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Sirius and the Solar Calendar<\/b><\/a><\/font>
March 7<\/i><\/font>
The bright "dog star" Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. It was this star that the taught the Egyptians to develop the solar calendar, which is essentially the same calendar we use today.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
The Astronomy of Easter<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Since the early centuries of the church, Christians have honored the death and resurrection of Jesus in the celebration of Easter. And while the observance of Easter has changed over the centuries, it is based on the Hebrew Passover.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
Some Christmas Sources<\/b><\/a><\/font>
A look at some secular historical sources that support the Biblical account of the Nativity.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
Leap Year and the Julian Calendar<\/b><\/a><\/font>
The idea of leap year can be puzzling to people. Some people wonder why every year doesn\'t have the same number of days as every other year, why we need to mess around with adding this extra day every four years. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
The Dominical Letter<\/b><\/a><\/font>
The months do not all have the same number of days, and the 12 month cycle of the year doesn\'t divide perfectly into the seven day cycle of the week. It can be mind-boggling to figure out which weekday a certain date may land on. But in spite of all that, there are recurrent patterns that can be observed in the dates, and are embodied in the "Dominical Letter." <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
Easter or Passover? An Historic Controversy<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Many Christians today feel that we should not celebrate Easter as a separate feast, but that we should instead celebrate the Passover. This subject was very controversial in the early church. Many Christians still celebrated the time of Passover until well after A.D. 1000. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
Christmas Possibilities<\/b><\/a><\/font>
We should always keep in mind that many Christmas traditions are not well supported by evidence, such as the Bible or any other reliable sources. As homeschool families, we all want to cultivate critical thinking in our kids. We can start by considering some of the facts and fancies about Christmas.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
The Paschal Moon <\/b><\/a><\/font>
The Paschal Moon is the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox, and signals the arrival of Easter the next Sunday.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
52 Weeks???<\/b><\/a><\/font>
A reader question about the differences between 52 weeks and the 365-day year.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
Easter and Passover - Similarities and Differences<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Just as the Christian feast of Easter corresponds to the Hebrew feast of Passover, the Christian feast of Pentecost corresponds to the Hebrew Shavuot.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
What Was The Star of Bethlehem?<\/b><\/a><\/font>
There are a number of theories that attempt to give a rationalistic, naturalist explanation of the Star of Bethlehem, and it seems that new popular theories make the rounds all the time.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
Christmas Articles from the Archives<\/b><\/a><\/font>
December 20<\/i><\/font>
Here\'s a selection of Christmas-related articles from our archives.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
What\'s Up With That Leap Second?<\/b><\/a><\/font>
In case you hadn\'t heard, a leap second will be added to the calendar at midnight on December 31, 2008. Modern timekeeping will hang in limbo for a whole second between the end of 2008 and the start of 2009. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>
What Was The Star of Bethlehem?<\/b><\/a><\/font>
One of our most frequently asked questions, especially around this time of year, is "what was the Star of Bethlehem?" The truth is, I don\'t know the answer, and in fact, no one else does either, in spite of what you might hear. If there was a clear-cut answer to this question, everyone would already know the answer and wouldn\'t have to ask.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr><\/table>');