WFT- august

08 August 2010

The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for August 1st 2007 was the adjective august.

marked by majestic dignity or grandeur

They provided this insightful bit of information about the origins of the word:

"August" comes from the Latin word "augustus," meaning "consecrated" or "venerable," which in turn is related to the Latin "augur," meaning "consecrated by augury" or "auspicious." In 8 B.C. the Roman Senate honored Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor, by changing the name of their month "Sextilis" to "Augustus." Middle English speakers inherited the name of the month of August, but it wasn't until the mid-1600s that "august" came to be used generically in English, more or less as "augustus" was in Latin, to refer to someone with imperial qualities.

This is one of the words that served to trigger an entire study on the origins of our modern calendar a few years ago.  In contrast to G-d's calendar, the modern, Western calendar was born of idolatry and worship of false gods.

Consider the names of the months:

  • January - from Middle English (ME) Januari(us), Old English(OE) Januarius, translation of Latin Januarius, named after JANUS the Roman god of beginnings.
  • February - from ME OE Februarius from Latin Februarius, named for Februa, an ancient Roman rite of purification and expiation.
  • March - from ME March(e), from Latin Martius, the month of the Roman god of war: Mars.
  • April - from ME Averil, Old French (OF) Avril, Latin Aprilis mensis (month). The name may derive from the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite.
  • May - from ME OE Maius, Latin Maius mensis (month), from the Greek Maia, goddess of spring and growth.
  • June - from ME Jun(e), OE Iunius, from Latin mensis Junius, named after the Roman goddess Juno, queen of the gods.
  • July - from ME Julie, OE Julius, from Latin Julius (Caesar) after whom it was named in 44 BC. The original name was quintilis, fifth month in the early Roman calendar.
  • August - from ME OE Augustus from Latin Augustus (Caesar) 8 BC. The original name was sextilis, sixth month in the early Roman calendar.
  • September - from ME Septembre from Latin September, originally the seventh month in the early Roman calendar
  • October - from ME OE from Latin October, eighth month in the early Roman calendar
  • November - from ME OE from Latin November, ninth month of the early Roman calendar, from novem
  • December - from ME Decembre from OF and Latin December, tenth month of the early Roman calendar (decem TEN + membri from mens MONTH + ri suffix)[1][2]

Ancient Romans established the Julian calendar from which the current Gregorian calendar was derived.  As such their pagan beliefs shaped the names of the calendar months.

This is actually the fulfillment of an even more ancient Biblical prophecy:

'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.  (Daniel 7:25 written in the late 6th century BCE).

The mindset of Rome, its emperors, and their worship of pagan deities has definitely shaped the minds of millions for centuries.

The question for us as twenty first century believers in the Messiah Yeshua is this: will we continue to yield to their influence or will we set our minds on the times and seasons that G-d has ordained?  We should be aware of these seemingly innocent influences that are all around us seeking to draw us away from G-d and His pattern and plans for our lives.

Oh, come quickly, Lord Yeshua, come quickly.

[1] from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/month.aspx

[2] from http://www.calendar-origins.com/calendar-name-origins.html

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