As we discussed yesterday, 2013 is the first 0-1-2-3 year in 693 years.
Now, let’s address a different question.
In what century and millennium does our current year 2013 reside, and in what century and millennium was the Baby Jesus born?
To begin, let’s start with what “Western Culture” means. In America, we trace some of our first immigrant roots to Columbus and the European explorers who followed his daring sail-across-the-Atlantic voyage. Of course, today, we are a land of many immigrants from many continents, but back in 1492 AD, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, the migration to the Americas was largely from Europe. In turn, much of Europe traces its roots back to the Roman Empire, which lasted over 500 years, from Julius Caesar becoming dictator-for-life in 44 BC, to the fall of Rome to Germanic invaders in 476 BC, a total of 520 years. As a result, Western Culture refers to countries that have a European heritage heavily influenced by the old and very long lasting Roman Empire.
In Western Culture nations, such as the United States, the convention used to date the current year can be traced back a 6th Century monk by the name of Dionysius Exiguus living in Rome. It is reported that Dionysius was thought to be the most learned abbot of the city of Rome. Well, Dionysius was upset with the way folks dated the current year. Some went back to the beginning of the world, which was calculated to be over 5,000 years before then, a large and cumbersome number of debated origins. Others dated the current time from the beginning of the reign of some politician or emperor or tyrant, and Dionysius didn’t think much of memorializing such people. So, Dionysius Exiguus did some research and some calculating and proposed to his learned colleagues a new base date to begin the count of years. “Why don’t we start from the year that baby was born in the stable in Bethlehem?” he asked at the Thinkers Club one day. “Most folks like that story,” he explained, “and that babe sure has a lot of followers, at least around here.” His colleagues scratched their heads and wondered aloud when that birth had occurred. Back then, birth records weren’t what they are today. It turns out Mr. Exiguus was also a mathematician and a historian. “I ran some numbers and did some checking,” he said to his on-lookers, “this year is 525 years since the year of our Lord.” “You mean Anno Domini,” a colleague asked. “Exactly,” Dionysius answered, “today is 525 AD, for short.”
It took a few more years for everyone to get on board, but by the year 731 AD, people were using AD and BC (for “Before Christ”) to date everything from birthday parties to Easter egg hunts. Our friend Dionysius had invented the Anno Domini (AD) era, and we, in the West, have been keeping track of things his way ever since.
Here’s how it work.
There is no “0” year. Jesus was born in the year 1 AD, and the year before he was born is 1 BC. This is a bit odd, because on January 1, 1 AD, Jesus was not yet born (not until the end of the year on December 25), but we still call the whole year the 1 AD year. Also, the baby Jesus’ 1st birthday was on December 25, 2 AD. That’s just the way the Anno Domini system was set up by the good monk back in 525 AD.
The first century goes from 1 AD to 100 AD. So, the year 100 AD is in the first century, not the second century. The second century starts January 1, 101 AD and goes to December 31, 200 AD. This way to identify each 100-year interval (a century is 100 years) also applies to when each millennium, each 1,000-year interval, starts and finishes. In their words, the experts tell us a new century begins in a year with the last digits being “01” (for example 1801, 1901, and 2001). In like manner, a new millennium begins in the “01” year (for example 1001 and 2001). The media and the public do not care much for this technical convention. Many of you may recall that the ball dropped at Times Square in New York City to celebrate the most recent new millennium on January 1, 2000. The experts say we should have waited a year to drop that ball, because the new millennium really started on January 1, 2001.
Whether you and your family use the “00” year or the “01” year to move to the next century and millennium, when we cross that time line, we add “1” to name the new century and millennium. For example, 104 AD is in the 2nd Century, 1947 AD is in the 20th Century and 2013 AD is in the 21st Century. For millennium, 1776 is in the 2nd Millennium and 2013 is in the Third Millennium. Again, according to the experts, the Third Millennium commenced on January 1, 2001 and will end on December 31, 3000.
Now, back to the question above stated that started us on this journey through time: In what century and millennium does our current year 2013 reside, and in what century and millennium was the Baby Jesus born?
And . . . the answer is: Our current and most fantastic New Year 2013 is in the 21st Century of the Third Millennium – according to the experts; and the Baby Jesus was born on December 25, 1 AD in the First Century of the First Millennium – according to the expert computations of the monk Dionysius Exiguus.
After traveling that far and that fast, I think we all need a break and a Slurpee.
In what century and millennium, was the Slurpee invented?
Enjoy your drink and think 7-Eleven,
Grandpa Jim