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The Chriftian Era.

N the early years of the profeffion of Chriftianity Anno Chrifti was reckoned from the year of Rome 750. Our Lord was born in the 28th year of Auguftus. "Now "when Jefus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king." [St. Matthew ch. ii. ver. 1.] Herod died about three months after the 25th of December 750 A.U.c. in the fame year of Rome, as it extended to the 20th of April; and his death occurred between 13th of March and the 14th day of the date of the New Moon [the 29th of March], reckoning from the 16th of March, the date of the New Moon, with Golden Number XI of the Metonic Cycle, [if we reckon the numbers of that cycle from July, fo interpreted]. "And it came "to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from "Cæfar Auguftus, that all the world fhould be taxed" [St. Luke, ch. ii. ver. 1]. This was in 750 A.U.C., for the 28th year of Auguftus, of the Alexandrian reckoning, would fall to 750 A.U.C. when reckoned from the commencement of the "Era of Augustus," 723 A.U.C. [fee "Era of Auguftus"]. The Dionyfian reckoning, the one we now use, makes the 28th of Auguftus fall to 754 A.U.C., by taking the first year of the Era of Augustus to be 727 A.U.C., when the Emperor adopted the name of

Auguftus in place of Octavius, in the fifth year of the "Era," consequently four years after the date observed by the early Chriftians. We thus have 1 Anno Domini of the Dionyfian reckoning placed four years after the date which accords with the Gospels.

The fyftem of reckoning the Christian era, now in use, was introduced by Dionyfius Exiguus A.D. 533, commencing with the 25th of March, but subsequently reckoned from Christmas-day, the 25th of December. And in the 13th century, the year, in fome countries, was reckoned from the 1st of January according to the year of the Julian era, which preceded the Dionyfian reckoning of 1 Anno Domini by forty-five years. We thus have the fixed point in time to which all eras can be adjusted, with the letters "B C," fignifying before I A.D. 46 of the Julian era, = 753-4 a.u.c. (in part) = 4714 of the Julian period. Clement of Alexandria, one of the early Christian writers who flourished towards the end of the second century of the Chriftian writes as follows:era, (Stromata, book i. ch. xxi.) "And our Lord was born. "in the 28th year, when first the cenfus was ordered to "be taken in the reign of Auguftus [750 A.U.C. = Ol.

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194. 1.] And to prove that this is true, it is written "in the Gospel by Luke as follows:-And in the 15th "year, in the reign of Tiberius Cæfar, the word of the "Lord came to John the fon of Zacharias. And again "in the fame book :-And Jefus was coming to His "baptism, being about thirty years old [Luke iii. 1, 2, 23], and so on. And that it was necessary for Him to "preach only a year. This alfo is written :-He hath "sent me to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord "[Isaiah lxi. 1, 2.] This both the prophet fpake and "the Gospel." Accordingly, in fifteen years of Tiberius, and fifteen years of Auguftus, fo were completed the

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"thirty years till the time He fuffered. . . . . And there are those who have determined not only the year of "our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that "it took place in the 28th year of Auguftus, and in the "25th day of Pachon [= 20 May] (fee Egyptian "Calendar.) And the followers of Bafilides hold the "day of His baptifm as a festival, paffing the night before "in readings. And they say that it was the 15th year "of Tiberius Cæfar, the 15th day of the month of Tubi "[= 10 January]; and fome that it was the 11th of the "fame month [=6 January.] And treating of His paffion, "with very great accuracy, fome fay that it took place in "the 16th year of Tiberius, on the 25th of Phamenoth "[ 21 March]; and others the 25th of Pharmuthi [= = 20 April]; and others say that on the 19th of "Pharmuthi [= 14 April] the Saviour fuffered. Further, "others fay that He was born on the 24th or 25th of "Pharmuthi [= 19 or 20 April]." [For these corresponding dates fee Egyptian Calendar.]

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The year of the birth of our Lord thus being affigned by Clement of Alexandria to 750 A.U.C. 28th of Auguftus; and the year of the Crucifixion, according to the fame authority, being the 32nd (understood to mean 32 Anno Chrifti = 29 Anno Domini) in the 16th year of Tiberius, it is important to observe the system by which the years of the Roman Emperors were reckoned; and it appears that the practice in Alexandria, when noting the years of the reign of a Roman emperor, was to begin reckoning a new year of an emperor's reign, on new year's day, which in Egypt had coincided with the 29th of Auguft, from the time of the alteration of the Calendar in the 5th year of Auguftus. So that when it is stated that an event occurred in a particular year of the

reign of a Roman emperor; the first year being reckoned from the acceffion, we must bear in mind the mode of reckoning the years, observed on Alexandrian coins, by which a new year of the reign commenced on new year's-day, the 29th of August [= 1 Thoth.] For example, Elagabalus [Heliogabalus] reigned three years and nine months of folar years, and yet we have coins dated in his fifth year.

But if we follow the Roman fyftem of reckoning complete folar years, when a when a reign extended fufficiently far, we shall find that January of the 16th year of Tiberius, was in the year of Rome 782, when the confuls who then entered office were L. Rubellius Geminus and C. Fufius Geminus. For, as the year of Rome ended on the 20th of April, the month of January would be towards the close of the year of Rome, while it was the initial month of the Roman year, called the Julian year; confequently << January" 782 A.U.C. would be now written 30 Anno Domini 33 Anno Chrifti.

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Lactantius, a Latin father of the Church, whom Constantine made tutor to his fon Crifpus, ftates that the crucifixion of our Lord took place during the confulate just noticed, in the spring of the year. The words of St. Matthew apply to 30 A.D. when taken in connexion with the date of the Jewish feftival, "the Paffover," which began on the 14th day of the first month, and extended over seven days [Exodus, ch. xii. ver. 18]. The date of the new moon of the vernal equinox, being new year's-day of the Jewish Ecclefiaftical year [A.D. 30, March 22 and 23=1 Nisan].

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Table of Correfponding Dates:

from the year of the birth of our Lord, A.U.c. 750, to the year when our Lord fuffered, A.U.C. 782, 33 Anno Chrifti,

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= 30 Anno Domini of the Dionyfian reckoning.

750 [Sept.2] 28 Auguftus

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St. Matthew, ch. ii. ver. 19-22]. "Herod is dead, and Archelaus reigns in his stead." Note.-Herod died A.U.C. 750, between the 13th and the 29th of March, nearly three months after the birth

of our Lord, 750 A.U.C.

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