By David Ettinger
A little beginning-of-the-year fun here, everyone, but this something that’s been rattling around in my brain for quite a few decades now.
I base the title above on what most New Testament scholars believe is the actual year of Jesus’ birth – somewhere between 4 B.C. and 7 B.C.
This is because most scholars date the death of King Herod the Great to 4 B.C.
Since Herod played a major role in the narrative of Jesus’ birth (as presented in Matthew chapter 2), Jesus would have had to been born before Herod died, but not too much earlier than the time of Herod’s death.
With this is mind, it appears that the monk Dionysius Exiguus was off by a few years.
Exiguus, who lived during the 5th and 6th centuries A.D., was the originator of the B.C. and A.D. calendar (based on when he calculated the date of Jesus’ birth).
Exiguus, famous for his Anno Domini calculations, was apparently – according to Bible scholars – off by 4 to 7 years.
Therefore, we should really be celebrating the New Year of anywhere 2018 back to 2015.
And, by the same reasoning, shouldn’t each one of us be 4 to 7 years younger than we actually are?
Of course that’s preposterous as our birth years would be pushed back as well.
All this frivolity aside, thank you for your faithfulness, and we wish you a most blessed New Year – no matter what year that is!
David Ettinger is a writer/editor at Zion’s Hope, Inc., and has written for Zion’s Fire magazine since its inception in 1990.
Jon
December 31, 2021
It is right that the calendar should honor … the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; Isaiah 61:2 Thank God that we don’t have to know exactly the year to take advantage of a relationship with Him today!
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dettinger47
December 31, 2021
True indeed. Thank you, Jon.
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seekingdivineperspective
December 31, 2021
Makes sense to me, David. Except for the part about my being younger, but I’ll take it! Anyway, they say life begins at 40. They also say 60 is the new 40, so by that logic I’m only 8. 😏 Erma Bombeck had her own theory about when life begins, but I won’t go there yet, the pain is still a little too fresh … 💔
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dettinger47
December 31, 2021
Hah. Age talk is always good for a laugh.
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Tom
December 31, 2021
Thanks, David, and a Happy New Year you as well!
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Mike
January 1, 2022
Happy New Year David!
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dettinger47
January 1, 2022
You as well, Mike.
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heavensreef
January 4, 2022
And same to you DAVID……many blessings in 2022 or whatever year it is!!
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bigskybuckeye
January 6, 2022
David, thanks for sharing a bit of fun with our calendar dates. May the coming months bless your faithful witness.
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dettinger47
January 6, 2022
You as well, Big Sky.
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