The Easter Computus and the Origins of the Christian Era (Oxford Early Christian Studies)
The Easter Computus and the Origins of the Christian Era (Oxford Early Christian Studies)
Oxford University Press, USA | Dec 15, 2008 | English | ISBN: 0199543127 | 432 pgs | PDF | 1.55 MB
Oxford University Press, USA | Dec 15, 2008 | English | ISBN: 0199543127 | 432 pgs | PDF | 1.55 MB
The system of numbering the years A.D. (Anni Domini, Years of the Lord) originated with Dionysius Exiguus. Dionysius drafted a 95-year table of dates for Easter beginning with the year 532 A.D. Why Dionysius chose the year that he did to number as '1' has been a source of controversy and speculation for almost 1500 years. According to the Gospel of Luke (3.1; 3.23), Jesus was baptized in the 15th year of the emperor Tiberius and was about 30 years old at the time. The 15th year of Tiberius was A.D. 29. If Jesus was 30 years old in A.D. 29, then he was born in the year that we call 2 B.C. Most ancient authorities dated the Nativity accordingly.