Was October 22 the Right Date, or Was It September 23?

This study was condensed from Bob Pickle's study.
See his full study here.

Critics will eagerly point out that modern Jewish calendars will calculate the Day of Atonement in 1844 as occuring on September 23. 

But Millerites in 1844 used the reckoning of Karaite Judaism to come up with the date of October 22. Karaism typically kept their feasts a month later than other Jews. However, the critics claim that the Karaites were no longer using their special form of reckoning in 1844. Is this true? And even if it were true, what would be the correct date for Yom Kippur in 1844, biblically speaking?

 With the coming of the Julian and Gregorian calendars the way of reckoning changed and the Jews adapted their calculations for their feasts accordingly. 
Prior to the 2nd century AD, the leaders of Judaism added their intercalary months in such a way that there was always ripe barley for Passover. After that point, they relied solely on mathematical calculations tied to the equinox, and totally disregarded whether the barley was ripe or not. Thus they were not following the Scriptures in the matter of when to begin their years.

In the 8th century a group of Jews decided to leave the built up traditions and go back to the Bible way of calculating the times and seasons.  These Jews became known as the Karaites.

That Karaites did begin to lose this system early in the 1800"s.   Those living in foreign countries being the first to start using Rabbanite reckoning  And at some point prior to 1860, apparently even Karaites in Palestine were as well. But how long before 1860? The history is difficult to trace back from our day. 

As late as 1641 we learn from a Karaite pilgrim from the Crimea that the Karaites of the Middle East still followed the Biblical calendar and that in that year they celebrated all the holidays one month after the Rabbanites. (Karaite Korner Newsletter #6: Biblical Holidays 1999)

For now, we will say that at some point between 1641 and 1860, Karaites in Palestine started using Rabbanite reckoning. Yet regardless of what the Karaites were or were not doing in 1844, what was the true date for the Day of Atonement, biblically speaking? 

Back to the Millerites of 1844. Some critics have claimed that Samuel Snow concocted the idea of Yom Kippur being in October so that he would have longer for his message to take effect. This is not true, for Millerites were well aware of Karaite reckoning before Snow came around with his message the summer of 1844:

Now there is a dispute between the Rabinical, and the Caraite Jews, as to the correct time of commencing the year. . . . The Caraite Jews on the contrary, still adhere to the letter of the Mosaic, and commence with the new moon nearest the barley harvest in Judea; and which is one moon later than the Rabinical year. The Jewish year of A D 1843, as the Caraites reckon it in accordance with the Mosaic law, therefore commenced this year with the new moon on the 29th of April, and the Jewish year 1844, will commence with the new moon in next April, when 1843 and the 2300 days, according to their computation, will expire. (Signs of the Times; June 21, 1843; p. 123)

While Miller himself never espoused such dating, principal Millerite leaders did. Thus the idea of using Karaite reckoning wasn't something concocted by Snow. Notice also that if the Jewish year of 1844 began with the new moon of April, Yom Kippur, a little over six months later, would land on October 22, not September 23.

In an article on the Jewish year, published in the Cry of April 27, 1843, Bro. Whiting says: "The rabbinical calculation makes the first day of Nisan commence with the new moon nearest the day on which the sun enters Aries, on the vernal equinox. It ought, however, to be observed, that the Caraite Jews maintain that the rabbins have changed the Calendar, so that, to present the first fruits on the 16th of Nisan would be impossible if the time is reckoned according to the rabbinical calculations, since barley is not in the ear at Jerusalem till a month later. The accounts of many travelers confirm the position of the Caraites. (The Midnight Cry; Oct. 11, 1844; p. 117) (bold added)

So well over a year before Snow got going, Millerites were talking about Karaite reckoning, and even claiming that "many travelers" to Israel had confirmed the fact that the barley is not ripe for Passover the way the Rabbanites calculate the beginning of the year.

The Millerites quoted from Mr. Calman, who was originally from England, a converted Jewish Rabbi who at the time of writing was about to return to Jerusalem from Beirut.

"I will begin by stating one fact of great importance, of which I was totally ignorant before I came to this country, which will prove that the seasons of the festivals, appointed by God for the Jewish nation, have been annulled and subverted by the oral law of the Scribes and Pharisees, which is now the ritual of the Jews.  (American Biblical Repository, April 1840, p. 411 )

Mr. Calman considers the issue of "great importance," and learned of it only since arriving in the Palestine. What immediately follows is a short description of the biblical requirement that the year begin when the barley is in a certain stage of ripeness. Then he says:

But, at present, the Jews in the Holy Land have not the least regard to this season appointed and identified by Jehovah, but follow the rules prescribed in the oral law, namely, by adding a month to every second or third year, and thus making the lunar year correspond with the solar. And when the 15th day of Nisan (nisan), according to this computation, arrives, they begin to celebrate the above-mentioned feast, although the chedesh haabib may have passed, or not yet come. In general the proper season occurs after they have celebrated it a whole month, which is just reversing the command in the law, which directs that the chedesh haabib precede the festival, and not the festival the chedesh haabib. Nothing like ears of green corn have I seen around Jerusalem at the celebration of this feast. (pp. 411, 412) (Hebrew transliterated)

Mr. Calman has thus informed us that "in general," Jews around 1836 were keeping their feasts one month too early. Therefore, just this point makes a good case for October 22 being the correct date for Yom Kippur in 1844, regardless of what the Karaites were doing. 

Yet we have record that they were still using their system of calculating as late as 1836, so it's very possible groups of them were still using it in 1844.  

The Millerites were more interested in getting the CORRECT BIBLICAL date, than to get the popular date.

Any continued criticism against the validity of the date of October 22 for Yom Kippur in 1844 is sheer speculation, unless of course someone turns up an 1844 crop report for Palestine. If such a crop report did turn up, and if it showed that the barley had entered the Abib stage by March 20 in those cold, pre-global warming days, then and only then would the matter be settled that September 23 was the true Day of Atonement for that year.