Our Calendar / The Julian calendar and its errors. How corrected by the Gregorian. Rules for finding the dominical letter, and the day of the week of any event from the days of Julius Caesar 46 B.C. to the year of our Lord four thousand; a new and easy method of fixing the date of Easter. Hebrew calendar; showing the correspondence in the date of events recorded in the Bible with our present Gregorian calendar. Illustrated by valuable tables and charts.

by George Nichols Packer

The first year of the Christian era had 10 for its number in the cycle of the sun, 2 in the cycle of the moon, and 4 in the cycle of the indiction. Now, it is found by actual calculation, that the only number less than 7980 which, on being divided successively by 28, 19, and 15, leaves the respective remainders 10, 2 and 4, is 4714. Hence, the first year of the Christian era corresponded with the year 4714 of the Julian period, which period coincides with the 710th before the common mundane era 4004 B. C.; for 4004 + 710 = 4714. Hence, also, the year of our era corresponding to any other year of the period, or vice versa, is found by the following rule:

When the given year is anterior to the commencement of the era, subtract the number of the year of the Julian period from 4714, and the remainder is the year before Christ; or, subtract the year before Christ from 4714, and the remainder is the corresponding year in the Julian period. Thus, Rome was founded in the year 3960 of the Julian period. What was the year before Christ? We have then 4714 - 3960 = 754. Julius Cæsar was assassinated 44 years before Christ, what was the corresponding year of the Julian period? We have then, 4714 - 44 = 4670.

When the given year is after Christ, subtract 4713 from the year of the period, and the remainder is the year of the era; or add 4713 to the year of the era, and the sum is the corresponding year in the Julian period. Thus, the Council of Nice was convened in the year 5038 of the Julian period, what was the year of our era? We have then, 5038 - 4713 = 325. What year of the Julian period corresponds with the present year, 1892? We have then, 4713 + 1892 = 6605.

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CHAPTER V.

EASTER.

Easter (Germ. Ostern, Old Saxon Oster, from Osten, signifying rising). The English name is probably derived from Ostera or Eostre, the Teutonic goddess of spring, whose festival occurred about the same time of the year as the celebration of Easter. The Hebrew-Greek word Pascha has passed into the name given to this feast by most Christian nations. This festival is held in commemoration of our Lord’s resurrection.

The Jews celebrated their passover, in conformity with the directions given them by Moses, on the 14th day of the month Nisan, being the lunar month of which the 14th day either falls on or next follows the day of the vernal equinox. In the year of our Lord’s crucifixion this fell on a Friday; the resurrection, therefore, took place on the first day of the week, which from thence is denominated the Lord’s Day.

The primitive Christians, in celebrating this anniversary, fell into two different systems. The Western churches observed the nearest Sunday to the full moon of Nisan, taking no account of the day on which the passover would be celebrated. The Asiatics, on the other hand, following the Jewish calendar, adopted the 14th of Nisan upon which to commemorate the crucifixion, and observed the festival of Easter on the third day following, upon whatever day of the week that might fall, hence they obtained the name of Quartodecimans, (from quarto, four, and decem, ten,) the fourteenth day men. The former appealed to the authority of St. Peter and St. Paul, the latter to that of St. John.