EPOCH. 



73 



used in the Greek church. The civil year begins the 

 first of September, and the ecclesiastical towards the 

 end of March; the day is not exactly determined. 

 To reduce it to our era, subtract 5508 years from 

 January to August, and 5509 from September to the 

 end. 



Era of Antioch, and Era of Alexandria. We place 

 these together, because, although they differed at their 

 formation by ten years, they afterwards coincided. 

 They were both much in use by the early Christian 

 writers attached to the churches of Antioch and Alex- 

 andria. In the computation of Alexandria, the crea- 

 tion was considered to be 5502 years before Christ, 

 and, in consequence, the year 1 A. D. was equal to 

 5503. This computation continued to the year 284 

 A. I)., which was called 5786. In the next year 

 (285 A. D.), which should have been 5787, ten years 

 were discarded, and the date became 5777. This is 

 still used by the Abyssinians. The era of Antioch 

 considered the creation to be 5492 years before Christ, 

 and, therefore, the year 285 A. D. was 5777. As 

 this was equal to the date of Alexandria, the two eras, 

 from this time, were considered as one. Dates of 

 the Alexandrian era are reduced to the Christian era 

 by subtracting 5502 until the year 5786, and after 

 that time by subtracting 5492. In the era of Antioch, 

 5492 are always subtracted. 



The Abyssinian Era. The Abyssinians reckon 

 their years from the creation, which they place hi the 

 5493d year before our era*, on the 29th of August, 

 old style ; and their dates will consequently exceed 

 ours by 5492 years and 125 days. They have twelve 

 months of thirty days each, and five days added to 

 the end, called pagomen, from the Greek word 

 ifctyi^iiou (added). Another day is added at the end 

 of every fourth year. To know which year is leap 

 year, divide the date by four, and if three remain, 

 the year will be leap year. It always precedes the 

 Julian leap year by one year and four months. To 

 reduce Abyssinian time to the Julian year, subtract 

 5492 years and 125 days. The Abyssinians also use 

 the era of Martyrs, or Diocletian, with the same 

 months as in the above. 



The Jewish Era. The Jews usually employed the 

 era of the Seleucides, until the fifteenth century, 

 when a new mode of computing was adopted by 

 them. Some insist strongly on the antiquity of 

 their present era ; but it is generally believed not to 

 be more ancient than the century above named. 

 They date from the creation, which they consider to 

 have been 3760 years and three months before the 

 commencement of our era. Their year is luni-solar, 

 consisting either of twelve or thirteen months each, 

 and each month of twenty-nine or thirty days. The 

 civil year commences with or immediately after the 

 new moon following the equinox of autumn. The ave- 

 rage length of the year of twelve months is 354 

 days; but, by varying the length of the months 

 Marchesvan and Chisleu, it may consist of 353 or 355 

 days also. In the same manner, the year of thirteen 

 months may contain 383, 384, or 385 days. In nine- 

 teen years, twelve years have twelve months each, 

 and seven years thirteen months. The following 

 table of nineteen years will show the number of 

 months in each year, as well as the first day of their 

 year, reduced to the new style. The first day will 

 not always be quite accurate, as certain lucky and 

 unlucky days require the postponement of a day in 

 some years. The year must be divided by nineteen, 

 and the remainder will show the year of the cycle.' 

 If there be no remainder, it is the nineteenth year. 



The Abyssinians place the birth of Christ in the 55ooth 

 year of the creation, and consequently eight ye^rs after our 



Year of the cycle. Month*. 



The 1st begins about the sd of October, and consists of 



2d 22d of September, 



3d loth " . . 



4th 2Pth " . . 



5th i9th " 



6th 8th " 



7th 27th " . . 



8th 16th " . . 



9th 5th of October, . . 



10th 25th of September, . 



llth uth 



12th 2d of October, 



lath 21st of September, . 



14th loth 



15th 29th " 



16th isth " 



17th 7ih " 



18th 25th " 



19th nth " 



To reduce the Jewish time to ours, subtract 376], 

 and the remainder will show the year : the begin- 

 ning of the year may be ascertained by the above 

 table, and the months must be counted from that 

 time. The ecclesiastical year begins six months ear- 

 lier, with the month of Nisan. Consequently, when 

 the given year is ecclesiastical, deduct a year in the 

 date from Nisan to Elul, inclusive. The Jews fre- 

 quently, in their dates, leave out the thousands, 

 which they indicate by placing the letters ps!> mean- 

 ing irtopn-Di) " according to the lesser computation." 

 It will be unnecessary to mention the various other 

 epochs that have taken place from the creation, as 

 those detailed or referred to are the only ones that 

 have been in general use. 



The Era of Nabonassar received its name from 

 that of a prince of Babylon, under whose reign as- 

 tronomical studies were much advanced in Chaldzea. 

 The years are vague, containing 365 days each, 

 without intercalation. The first day of the era was 

 Wednesday,* February 26th, 747 B. C. To find the 

 Julian year on which the year of Nabonassar begins, 

 subtract the given year, if before Christ, from 748, 

 and if after Christ, add it to 747. 



The Egyptian Era. The old Egyptian year was 

 identical with the era of Nabonassar, beginning on 

 the 26th February, 747 B. C., and consisting of 365 

 days only. It was reformed thirty years before 

 Christ, at which period the commencement of the 

 year had arrived, by continually receding, to the 

 29th of August, which was determined to be in 

 future the first day of the year. Their years and 

 months coincide exactly with those of the era of Dio- 

 cletian. It appears from a calculation, that, in 30 

 B. C., the year must have begun on the 31st of 

 August ; in which case we must suppose the re- 

 formation to have taken place eight years earlier : 

 however that may be, it is certain, that the 29tb of 

 August was the day adopted, and the number of the 

 year one more than would have resulted from taking 

 747 as the commencement of the era. To reduce 

 to the Christian era, subtract 746 years 125 days. 

 The old Egyptian year was in use for above a cen- 

 tury after Clirist ; the reformed year being at first 

 used only by the Alexandrians. 



The Julian Period is a term of years produced by 

 the multiplication of the lunar cycle 19, solar cycle 

 28, and Roman indiction 15. It consists of 7980 

 years, and began 4713 years before our era. It lias 

 been employed in computing time, to avoid the 

 puzzling ambiguity attendant on reckoning any pe- 

 riod antecedent to our era, an advantage which it 

 has in common with the mundane eras used at differ 

 ent times. By subtracting 4713 from the Julian 

 period, our year is found. If before Christ, subtract 

 the Julian period from 4714. 



The Era of Diocletian, called also the Era of Mar- 



This is said, by mistake, to be Thnrsday. in VArt de vtri 

 fier lea Dates. 



