SYLVA CRITICA CANADENSIUM. 87 
calculations of time by Josephus, he counts from the Jewish month, 
Nisan to Nisan, and that he reckons the portion of a year, either at 
the beginning or at the end, as one complete year. Hence it follows 
that the birth of Christ preceded the date of 754 A.U.C., which is the 
Vulgar Christian Era, by at least four years, for the death of Herod 
should be placed in 750 A.U.C. But we can ascertain not merely 
the year but the month of Herod’s death, for it was between an 
eclipse of the Moon (March 13th), and (Josephus, Antig. xvii. 6, 4,) 
shortly before the feast of the Passover, so that it was in the month 
of March. The year of our Lord’s: birth must then have preceded 
March, B.C. 4. But from St. Matthew i. 16, it appears that the 
year of the birth of our Lord should be placed about two years or 
under before the death of Herod, or, if we accept the inclusive method 
of counting years, between one year and five or six months before 
that event. This will give us B.C. 5 or 6. But there are other 
data from which calculations of the year of the Nativity have been 
made, viz.: (b) the appearance of the star; (c) the census by 
Augustus; (d) the age at the baptism; (e) the date of the first 
Passover after the baptism; (7) the succession.of the courses of the 
priests. Of these it is sufficient here to observe that there is not one 
of them that yields a certain result. 
As I have now proved that the date of the Nativity, commonly 
received since the time of Dionysius Hauiguus, is inaccurate, I shall 
subjoin a precis, from ‘Hales’ Chronology,” of the different dates 
that have been aceepted : 
EPOCHS OF THE NATIVITY. U.C. B.C. 
PPillermemts Marie DR ibestal yh) ss cies. se. ein stetola's MMMM ate © shateiase ayale a aia TBE Aut 
Kepler, Capellus, Dodwell, Pagi ..... 3 pinga ‘ona MMMM aa ols ahs dicate easiness 748 6 
Chrysostom, Petavius, Prideaux, Playfair, Hales .................. 749 5 
PAE VOREN: USNC. 6 accep aes oa ose ec GMB alga seca ne ane as 750 4 
Irenzus, Tertullian, Clemens Alex., Eusebius, Syncellus, Baronius, 751 3 
CO TIGTSETIRN “WIGNSUIS Sefer lk Si eee sos 0 a) sie ole whee Maeemenemoreleved cbsiteayetellevaiete 
Epiphanius, Jerom, Orosius, Bede, Salian, Sigonius, Scaliger........ 752; 2 
Chronicon Alexand., Dionysius, Luther, Labbeus................5. fosy 51 
A.D. 
TEVSIAT ETA Gp SA OSCR DOD CDI TE EEBIBOIED 2c: 0) 0.0.0.0 OO CROC SEONG oliene 754 1 
PATENT OT os a ctieie he a oe os ore wh cle RtMMMMMPNRNealalera Uv viele cteran Oe 755 2 
MRICS CA Meee Se agent wk «rls tea Aale) 6 ato » «:0issniAeRRRMRa minal bokitfola: shal are atolls 756 3 
{Clinton adopts 5 B.C. as the year of the Nativity. ] 
At present, in the West, December 25th is regarded as the day set 
apart for the commemoration of the birth of Christ, but for the first 
