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From: myamin@cbnewsm.att.com (m.yamin)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Gregorian Calendar start (was:Re: Leap Year Checker.)
Message-ID: <1990Oct14.142858.20421@cbnewsm.att.com>
Date: 14 Oct 90 14:28:58 GMT
References: <1990Oct13.101434.21356@sq.sq.com>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 18

From article <1990Oct13.101434.21356@sq.sq.com>,
by msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader):
> [When the Gregorian calendar ....]
> was first proclaimed in the 16th century, only 10 days were dropped.
> This means that, extrapolating backwards, the Julian and Gregorian
> calendars would agree not in the 1st century BC, when the Julian
> calendar was started, nor in the 1st century AD, which might be
> thought especially significant to the Roman Catholic Church, but
> rather in the *3rd* century AD, or more precisely, from March 1,
> 200, through to February 28, 300.
> 
I think Pope Gregory XIII's intention was to reset the calendar back
to what it was at the time of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) which
established the rule for the date of Easter.  The problem with the
Julian calendar was that Easter and associated observances (like Lent),
which are keyed to the spring equinox, were backing up toward Christmas.
Why he dropped 10 days rather than 9 I don't know.
				M. Yamin my@syscad.att.com