Article February 8, 1900 Issue

The Christian Era

Christian Advocate

Q.—The Christian era dates from the birth of Christ; why is it that New Year's does not come on Christmas, or the year begin on Christmas instead of eight days later, as it does?

A.—The Christian era was first proposed in 527 A.D., though its use was not uniform in Europe till a short time before the discovery of America by Columbus. Long before that, January had been established as the first month in the year, and as the beginning of this system of chronology was practically an accident and it was long unenforced by the authority in command, kings or counsels, no change was made. After various agitations the Gregorian rule was established, "in which the years are denominated as years current from the midnight between the 31st of December and the 1st of January immediately subsequent to the birth of Christ, according to the chronological determination of that event by Dionysius Exiguus." This character lived in the beginning of the sixth century. There was no exact determination. The answer to the question, then, in its simplest form is this : the inventor of the scheme could not upset the pre-eminence, that had existed for many years, of January as the first month. The most plausible tradition concerning the birth of our Lord fixed it at December 25, hence the scheme as we now have it. It was long before this was agreed to. The Julian system contended successfully for a great while with the Gregorian. Even as late as 1648 the 25th of March was New Year's Day in England, though in Scotland the year began with the 1st of January from the year 1600. On account of this difference a Scottish writer puts the execution of Charles I. in 1649, and an English writer in 1648, notwithstanding the fact that both agreed in the month and day. England did use the 25th of December as New Year's Day from the sixth century to 1066, the 1st of January till 1155, the 25th of March until the day after the 31st of December, 1751. Dionysius Exiguus, the author of the present era, himself originally chose the 25th of March, exactly nine months before Christmas, and that would practically have gotten another year into the era. A curious method of dating grew out of this, and persists. In some English documents will be found a date like this: 12th of February, 1706-7. That means 1706 if the year begins on the 25th of March, or 1707 if it begins on the 1st of January.—Christian Advocate.

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