The accurate transmission of the Bible over many centuries using perishable materials presented a unique challenge to the Jews. Motivated by their reverence for the Scriptures, the task of copying these words became a dedicated profession. The Hebrew word for these copyists was so-pherʹ, which conveys the idea of counting. This term was appropriate because copyists used various counting techniques to ensure the accuracy of each copy. The center of a document played a crucial role in some of these techniques. For example, when checking a copy of the first five books of the Bible, the Masoretes would verify that the middle letter of the document was correct. They would also check the middle clause of each book.

In this context, the phrase "half a week" from the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 becomes intriguing. What if we use a technique similar to that of the copyists? But instead of counting letters to determine if a document matches its original, we count days to determine if events in time match this prophecy?

Based on the prophecy of Daniel 9:27, we prepare to embark on a journey through time using half of a symbolic "week" as our starting point. This "week" in Daniel's prophecy is not just seven days, but seven years, so half a week is equal to 1,288 days on our proposed calendar (368 days per year times three and a half years equals 1,288 days in three and a half years). Our journey is anchored by two significant events: the execution of Jesus on Nisan 14, 33 C.E., and the outpouring of God's holy spirit 52 days later at Pentecost on Sivan 6, 33 C.E.