On the question of the calendar

[Gregory2]

Can someone answer this question on the calendar?

The feast of the Dormition is celebrated on Aug 15th accdg to the New Calendar. It is on August 28th for the Old Calendar. Are these the same days, but the Old and New Calendar folks just label them differently? Or do the old calendar churches actually celebrate the feast 13 days later than the new calendar?

Old calendar Christmas is Jan 7, new calendar is Dec 25. Are these the same day, just called two different dates? Or are they two different dates 13 days apart?

I realize this is confusing, but it's confusing to me too. A better way to put it: today is Aug. 12th (new calendar). Do Old calendar folks call today Aug. 25? Do Old calendar folks pay any attention to the calendar that the world goes by?

If you managed to read this and are still sane, thanks, and forgive me.

[尼古拉前执事]

I followed you, but I think you got confused! Tomorrow is the 13th of August secularly, but on the Orthodox calendar it is July 31st. new calendarists use the secular date while us on the old calendar use the Orthodox Calendar, as the secular Gregorian calebdar was anathemized among other issues. If you read the postings of the link above it will make things clearer for you I think.

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

Perhaps it could me made even more clear by saying, the same date, different calendars.

Nativity is always on December 25th no matter what calendar. But because the new-calendar follows scientific accuracy and not the Church, it is 13 days ahead.

Secular/papal calendar | Orthodox Calendar
dec. 25 dec 12
dec. 26 dec 13
dec. 27... dec 14...

Jan. 6 dec 24
Jan. 7 dec 25

[尼古拉前执事]

But, funny enough the Gregorian calendar is off and there is no known way to make it correct without introducing yet another calendar with leap years, hours, minutes and seconds!

If the Hindus and Jews can keep their Calendars why not Christians?

[Mor Ephrem]

If the Hindus and Jews can keep their Calendars why not Christians?

It was not my impression that the Church created its own calendar, but adopted the existing civil calendar. Until the new calendar came along, this wasn't an issue of following a religious versus a secular calendar. The Church and the world followed the same calendar. Of course, I suppose this could be said for the Hindus and the Jews until the civil calendar came about that everyone now uses for civil matters. I guess my question is about why the Church calendar must now be different from the civil calendar. What is the practical benefit of keeping them separate, rather than sanctifying "civil time"?

Just in case there is any confusion, I am speaking from a perspective that prefers embracing the Gregorian calendar outright instead of mixing the Gregorian for fixed feasts and the Julian for the moveable ones (stay on one calendar for everything, whether it is the Julian or the Gregorian, it makes more sense), and that prefers to see such decisions made by a council and not on a Church by Church basis.

[Gregory2]

I guess my question is about why the Church calendar must now be different from the civil calendar. What is the practical benefit of keeping them separate, rather than sanctifying "civil time"?

I think this is an argument for following the New Calendar, since Jesus sanctified all of creation!

Thanks for answering my quesion and being patient with me, Nicholas. I think I get it now

I like this forum, I'm glad I joined here.

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

Mor Ephrem,

I don't have much time, I've been nursing a computer back to health this morning after being attacked by the LovSan virus...

It is hard to grasp the many details and complexities of the Typicon. It is very very delicate. And like someone mentioned, there was much discord in the Church early on and many became schismatic as a result. There was no uniform festal calendar. Well, as every one knows, the Church through countless synods and much love and care organized the festal calendar, it is like a masterpeice of art that took centuries to organize.

Quite simply, the Typicon does not work with the new-calendar without making stuff up on the fly. Nobody would suggest we scrape the paint off of a Rembrandt and glue it back on a high-tech canvas would they?

In addition, there is absolutley no need whatsoever to change the festal calendar. Can anyone think of a reason it needs to be changed? And if it was changed, it would not be changed and brutally enforced by a Mason so he can unite with Protestants.