--- Following message extracted from HOLYSMOKE @ 1:374/14 ---
    By Christopher Baker on Tue Oct 24 20:36:32 1995

From: John Musselwhite
To: All
Date: 22 Oct 95  11:41:05
Subj: [1/2] [2/2] Happy Birthday, Dear Universe!
 
 * Crossposted from: Local Religion Arguments

 >>> Part 1 of 2...

Hi All...

  Happy Birthday to you
  Happy Birthday to you
  Happy Birthday dear Universe
  Happy Birthday to you!

  It was October 23, in 4004 BC, at 8:00 PM that Anglican Bishop
  James Ussher calculated that God created the Universe. The
  following is a treatise by Dr. Marty Leipzig on the
  subject, which I (cross)post out of respect for this day.

 _ _ _O_/_ _C_u_t_ _H_e_r_e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
      O \

        If, for no other reason than a rainy Sunday afternoon, I
        recall someone about asking about Archbishop Ussher's date
        of creation. For no particular reason, I dug out of my
        library the "Annals of the World" (1658), by none other than
        the venerated Archbishop himself. If I may....

        James Ussher (1581-1656), Archbishop of Armagh and Primate
        of All Ireland, was highly regarded in his day as a
        churchman and as a scholar. Of his many works, his treatise
        on chronology has proved to be the most durable. Based on an
        intricate correlation of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean
        histories and the Holy Writ, it was incorporated into an
        authorized version of the Bible published in 1701, and thus
        came to be regraded with almost as much unquestioning
        reverence as the Bible itself. Having established the
        first day of creation as Sunday 23 October (what? you missed
        the party?), 4004 BC, by the arguments set forth in the
        quoted passage to follow, Ussher calculated the dates of
        various other biblical events, concluding, for example, that
        Adam and Eve were driven from paradise on Monday 10 November
        4004 BC and that the ark grounded on Mt.Ararat on 5 May 1491
        BC, "on a Wednesday."

        "For as much as our Christian epoch falls many ages after
        the beginning of the world, and the number of years before
        that backward is not only troublesome, but (unless great
        care is taken) more lyable to errour; also it hath pleased
        our modern chronologers, to adde to that generally received
        hypothesis (which asserted the Julian years, with their
        three cycles by a certain mathematical prolepsis, to have
        run down to the very beginning of the world) an artificial
        epoch, framed out of three cycles in themselves; for the
        Solar Circle being multiplied by the Lunar, or the number of
        28 by 19, produces the great Paschal Cycle of 532 years,
        and that again multiplied by 15, the number of the
        indication, there arises the period of 7980 years, which was
        first (if I mistake not) observed by Robert Lotharing,
        Bishop of Hereford, in our island of Britain, and 500 years
        after by Joseph Scaliger fitted for chronological uses, and
        called by name of the Julian Period, because it conteined a
        cycle of so many Julian years. Now if the series of the
        three minor cycles be from this present year extended
        backward unto precedent times, the 4713 years before the
        beginning of our Christian account will be found to be that
        year into which the first year of the indication, the first
        of the Lunar Cicle, and the first of the Solar will fall.
        Having placed therefore the heads of this period in the
        kalends of January in that proleptick year, the first of our
        Christian vulgar account must be reckoned the 4714 of the
        Julian Period, which, being divided by 15, 19, 28, will
        present us with the 4 Roman indication, the 2 Lunar Cycle
        and the 10 Solar, which are the principal characters of that
        year.

        We find moreover that the year of our fore-fathers, and the
        years of the ancient Egyptians and Hebrews were of the same
        quantity with the Julian, consisting of 12 equal spaced
        moneths, every one of them conteining 30 days (for it cannot
        be proved that the Hebrews did use lunary moneths before the
        Babylonian Captivity) adjoying to the end of the twelfth
        moneth, the addition of five days, and every four year six.
        And I have observed by the continued succession of these
        years, as they are delivered in holy writ, that the end of
        the great Nebuchadnezzars and the beginning of the
        Evilmerodachs (his sons) reign, fell out in the 3442 year of
        the world, but by collation of Chaldean history and the
        astronomical cannon, it fell out in the 186 year of
        Nabonasar, and, as by certain connexion, it must follow in
        the 562 year before the Christian account, and of the
        Julian Period, the 4152. and from thence I gathered the
        creation of the world did fall out upon the 710 year of the
        Julian Period, by placing its beginning in autumn: but for
        as much as the first day of the world began with the
        evening of the first day of the week, I have observed that
        the Sunday, which in the year 710 aforesaid came nearest the
        Autumnal Equinox, by astronomical tables (notwithstanding
        the stay of the sun in the dayes of Joshua, and the going
        back of it in the dayes of Ezekiah) happened upon the 23 day
        of the Julian October; from thence concluded that from the
        evening preceding that first day of the Julian year, both
        the first day of creation and the first motion of time are
        to be deduced."

                    - J. Ussher (1658)

 _ _ _O_/_ _C_u_t_ _H_e_r_e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
      O \

    Anyone up for a party to celebrate?   B-})

        Rev. John


  Origin: The Cosmic Keyboard [Calgary, AB] (1:134/67)