Dates aren’t an exact science

I hate to rain on everyone’s New Year’s parade, but, folks, the fat lady ain’t ready yet to sing a finale to the second decade of the 21st century.

Going back to the beginning of the world calendar, Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem in the year 1 B.C. (now called B.C.E. for Before Common Era.) There was no 0 B.C. or A.D. (Anno Domini, Latin for Year of The Lord, now called C.E. for Common Era. As an aside, I find it deplorable to replace Christ and Lord with Common, don’t you?)

Let’s say Jesus was born, for the sake of argument, during the first year of the current Roman calendar, bearing in mind that many historians place his birth anywhere from 1 to 7 B.C. and his birth date is also literally God knows when, not necessarily December 25th. The first century, 1 to 100, exactly one hundred years, would have ended on Dec. 31, 100, and the second century began on 101. Fast forward 1,900 years and our current century and millennium began on 2001. Thus, the second decade ends on Dec. 31, 2020. Just sayin’.

Dale Roloff

Spokane