Comments on: Telling Time By the Catholic Church http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/ Connecting the dots between Catholic faith and culture Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:29:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Robert Stout http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3882 Robert Stout Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:29:51 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3882 Congratulations on a very interesting and informative blog. I hope you don't mind--I referenced this entry on my own website www.threeminutetheology.com. Congratulations on a very interesting and informative blog. I hope you don’t mind–I referenced this entry on my own website http://www.threeminutetheology.com.

]]> By: Judy http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3868 Judy Sun, 03 Jan 2010 14:58:23 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3868 Our pastor (United Methodist) spoke on this very topic last Sunday. ("How Christmas Changed Everything"). My 18 year old son was particularly tickled with Pastor Randy's comment that it must gall the atheists that every time they write the date they are acknowledging the existence of Christ! Thank you for this blog. Happy New Year, Monsignor and all who believe. Our pastor (United Methodist) spoke on this very topic last Sunday. (“How Christmas Changed Everything”). My 18 year old son was particularly tickled with Pastor Randy’s comment that it must gall the atheists that every time they write the date they are acknowledging the existence of Christ! Thank you for this blog. Happy New Year, Monsignor and all who believe.

]]> By: Msgr. Charles Pope http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3864 Msgr. Charles Pope Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:27:54 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3864 Yes, I probably could have been clearer. The choice of Dec. 25th as Christmas Day may well be the Church plugging into what was already practiced in the Roman Empire viz pagan religious celebrations and the like. We do not teach as a matter of faith that Christ was born Dec 25. The date seems to have been chosen to strategically Chrisitanize an already existing scenario. When the Catholic ascended out of persecution to official recognition in the centuries that followed the official designation shifted to a reference to Christ. But the day January 1 still made sense rather than switching to Dec 25 due to the practice of the octave. But it is clear enough that Dec 25 and Jan 1 were likely pre-existing dates strategically chosen by the Church and "Christianized" Yes, I probably could have been clearer. The choice of Dec. 25th as Christmas Day may well be the Church plugging into what was already practiced in the Roman Empire viz pagan religious celebrations and the like. We do not teach as a matter of faith that Christ was born Dec 25. The date seems to have been chosen to strategically Chrisitanize an already existing scenario. When the Catholic ascended out of persecution to official recognition in the centuries that followed the official designation shifted to a reference to Christ. But the day January 1 still made sense rather than switching to Dec 25 due to the practice of the octave. But it is clear enough that Dec 25 and Jan 1 were likely pre-existing dates strategically chosen by the Church and “Christianized”

]]> By: MarkF http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3863 MarkF Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:02:49 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3863 I don't think that New Year day as January 1 is of Christian origin. The Roman New Year, at least for their civil calendar of when the consuls took office started on January 1. They also would mark the first day of spring as another kind of New Years. The original Roman calendar consisted of ten months, March through December, "dec" referring to the tenth month. They had two other irregular months that the pontiffs would insert into the calendar at intervals to keep the calendar current. But March 1 was the start of the new year. This didn't work well. Around 700 BC they added two additional months of January and February, but March 1 was still the start of the new year. In 153 BC they moved the start of the new year to January 1 as that was when the new consuls took office. A great reference and work book for ancient calendars is "The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy" by James Evans. I don’t think that New Year day as January 1 is of Christian origin.

The Roman New Year, at least for their civil calendar of when the consuls took office started on January 1. They also would mark the first day of spring as another kind of New Years.

The original Roman calendar consisted of ten months, March through December, “dec” referring to the tenth month. They had two other irregular months that the pontiffs would insert into the calendar at intervals to keep the calendar current. But March 1 was the start of the new year. This didn’t work well. Around 700 BC they added two additional months of January and February, but March 1 was still the start of the new year. In 153 BC they moved the start of the new year to January 1 as that was when the new consuls took office.

A great reference and work book for ancient calendars is “The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy” by James Evans.

]]> By: Msgr. Charles Pope http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3842 Msgr. Charles Pope Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:28:40 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3842 Thanks for reading, commenting and praying. Thank you for your faith. Thanks for reading, commenting and praying. Thank you for your faith.

]]> By: Msgr. Charles Pope http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3841 Msgr. Charles Pope Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:27:45 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3841 New and everlasting covenant! New and everlasting covenant!

]]> By: Msgr. Charles Pope http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3840 Msgr. Charles Pope Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:26:26 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3840 I am grateful for your prayers and support I am grateful for your prayers and support

]]> By: Msgr. Charles Pope http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3839 Msgr. Charles Pope Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:26:01 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3839 Thanks! Pray for the bloggers! Thanks! Pray for the bloggers!

]]> By: Msgr. Charles Pope http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3838 Msgr. Charles Pope Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:25:22 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3838 Praise God Praise God

]]> By: Msgr. Charles Pope http://blog.adw.org/2009/12/telling-time-by-the-catholic-church/comment-page-1/#comment-3837 Msgr. Charles Pope Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:24:49 +0000 http://blog.adw.org/?p=5083#comment-3837 Yes, I just posted on this missing feast day! Yes, I just posted on this missing feast day!

]]>