January 1 Calendar Thoughts

January 1, 2011 is strangely not the 2011th year of Anno Domini (A.D.) (Latin for [in the] year of [the] Lord)

First, there is no 0 A.D. The calendar goes from December 31, 1 Before Christ (B.C.) to 1 A.D. So the movie 2001 had it right, the second millenium started 2001.(Don't remind all those who celebrated on January 1, 2000 by the D.C reflecting pond of which I was one. It was a great party anyway even if premature by 1 year)

Second, The Lord (Jesus) could not have been born on 1 A.D. if we refer to the Gospel that has a living King Herod discussing the birth of Jesus. King Herod died in 4 B.C. in Jericho.

There is an interesting discussion on the estimate that Jesus was born between 6-4 B.C.

http://www.trivia-library.com/c/biography-of-jesus=christ-when-was-he-born.htm

I have heard some speculate that since it was a Roman Catholic calendar it was lined up with Julius Caesar's birth of 100 B.C.

Others speculate it was a way to mark the start of the Age of Pisces.

I am impressed with the theory that the Pyramids of Giza mark the beginning of a calendar. The date would be about 10,000 B.C.

For those aware, every night the stars indicate a date on the what is sometimes called Plato's year 25,771.5 years (2000 rate).

The Islamic calendar has a different new year relative to the Western Calendar because it has lunar months, so at the end of 12 lunar months, there is a new year's day.

The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar but to make it more of a solar calendar, there is a leap lunar month every 3 years.

The Ancient Persian Calendar starts in February.

And many ancient cultures started their year at the vernal (spring equinox). It was a day easy to identify, the day that night and day were equal in the spring.

Our January is most likely based on the fact that is marked by the shortest day of the year about December 21. Janus was the Roman god of the doorway.