Our Calendar

We should give some consideration to the structure of our calendar, since there are wide variations among nations on the proper way to demarcate time. Jews use one method, Muslims another, and in America we use yet another system.

The Egyptians developed our basic calendar in 2773 _B.C. In 46 _B.C., when Julius Caesar adopted this calendar for use in the Roman Empire, an eighty-day error had accumulated. To compensate for this, the leap year was developed. By _A.D. 1582, another ten day error had accumulated. Pope Gregory XIII compensated for this by omitting ten days from the calendar. He declared that October 15, 1582, would begin the day after October 4, 1582.

Because our calendar was adopted during the reign of Julius Caesar, it has since been known as the Julian calendar. England did not adopt the Julian calendar until _A.D. 1752. Russia adopted it in _A.D. 1918.

The Julian calendar poses many problems because of the additions, deletions, and errors through centuries. With this brief background on the development, adoption and use of our calendar, let us study the Sabbath day.