Pope Gregory's Reform of the Julian Calendar
G.D.O'Bradovich III
January 11, 2014
background
Not being a great wit, I have no idea of how to determine when the solstices or equinoxes occur to the precise day or exact time and I have no doubt that my results would be on par with astronomers before the year 1500, that is, within six days of the actual date.
a thought experiment
Even though I acknowledge my ignorance of determining the seasons, if I found myself in the 13th century, that is, before clocks and timekeeping, I would be able to determine the length of a year with no more ability than basic mathematics.
I would choose the star Sirius to observe because it is one the brightest stars and easiest to locate, but is hidden from view by the sun's brightness for 70 days each summer. These 70 days of obscurity are for the latitude of Eygpt and other locations would vary. By counting the number of days from each helical rising of Sirius for three years, I would know Sirius’ rising occurs after 365 days, and I would be certain that the year contains exactly 365 days. Unlike modern astronomers, I have never seen a partial day, who maintain the year is 365 days and followed by up to four decimal places.
Unfortunately, for the fourth year in my observations to confirm the year length, the number of days between successive helical risings will be 366 days and not the expected 365 days. At this point, I would need to continue my observations to determine if there will continue to be annual increases in the helical rising of Sirius and, if so, I will be unable to determine the length of the year by this method of observing Sirius.
After several years, I would come to realize that there are three years of 365 days, followed by one year of 366 days or, more accurately, over the course of four years there are 1,461 days between five helical risings of Sirius. It is at this juncture that I would publish my findings and enjoy my retirement as the most celebrated scientist of my time. Hopefully, more able astronomers would be able to determine the dates of the equinoxes and the solstices.
My proposed calendar will be aligned to a sidereal year and not to the solar or tropical year, therefore the equinoxes and solstices may, given enough time, drift through my calendar. This is not a problem since I am incapable of determining the exact day of either the solstices or the equinoxes and the knowledge that the zodiac moves backwards in relation to the sun one degree every 72 years would remain unknown.
I would choose the star Sirius to observe because it is one the brightest stars and easiest to locate, but is hidden from view by the sun's brightness for 70 days each summer. These 70 days of obscurity are for the latitude of Eygpt and other locations would vary. By counting the number of days from each helical rising of Sirius for three years, I would know Sirius’ rising occurs after 365 days, and I would be certain that the year contains exactly 365 days. Unlike modern astronomers, I have never seen a partial day, who maintain the year is 365 days and followed by up to four decimal places.
Unfortunately, for the fourth year in my observations to confirm the year length, the number of days between successive helical risings will be 366 days and not the expected 365 days. At this point, I would need to continue my observations to determine if there will continue to be annual increases in the helical rising of Sirius and, if so, I will be unable to determine the length of the year by this method of observing Sirius.
After several years, I would come to realize that there are three years of 365 days, followed by one year of 366 days or, more accurately, over the course of four years there are 1,461 days between five helical risings of Sirius. It is at this juncture that I would publish my findings and enjoy my retirement as the most celebrated scientist of my time. Hopefully, more able astronomers would be able to determine the dates of the equinoxes and the solstices.
My proposed calendar will be aligned to a sidereal year and not to the solar or tropical year, therefore the equinoxes and solstices may, given enough time, drift through my calendar. This is not a problem since I am incapable of determining the exact day of either the solstices or the equinoxes and the knowledge that the zodiac moves backwards in relation to the sun one degree every 72 years would remain unknown.
utilizing the moon phases to determine the duration of a year
Any attempt to determine the length of a year by the moon phases will be unsuccessful, because I am incapable of determining the exact day of the a moon phases, i.e., the day of the full moon looks similar to the day before and the day after the full moon. The most I could hope for is a rough idea that the moon phases are seven days apart; for a total of 28 days and, of course, 28 days as a subdivision for my new calendar will not satisfactory: 1,461 divided by 28 equals 52 with a remainder of 5.
If one were to use 12 months of 28 days each, the total number of days a year would be 336 and this "year" being 29 days short of the solar year, would quickly move through the seasons. This movement thorught the seasons would indicate that this calendar is not close enough to the length of the solar year.
A lunar calendar of 13 months of 28 days each would total 364 day, which is only one day short of the solar year. However, by using a lunar calendar we would never discover the true length of the year, although this lunar calendar would serve aquatadely to maintain a record of events.
If one were to use 12 months of 28 days each, the total number of days a year would be 336 and this "year" being 29 days short of the solar year, would quickly move through the seasons. This movement thorught the seasons would indicate that this calendar is not close enough to the length of the solar year.
A lunar calendar of 13 months of 28 days each would total 364 day, which is only one day short of the solar year. However, by using a lunar calendar we would never discover the true length of the year, although this lunar calendar would serve aquatadely to maintain a record of events.
pope gregory's reform of the julian calendar
In the fortuitous year of 1582, Pope Gregory removed 10 days from the calendar with the stated intention of returning the spring equinox to March 21. Sources claim that Julius Caesar reformed the calendar in the first century BC and that it remained unchanged until Pope Gregory's reform. Not surprisingly, the Orthodox Church did not recognize the authority of the pope to change church tradition, including the calendar, and continues to use the Julian calendar to determine the date of Easter.
According to the rules for determining the date of Easter, Easter can not be earlier than March 21 (Julian). March 21, Julian, is now April 3 (Gregorian). In the year 3000, the earliest Easter could be celebrated will be April 11 and in the year 9900, Easter will not occur before June 2 (Gregorian). Because of this change, the Western Church frequently celebrates Easter before the Greek church as the Eastern Pascha steadily moves into summer. Given enough time, Orthodox Easter will be celebrated in the fall and winter, however, during this same period, Christmas will also drift into spring and summer.
The stated reason for removing the ten days from the calendar was to return the equinox to the date of March 21 of the fourth century when the council of Nicaea was held and, to insure that the day would not drift forward, centuries not divisible by 400 are not leap years-1600 and 2000 are leap years, but not 1700, 1800 or 1900. (An Attempt to Date the Ecumenical Councils)
It is because of the diffence of one day in about 128.18 solar years that March 21 no longer occurred at the time of the vernal equinox.
The accumulated astronomical time difference of one day every 128.18 years.
According to the rules for determining the date of Easter, Easter can not be earlier than March 21 (Julian). March 21, Julian, is now April 3 (Gregorian). In the year 3000, the earliest Easter could be celebrated will be April 11 and in the year 9900, Easter will not occur before June 2 (Gregorian). Because of this change, the Western Church frequently celebrates Easter before the Greek church as the Eastern Pascha steadily moves into summer. Given enough time, Orthodox Easter will be celebrated in the fall and winter, however, during this same period, Christmas will also drift into spring and summer.
The stated reason for removing the ten days from the calendar was to return the equinox to the date of March 21 of the fourth century when the council of Nicaea was held and, to insure that the day would not drift forward, centuries not divisible by 400 are not leap years-1600 and 2000 are leap years, but not 1700, 1800 or 1900. (An Attempt to Date the Ecumenical Councils)
It is because of the diffence of one day in about 128.18 solar years that March 21 no longer occurred at the time of the vernal equinox.
The accumulated astronomical time difference of one day every 128.18 years.
1582 AD – (10 days × 128.2 years / day) = 300 AD
1582 AD - 1282 years = 300 AD
1582 AD - 1282 years = 300 AD
We must note the amazing coincidence that the last two digits year of reform (82) and the last two digits of the accumulated error (82) are the same. No doubt this makes the math easier. We can not but wonder if the error rate was one day in 128.1 years or 128.3 years; if the year of the decree would not have been 1581 or 1583, instead of 1582.
The removal of the ten days resets the equinox to the the fourth century when the Council of Nicaea determined the rules for dating Easter. If the Roman church wanted to extend history further into the past, they could have removed more days, and “returned” the calendar to any epoch they wanted. Therefore, removal of ten days was not arbitrary, as they expressly wanted to return the calendar to the fourth century.
The relationship between the ten days and the dating of the year 300 must be understood as intentional, but not because the council of Nicaea was held in 325 AD.
The removal of the ten days resets the equinox to the the fourth century when the Council of Nicaea determined the rules for dating Easter. If the Roman church wanted to extend history further into the past, they could have removed more days, and “returned” the calendar to any epoch they wanted. Therefore, removal of ten days was not arbitrary, as they expressly wanted to return the calendar to the fourth century.
The relationship between the ten days and the dating of the year 300 must be understood as intentional, but not because the council of Nicaea was held in 325 AD.
the end of the world
We have strong evidence that the Anno Domini system did not used before the calendar reform of 1582. As late as the 14th century, the Orthodox Church did not know when Christ was born, therefore they counted from the creation of the world.
Columbus was repeatedly denied support for his venture to the Indies, but was allowed to try in 1492. What was happening in the alleged year 1492 that changed the minds of Ferdinand and Isabella? Because everyone knew that this the was year that the world was scheduled to end on the first of September. The year 1492 has no numerical significant in Christian eschatology, but the year 6,000 of the world does have a significance: the idea was that the 6,000 years of creation were going to be followed by a 1,000 years of the millennium of Christ's return. The year 6,000 of the world corresponds to the year 1492 AD.
With the approaching end of the world, we can speculate upon the mindset of the Spanish monarchy: If the world ends, we will not be any worse financially than we are now and if the world doesn't end, and Columbus is successful, we will be able to trump our European rivals. Pragmatic, all-too pragmatic.
With the "correction" of the Julian calendar, the introduction of January 1 as the beginning of the year (in 16th century France and depending on the diocese; the new year could begin on December 25, March 25 or Easter. In England, as late as the 18th century, March 24, 1750 was followed by March 25, 1751) and the introduction of the Anno Domini system, historians could finally place events on one chronological and unified timeline.
The sham reasoning for altering the calendar can now be seen for what it is - a subtle and all encompassing implementation that the Protestants and Orthodox churches will acknowledge the authority or supremacy of the Papacy. Clearly no one, except for a handful of astronomers, knew about or cared about the supposed drift of the Julian calendar through the solar year, for it makes no diffence to the majority of people who were illiterate and living a subsistent life.
Columbus was repeatedly denied support for his venture to the Indies, but was allowed to try in 1492. What was happening in the alleged year 1492 that changed the minds of Ferdinand and Isabella? Because everyone knew that this the was year that the world was scheduled to end on the first of September. The year 1492 has no numerical significant in Christian eschatology, but the year 6,000 of the world does have a significance: the idea was that the 6,000 years of creation were going to be followed by a 1,000 years of the millennium of Christ's return. The year 6,000 of the world corresponds to the year 1492 AD.
With the approaching end of the world, we can speculate upon the mindset of the Spanish monarchy: If the world ends, we will not be any worse financially than we are now and if the world doesn't end, and Columbus is successful, we will be able to trump our European rivals. Pragmatic, all-too pragmatic.
With the "correction" of the Julian calendar, the introduction of January 1 as the beginning of the year (in 16th century France and depending on the diocese; the new year could begin on December 25, March 25 or Easter. In England, as late as the 18th century, March 24, 1750 was followed by March 25, 1751) and the introduction of the Anno Domini system, historians could finally place events on one chronological and unified timeline.
The sham reasoning for altering the calendar can now be seen for what it is - a subtle and all encompassing implementation that the Protestants and Orthodox churches will acknowledge the authority or supremacy of the Papacy. Clearly no one, except for a handful of astronomers, knew about or cared about the supposed drift of the Julian calendar through the solar year, for it makes no diffence to the majority of people who were illiterate and living a subsistent life.
a 17th century jesuit is canonized by the romanian orthodox church
Dionysius (d. 265 AD) was a chronologist who devoted himself to Easter related calculations. Dionysius Exiguus (d. 540 AD or 556 AD) was a chronologist who is believed to have correctly dated the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Dionysius Petavius (1583-1652) was a French chronologist who calculated the Easter Cycle.
Exiguus is a Latin for "little" and "Petavius" is a Latinized version of the French word ("petit") for small.
Saints are continually being to the Orthodox Church's calendars and some saints (Saint George, for example) are so ancient and well established that their accomplishments are known in the Islamic world. However, there is no tradition of martyrdom or recognition of a Saint "Little Denny" in the Orthodox world. In 2008, the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized Dionysius Exiguus.
Exiguus is a Latin for "little" and "Petavius" is a Latinized version of the French word ("petit") for small.
Saints are continually being to the Orthodox Church's calendars and some saints (Saint George, for example) are so ancient and well established that their accomplishments are known in the Islamic world. However, there is no tradition of martyrdom or recognition of a Saint "Little Denny" in the Orthodox world. In 2008, the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized Dionysius Exiguus.
rules for determining the date of easter
No original documents from the council of Nicaea have survived to our time. According to tradition, Easter is celebrated on a Sunday, after the vernal equinox and after the Passover. If the Paschal full moon falls on a Sunday, the following Sunday is Easter so as not to celebrate Passover and Easter simultaneously.
The rules are easily understood today, but in our modern age we overlook or make assumptions that upon reflection are challenging to the ancients. The rules of Easter make three assumptions: [1] that the time for the equinox can be known and calculated in advance for future years [2] that the full moon can be known to the exact day and calculated into future years [3] that the cycle of seven days or the week is utilized in the same manner that it is today.
The alleged drift could not be noticed until clocks were used by astronomers to measure the rising and setting of the stars and the sun. It would be at this time that the astronomers could calculate the days of the solstices and equinoxes and they would be able to measure the amount of daylight. Clocks with this accuracy were not available until the 16th century. With creation of accurate clocks, it becomes possible to measure the length of the solar year and this will include fractional days. The following data show the steady improvement of our ability to determine the solar year.
The rules are easily understood today, but in our modern age we overlook or make assumptions that upon reflection are challenging to the ancients. The rules of Easter make three assumptions: [1] that the time for the equinox can be known and calculated in advance for future years [2] that the full moon can be known to the exact day and calculated into future years [3] that the cycle of seven days or the week is utilized in the same manner that it is today.
The alleged drift could not be noticed until clocks were used by astronomers to measure the rising and setting of the stars and the sun. It would be at this time that the astronomers could calculate the days of the solstices and equinoxes and they would be able to measure the amount of daylight. Clocks with this accuracy were not available until the 16th century. With creation of accurate clocks, it becomes possible to measure the length of the solar year and this will include fractional days. The following data show the steady improvement of our ability to determine the solar year.
Reinhold
Gregorian Kepler Tropical year |
1551 365.24720 days
1582 365.2425 days 1627 365.24219 days 2000 365.2421897 |
5 hours, 55 minutes, 58 seconds
5 hours, 49 minutes, 12 seconds 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45.19008 seconds |
We note that the improvement in under 80 years (1551 to 1627) is, within .19 seconds, what we know the tropical year to be in the year 2000. The improvement over Kepler's measurement is due, no doubt, to the introduction of atomic clocks.
Julian calendar
Helical Rising Sirius Sidereal year |
365.25 days (exactly)
365.25 days or 1,461 days in four years 365.256363004 days or 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, 9.7635456 seconds |
The sidereal year measures the time of a star's transit and any star, with one exception, can be used for this purpose.
The reader may recall that we are told that Julius Caesar's astronomers determined the length of the solar year to be 365.25 days, however, we know this fraction of a day can not be calculated without accurate clocks. Therefore, we conclude that what the ancient astronomers calculated was not an attempt to determine the length of the solar year which, once again, can not be done without accurate clocks, but the length of a sidereal year, namely, Sirius.
The reader may recall that we are told that Julius Caesar's astronomers determined the length of the solar year to be 365.25 days, however, we know this fraction of a day can not be calculated without accurate clocks. Therefore, we conclude that what the ancient astronomers calculated was not an attempt to determine the length of the solar year which, once again, can not be done without accurate clocks, but the length of a sidereal year, namely, Sirius.
moon phases as the basis of the week
I speculate that the ancients did use a seven day week based on the full moon and that the full moon would be easiest to observe and to correct the weekly calendar. The days of the week in the Romance languages are dedicated to the seven planets in the following order starting with Monday: Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the Sun. Because the lunar cycle is not 28 days exactly (there are different results resulting from different methods, longer and shorter than 28 days), I propose, and there is no evidence for this, that the day of the full moon started the cycle (Monday) and continued to Sunday. This would be followed by the waning moon and the cycle repeating. The new moon is invisible and the cycle continues through the waxing moon.
With this method, any days after the 28 days and before the next full moon would not be given a name. This proposal allows the weekly cycle to be consistent (no unnamed days once the full moon starts until the end of the 28 days). This is a basic, yet workable, method for creating and tracking weekdays. As previously state, this lunar cycle of 12 months will steadily fall behind the solar year without adding an intercalculated month. This basic lunar calendar can not have the full moon on a Sunday, since the full moon starts the cycle on a Monday.
With this method, any days after the 28 days and before the next full moon would not be given a name. This proposal allows the weekly cycle to be consistent (no unnamed days once the full moon starts until the end of the 28 days). This is a basic, yet workable, method for creating and tracking weekdays. As previously state, this lunar cycle of 12 months will steadily fall behind the solar year without adding an intercalculated month. This basic lunar calendar can not have the full moon on a Sunday, since the full moon starts the cycle on a Monday.
the four lenghts of the year identified with four distinct religious traditions
The Orthodox calendar is a sidereal calendar.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar that is considerably shorter that the Gregorian year because there are no intercalated months.
The Roman Catholic calendar is a solar calendar.
The Hebrew calendar is a luni-solar calendar with intercalated months to bring it closer to the actual solar year. The Jewish elders who decreed the intercalated months must have been aware of the solar year and this adjustment could not have been before the 16th century.
We believe that there was a universal calendar that had three years of 365 days and a leap year of 366 days. However, we do not concede that it was called the Julian calendar until after the year 1582 nor do we believe that it possessed the weeks or months that we have today. The idea of a full moon on a Sunday would have been impossible. The Orthodox church maintains the traditions of the council of Nicaea, but these traditions can not be dated before the scientific advancements and Gregorian reforms of the 16th century.
Through Pope Gregory's calendar reform, the year 1582 and the year 300 become fixed points for the new calendar and, if the reformer wanted to declare 20 days to be dropped (2,564 years) and place the council of Nicaea in the alleged year 2436, the calendar reform would have been in the year 5000. A conveniently even number like 5000 would indicate, to even the most causal observer, that something other than wonderful fortune allowed the calendar to be updated in that year.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar that is considerably shorter that the Gregorian year because there are no intercalated months.
The Roman Catholic calendar is a solar calendar.
The Hebrew calendar is a luni-solar calendar with intercalated months to bring it closer to the actual solar year. The Jewish elders who decreed the intercalated months must have been aware of the solar year and this adjustment could not have been before the 16th century.
We believe that there was a universal calendar that had three years of 365 days and a leap year of 366 days. However, we do not concede that it was called the Julian calendar until after the year 1582 nor do we believe that it possessed the weeks or months that we have today. The idea of a full moon on a Sunday would have been impossible. The Orthodox church maintains the traditions of the council of Nicaea, but these traditions can not be dated before the scientific advancements and Gregorian reforms of the 16th century.
Through Pope Gregory's calendar reform, the year 1582 and the year 300 become fixed points for the new calendar and, if the reformer wanted to declare 20 days to be dropped (2,564 years) and place the council of Nicaea in the alleged year 2436, the calendar reform would have been in the year 5000. A conveniently even number like 5000 would indicate, to even the most causal observer, that something other than wonderful fortune allowed the calendar to be updated in that year.
citations from the oxford english dictionary
Our friends at the Oxford English Dictionary have provided us with the following information. Secondary sources are in red as we have a mistrust of books found in libraries.
Calendar
c1275 (▸?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.)(1963) l. 3599
He [Julius Caesar] makede þane kalender.[calendar]
a1300 Cursor Mundi 24916
Þat moneth Þat man clepes..Decembre in þe kalunder.[calendar]
1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (1865) I. 247
Som monþe in þe kalendere haþ but foure Nonas, and som haþ sixe.
1413 Lydgate Pilgr. of Sowle v. i. 73
The competister in the Craft of the Kalendar he cleped seculum the tyme of an honderd yeere.
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. 2
When he [Cæsar] corrected the Calender, and ordered the yeere according to the course of the Sunne.
Julian
1592 J. Dee Compend. Rehearsall (Chetham Soc.) 22
Upon the Gregorian publishing of a Reformation of the vulgar Julian yeare.
1594 T. Blundeville Exercises iii. i. xli. f. 169,
The Iulian yeare is that which we vse at this present day.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 168
After Scaliger..this yeare 1612 is the 1614 of Christ, of the world 5461..of the Iulian Period 6325.
The citation states that the year 1612 is the 1614 year of Christ. Either the author is mistaken, or the understanding of the Anno Domini system has changed.
1677 W. Hubbard Narrative (1865) I. 179
This 26 of March being the first Day of the Week, as the first of the Year after our Julian account.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 39. ⁋2
The Gregorian Computation was the most regular, as being Eleven Days before the Julian.
1814 J. Playfair Outl. Nat. Philos. II. i. vi. 110
In the year 1582, the Julian year had fallen nearly 10 days..behind the sun.
1899 W. M. Ramsay in Expositor Nov. 433
The Julian reform of the calendar had come into force in the beginning of 45 b.c.
Gregorian
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iv. xix. 336
The Gregorian account goes ten dayes before the computation of the English calendar.
1649 Milton Εικονοκλαστης Pref. sig. B3v,
I shall suspect their Calendar more then the Gregorian.
1700 J. Moxon Math. made Easie (ed. 3)
Gregorian Year, the New Account, or New Style, instituted upon the Reformation of the Calendar, by Pope Gregory the 13th..Anno Domini, 1582.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 39. ⁋2
The Gregorian Computation was the most regular.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word),
The present Year 1726, is the 144th Year of the Gregorian Epocha.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word),
The Distinction of Old or Julian, and New or Gregorian Style.
1872 O. Shipley Gloss. Eccl. Terms
Gregorian Style, the new style invented by Gregory XIII. to correct the Julian.
July
α.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1115
Her wæs se cyng Henri to Natiuiteð on Normandig;..& æfter þan syððan innon Iulies monðe hider into lande com.
c1250 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) 310 (MED),
Þe twentenþe dai is hire in þe time of iulie.
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 2441 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 176 (MED),
It was in þe monþe of Iulie [c1300 Harl. Jul].
1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074)(1881–1987) 199
Iuly, julius, quidam mensis.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxvj,
The .xiij.day of Iulij.
a1599 Spenser Canto Mutabilitie vii. xxxvi, in Faerie Queene (1609) sig. Ii2,
Then came hot Iuly boyling like to fire, That all his garments he had cast away.
1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars Suppl. Begin. Cæsar ⁋iv b,
Cæsar..was borne..vpon the fourth day before the Ides of Quintilis, which moneth, after his death, was by virtue of the Law Antonia called for that cause, Iulie.
We learn that July was originally named Quintilis, that is, the fifth month.
c1689 Popish Pol. Unmaskt 112 in 3rd Coll. Poems 23/2
In May some odd Intelligence come newly Won't suffer you to hold them until July.
1704 Poems on Affairs of State III. 195
And Puppy-like there told him truly, First leap he had was but last July.
1736 S. Wesley Poems Several Occasions 218
In July Shade, in bleak December Fire.
1778 L. Carter Diary 1 Aug. (1965) II. 1137
July finished as she began, a very wet Slushy month with more rain than a planter could possibly tell what to do with.
β.
c1325 (▸c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 8221 (MED),
In þe bigininge of Iul [v.rr. Iule, Iulij, Iulie, Iuly] þis bataile was ido.
▸a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. lxxix. 1341
Outake tweye monþes, Iuille and Decembre.
c1405 (▸c1395)Chaucer Merchant's Tale (Hengwrt)(2003) l. 889
Er that dayes eighte Were passed er the Monthe of Iuyl bifille.
1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxxiv. 229
In the monethes of Iuyn and Iuyll next folowyng.
1502 Bill in Accts. Exchequer King's Remembrancer (P.R.O.: E101/415/7) m. 1,
Made ye xixth day of Iuylle the xvijth yeare [etc.].
We are told by various sources that Christmas replaced the pagan holiday of Saturnalia. My research has shown that Christmas is an ancient and attested holiday. The following are references for the planet Saturn and for Saturnalia.
888c Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxix. §3
Saturnus se steorra.
888c Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxv. §4
Iob Saturnes sunu.
888c Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvi. §3
Siððan to þan cealdan stiorran ... Saturnes steorra.
888c Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxviii. §1
Þa sceolde þæs Iobes fæder bion eac god; þæs nama wæs Saturnus.
1386c Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Prol. & Tale 275
Sol gold is..Saturnus leed and Iuppiter [v.r. Iupiter, Iubiter] is tyn.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) viii. xii. 318
Saturnus hath that name of saturando, makynge fulnesse and plente.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) viii. xii. 319
Though Saturnus be kyndly leeddy by clerenesse of Iubiter whan he is coniunct with hym he is made white and bright.
1400c Treat. Astron. 6 (Bodl. Add. B. 17)
A Saturne is a planete maliuole and wycked.
1430c Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 197
Satourn disposith to malencolye.
1471 G. Ripley Compound of Alchymy iii. vii, in E. Ashmole Theatrum Chem. Britannicum (1652) 140 For sum men can wyth Saturne it multeply.
The above citations refer to the planet Saturn and most of these references state Saturn's astrological influence.
1487 Caxton tr. J. Legrand Bk. Good Maners i. xv. sig. cviiv,
As enseyneth macrobe in his book of saturnelles.
The first reference to Satunells is 1487.
1508 W. Dunbar Ballade Barnard Stewart in Poems (1998) 179
Saturnus doune withe fyry eyn did blent.
1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid i. Prol. 68
Of the writis Macrobius..In his grete volume clepit Saturnail.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. vi. 39
By quham the land of Saturn, war and wys, Hes left and changit his auld name oft sys.
1572 J. Bossewell Wks. Armorie ii. f. 58v,
The fielde is parted per fesse, Iupiter and Saturne, a goate saliant, of the moone.
1572 J. Bossewell Wks. Armorie ii. f. 67,
The fielde is partie per Fesse, Saturne, and Mars.
1591 L. Lloyd Triplicitie of Triumphes sig. B3,
Imitating the orders and maners in the feast Saturnalia.
The first refence to Saturnalia is 1591.
1591 R. Greene Farewell to Folly sig. K2,
Yet remaines there in the minde certain Scyntillulæ voluptatis, which confirmed by a saturnall impression, …
1594 H. Platt Jewell House iii. 89
To congeale Mercurie with the spirit of Saturne.
1594 Shakespeare Titus Andronicus ii. iii. 31
Though Venus gouerne your desires, Saturne is dominator ouer mine.
1605 T. Tymme tr. J. Du Chesne Pract. Chymicall & Hermeticall Physicke i. 47
There are starres which haue their most colde and moyst spirites, as the Saturnalls and Lunaries.
Satrunalls are the stars influenced by Saturn, which are different from the stars influenced by the moon.
1609 Shakespeare Sonnets xcviii. sig. G,
When proud pide Aprill..Hath put a spirit of youth in euery thing: That heauie Saturne laught and leapt with him.
1619 B. Jonson Pleasure reconciled to Virtue in Masques (init.),
I know it is now such a time as the Saturnalls for all the World.
1640 J. Howell Δενδρολογια 124 Saturne that dull and malevolent planet.
1647 A. Ross Mystagogus Poet. (1675) xi. 286
At certain Feasts of Minerva in March, the Maids were wont to be served by their Mistresses, as in the Saturnals the Men-servants by their Masters.
From the year 1647, we learn that masters and servants traded roles during Saturnals.
1651 J. F. tr. H. C. Agrippa Three Bks. Occult Philos. i. xlviii. 96
They that are to gather a Saturnall, Martiall, or Joviall Hearb must look towards the East, or South.
Saturnall is an adjective for Saturn.
1651 J. French Art Distillation iii. 73
Take of the Calx of Saturn, or else Minium.
1654 J. Ogilby tr. Virgil Georgics (1684) i. 47 (note) ,
Macrobius in the first of his Saturnals, c. 21.
1666 J. Smith Γηροκομία Βασιλικὴ 109
He that shall call the..poor bloud returning home in the Veins, Earthly, Saturnal, Gross, shall make no Schisme..in the..doctrine of Circulation.
1667 Milton Paradise Lost i. 519
Or who with Saturn old Fled over Adria to th' Hesperian Fields.
1683 T. Tryon Way to Health 649
Are not the Saturnal and Martial Strings and Notes as material and useful as the Jovial and Venerial?
1689 R. Milward Selden's Table-talk 11
Christmas succeeds the Saturnalia.
The first reference to Christmas replacing the Saturnalia is 1689.
1694 W. Salmon Pharmacopœia Bateana i. ii. 74/2
This Spirit of Saturn, drawn from its Salt, is an inflamable Liquor, and is thus made: ℞ Salt of Saturn, so much as may fill your Glaβ or Earthen Retort two thirds full; put it into a Furnace [etc.].
1705 N. Tate tr. A. Cowley Of Plants (1795) 191
But yet these wild Saturnals shall not last.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (ed. 6)
Salt of Saturn, otherwise call'd Saccharum Saturni, or Sugar of Lead, is the Body of that Metal, open'd and reduc'd to the form of a Salt, by Distilled Vinegar.
1721–2 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius No. 1. ⁋4
The famous Saturnalian Feasts among the Romans, at which every Scullion and Skipkennel had Liberty to tell his Master his own.
1741 I. Watts Improvem. Mind i. xvi. 230
Inform them that Saturn has five Moons of the same kind attending him.
1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 49
The Alchymists..bestowed on the seven Metals..the names of the seven Planets of the Ancients... Thus Gold was called Sol, Silver Luna, Copper Venus, Tin Jupiter, Lead Saturn, Iron Mars, and Quick-silver Mercury.
1785 W. Cowper Tirocinium in Task 634
The moons of Jove, and Saturn's belted ball.
1788 Gibbon Decline & Fall IV. xli. 176 The first days, which coincided with the old Saturnalia, were [etc.].
1796 E. Burke Let. 23 Dec. in Corr. (1970) IX. 198,
I make use of the saturnalian liberty with which you have indulged your Davus at the close of this December.
1797 W. Johnston tr. J. Beckmann Hist. Inventions & Discov. I. 398
One may justly doubt whether, at present, Mars, Venus, or Saturn, is most destructive to the human race.
1820 Shelley Prometheus Unbound ii. iv. 83
Then Saturn, from whose throne Time fell.
1825 T. D. Fosbroke Encycl. Antiq. II. xxi. 895
Saturnalian Coins.
1829 S. Glover Hist. County of Derby I. 32
It..is said to have this effect, as soon, and completely, as extract of Saturn.
1832 Tennyson Palace of Art iv, in Poems (new ed.) 70
Still, as, while Saturn whirls, his steadfast shade Sleeps on his luminous ring.
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus iii. v. 84/1
Amid wailings from some, and saturnalian revelries from the most, the venerable Corpse is to be burnt.
1853 H. N. Humphreys Coin Coll. Man. II. xxvii. 396
A coin of Gallienus, which has been described as a Saturnalian coin.
1854 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity III. vi. iii. 69
That coarse saturnalian humour which pleases the Italian..ear.
1864 Athenæum 5 Mar. 345/3
To compose that swaggering song, ‘They shall not have our Rhine,’ for these saturnals.
1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 811/1
Saturn is the largest planet but one of the solar system.
1885 ‘G. Fleming’ Andromeda I. vi. 105
The sight..brought much confusion upon these innocent saturnalians
1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 321/2
Saturnalia. This, the great festival of Saturn, was celebrated..after Cæsar's reform of the calendar on the 17th of December. Augustus decreed that the 17th should be sacred to Saturn and the 19th to Ops. Henceforward it appears that the 17th and 18th were devoted to the Saturnalia.
From 1886 we learn the festival of Saturnali was celebrated on two days, December 17 and 18. We are at a loss to understand why the citation from 1689 states that Christmas succeeded Saturnalia. This can not be true if the Saturnala was celebrated on December 17 and 18 and Christmas on December 25.
c1275 (▸?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.)(1963) l. 3599
He [Julius Caesar] makede þane kalender.[calendar]
a1300 Cursor Mundi 24916
Þat moneth Þat man clepes..Decembre in þe kalunder.[calendar]
1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (1865) I. 247
Som monþe in þe kalendere haþ but foure Nonas, and som haþ sixe.
1413 Lydgate Pilgr. of Sowle v. i. 73
The competister in the Craft of the Kalendar he cleped seculum the tyme of an honderd yeere.
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. 2
When he [Cæsar] corrected the Calender, and ordered the yeere according to the course of the Sunne.
Julian
1592 J. Dee Compend. Rehearsall (Chetham Soc.) 22
Upon the Gregorian publishing of a Reformation of the vulgar Julian yeare.
1594 T. Blundeville Exercises iii. i. xli. f. 169,
The Iulian yeare is that which we vse at this present day.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 168
After Scaliger..this yeare 1612 is the 1614 of Christ, of the world 5461..of the Iulian Period 6325.
The citation states that the year 1612 is the 1614 year of Christ. Either the author is mistaken, or the understanding of the Anno Domini system has changed.
1677 W. Hubbard Narrative (1865) I. 179
This 26 of March being the first Day of the Week, as the first of the Year after our Julian account.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 39. ⁋2
The Gregorian Computation was the most regular, as being Eleven Days before the Julian.
1814 J. Playfair Outl. Nat. Philos. II. i. vi. 110
In the year 1582, the Julian year had fallen nearly 10 days..behind the sun.
1899 W. M. Ramsay in Expositor Nov. 433
The Julian reform of the calendar had come into force in the beginning of 45 b.c.
Gregorian
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iv. xix. 336
The Gregorian account goes ten dayes before the computation of the English calendar.
1649 Milton Εικονοκλαστης Pref. sig. B3v,
I shall suspect their Calendar more then the Gregorian.
1700 J. Moxon Math. made Easie (ed. 3)
Gregorian Year, the New Account, or New Style, instituted upon the Reformation of the Calendar, by Pope Gregory the 13th..Anno Domini, 1582.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 39. ⁋2
The Gregorian Computation was the most regular.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word),
The present Year 1726, is the 144th Year of the Gregorian Epocha.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word),
The Distinction of Old or Julian, and New or Gregorian Style.
1872 O. Shipley Gloss. Eccl. Terms
Gregorian Style, the new style invented by Gregory XIII. to correct the Julian.
July
α.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1115
Her wæs se cyng Henri to Natiuiteð on Normandig;..& æfter þan syððan innon Iulies monðe hider into lande com.
c1250 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) 310 (MED),
Þe twentenþe dai is hire in þe time of iulie.
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 2441 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 176 (MED),
It was in þe monþe of Iulie [c1300 Harl. Jul].
1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074)(1881–1987) 199
Iuly, julius, quidam mensis.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxvj,
The .xiij.day of Iulij.
a1599 Spenser Canto Mutabilitie vii. xxxvi, in Faerie Queene (1609) sig. Ii2,
Then came hot Iuly boyling like to fire, That all his garments he had cast away.
1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars Suppl. Begin. Cæsar ⁋iv b,
Cæsar..was borne..vpon the fourth day before the Ides of Quintilis, which moneth, after his death, was by virtue of the Law Antonia called for that cause, Iulie.
We learn that July was originally named Quintilis, that is, the fifth month.
c1689 Popish Pol. Unmaskt 112 in 3rd Coll. Poems 23/2
In May some odd Intelligence come newly Won't suffer you to hold them until July.
1704 Poems on Affairs of State III. 195
And Puppy-like there told him truly, First leap he had was but last July.
1736 S. Wesley Poems Several Occasions 218
In July Shade, in bleak December Fire.
1778 L. Carter Diary 1 Aug. (1965) II. 1137
July finished as she began, a very wet Slushy month with more rain than a planter could possibly tell what to do with.
β.
c1325 (▸c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 8221 (MED),
In þe bigininge of Iul [v.rr. Iule, Iulij, Iulie, Iuly] þis bataile was ido.
▸a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. lxxix. 1341
Outake tweye monþes, Iuille and Decembre.
c1405 (▸c1395)Chaucer Merchant's Tale (Hengwrt)(2003) l. 889
Er that dayes eighte Were passed er the Monthe of Iuyl bifille.
1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxxiv. 229
In the monethes of Iuyn and Iuyll next folowyng.
1502 Bill in Accts. Exchequer King's Remembrancer (P.R.O.: E101/415/7) m. 1,
Made ye xixth day of Iuylle the xvijth yeare [etc.].
We are told by various sources that Christmas replaced the pagan holiday of Saturnalia. My research has shown that Christmas is an ancient and attested holiday. The following are references for the planet Saturn and for Saturnalia.
888c Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxix. §3
Saturnus se steorra.
888c Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxv. §4
Iob Saturnes sunu.
888c Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvi. §3
Siððan to þan cealdan stiorran ... Saturnes steorra.
888c Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxviii. §1
Þa sceolde þæs Iobes fæder bion eac god; þæs nama wæs Saturnus.
1386c Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Prol. & Tale 275
Sol gold is..Saturnus leed and Iuppiter [v.r. Iupiter, Iubiter] is tyn.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) viii. xii. 318
Saturnus hath that name of saturando, makynge fulnesse and plente.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) viii. xii. 319
Though Saturnus be kyndly leeddy by clerenesse of Iubiter whan he is coniunct with hym he is made white and bright.
1400c Treat. Astron. 6 (Bodl. Add. B. 17)
A Saturne is a planete maliuole and wycked.
1430c Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 197
Satourn disposith to malencolye.
1471 G. Ripley Compound of Alchymy iii. vii, in E. Ashmole Theatrum Chem. Britannicum (1652) 140 For sum men can wyth Saturne it multeply.
The above citations refer to the planet Saturn and most of these references state Saturn's astrological influence.
1487 Caxton tr. J. Legrand Bk. Good Maners i. xv. sig. cviiv,
As enseyneth macrobe in his book of saturnelles.
The first reference to Satunells is 1487.
1508 W. Dunbar Ballade Barnard Stewart in Poems (1998) 179
Saturnus doune withe fyry eyn did blent.
1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid i. Prol. 68
Of the writis Macrobius..In his grete volume clepit Saturnail.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. vi. 39
By quham the land of Saturn, war and wys, Hes left and changit his auld name oft sys.
1572 J. Bossewell Wks. Armorie ii. f. 58v,
The fielde is parted per fesse, Iupiter and Saturne, a goate saliant, of the moone.
1572 J. Bossewell Wks. Armorie ii. f. 67,
The fielde is partie per Fesse, Saturne, and Mars.
1591 L. Lloyd Triplicitie of Triumphes sig. B3,
Imitating the orders and maners in the feast Saturnalia.
The first refence to Saturnalia is 1591.
1591 R. Greene Farewell to Folly sig. K2,
Yet remaines there in the minde certain Scyntillulæ voluptatis, which confirmed by a saturnall impression, …
1594 H. Platt Jewell House iii. 89
To congeale Mercurie with the spirit of Saturne.
1594 Shakespeare Titus Andronicus ii. iii. 31
Though Venus gouerne your desires, Saturne is dominator ouer mine.
1605 T. Tymme tr. J. Du Chesne Pract. Chymicall & Hermeticall Physicke i. 47
There are starres which haue their most colde and moyst spirites, as the Saturnalls and Lunaries.
Satrunalls are the stars influenced by Saturn, which are different from the stars influenced by the moon.
1609 Shakespeare Sonnets xcviii. sig. G,
When proud pide Aprill..Hath put a spirit of youth in euery thing: That heauie Saturne laught and leapt with him.
1619 B. Jonson Pleasure reconciled to Virtue in Masques (init.),
I know it is now such a time as the Saturnalls for all the World.
1640 J. Howell Δενδρολογια 124 Saturne that dull and malevolent planet.
1647 A. Ross Mystagogus Poet. (1675) xi. 286
At certain Feasts of Minerva in March, the Maids were wont to be served by their Mistresses, as in the Saturnals the Men-servants by their Masters.
From the year 1647, we learn that masters and servants traded roles during Saturnals.
1651 J. F. tr. H. C. Agrippa Three Bks. Occult Philos. i. xlviii. 96
They that are to gather a Saturnall, Martiall, or Joviall Hearb must look towards the East, or South.
Saturnall is an adjective for Saturn.
1651 J. French Art Distillation iii. 73
Take of the Calx of Saturn, or else Minium.
1654 J. Ogilby tr. Virgil Georgics (1684) i. 47 (note) ,
Macrobius in the first of his Saturnals, c. 21.
1666 J. Smith Γηροκομία Βασιλικὴ 109
He that shall call the..poor bloud returning home in the Veins, Earthly, Saturnal, Gross, shall make no Schisme..in the..doctrine of Circulation.
1667 Milton Paradise Lost i. 519
Or who with Saturn old Fled over Adria to th' Hesperian Fields.
1683 T. Tryon Way to Health 649
Are not the Saturnal and Martial Strings and Notes as material and useful as the Jovial and Venerial?
1689 R. Milward Selden's Table-talk 11
Christmas succeeds the Saturnalia.
The first reference to Christmas replacing the Saturnalia is 1689.
1694 W. Salmon Pharmacopœia Bateana i. ii. 74/2
This Spirit of Saturn, drawn from its Salt, is an inflamable Liquor, and is thus made: ℞ Salt of Saturn, so much as may fill your Glaβ or Earthen Retort two thirds full; put it into a Furnace [etc.].
1705 N. Tate tr. A. Cowley Of Plants (1795) 191
But yet these wild Saturnals shall not last.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (ed. 6)
Salt of Saturn, otherwise call'd Saccharum Saturni, or Sugar of Lead, is the Body of that Metal, open'd and reduc'd to the form of a Salt, by Distilled Vinegar.
1721–2 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius No. 1. ⁋4
The famous Saturnalian Feasts among the Romans, at which every Scullion and Skipkennel had Liberty to tell his Master his own.
1741 I. Watts Improvem. Mind i. xvi. 230
Inform them that Saturn has five Moons of the same kind attending him.
1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 49
The Alchymists..bestowed on the seven Metals..the names of the seven Planets of the Ancients... Thus Gold was called Sol, Silver Luna, Copper Venus, Tin Jupiter, Lead Saturn, Iron Mars, and Quick-silver Mercury.
1785 W. Cowper Tirocinium in Task 634
The moons of Jove, and Saturn's belted ball.
1788 Gibbon Decline & Fall IV. xli. 176 The first days, which coincided with the old Saturnalia, were [etc.].
1796 E. Burke Let. 23 Dec. in Corr. (1970) IX. 198,
I make use of the saturnalian liberty with which you have indulged your Davus at the close of this December.
1797 W. Johnston tr. J. Beckmann Hist. Inventions & Discov. I. 398
One may justly doubt whether, at present, Mars, Venus, or Saturn, is most destructive to the human race.
1820 Shelley Prometheus Unbound ii. iv. 83
Then Saturn, from whose throne Time fell.
1825 T. D. Fosbroke Encycl. Antiq. II. xxi. 895
Saturnalian Coins.
1829 S. Glover Hist. County of Derby I. 32
It..is said to have this effect, as soon, and completely, as extract of Saturn.
1832 Tennyson Palace of Art iv, in Poems (new ed.) 70
Still, as, while Saturn whirls, his steadfast shade Sleeps on his luminous ring.
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus iii. v. 84/1
Amid wailings from some, and saturnalian revelries from the most, the venerable Corpse is to be burnt.
1853 H. N. Humphreys Coin Coll. Man. II. xxvii. 396
A coin of Gallienus, which has been described as a Saturnalian coin.
1854 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity III. vi. iii. 69
That coarse saturnalian humour which pleases the Italian..ear.
1864 Athenæum 5 Mar. 345/3
To compose that swaggering song, ‘They shall not have our Rhine,’ for these saturnals.
1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 811/1
Saturn is the largest planet but one of the solar system.
1885 ‘G. Fleming’ Andromeda I. vi. 105
The sight..brought much confusion upon these innocent saturnalians
1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 321/2
Saturnalia. This, the great festival of Saturn, was celebrated..after Cæsar's reform of the calendar on the 17th of December. Augustus decreed that the 17th should be sacred to Saturn and the 19th to Ops. Henceforward it appears that the 17th and 18th were devoted to the Saturnalia.
From 1886 we learn the festival of Saturnali was celebrated on two days, December 17 and 18. We are at a loss to understand why the citation from 1689 states that Christmas succeeded Saturnalia. This can not be true if the Saturnala was celebrated on December 17 and 18 and Christmas on December 25.
We have meager evidence that this worldwide festival of Saturnalia has left any influence on either the English language or English customs.
Various sources also state that the acient pagans gave "pagan presents"-
1663 S. Pepys Diary 23 Feb. (1971) IV. 57,
I was told that my Lady Castlemaine had all the King's Christmas presents made him by the Peeres given to her.
-and had decorated "pagan trees"-
1789 Mrs. Papendick Jrnls. II. 158 (N. & Q.)
This Christmas Mr. Papendick proposed an illuminated tree according to the German fashion.
-and these pagan traditions were subsequently borrowed and transformed by the early Christians into Christmas presents and into Christmas trees.