On an earlier thread I had written,

“If I’m reading the snippets correctly from Astronomical Tables of the Sun, Moon, and Planets, the Autumnal equinox would actually have been on the 23rd for all the years in question (1823-1828). But this is irrelevant, because Smith would have gone off the local almanacs of his time. According to what I read, September 22nd was listed as the equinox for 1823 in local almanacs.”

GB, rejected my claim, asking, “What is wrong with using scientific calculations to determine facts in the absence of historical documents?” I responded,

“It’s wrong when you use a 20th or 21st century modern scientific formula anachronistically in a 19th century context. GB, it seems we are at an impasse. I am appealing to Quinn, someone who has immersed himself in the historical documents, while you are appealing to something anachronistic. I’d be glad to dig deeper to find something perhaps more compelling for you.”

At a recent address Daniel Peterson said,

“Joseph Smith obtained the plates of the Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni on the 22nd of September, 1827, which was not only the autumnal equinox, but Jewish new year’s day, Rosh Hashanah, the so-called birthday of the world.” (Daniel Peterson, “Eyewitnesses and Ancient Paralles: The Revelations of Joseph Smith”, 2008 BYU Education Week address)

An interesting little tidbit given the previous kvetching over the date. I wonder if GB will be sending a corrective e-mail to Daniel Peterson?