Jamie_L

Don't know if this is strictly relevant to this forum, but it seemed like the most likely place to find informed readers.

When was the "zero" date for the Western calendar actually set? Did someone start keeping a calendar and declare a first year, or did someone retroactively set the dates somewhere along the way.

Related to this question: what is the real, historical relationship between the Western calendar and Christianity.

I thought of this question after reading articles suggesting the non-existence of Christ (as a divine figure or a human figure). Considering that possibility, I then thought to myself - well who started all this B.C. nonsense then?

If I am displaying pitiful ignorance, I apologize in advance.

Jamie

CX

The calendar as we have it was adopted originally by a pope in the orthodox church in like the 4th century (I am a little out of my area here so anyone who knows better please correct me). There is no year "zero". The A.D. in dates corresponds to the latin Anno Domini which means "in the year of our lord". So we go from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. Most modern scholars think Jesus was actually born between 3 and 6 B.C. Incidentally scholars refer to the dates using B.C.E. and C.E. for "before the common era" and "common era" (some replace common with Xian).

Amen-Moses

From: <a href="http://www.bathroomreader.com/throne2000.htm" target="_blank">http://www.bathroomreader.com/throne2000.htm</a>

An obscure Ukranian monk named Dionysius Exiguus ("Dennis the Short") may be the ultimate unsung hero of the year 2000.

CLAIM TO FAME: He invented the year 2000.
BACKGROUND: Until Dionysius came up with the Anno Domini (A.D.) system, there was no uniform way to number years. Europeans measured time from any number of benchmarks—the founding of Rome (referred to as A.U.C.—short for the Latin ab urbe condita, or "from the founding of the city"), the reign of Emperor Diocletian, and so on.

The New Calendar. In 1278 A.U.C. Pope John I asked Dennis, the abbott of a Roman church and a respected scholar, to come up with a new calendar based on Jesus' birthday. This was no easy task; no one knew exactly when Jesus had been born. Working from Gospel accounts, official Roman records, and astrological charts, Dennis finally settled on December 25, 753 A.U.C.

Theoretically, December 25 should have been the first day of Dennis's new calendar. But he started the year eight days later, on January 1. The religious rationale was that it was the Feast of the Circumcision—Jesus' eighth day of life. But more likely, it was because January 1 was already New Year's Day in Roman and Latin Christian calendars.

Dennis called his first year 1 A.D. That made the current year 525 A.D.

Amen-Moses

Jayhawker Soule

There is a wonderful book by David Ewing Duncan titled Calendar - Humanity's Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year.

Haran

Here is some <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03738a.htm#christian" target="_blank">information on the beginnings of the Christian Era.</a>

Read about <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05010b.htm" target="_blank">Dionysius Exiguus</a> who "introduced the use of the Christian Era".

Haran

Haran

Question... Does anyone know why, during Dionysius' time in the 6th century, they still would have been dating things in the "Era of Diocletian", who imposed the last persecution of the Christians before Constantine gained the throne in 306 A.D. (4th century)!?

Why was it not the Constantinian Era or some such thing after a later emperor?

Thanks,
Haran

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: Haran ]</p>

Boro Nut

Its logical to assume it was when they ran out of BC numbers to count with. The whole AD system of counting was probably a godsend to the calendar makers of the day. I think its fair to say it saved the industry.

Jayhawker Soule

Huh <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Jayhawker Soule

BTW, has anyone found a good history of the week? For example, it would be interesting to know if a 7-day period was instituted by any culture other than via Judeo-Christian influence.

While we're at it, I found the following interesting: <a href="http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/calendar/" target="_blank">A Neat Site</a>

Pandora

Not all civilizations used the seven day week:

Mayans, Aztecs and the Toltec had two week systems, one of 13 numbered days and one of twenty named days. Their year consisted of 360 days, and they had 18 months of twenty days each. They recognized that each year really had around 365 days and so by the 4th Century B.C.E they had three calendars simultaneously. There is a really good site on this and other calendars at:
<a href="http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-mayan.html" target="_blank">http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-mayan.html</a>

I would have thought that the seven day week was based on a division of the twenty eight day lunar cycle.

If I remember correctly, pieces of bone from prehistoric sites have been discovered with markings indicating the phases of the moon.

Division of time was probably unimportant in a hunter gatherer society, but with the beginnings of a more settled agricultural existence a system of time measurement would have been important for efficient crop management.

The origins of our days of the week are from a mixture of Roman and Norse mythology – sorry, Xtianity just didn’t get a look in. Aren’t the fundies bothered by having to utter the names of other deities on such a regular basis? I’m surprised no-one’s tried to invent a “Christian” week.

Monday – Lunae Dies or day of the moon.

Italian – Lunedì
French – Lundi

Tuesday – dies Martis or day of Mars. Tyr the god of honourable war and the son of Woden (Odin) and Freya in Norse Mythology.

Italian – Martedi
French – Mardi

Wednesday –dies Mercurii. Or day of Mercury. In Norse mythology day of Woden ,chief of the Gods.

Italian – Mercoledi
French – Mercredi

Thursday – dies Jovis or day of Jupiter (Zeus) In Norse mythology day of Thor, son of Woden, and god of thunder.

Italian – Giovedi
French – Jeudi


Friday – dies Veneris or day of Venus, the goddess of love. In Norse mythology, day of Frigga (Freya) the goddess of love, and wife of Woden

Italian – Venerdi
French – Vendredi

Saturday – dies Saturni or day of Saturn, god of agricolture. In Norse mythology, day of Loki god of tricks and chaos.

Sunday – day of the Sun god – Ra, Helios, Apollo, Ogmios, Mithrias. In 321C.E. Constantine ruled that the “venerable day of the sun” should be a day of rest.