourteenth day of the month, which was Friday, and the Jews kept Saturday. He kept Gods Command, they the tradition of the Elders. Lastly, others more probably hold,[361] that both Christ and the Jews did eat the Passover the same day and hour; namely, on Friday, or the fourteenth day of the month, if we count the beginning of Friday according to the manner of the Jews, from six a clock at night on Thursday. Friday morning he was judged, and crucified; and in the afternoon, about three of the clock, when the preparation of the Sabbath began, he was buried; There laid they Jesus, because of the Jews preparation, John 19. 24.