The year of the Christian Era, as now ar ranged. like the Julian year, established by Julius extends from January 1 19 1)ccon ber 31. The Christian Era was tir,t used by Dionysius Exigins in .\.D. 533. Ile regarded the birth of ('twist as taking place in the year of Ilona. 754, although early Christians placed it in 750. The Dionysian year, however, dated from the Annunciation, 25 of the preceding year. The commencement of the year was a. signed to different days in different places. Thus in England (limit to the l'onquest it was counted from Christmas or front INIarelt 25; from the Conquest to 1155 from January I, front 11.55 to 1451 from Aland' 25. In France the beginning of the yea• varied in different being either Cliri,tma, or 1\ larch 25, until 1564, when January 1 {eel ed 111 t Ile middle of the Sixteenth Century •Tannary I was determined upon in Germany, Italy, `pain, and 'Flue era of the creation of the world is obtained front the 10d Testament, but varies in the differ ent texts. The Hebrew version reckons 1656 year:, from creation to the flood and 4000 years from creation to the birth of t'hrist. The Samaritan the latter interval much longer, though it l'OnntS front t he ereat iOn to the Hood only 1307 years. The ver•ion removes the creation of the world to 11000 years befin.e Christ and 2250 years before the 1100d. It is now, how ever, universally admitted that the creation of the world cannot be placed at so recent a date as na.. 000. :tin] the modern understanding of the first chapter of Genesis leaves the period of the ereat bum quite indefinite. and one seheme of inter pretation out the days of creation into periods of indefinite length. Des a writer On t he chronology of sacred history, col lected More than two hundred different estimates of the era of the creation, the shortest being 3453 and the longest 69S4 years. If such or such a date from the creation means anything, it is probably to be read by the date fixed by Arch bishop Usher, which was D.C. 41101.
Varbals other eras are worthy of mention. The era of Constantinople dates the creation of the world 550S years and 4 months before the be ginning of our era, the civil years beginning Sep tember 1, the ecclesiastical :\ larch 21 or .\pril I. The era of Alexandria used by the Christians of city placed the creation of Adam 5500 years before the birth of Christ. 11'e must allow three
years for the date assigned by the early Chris tians to the Incarnation. Bence we may change of this era to our own by subtracting 5502. \\lien Diocletian became Emperor, ten years were omitted. and after that date. which is 57S6 ac cording, to the .\ lexandrian Era. we must subtract 5192. The mundane era of Antioch, used by the t'll•istians of Syria, is the same as the AleXan driall: after the time of Diocletian. The Julian period should be mentioned here. It was in vented by Joseph .Instiis Scaliger in IS`i'.? to ob viate the inconvenience of counting in two ways. before and after Christ. Ile estimated it period of 70s0 Julian years, and the first year of the Churl: tido tarn corre.powled to 4711 of his era. The era of Xabonassar. which obtains its name from the founder of the of Habylon, was used by astronomers. Its is February 26. Kt. 717, which was ealeulated from of Ptol emy. based on celestial phenomena. The 'Ionian era. known also as that of the Selencide, began on September I of the Julian year. 312 years before our era. The era of Spain, used in :pain, Portugal, Africa, and parts of France, dated from the commest of Slain by Augustus in B.C. 39. As the era of Spain began January 3s, subtract 3S from the number ot the year r to Change from time Spanish era to the Itristian. fLe table gives the precise dates of the beginning of the eras just mentioned and of others of importance: D.C.
51111111ane september 1, 5398 Constantinople, September 1, 550S Alexandrian 29, 5502 Antioch. Mundane semember 1, 5422 Julian Period January 1, 4713 Mundane, Vslier ( )rtoller 4004 Mundane, Jewish hetubar :4701 Abraham o(tober 1, 2015 Olympiads July 1, 776 Image, foundation I if %fail 24, 753 Nabonassar February 20, 147 Metonie Cycle July 15, 432 Macedonian, or c:recian 1, 312 Tyrian October 12, 120 Shlonian 110 n•sarian, of Antioch 1, 4S Julian Year , Timuary 1, 45 Spanish Era ltoolary 1, 35 Aetian J21111111ry I. 30 Augustan February 14, 27 YariODS other systems of chronology may be found mentioned under the names of the nations -by whom they were employ-ed. See also CALEN DAR: YEAR: :MONTH ; DAY; CYCLE; etc.