The Julian calendar and its successor, the Gregorian calendar, are interesting in their construction, particularly in their naming of the months and days and their order.
Originally, under the Julian calendar, the year began with the month Martius. This month was followed by Aprilis (or Aphrilis), Maius, Iunius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, December, Ianarius, and the final month Februarius.
Let us compare with the Hebrew names found in scripture for the months:
Latin Name
|
Meaning
|
Hebrew Name
|
Meaning
|
Martius
|
Mars
|
Aviv
|
Green grain
|
Aprilis
|
Aphrodite
|
Ziv
|
Bright flowers
|
Maius
|
Mercury
|
Sheliyshiy
|
Third
|
Iunis
|
Juno
|
Reviy’iy
|
Fourth
|
Quintilis
|
Fifth
|
Chamiyshiy
|
Fifth
|
Sextilis
|
Sixth
|
Shiyshiy
|
Sixth
|
September
|
Seventh
|
Ethaniym
|
Flowing streams
|
October
|
Eighth
|
Bul
|
Rain
|
November
|
Ninth
|
Teshiy’iy
|
Ninth
|
December
|
Tenth
|
Asiyriy
|
Tenth
|
Ianarius
|
Janus
|
Asar Ashtay
|
Eleventh
|
Februarius
|
Ritual purification
|
Asar Shenayim
|
Twelfth
|
Februarius is worthy of a bit more consideration, because it was not just about ritual purification, but ritual purification of children in the fires of Molech/Moloch.
“Moloch was an old Canaanites idol, called by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians Melkarth, Baal-melech, Malcom, and other such names, and related to Baal, a sun-god worshipped, like Kronos and Saturn, by the sacrifice of children. It was represented by a brazen statue, which was hollow and capable of being heated, and formed with a bull's head, and arms stretched out to receive the children to be sacrificed. From the time of Ahaz, children were slain at Jerusalem in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and then sacrificed by being laid in the heated arms and burned.
“...although, in the times of the later kings, children were actually given up to Moloch and burned as slain-offerings, even among the Israelites; it by no means follows from this, that 'a passing through to Moloch,' or 'passing through the fire'... signified slaughtering and burning with fire....
“...'causing to pass through fire' denoted primarily going through the fire without burning, a februation, or purification through fire, by which the children were consecrated to Moloch; a kind of fire-baptism, which preceded the sacrificing.... [F]ebruation was practiced among the most different nations without being connected with human sacrifices; and, like most to the idolatrous rites of the heathen, no doubt the worship of Moloch assumed different forms at different times and among different nations."
Keil-Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol 1, the Pentateuch (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1980), page 416-417