3199.—The Christian Era
By Editor
Are we as true Israelites altogether in keeping, and in harmony, with God's plan when we use the Anno Domini reckoning of time instead of the Anno Mundi? History tells us that in the year which is now numbered A. D. 532 Dionysius Exiguus, a Scythian by birth, and a Roman abbot, who flourished in the reign of Justinian, invented the Christian era. But it was not established till the time of Pope Eugenius IV, A. D. 1431. This change of time undoubtedly did not receive divine approval, or else there would not be a discrepancy of nearly four years between the birth of Christ and the Christian era. The prophet points out very forcibly in Dan. 7:25 that the papal horn would "think to change times and laws;" and as time is there mentioned in the plural, is not one of the times brought to our attention by this prophecy, the change of computing the time from God's creation to the vulgar era, as well as the observance of the Sabbath from sundown to sundown? R. J. M. This would be quite plausible did the Lord give us any positive directions in regard to the reckoning of time. But He has given us no epoch whatever. He has not told us to reckon time from the beginning of the world or the time of the Exodus or the beginning of the Christian era. If we trace the Bible through we will find that sometimes the time was recorded from some great promise which God gave; sometimes it was reckoned from the giving of the law; sometimes from rulers among God's own children, and sometimes from foreign rulers; but nowhere are we told that we should reckon time from any one particular date or epoch. So we can not see that the modern Christian era is out of harmony with the proper reckoning of time if we will take into consideration the mistake which was made. We would not take the matter of a mere mistake on man's part as indicative of sin in such a matter as reckoning dates, nor would one's correctness in reckoning dates be any evidence of God's approval. The times and laws referred to in Dan. 7:25 seem to have clear and direct reference to times clearly set apart, to laws clearly enjoined. This is true of the day and the week, both of which are connected with the Decalogue; but this is not true of eras or ages.