Julian vs Gregorian Calendar
The device that we make use of to answer the age old question of what date is it is known as a calendar. The calendar that is used the world over today is known as the Christian calendar or the Gregorian calendar. This calendar system took over from the earlier Julian calendar that was in use since 45 BC till 1582. Though both are Christian calendars, many people do not know the differences between the two western calendars. This article attempts to highlight these differences.
Julian Calendar
This is a calendar that was introduced to the world by Julius Cesar in 46 BC. This was a calendar that as remarkably close to the actual length of a year but it was found that it left over close to a day in a period of 128 years. So by the time it was 1582 AD, the Julian calendar had actually drifted 10 full days from the actual date. To reform the calendar, Pope Gregory XIII introduced Gregorian calendar in 1582 that was slowly and gradually adopted by catholic countries around the world.
When Julius Caesar won Egypt in 48 BC, he felt the need of calendar reform. The calendar he introduced divided a year into 12 months and contained 365 days with an extra day every fourth year to take into account the actual length of 365.25 days for a solar year.
Gregorian Calendar
The length of a year as 365.25 taken in Julian calendar was later proved to be wrong as a solar year was found to be 365.2422 and 365.2424 days in tropical and equinox years. This meant that Julian calendar erred by 0.0078 days and 0.0076 days in the two cases. This amounted to a difference of 11.23 minutes and 10.94 minutes respectively. The error meant that Julian calendar missed out nearly a day in every 131 years. After many centuries, Julain calendar became inaccurate to calculate exact seasons and the most important day for the Christians, the Easter. To reform Julian calendar, Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. However, work on the reform of calendar started in the time of Pope Paul III, and suggestions of the famous astronomer Clavius were taken into consideration when finally Gregorian calendar was adopted by the Church.
What is the difference between Julian and Gregorian Calendar?
• 10 days were omitted from the Julian calendar, and the day following October 4, the day on which Gregorian calendar was adopted, was known as October 15, 1582.
• While in Julian calendar, a leap year was an year that was divisible by 4, it was declared that a leap year could be an year divisible by 4 but not by 100 or an year divisible by 400.
• Gregorian calendar introduced new laws to determine the date of Easter.
• While the day before February 25 was chosen to add an extra day in a leap year in Julian calendar, it was taken as the day after 28th February in the Gregorian calendar.
RAB says
what I do not understand, is th B.C. and A.D. thing… BC stands for befor christ and AD for after death, right?? andit goes like 2 BC ,1 BC,0, 1 AD, 2 AD..etc…. correct?? as far as I remember, jesus got killed when he was around 33 years of age, correct??? and they winge over 0.0078 days and 0.0076 days, when there seem to be a slightly bigger, I meant longer, issue… the year zero is not one full trip around the sun, but 33 (ish), but this nobody seem to really care, or just simply notice… any scientific explanation, please??? thank you!!
Lydia McGovern says
Yes, B.C. stands for Before Christ, but A.D. stands for Anno Domini, which translates to ‘the year of our Lord.’ Thus, we acknowledge the existence of Jesus Christ with our calendar.
Clayton Ginther says
It’s better to use BCE and CE as in “Before Common Era” and “Common Era”, whose values are the same as BC(BCE) and AD(CE).
This removes the need for dogmatic measurements that can get confusing when considering different interpretations of the old standard, and replaces it with a cut-and-dry meaning.
Jack Smithe says
“It’s better to use BCE and CE …. This removes the need for dogmatic measurements that can get confusing ” Your explanation is B.S. and ignores the elephant in the room. BCE and CE are preferred byJews and other anti-Christians who are offended by BC and AD.
Marcus Chalfant says
BC does stand for Before Christ. And AD stands for Anno Domini (Year of our Lord in Latin).
But there is no 0 (Zero) year. It went from 1BC to 1 AD.
Regardless of whether you use BC and AD or BCE and CE it is still hinged on the birth of Jesus. We are living in the 2020th Year of our Lord.
Cool question, thanks for asking.
Deedrick says
didn’t Julius Cesar add 2 months to the previous calendar? After all, October is 8, November means 9, and
December is 10. Weren’t July & August added for Julius & Augustus ?
Cristy Edwards says
Yes. July was added in honor of Julius. Augustus wanted something bigger and better so he has 31 days In his mon as opposed to the 30 days in July.
kevin says
There are no dates that matter in the bible or any major religious tradition. They are either arbitrary or the result of compromise. Easier to just suspend disbelief because either its all real and regardless of the actual dates, we are not living up to god’s plan, or it is fantasy, and any date works as good as the next…just so long as I can go skiing in winter and climb mountains in the spring…
Stan says
The word month is a truncation of moonth – orbits of Earth by the Moon – and there are 13 Moon orbits of Earth for every one orbit of Earth around Sol. That seems to suggest that a real calendar should have 13 months and not 12 or 10, so, there is something very weird about the entire situation. Deception is after all the game these clowns have been playing for millennia. Screw up the peoples ability to think properly by brainwashing them with lies, keep ’em all off balance so to speak, and you can control more of ’em.
Flint says
Well lunar calendar have a problem where there is a seasonal drift. Seasons are based off of the amount of sun a part of the world receives due to earths tilt, nothing to due with the moon. In Rome, before the Julian Calendar, they used a lunar calendar. Every so often the Ponteix Maximums would have to adjust the calendar to keep it in line with the seasons. For most ancient people, it was more important to know when to harvest crops rather than what face the moon made. It has nothing to do with control. If you want a more practical example of how bad seasonal drift can be just look at Julius Ceaser’s civil war. During the war, the Ponteix Maximums(Julius Ceaser) had not adjusted the calendar for years do to constant war and political strife. This gave Julius an advantage because he knew it was safe to sail across Adriatic sea when his enemy’s didn’t. If anything, The Julian calendar was about removing the control the Pontifex Maximums had over society
Bob says
A better calendar would have 13 months with 28 days each (4 weeks). Add a day to the 13 month for 29 days. Every 4 years add another day to the 13th month for 30 days. That way we can have 4 7-day weeks in every month except the last month. Much cleaner to me. It’ll never happen.
Cyrus says
Yes,you are correct, everything goes back to the Jewish jasuites. The anti Christ, wolves dressed as lamb’s…but not any longer. The tide has turned and we are going back to the Julian calendar when president Trump is ready to. Watch the space. Satan has been defeated and God has won. Amen